sunday, the best day ♥

sundays can be super hard. to get up, get kids ready, and to get to church on time... then to be really be present, while you're there. doug has been working a lot lately and has done sunday after sunday after sunday. sometimes it's hard!! the kids won't eat their breakfast, don't like the clothes i've picked for them, don't want to get in the car... and i wonder why i bother. but once i am there it always seems to be okay. i guess heavenly father knows i can do this... and will bless me when i put my head down and just do it.

for that reason, this quote from president nelson really stuck out to me from the recent church broadcast (that included the announcement of the new first presidency) "to each member of the church i say, keep on the covenant path" 

i am trying to keep on the covenant path, 

i'm doing the best i can... and that's all i can do! ♥

this little piggy: a relief society additional meeting

tonight we had our latest relief society additional meeting, with the topic being

"this little piggy"

i totally swiped the idea from one of the worldwide rs presidencies pages i am on, there are some amazing ideas out there, just waiting to be found!

the focus of the evening was going with the old nursery rhyme:

this little piggy went to market

(budgeting and meal planning to get the most out of your money)

this little piggy stayed home

(tips and ideas for holding regular family home evening)

this little piggy had roast beef

(simple and quick meals)

and this little piggy had none

(how to cope when you're running on spiritual empty)

and this little piggy went wee wee wee, all the way home

(or in our case, off to eat!)

we had assigned a lot of food on the night, so that there was samples of many of the recipes that had been discussed. i think it gave it that extra something, because it certainly encouraged sisters to try them at a later date! we also had printouts of the recipes available (and a list to make them available via email after the evening) which was a great decision, there was so much enthusiasm for all the speakers and the recipe stacks were gone before that presenter had even finished!

one of our girls is so clever... here is a pig in straw haha! it make me have a giggle

our pink juice... the evening was decorated beautifully with pink accents all over the place. 

i didn't have an assignment on the evening, (which was such a nice change!) but unfortunately the girl who was presenting the section on family home evening ended up unwell and i had to step in last minute... thank goodness we actually have family home evening, or i would have been at a total loss! so for a little look into our evening, here is what i spoke about:

What is Family Home Evening? I know you all know this already, but here we go again… Family home evening is a time to strengthen family ties. We do this by learning the gospel together, by listening to each other’s feelings, thoughts and ideas, and by enjoying activities together. It is usually held on Monday evenings.

The practice of learning the gospel in the home began all the way back with Adam and Eve. It has continued throughout the generations, as prophets counselled parents to teach their children to love God and follow His ways.

Family home evening is a time to enjoy each other and have fun together. Through simple activities—games, service, sharing talents, visits to local sites of interest—families create connections and build unity.

Family home evening is for everyone. Recently married couples, fathers and mothers with children, single parents with children, couples who have no children at home, single adults in home evening groups, and those who live alone or with roommates can all be blessed by holding family home evening.

So why have family home evening? Prophets have promised great blessings to those who follow this counsel, including greater faith in the hearts of the youth, increased ability to resist temptation, and greater peace, love, and harmony in the home.

So… who here has FHE regularly? Do you follow a particular format with the evening? I know as children FHE could go one of two ways. Even though we knew our assignments (thanks to my dad’s handiwork, a wooden FHE house with each of assignments listed...) It was either a magical night full of fun, or a disaster that ended with stressed parents and fighting children. I’ve learned now that I have my own children, that it really it comes down to one thing, whether or not we are organised. If I haven’t planned the evening, don’t have dinner ready early enough for us to have it afterwards, it doesn’t always happen and gets put off for another night.

In our home, we generally have a simple gospel lesson, often could be reading one of these books which the Goodlet family have had since the 70s, could be a video on youtube, or a discussion about something we thing the kids need to learn about. We read scriptures together, we started from the simplified versions, but this year now the kids are both in school we’ve moved to the family version, which is the full book, with some illustrations, background and definitions along the base.

One idea that we stole from a friends house when Madeline was a baby, that has stuck with us, was to begin the evening telling our “good news and bad news.” Sometimes it’s hilarious, sometimes it just helps you get to know any visitors a little better. Let’s have a round! Hi everyone I’m Jade. My good news is that I’m here with you all having a good time at our additional meeting. My bad news is that I had to replace Kate and I am sure she would have done a much better job! Now… a few of you? Can I have a volunteer? If not, I’m going to pick people at random! (which i did...) Okay thanks guys. Maybe try that one at your house. I promise it’s a lot of fun!

