Mormon Mommy Blogs

Best Post Ever (this week)

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:18:00 +0000

This week has been crazy for me. We've had doctor appointments, and tests, and school plays, and church activities, and, and, and.... In fact, this is the first time I've had a moment to sit at the computer all week! So please, share your best blog posts ever (this week) because I really need a break. (Yes, blogging is SO my relaxing escape)

Genealogy Isn't Just for Old People

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Something astounding happened at RootsTech 2013 - around 2000 young people got together and learned about how they could participate in family history and genealogy. Young people as in teenagers.

The words "genealogy" and "teenagers" don't seem to belong in the same sentence, let alone the plane of reality. But it happened, and it was a pretty huge deal.

The cool thing about teenagers is that they breath technology. I consider myself fairly decent with computers and other electronic devices, but I know that once my kids get to be my age they'll be able to scoff my peabrained understanding of all things technology.

Family history and genealogy are also moving the way of technology. It makes sense - think about how much of the world is now accessible to us just by pulling out a smart phone. The more technology advances, the more it brings the world together.

Now it makes more sense to throw teenagers and genealogy together, doesn't it? It was a truly inspired idea.

Reader Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Today you get to meet Sara. She just celebrated her first Mother's Day, and is definitely a blogger you'll love!

I live in good old Oklahoma City where my husband currently attends medical school. Maybe he'll be an oncologist or maybe a fertility doctor. Who knows! But I'm in for the ride. I am a stay-at-home mommy to my 5 month-old daughter Lily, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing! I speak French, love to write, and I'm completely obsessed with celebrating EVERY holiday because I think there is something to enjoy about every moment of life.

Sara says you need to read these posts:

Her favorite scripture is 2 Nephi 10:20: And now, my beloved brethren, seeing that our merciful God has given us so great knowledge concerning these things, let us remember him, and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off; nevertheless, we have been driven out of the land of our inheritance; but we have been led to a better land, for the Lord has made the sea our path, and we are upon an isle of the sea.

Connect with Sara on her blog, Med School Wife.

Family History Activities

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Family History can make a great activity for a church function, FHE, or just for yourself. Check out these eight superb ideas to get you going:

1- Ten page family history pdf (fill in the info, conduct interviews, etc.) from The Land of Glitter
2- Family history newspaper style interview sheet from momitforward.
3- The ten best family history iPad apps from Video Biography Central.
4- Family tree wall mural idea from All Our Days.
5- Soul Savers candy wrapper (to put around lifesavers) from about.com.
6- Cute family tree printable from A Year of Family Home Evenings.
7- Candy filled "Family Histo-Tree" with free printable hearts from LDS Activity Day Ideas.
8- Magnetic family tree game from Preserving Heritage. (This idea is my fave.)

The Importance of Stories: Meeting Kim Weitkamp

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I think it's safe to say that, as a large group of bloggers, we take telling stories seriously. Because what is a blog without them? Sure, blogs can have information, pictures, recipes, other stuff. But throw in even a dash of a story and that information, those pictures and recipes, become even better.

During RootsTech 2013 I had the great opportunity to hang out with my favorite story teller, Kim Weitkamp. The stories that flow from her mouth remind of me of Willy Wonka's chocolate river - they're sweet, rich, and smooth. She impresses me because the same exact story would trip out of my mouth like a newborn goat. Real story telling is an art.

Sadly we can't all be gifted story tellers. But does that mean we should just keep our mouths (or blogs, depending on if you're a writer or a talker) shut? Absolutely not. And here's why:

1- We all have a story to tell.
In fact, we each probably have more like a million stories to tell. And those stories are important. Not just for us to validate our views and opinions, but for our families and friends, and future generations that will devour every word you've ever said or written just to get to know you.

2- We've been commanded to keep a journal.
"Commanded" is a pretty strong word - but you know it has been "strongly suggested" by multiple prophets and general authorities of the Church to keep a record of our lives. And a journal is nothing more than the stories of our lives. Write them by hand, type them on a blog, or record yourself speaking. It's all journaling. And it's all story telling.

3- Stories can be healing.
Kim Weitkamp told me that the number one reason she loves stories is because they heal people. The journey of telling a story can heal a lifetime of hurt. And not just for the story teller, but also for those who listen or read that story. Not every story is going to be monumental, but each time you share or listen to one it's going to have an affect on you.

So let's keep telling stories. Post them on blogs, tell them at dinner parties, yell them from the rooftops! And don't feel bad if you're a little like me (an awkward newborn goat), because even my stories deserve to be told.

