I know I have been forgetting to post my conversation cards, so I have decided to fix that problem.  This week talks about Houses and Architecture.  I thought some of these questions were quite good and could bring about some good conversations.  Enjoy!

Houses & Architecture

I hope you are having a fabulous holiday weekend!  August was a little crazy for us.  Getting ready for school, back to school night, and starting school (and all that comes with that!) has been very busy.  I hope you and your kids are back into the swing of things at your house.  Now is a great time to start Family Council back up if you have let it go for the summer like we have.  With hectic schedules starting back up it is important for everyone in the family to be on the same page.  I’m finding with our sports, activities, school and homework we are needing to set some ground rules!

I am attaching Family Council Sheets for you to use as a reference for your family council meetings.  Begin by setting rules for your family council.  Let everyone know this is their BIG chance to participate in making decisions, setting the schedule and having a say in what your family does.  Each family member should feel important and like they have a voice at family council.  This is also a great time to set some goals for the month.  I suggest having family council AT LEAST once a month.  Having a calendar session every Monday before you begin family home evening could also be very helpful in keeping everyone on track.  You can also hold family council on Sunday if that works better for your family.

Always begin and end family council with a prayer.  The first Monday of every month could be designated Family Council night.  You may want to add a spiritual thought or family activity as well.  Even just having a game night following the meeting will bring your family closer together.  When having family council take the opportunity to teach your children.  Concerns may come up that will be a great teaching opportunity.  Don’t miss out on these.  Make sure you take the opportunity to praise your family for good things that have happened since the last family council.  Give everyone the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings on what is good about your family and what is working.   Set goals and follow through.  Family council can be a very powerful teaching tool.  It is a great opportunity to share your testimonies, to be positive with your children (sometimes I feel like all I do is nag!), and to set some goals for improvement.  Family Council is a great place for your family to reconnect.  Life is so busy make the most out of Monday nights!

Here is a fabulous article from the church on Family Council:   Family Council Article

Yes, I think I am the coupon queen when it comes to holidays and birthdays.  I just LOVE giving them out for people to use.  So when I came up with the Father’s Day and Mother’s Day coupons, I thought, why not birthdays?  My children love their birthday wall of fame, but they love the coupons even more.  Every year they take those off first.  This year, I didn’t put them up and what happened?  The first thing they asked me was, where’s my coupons?  It made me laugh and feel good at the same time that they see it as a tradition.  So here they are, use them, and enjoy them.

Birthday Coupons PDF

We created this artwork “JUST FOR YOU!”

For personal use in your OWN HOME ONLY and NOT

for RESALE . . . It’s got our copyright!

If you would like to share, please refer them to THIS blog!

Now that the older kids

are in school and

YOU get YOUR TODDLERS

ALL TO YOURSELF

It’s time for Toddler Bootcamp!

The word “Bootcamp” is mostly for the mom’s

because raising a toddler takes a lot of work!

If you have a toddler you know they are BUSY little people

and very curious, to say the least.

“Terrible Two’s” is phrase you hear often when

you have a todder, and the “Three’s” are often filled with

the same adventures.

They want to know how everything works,

what it feels like,

and how to do new things.

This curiousity and desire to learn is what

gets them into a little trouble sometimes.

I LOVE to be around toddlers. They actually want to be

wherever you are . . . doing whatever you are doing.

They love to work

and they still think they’re parents are COOL!

To them JOBS are like a game or a new adventure

EVERY TIME

they get to try something new, and once they have

learned a new skill . . . it’s fun to see

their self-esteem blossom!

This chore system is perfect for training.

They can see the pictures and they can even pretend to read them.

Each chore picture says, “I CAN . . . “

and then it will show the picture as well as the word for the action

followed by the words “CAN YOU?”

They get so excited when they can answer, “YES!”

Have your toddler pick some of the jobs he or she would like to do.

I use anywhere from 5-10 cards at a time

depending on the child’s age.

(Boy)

(Girl)

(I think they’re are about 40 different chore options!)

The great thing is that they fit into the child’s hands and can be

carried with them from job to job.

When my boys where younger,

I would point to the words,

“I Can”

and have my boys “read” them out loud.

They began to recognize the words

even if they couldn’t actually read at the time.

Then they would see the picture and say what it was.

They loved pretending to read the big words at the bottom!

(That was back in the old days . . . now days, they’re born reading!)

No Pressure!!!

To Make the Toddler Charts

You Will Need:

To print the PDF.

Cut into individual cards.

Laminate the cards.

Punch a hole in the top of the cards.

You will also need to purchase a “C-Ring”

to keep the pictures together.

That’s it . . . the rest of the work has been done for you!

Boy Toddler Chart Pack-2

Girl Toddler Chart Packet

Remember to work along side your toddlers.

They will love the extra attention!

It’s the perfect time to

TEACH AND ENCOURAGE!

We created this artwork “JUST FOR YOU!”

For personal use in your OWN HOME ONLY and NOT

for RESALE . . . It’s got our copyright!