The most important thing we need to remember is to tailor FHE to our own family and our needs. If your kids are young and don’t have a long attention span, keep the lesson short! Focus on one principle and make it something that will stick in their mind and that they’ll think about later. If they are older, make it a little more in depth. A few weeks ago we watched the press conference (I figured it was worth a shot!) where they announced the new first presidency and I was amazed that the kids asked questions and took it all in. Remember it doesn’t have to be a Monday either. Sometimes you have to do what works for you, anytime is fine, as long as it’s set aside and a regular thing. Being organised and making FHE a priority will make sure it happens.

A few ideas:

• Involve close friends or extended family. We have FHE with the Pinker family once a month and it is a hoot. We all love the time together and have so much fun.
• If you are older and it’s just you and your husband? Find a topic and have a discussion. Watch a movie together. Have date night. Take a walk together? The possibilities are endless.
• If you’re single and it’s just you? Have a little gospel time once a week. For the rest of us? Invite people around for FHE. Seek out someone that you think could use some family time and invite them over.

I would just like to leave you with a quote from President Thomas S. Monson, “We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”

as always, thanks to our committee, it was an awesome well planned evening. i remember when i first was called as the relief society president, the additional meetings weren't very well attended, now it seems that each time we have one, more and more sisters are attending! it makes me so happy to see that, because we as women, need to spend time with other women! to be uplifted and strengthened and just to be us! i am so grateful to be around the sisters in our ward, they are an awesome bunch!

sibling date

so, dougs sister arrived home on friday to stay for a month. clearly it was important that we get in some sibling time while doug had the day off on monday, so off we went to the megabarn for a day of opshopping while both the kids were at school. woo!

we had a great time and i got some awesome bargains... what could be better? ♥

the sweetest little man ❤️

yesterday was aunty dom's birthday and i thought it was about time i taught joseph to be a little gentleman. we went into woolworths in the morning to get something and i asked him if he'd like to buy some flowers for aunty dom for her birthday. i was met with a very enthusiastic yes and he quickly got to work picking some. they were (no surprises here) the ones with the most red ones! we paid for them and set off to surprise her.

of course, she was thrilled to pieces and said it was the best birthday present ever! i don't know if she meant the flowers or the child, they are both adorable... haha. honestly though, watching him run over to her with them was the cutest thing ever! i just love him - and the bond those two have is the sweetest. happy birthday domdom! ♥

off to school together!

can you believe it? my babies are both at school this year and went off together yesterday for the first time. madeline is a big year one and joseph is at kindy 5 days a fortnight (3 one week and 2 the following). i almost have no idea what to do with myself... but let's be honest, i can always find something to keep myself busy.

 

my emotional little madeline was a bit teary when i had to leave her in her class, but was thrilled to see her best friend ella was in her class, especially are finding out that 4 of her closest friends were all in the same class, and she wasn't in it. :( she settled in fine though and was all smiles when i picked her up.

joseph on the other hand, waltzed into his classroom, put all his things away as instructed and went and sat quietly on the mat with his hands folded in his lap. "bye joseph, i love you. "bye mum!" clearly nothing to worry about there... but then really what could he have to worry about? he's been watching madeline go off to school for two years now, he knows exactly what's up!

they were so cute together, they appeared in my room, shortly after 7, both fully dressed and ready to go. it was adorable! 

i can't wait to see them learn and grow this year, they both love school and are super hungry to learn, so hopefully only good things will come!

♥

the cutest kids on the block

here's a cute snap from after church yesterday... we are just days away from school and this cute little boy is about to go to kindy. can he handle it? can i handle it? only time will tell, but we are all very excited!

visiting teaching changes 2018

we'll be having a relief society "lesson" in the new format: the council meeting, on the first sunday in february. we constantly have questions and concerns about visiting teaching and being that the format of that has also changed we thought we would use our first one to discuss it.

there will no longer be a prepared message from the ensign for you to use each month when visiting. the new idea is to simply “do what she needs.”

sister bingham, relief society general president told the church news, “We want to help sisters understand how to really care for and strengthen each sister.” “The Church handbook doesn’t talk about our responsibilities to teach a lesson. It talks about how ‘visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith and give service. Visiting teachers seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they are assigned to visit.” The changes are meant to help visiting teachers look beyond a universal prepared message and figure out what the sister they visit personally needs. “What are we supposed to do?” asked Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency. “Do what she needs.”

and thanks to the internet (once again) i even found this amazing hand out to give to the sisters in the lds relief society presidencies facebook page. thank heavens for the internet! it certainly makes lesson planning easier. here's hoping it all goes well! 