Kim Weitkamp gave a great workshop during RootsTech 2013 in the Story at Home track, and it's online, free to watch! It's called "Tell it Again", it's only a few minutes long, and Kim has some great tips on becoming a better storyteller. It's totally worth watching:

Family Home Evening Lesson about Family History

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Family History is always one of those things sitting in the back of my mind. Mostly it sits there in the form of questions and guilt, knowing that I should be doing something about it, but wondering where to begin. So what better way to start than by involving the whole family, right?

FHE Theme: Family History

Scripture: Malachi 4:6, Moses 6:5-8

Songs: ”Families Can be Together Forever” and “Family History – I Am Doing it” Children’s Songbook

Discussion: I know that my kids love watching videos during our lessons, and there are so many Church sponsored videos out there it's easy to throw one or two in, so I thought it would be great to start the lesson with this cute video from Family Search:

There are also Family Search videos for “What is a Family Tree?” and “What is an Ancestor?” that are really adorable too.

Have a family discussion on why we should know our family history. Here are some suggested topics for your discussion:
• Knowing where we come from can help us know who we are.
• Being an eternal family isn’t just about the people sitting in the room but extends to past generations.
• Knowing who our ancestors are will help us make sure they have their temple work done.

Most of the times I get overwhelmed when I think about doing family history work, but there are a couple of ways that each member of your family can begin.

Family Search has recently revamped their entire website to be super duper user friendly. It is now a piece of cake upload and tag pictures, share stories, create a family tree or a fan chart, or get online help.

As a family, as part of the lesson, create a Family Search account, and accomplish one thing - even if it's something tiny like uploading ONE picture, or printing a family tree that your grandma has already done the work for. Or you could index a batch of records as a family. If you have little kids keeping their attention might be difficult, but if you have computer-user-age children, make sure they see how the site works - learn it together.

Try not to get everyone frustrated with the Family Search site, or the topic of Family History altogether. Keep things fun and interesting - your main goal is to make the family realize that Family History isn't impossible and can even be fun. So if you want to switch gears, I suggest telling some family stories. Something silly your mom did as a kid, or a story that has been passed down through the generations.

My own personal goal, after this lesson, is to pull the thought of Family History from the back of my brain into the foreground every once in awhile, and maybe one of these days I'll actually start doing more with it. Have your family set their own goal for Family History, and who knows, maybe someday you'll all be expert genealogists!

Best Post Ever : Linky Party

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

So Mother's Day is coming this weekend. And I don't know about you, but I have big plans. And by big plans, I mean NO PLANS. For serious. I get to do NOTHING on Mother's Day, and I am really excited about it. How about you? Anything planned? (or not planned?)

Sharing Time Ideas for Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:58:00 +0000

If you're in the Primary you know how hard it is to come up with something easy, creative, and fun for kids to make for their moms on Mother's Day. And since we're super helpful and stuff, we've come up with our 10 favorite simple Mother's Day crafts to help you out:

1- Hand print card decorated as mom.
2- Cupcake paper liners bouquet.
3- Booklet card for kids to color.
4- The "sweetest" cupcake card.
5- Painted mom rock.
6- Newspaper column coloring page.
7- Accordion handprint card.
8- "I love you because" booklet.
9- Mother's Day coupon book.
10- Sign language hand print card.

A Mighty Change Of Heart – Solving Common Relationship Problems For Good!

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:44:00 +0000

Common Relationship Problems

“Nicholeen, I feel really bad about saying this, but I really don't like being around my sister.” a friend said to me one day. “She drives me crazy. I wish she could just make good choices for herself. It's like she can't see clearly at all.” my friend explained.

“I really shouldn't feel this way about her. She's my sister. But, all I do is bail her out of problems. Actually, that is usually when I hear from her; when she has a problem. What should I do? Is there any way I can help her get some sense? Or, should I just keep my distance from her?”

This type of frustration toward a family member, neighbor, or friend is common because we all see the world differently, and we're all motivated by different influences. People can be motivated by social acceptance, physical need, purpose, power, the path of least resistance, their senses, logic, the Spirit, and impulse, just to name a few! Some people feel happy and comfortable when they are taking the path of least resistance, and other people feel happy and comfortable when they are working hard for a specific purpose.

Since our view of happiness can differ from those around us, we need to be careful about judging other people's choices. Sure, some of their choices may lead them to sorrow and even disaster, but they really are doing what they think will lead to happiness... they're not bad people.

