Revamping FHE

My son turns 8 in a year!  8!  Accountability, covenants with Heavenly Father, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Parenting just got a lot more serious for me.  Up until now, Family Home Evening has been mostly about time together and having fun.  We'll get ice cream, play a game, and read a scripture and pray.  But I was recently talking to a friend who has a daughter the same age as mine and we talked about how weird it was that they'll be baptized in a year and the full weight of that sunk in to us.  I just don't want him to be baptized because "everyone else is" or because it's expected of him.  I have told him it's his choice and I stand by that.  And I also believe it needs to be an informed choice.
I think the best place for this teaching is Family Home Evening, but I've been a little lost on where to start.  We've often used the Gospel Art Kit for FHE lessons, but that just didn't seem like enough for me with this.  So after my friend blogged about this, someone commented and suggested using Preach My Gospel.  I love the idea so much I wanted to tell you about it.  I seems like such a perfect way to teach him what he needs to know before making this important decision. 
Parneting is so scary sometimes.  One year after baptism he'll turn 9, halfway through his childhood.  Have I taught him enough?  Does he know the important things, that he can trust me, that he can trust God?  I worry that he doesn't think so with the ways I've lost my temper and I really need to fix that.  I suppose that's for another post though....

"Perverting Modesty"

I read this blog post today, and it's stirred some feelings in me that I'm not sure I understand quite as yet. What does it mean to be modest? What does the Lord require of us when he asks modesty?

Definitions of modesty:
1.having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.
2. free from ostentation or showy extravagance: a modest house.
3. having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.; decent: a modest neckline on a dress.
4. limited or moderate in amount, extent, etc.: a modest increase in salary.

I can tell you one thing. I am very judgmental when it comes to how others dress; I have a hard time seeing past the outward appearance when I meet people. I also know that there are wonderfully virtuous young women I know whose shoulders are covered but who dress very ostentatiously and in an overly alluring fashion.

How can I better practice modesty myself?

First Official Day of Homeschooling

(I think I avoid writing about homeschooling because I'm the only one doing it yet and I'm not sure exactly who my audience is.  So I suppose my audience will be Madame Coin :) )

Tomorrow is the official first day of school and I have a little bit of insomnia (of course).  I was thinking about what if we decided last minute to go back to the local public school.  I know his teacher and I think he'd be okay in there.  Maybe a bit stressed again.  Oh my gosh, I forgot about the stress!!!  He's such a sensitive kid and sometimes I just waqnt to feed him to the wolves hoping it will toughen him up, but I know it wont.  And I also know that's why God sent him to me.

Anyway, so I was thinking about it and I felt sad and a little sick.  No matter how much I want to have more free time to sew and do yard work, I know that this is something I need to do this year.  I don't know if we'll go longer or not; one year at a time.

I'm very excited though.  And it's helping ME.  I'm more disciplined and more available to my kids.  I've had to get more organized and stick to the routine and I can see it's helping me.  I'm mostly happy with the K12 curriculum and know that I will do a better job teaching with someone to be accountable to.  It's good to know that about myself.  I like designing a syllabus and schedule, but the lesson planning was doing me in this summer.

I still have no idea what I'm going to do with the girls....

Sad, neglected blog

We had such high hopes when we started! But as often happens, life gets in the way.

While pondering the compatibility of big goals and real life, I came to a surprising conclusion.

Do what you really want to do. Do what you must do. Leave the rest for someone else.

It might be a tiny bit heretical. I have a big goal in front of me, a master's degree in Library and Information Science. I have another big goal, and that's raising my family to love God, to love each other, and to love learning. I think genealogy, quilting, card-making, scrapbooking, decorating on a budget, thrift-store shopping, reading novels, and cooking gourmet meals from scratch are all fun things. I don't have the time for all of these.

I can get a master's degree if I want to, and I can do it while keeping all of my kids at home the majority of the days. I can show them my love of the Lord and my love for them and my love for learning, leading by example. I can even keep my family fed, in clean clothes, and in a mostly clutter-free home.

I am inspired by my goals, as they are far from mediocre and not easily attainable. The thought of the end, here in the beginning, pushes me to work harder and smarter and to love my kids more. This is not true of crafting, much as I love handicrafts. The other pursuits I mentioned aren't for me. I can and will leave them to somebody else.

What are your goals? Are they big, audacious, a bit crazy for "someone in your position"? Why not? I can tell you right now, God has big plans for you if you'll accept them. There are no small parts, as the adage goes.

AWESOME small space tip

Most of the women who read this blog live in relatively small spaces.

We're in our largest space ever, at just over 1000 square feet, but I still manage to make it feel cluttered. And we have hardly any furniture!

I learned this amazing tip that explains why spaces that may contain a lot of furniture feel uncluttered, while my house with one or two chairs feels like it's covered in trash. HORIZONTAL SPACES!

How many of your horizontal spaces are cluttered right now with papers, keys, what-not, etc., miscellaneous objects? Mine are AWFUL, since I don't yet have a designated space for a lot of things. Last night I cleared off the bar above my kitchen sink, and ta-da! The kitchen looked so much cleaner.

Try it, you'll love it! Clear off the counter, shelf, tabletop, whatever. Make space for living by taming the stuff on your bed, chair, floor. Find places to put things, or throw them away. (I'm currently digitizing a lot of records so I can recycle the paper and not have to store it)

This tip brought to you courtesy of Small Notebook.