If you would like to share, please refer them to THIS blog!

Thank My Peeps!

I have to apologize for my slothful postings these many many weeks.  I have had something going on every weekend and Friday’s are my post days.  So in a way of saying sorry you get more than one idea for our Friday post today.  Which is actually being posted on Sunday.  Oh the irony.

Have you ever tried to play that game in the newspaper where they take very close up pictures of things around town and you have to guess what it is and where it is located?  It reminds me of an I Spy game for the city.  My sister and I came up with an idea to do the same thing for our family reunion coming up at the end of August.  We are staying at this place that has trails and hidden objects amidst the garden area.  We are going to take pictures and then place those close ups on a sheet of paper and have people try to identify where they are located.  They are scored for their answers and that score is entered into the overall score for our Family Olympics.  (I will explain the Olympics later on in the next post.)  It’s a great game idea for young children who love to explore anyway and gives them something to do.  You can do the same thing at a park near your, or even in your own neighborhood, and all you need is a camera and a printer.  For older children, you can print the pictures in black and white to make it harder to identify and more of a challenge.  Just make sure they don’t peak at the younger child’s paper when they are trying to figure out what it is they are looking at.  Have fun spying that amazing beauty around you!

Have you ever thought about having your own Olympics at your family reunions?  We have done it for many many years now and it’s the highlight of the day.  My Uncle started the idea when they realized there were a lot more children now and they needed something to do more than just hang out with their other cousins.  Thus the Olympics were born.  There are 5 to 6 games that are listed on a paper with a scoring sheet for each one.  ( We try and introduce a new game each year and our tote is becoming quite full.)  Put everyone’s name into a bowl, adults included, and draw out two names to make a team.  This works so well because you are forced to get to know that individual better and it’s hard to stay distant with someone you are playing games with.  This year I have made a new game, which you will have to read about in the next post!  At the end, every team adds their score up and the winner is announced.  They receive a trophy that has the past winner’s names on it and get to take it home.  They have to put their names on it and bring it back the following year.  In the event it has people of different homes on it they have to decided who is taking it home, or even share it for half a year.  It’s become a tradition that has created many memories over the years and produced thousands of laughs!

I have a memory problem when it comes to remembering my cousins names and also the names of their children.  Add that to the fact they come to the Family Reunion every year and it stresses my memory.  To help myself, mostly, but also my children to know their cousins better I have come up with a game idea.  This year for our Family Olympics new game idea I asked everyone to email me pictures of members of their family as well as the name of every member of their family.  (Everyday pictures, not the professional kind.)  Using my computer I am making them into a card size memory game.  On one card it will have their picture and on the other card it will have their name.  The idea of the game is to match the name to the face in the fastest time possible.  You will receive a higher score if your team gets a faster time.  This works well because you have to start to identify people with names forcing your brain to remember just who that person is.  Below is a sample of what I did, it’s easy to do and a fun game to play.  You can even do this idea with your ancestors to have your family get to know them better.  You can even put a fun fact on the card with their name to learn more about them!

Let me start by saying I’m so sorry that I haven’t posted for a few weeks!  Our computer crashed so we got a new computer and it is a Mac.  That meant that we had to oder it, transfer all of our documents and then I had to figure out how to use it!  Anyway, I now have access to all my documents and I have sort of figured out how it works – definite progress!

This lesson is important for all ages.  My 4 year old daughter is always asking why she can’t wear things that show her back or her whole arm.  She is so funny that way.  It is probably a good thing that I am starting young with her!  This lesson will help your children understand why it is important to be modest and dress appropriately.  I have included a couple of articles and stories for you to read and share according to the guidance of the Spirit.  For some kids this is a no brainer and for others it may be a struggle.  In our world today the lines don’t seem to be so black and white.  I am loving the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet because it is very black and white.  There is a definite right and wrong and it is very clearly laid out.  In my day it wasn’t quite so clear – it didn’t need to be.  In today’s world there is no question what the Lord is asking of us.  It could not be put any clearer.

For the Strength of Youth – Dress and Appearance

http://lds.org/Static%20Files/PDF/Magazines/Friend/English/2010/FR_2010_05_06___09265_000_009.pdf

Wow!  We are right in the middle of summer and it is hot!   I love having an ice cold drink on a hot day!  Here is one of my favorite drinks that I love to serve my family and especially guests when they come over for a BBQ.  My sister, Tracie, gave me this recipe.  She calls it a Virgin Sangria.  Give it a try and I know you will love it too!

1 can frozen Welch’s Strawberry Breeze concentrate

1 can frozen Limeade

4 cans cold water

2 cans Sprite or Gingerale

1/2 c. orange juice

Sliced oranges and limes for garnish

Combine concentrates, water and juice together.  Add sprite and gently stir in fruit slices.  Chill.  May add ice to drink before serving.

Conversation Cards on Food.  I love anything about food, so this is a good one.

Food Conversation Cards