It's hard to see someone we love fail or go astray when we know a better way, but, it can happen to any of us. The important thing to remember is that it wasn't our choice, it was theirs'. We don't do them any favors by taking it personally and becoming emotional. In fact, we usually only damage our relationships when we do those things.

The Anatomy of Relationships

When I heard my friend share her feelings about her sister it dawned on me that there was something really simple my friend could do to make a big change in her relationship with her sister. She could choose to see her sister in a different way.

Relationships do not always 'take two'. Each relationship has two distinct sides. Only, when the relationship is unified in love or in hatred do the feelings go both ways. Most often, relationships are one sided. The way I feel about you could be totally different than the way you feel about me. A parent could love and nurture a child, but the child could feel the parent is annoying and want to disconnect from them. These kinds of relationship disagreements happen all the time.

So that there is no confusion, it is worth saying that the parent in the situation above is bonding and creating a relationship, and the child is being selfish and trying to destroy a relationship. Either way, this is how they are choosing to relate to each other. For the sake of this discussion we will say that each of these people actually has a different relationship than the other person has. Over time, however, one person could persuade the other to transform their side of the relationship to match their own feelings.

More simply, when there are two people, there are two relationships. When there are six people, there are 30 relationships. Each person in the group relates differently to each person individually. One person in a group of six people has five relationships. If we wanted to take this deeper, we could also say that each person has a relationship with themselves, too.

Since we are all in charge of our side of all relationships, we can change the way we think about someone whenever we want to.

Christ's Perfect Example

Adultery has been recognized as a sin ever since Moses received the ten commandments. So, it was no surprise that when Christ was living, it was still considered as such by the Scribes and Pharisees. One day, they brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery, a very serious crime. It appeared that they wanted to trick Christ into not loving one of God's children.

Christ looked at the situation. He lowered himself to the ground where he was on the same level as the accused woman. Then he said, “He who is without sin, cast the first stone.”

After shocking the aggressors he looked at the woman and touched her. He told her to “go and sin no more.” He trusted that she could. He loved her and healed her by taking her where she was and showing faith in her goodness and desire to change. He really understood her.

Expose VS Heal

The woman in this story was exposed by her accusers. They felt it was their duty to tell all where they found her and about her bad choice. They obviously felt this was a good way to change her heart.

Obviously she felt ashamed... but, she also felt alone and broken. She needed healing.

How often do we think that exposing our friends and neighbors is the way to help them change? Does it work? No. Instead, they withdraw from us. What about if we expose them behind their backs? Does that really help them change? Does it help us feel better? No! We only create more pain and loneliness for our own hearts.

It is true that when a child makes mistakes, teaching needs to happen in order to keep them on the correct path, and to teach them cause and effect. But, how that teaching is done and the feeling the teaching carries, is the real concern. Correcting should feel safe. We should correct just like the Savior's correction to the woman. He didn't deny her sin, but he didn't hate her for it either. He didn't take it personally, or become emotional. He was calm, loving and understanding. And, He changed her heart.

A Mighty Change of Heart

The way we think of others when we see them fail is probably the most important part of helping change their hearts and leading them toward goodness. Also, our own hearts are also changed toward them. When we seek to understand them in their mistakes we actually grow closer to them and love them more.

My friend's heart was changed after we talked about exposing vs. healing. She said, “Nicholeen, I am going to really need to think about that. I don't think it ever occurred to me that I'm not helping her heal.”

Love and understanding is the key to helping our side of difficult relationships. When we deliberately change our own hearts, we can then inspire change in their hearts too.

Nicholeen Peck is a popular public speaker around North America who most often addresses the subject of parenting. Her parenting methods calm tantrum toddlers to tough teens while creating a family structure which invites the spirit of love and good communication. She is the Author of Parenting A House United and a BBC television star. Nicholeen knows that Learning Self-Government Changes Lives and Families Forever.

More Free Printables from BYU Women's Conference 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Tue, 07 May 2013 03:38:00 +0000

We still have more printables planned for the future - so many amazing things were heard and learned that it's going to take awihle to get them all made. But these are a few of our favorites:

You can get these, plus many other awesome things, in the printables section of our site.

Family Home Evening Lesson for Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

The number one rule about this FHE lesson is that it CANNOT be given by mom. So Dad, kids, Grandpa, whoever, make sure you're doing the preparation and teaching this week. And make mom's favorite treats while you're at it.....and then clean the kitchen.

