Coming Up

This coming weekend is one of my favorites for the year.  I love General Conference!  I love hearing the words of living prophets and inspired leaders.  I always feel like my reservoir has been filled at the end of the two days. Our home teachers asked my kids why they were excited for Conference.  Their unanimous answer?  Fruit snacks!  Every six months I rotate my 72 hour kit "food" around this time and save the old goodies to eat during General Conference.  We don't eat a lot of fruit snacks around here. (I would like to say it is because I am an extremely healthy mom, but a large part of it is that the whining for them drives me nuts and also I don't really like them myself.  We have no shortage of chocolate chips, however.)  So when the kids get that junk, it is really a treat.  But don't worry, we eat other things too, like fruit roll-ups, granola bars and hot chocolate.  All the good stuff that would give us a 72 hour sugar high, in a real emergency.  But at least it won't be expired!

We were also asked by our home teachers what other things we do to make two days of watching long talks by old men exciting for our kids.  They both have kids a little younger than ours and were needing some tips on what they could do.  So, I thought I would pass some ideas on to you, too!  

One thing that I read long ago, was to start some fun traditions associated with General Conference.  It would give the kids something to look forward to.  Hence, the 72-hour kit rotation time.  We also make cinnamon rolls to eat while we watch (once or twice they have been homemade, but often, just from a can.  All rolls with sugar and frosting on them are alike to my family).  My children have never let me miss this tradition.  They love cinnamon rolls and think it is a big treat to eat them in front of the TV.  

Another thing that we started last year, which seemed quite effective, was a sticker chart.  We wrote each child's name down on a piece of paper and hung it next to the TV.  As we saw the kids playing quietly or actually watching a talk, we would put a sticker next to their name.  We didn't say much, but they noticed and were very happy to get stickers.  There was no reward at the end, the stickers were the reward, but it was surprisingly effective.  

We also bring out every puzzle, coloring book, and most of our toys to play with in our Family Room.  I don't expect my young children to sit, listening through 8 hours of talks, but we do encourage them to play quietly with all of us there together.  

Another game that we have done for a couple of years is to hang a picture of all the General Authorities next to the TV (there is one in your May Conference Ensign).  As someone gets up to speak, the kids take turns finding them and circling them.  This is also surprisingly exciting for my kids.  

For the older kids, we make a bingo board each session, with words related to gospel topics, and they circle the words as they hear them.  

We also get out beads and sit on the floor making necklaces and bracelets.  

Conference is never this lovely, peaceful, relaxing weekend where we all sit there and smile and feel the Spirit.  It's actually kind of exhausting, but my hope is that occasionally my children will catch something said, or feel something different and internalize it.  Another hope is that even with having us all in the room together, Dustin and I can still listen (a little, at least!).

Do any of you have any great ideas?  I'm always looking for something new to entertain my little animals!

First Day of School

You know I am running behind, because not only have we long ago had the first day of school, but we've already had a vacation, and missed days for being sick.  We're way beyond first day!  But such is my life.  I should just embrace my late-ness because now I (and you) have had all these great opportunities to head back down memory lane (even if it is just memories from a few months ago).

Here were the girls on their first day of school.  Luckily, Dustin was still around to remind me to take a picture.  I almost forgot.  I love that they will still wear matching clothes.

And here is Ryan on his first day of preschool.

Technically I took this today, on his 6th day of preschool, because Daddy wasn't around to remind me to take a picture on his first day (poor third child).  But just imagine him, dressed very similarly, with his backpack on for his first day.  The only real difference is that on his real first day of preschool he was crying, screaming, dripping with snot and tears, clutching my leg, sitting down and refusing to go in, and eventually running out the door and down the street.  Other than that, he looked just like this.

So far, the kids are enjoying their teachers and class.  Ryan struggled that first day, but when I picked him up, he was all smiles and has been ever since.  It is pretty strange to have 3 gone at the same time in the afternoon.  I'm always torn between being ready for them to be back in school, and being sad because time seems to go by so much faster when I don't have them with me all day.  Plus, they are growing up so fast!  They are already learning so many new things : Ryan to cut and trace, Maren to sound out words and spell them the best she can, and Avery to write in cursive.  Having multiple kids in school makes me even more grateful for good teachers and all the effort they put in to their students!