*******************************

update: late feb 2018

we had our council meeting, which went so well. i began with a few little readings, (it was our first one as our january one was taken up with a special pacific area wide lesson, so i thought it best to ease into it) then asked the following questions, we had to cut time at the end, because people had so much to say. phew! 

Sister Bingham, Relief Society General President told the church news, “We want to help sisters understand how to really care for and strengthen each sister.” “The Church handbook doesn’t talk about our responsibilities to teach a lesson. It talks about how ‘visiting teachers sincerely come to know and love each sister, help her strengthen her faith and give service. Visiting teachers seek personal inspiration to know how to respond to the spiritual and temporal needs of each sister they are assigned to visit.” The changes are meant to help visiting teachers look beyond a universal prepared message and figure out what the sister they visit personally needs. “What are we supposed to do?” asked Sister Sharon Eubank, First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency. “Do what she needs.”

Close your eyes and raise your hands... this will be completely anonymous, only I will know how you have answered

Who LIKES VTing?

Who likes being VTaught?

Who DISLIKES VTing?

Who DISLIKES being VTaught?

I have had a few questions regarding visiting teaching... so I’m going to do a quick Q&A. If you asked these questions, don’t worry, I’m keeping this anonymous too. 

1. Are we still required to visit Sisters in their homes? 

YES! We would encourage you to visit in your sisters homes at LEAST once a quarter. If you can visit monthly, that’s great! If you can’t, that’s okay too. Some of you are able to visit more often, we love you for it.

2. Is any form of contact counted? 

YES! The new way of visiting teaching as of Jan 1st this year was to “BE WHAT SHE NEEDS.” If your sisters need a cuddle hand one over. If you feel like they need a night off of cooking? Do that! Passing and saying “hi how are you?” in the hallway is a nice thing to do, but is it helping you know their needs and how you can personally ease their burdens? Get to know them away from the noise, in a quiet secluded space is the best way to do so.

3. Do I NEED to report my visiting teaching? 

YES YES YES A MILLION TIMES YES. This is how we know which sisters are being contacted and who we need to be aware of. Let us know your sisters needs PLEASE! Tell us what we can do to help, what they need, anything that concerns you, we are here to help. You can also tells us random facts like what their favourite colour is, how many pairs of shoes they own, what their cats name is... I’m interested. I actually know quite a lot of people’s pets names. 

4. Do I HAVE to cook for them? (Okay for your amusement, this person then asked who Kate and Valerie visit teach (well known excellent cooks in our ward). Asking for a friend of course...) Absolutely NOT. But if you’re a good cook, it is always appreciated! No one ever took offence from a lovingly baked treat

BE WHAT SHE NEEDS. But please don’t forget that the visiting teaching program is inspired! You might not think you are suited for the round, area, Sister (even companion!!!) you have, but a lot of prayer (AND even more juggling!) goes into getting these rounds right over and over again. 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do your visiting teaching. Don’t treat it as a chore, or something you need to check off. Get to know your sisters... and you’ll love them more than you know! 

The most important thing you need to remember is DO WHAT YOU CAN!

• What motivates you to VT?
• What stops you from doing your VT?
• What are some creative ways we can VT? There are so many ways you can do your visiting teaching! (take a walk together, meet for a hot chocolate, see a movie, text each other, write an email, send them an uplifting talk or video via the Internet, let them know you miss them when they aren’t around, send them some notes from the Sunday lesson they may have missed and/or keep an extra handout, call them after church! Plus I found this idea online and thought it was perfect: I wanted to share what I asked my VT to do for me when I was in the middle of a very busy “season” in my life & I rarely had time for visits. I asked each of them to prayerfully select a conference talk for me and email it - then I could read it when I had time and I could be spiritually fed. It worked great for me - maybe this will work for some of your sisters.

• How is visiting teaching a two-way street?
• What’s the best thing a VT ever did for you?
• What do you wish a VT had done for you?
• What things keep us from serving and seeking out others needs? What can we change to fix this?
• What does it mean to minister?
• How do we stop worrying about what “counts” in VTing and focus on what the sister needs?
• I know that RS is trying to get away from what “counts” in VTing, but what do we report?