FHE Theme: Mothers

Scripture: Exodus 20:12, Proverbs 23: 25, Alma 56:48

Songs: “Mother Dear We Love You So” and "I Often Go Walking" Children’s Songbook.

Preparation: Before the lesson have everyone make special cards for mom. If you have older kids, make them put some thought into their cards. For younger kids, you can use our printable Mother's Day cards. Just print, have your kids color their favorite card, and then fold them to finish.

You will also need to make clues for a treasure hunt. Think of places that Mom spends a lot of time (kitchen, home office, laundry room, minivan, etc.). Have each clue lead to the next location. The last clue should lead to the stash of finished cards for Mom. Make sure to hide your clues (without Mom knowing) before you begin your lesson.

Story: Read the scriptures listed above, and then read this story to your family: "Friend to Friend- A Mother's Influence" from the April 2007 Friend. Ask your family some questions, such as:

• How did Elder Amado's mother make life happy?

• What was Elder Amado's favorite thing his mother did for him?

• How does our mom make our life happy?

• What is our favorite things that our mom does for us?

• Why are moms important?

Once everyone has answered questions about the story, and Mom has been fully praised, hand out the first clue to your treasure hunt. Let Mom and the kids find all the clues and the stash of cards.

Now have each member of your family think of a service they can perform for Mom during the week. Something to make her job as a care giver a bit easier, perhaps. Make the deadline for this service Mother's Day so that everyone knows they can't procrastinate too long.

You can also think of a group service project to do for any other mothers that you know. Whether it's for an overwhelmed new mother who could use some help or a surprise box of diapers, or an old mother whose children have moved away and needs some company and a listening ear. Make sure that no mother is neglected this week - make as many moms you know feel appreciated and grateful to have your family around!

Finish the lesson by serving Mom's favorite treat. And then maybe massage her feet and let her watch Netflix while someone washes some dirty socks or something.

Best Post Ever (this week)

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:14:00 +0000

It's May! Not that the weather has gotten the memo. Snowstorms in May? That's just rude.

So what have you guys been up to this week? We know some of you are having a great time at BYU Women's Conference, but what about the rest of you? Anything exciting happening? I'd love a good story! Life's just plodding along at my house... how about you?

Enrichment Activities about Missionary Work

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

We found lots of cute ideas that you can use to teach your family about missionary work. (Every member a missionary!) AND if you have a missionary in the field, check out the 2nd link to see a lot of cute sayings that coordinate with candy bars. (I see care packages in your future.)

I can be a missionary now game from the Friend
Missionary Candy Sayings (tons of cute ideas!)
Be the Light
Planting Gospel Seeds

Free Printables from BYU Women's Conference 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Fri, 03 May 2013 03:14:00 +0000

The first day of Women's Conference is over, and we heard tons of quotes that would make good printables. But there just wasn't enough time to make them all, so you'll just have to do with these for now:

You can get them over in our printables section. And we have a lot of stuff for future printables, plus all day tomorrow to hear more amazing and inspiring things!

May 2013 Visiting Teaching Handout

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:23:00 +0000

Happy May folks! This months Visiting Teaching message is a collage of great quotes from general conference. If you don't want to print the collage, then you can grab each print individually using the links below!

Do You Have a Few Minutes to Index?

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Image from Family Search Indexing "test drive".

Recently I switched to a new phone with a different operating system, so I had to try to find the right version of all my favorite apps. But there was one app missing that I knew without a doubt that I'd miss - the Family Search Indexing App.

Indexing, for those of you who don't already know, is amazing. Old documents and records, that can aid in family history searches and genealogy, are scanned and uploaded into an archive. But none of those records are searchable, because they're just scanned images.

Until the magic of indexing occurs.

Volunteers take batches of these scanned documents/records and type the information into a form that is easily recognizable by lots of different searches. Then they submit that information, it gets proofed against the efforts of other volunteers, and then that information is made public to the world.

And then genealogists around the globe do happy little dances, or so I imagine.

The best part about indexing is that anyone can volunteer to do it, and it is undeniably easy and incredibly fast to do. It literally takes minutes.

It used to take me only seconds to index on my phone. But after searching for the app, I finally looked online and realized that the app was in beta testing mode and is no longer available to new devices. Which totally bummed me out. I can't wait for them to release the official app so I can get back on board with indexing any time I have a few extra seconds in my day.

Until then, I can still index to my heart's content by going through Family Search. I've already downloaded the little piece of software that it requires to do the actual indexing, and it still only takes a couple minutes to get through a batch of records.

Indexing provides lots of benefits for researchers around the world, but MY favorite part is when I get those warm fuzzy feelings of knowing that I've helped with something huge and important. And who knows, maybe I've indexed a document that leads to the reuniting of a distant family line, and in turn makes it possible to do a whole bunch of temple work. And someday, in the eternities, I'll be approached by a grateful stranger who says, "Hey, thanks for indexing my name."

And that could happen to you too. All you have to do is start indexing.

Reader Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Today's spotlight is Sidreis Agla. She uses her blog to spread a message of hope and forgiveness, and is a pretty inspiring read. Check her out!

Hi I'm Sidreis! I am 38, wife and mom of three active boys. I live in Orem Utah and love it here. I'm am also a student working toward my degree in Social Work. I am active in my ward and currently serve as a Relief Society Instructor and Visiting Teacher.

I am also a daughter of God in recovery from a sexual addiction. I found my recovery 3.5 years ago when I finally found the courage to reach out to my Bishop. I have discovered my path in this life is to bear testimony of the healing power of the Atonement and to seek out and provide hope for other LDS women who struggle with sexual addiction. My blog is my personal journey of recovery and learning, plus other information for those that struggle.

Sidreis wants you to read these three posts:

Her favorite scripture is Ezekial 34:11-12,16 : "For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day....I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment."

Visit Sidreis at her blog: By the Light of Grace.

Righteous Parenting

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am surrounded by stellar examples of righteous parents. Our church is very family focused, and since we're going to be an eternal family, it's important to build good relationships.

Parenting with Spiritual Power is a new book by Julie K. Nelson that uses examples from the Bible and Book of Mormon to teach eternal parenting principles.

This book has shed new light on some of my favorite gospel stories, and has paired them with parenting tips. It's also good to see that even the most righteous parents have children who have gone astray... even with all the tools and knowledge that Heavenly Father has given us, our kids are going to make their own choices.

I've also learned a thing or two that has helped me in my Primary calling.

I've really enjoyed this book, and have already recommended it to a few friends. If you have children, or if you work with children, Parenting with Spiritual Power will help you implement gospel principles into their lives. If you don't have kids, that's okay too, because YOU are a child of God, and this book will help you to understand how much God loves you.

All in all, it's a great book, you'll definitely learn something, and I highly recommend it.

Family Home Evening about Missionary Work

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Get this free printable to include in your lesson.

If you have a family member or friend leaving on a mission, it's always a great idea to have an FHE lesson on missionary work. But what about any other time? After this past General Conference, it's pretty obvious that we should be talking about missionary work ALL THE TIME. So this is the lesson we'll be having as a family tonight.

FHE Theme: Missionary Work

Scripture: Matthew 28:19, D&C 18:15

Songs: “I Hope They Call Me on a Mission” Children’s Songbook and “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” LDS Hymnbook

Story: Not everyone on this planet has the opportunity of being born into the church. But Heavenly Father loves all of His children and wants them to return to him. So it's our job to make sure everyone has a chance to hear about the Gospel. When missionaries preach throughout the world they are bringing their spiritual brothers and sisters back to God. Not only that, but anyone who serves a mission is blessed. And we can be blessed and help our spiritual brothers and sisters too - without every leaving our own neighborhood!

We don't have to be full time missionaries to help spread the news about the Gospel. We can invited our friends to church activities. We can bear our testimony at extended family gatherings that might include nonmembers. And we can set a good example and share our beliefs online.

If children begin sharing their beliefs at home, they will better be prepared for a full time mission when they are old enough. (And I'm thinking that senior missionaries can better be prepared if they have practice too.)

This is a great video about the benefits of a full time mission from The Mormon Channel (it’s about 5 minutes long):

After the video discuss missionary goals as a family. Are the children preparing for missions? Are mom and dad going to serve a couples mission later in life? How can we be missionaries right now?

End the lesson with any stories you have from your mission, or your conversion, and by bearing your testimony about the importance of missionary work.

Best Blog Post Ever - Linky Party

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:51:00 +0000

Sorry we're a little late getting this week's link party up! We can't wait to see what you've been up to, so let's get right to it! Link up your Best Blog Post Ever(this week) and get your blog hop on!

Enrichment Activities: Honesty

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:27:00 +0000

We found some fun ways to teach the concept of honesty. These ideas can be used for church or at home!

Salt and Ice Cream: covering up lies - an object lesson on honesty
Chinese Finger Trap - getting "caught" in deception - full lesson via LDSfamilyfun.com (scroll to bottom of page)
Stepping Stones to Integrity
Standards Keep you from Sinking
Honest Hearts printable handou

Reader Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:40:00 +0000

Today's spotlighted sister is June Haskell from Simply June.

Hi, my name is June. I am a Mother, Wife, Sister, Victim Advocate, Survivor, Friend and a daughter of God who thinks a sense of humor is mandatory when dealing with life. I have four children who are great kids but far from perfect and I love them with everything I am. I have a good man who loves me and treats me far better than I deserve. My family mean the world to me, those who live close and those far away. I try to treat others kindly even if they are unkind to me. But if you hurt or mess with my loved ones, it will not be pretty. This is why I also choose to believe in Karma.

I share all the things that inspire, inform, support of or simply bring a smile to my face as well as others. Sometimes all you can do is laugh through the hard times, so why not practice and be good at it? Unfortunately, I find myself smiling or laughing when it may not always be appropriate and I am a bit concerned about the rumor that "loud laughter" is not appreciated in Heaven. I can usually find something to laugh about in any circumstance, and that still gets me in a bit of trouble. So do chocolate, fried zucchini and cheese fries.
I am a fiercely loyal friend and count those friends as some of my greatest blessings. I have no patience for mean people, especially those who chose to bully the less fortunate. I am survivor sharing my story and using my voice/blog to help other women dealing with a wide range of issues like abuse, violence and neglect - especially against women and children. I have returned to college to do justice to those causes I hold near and dear to my heart. Do not treat others disrespectfully, do not be cruel or spiteful just because you can, and you and I will not have a problem. After many years and pointless tears, I have found that when you replace what the world tell us is beautiful in a woman, with what God sees in us, that is when we are both beautiful and at peace with ourselves.
I have known sadness and pain so I do all I can to prevent others from experiencing the same. I have a desire from the depth of my soul to do something good with the life I have been given...to take what life hands me- the good and the bad- and use it to bless the lives of others somehow. It's impossible to be perfect but I wont stop trying to be better. I have a testimony of the gospel and I have promised to listen to the promptings and share all the things my heart and spirit knows to be good and true.

June says you need to read these three posts:

Her favorite scripture is Alma 36:3 "Whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

Family Home Evening Lesson about Honesty

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Little white lies have a way of slipping into our lives without much of a fuss. Because they're just tiny little lies, and they're not really hurting anyone, right? Wrong. Even the littlest of lies can be damaging to ourselves and our relationships - which is what we'll be talking about for FHE tonight.

FHE Theme: Honesty

Scripture: 13th Article of Faith, Exodus 20:16

Songs: "I Believe in Being Honest" and "Keep the Commandments" Children’s Songbook

Activity: To start off tell your family a lie, purely for teaching purposes. Say something like "After the opening prayer I'm going to go in the kitchen and get the super special chocolatey treat I made for everyone." Then once the opening prayer is over go in the kitchen and retrieve broccoli...or nothing...and come back. Hopefully your family will be good and disappointed.

Now ask them how they feel. Betrayed? Sad? Severely upset? Do they trust what you say now?

To make up for it you can have a super special chocolatey treat waiting for everyone after the lesson. Or you can just move on and everyone can ponder how they felt when they were lied to about chocolate - that's a lesson that will stick. But it's really up to you.

Read Exodus 20:15 and the 13th Article of Faith, and discuss them as a family. Ask questions like, "What does 'bear false witness' mean?" and "Do we only have to be honest sometimes, or all the time?" Maybe relay an incident when someone told you a lie that effected your life.

This next story was adapted from Sugardoodle.net, we've tweaked the story and printable monster, but mad props to the original creator for such a fabulous idea.

The Lie Monster

Once there was a boy named Caleb. One day his parents had to go to the store and left Caleb to baby-sit his little brother, Jacob. Caleb was 11 years old and Jacob was only 2, so Caleb was great at watching his brother.

While their parents were gone Caleb got hungry. But they were all out of snacks, which is probably why their parents went to the store in the first place. Then Caleb remembered that his mom kept chocolate chips on her baking shelf in the pantry. But Caleb also remembered that his mom had always told them NOT to eat the things on her baking shelf. But then Caleb thought he could maybe sneak just a few and his mom wouldn't even notice. So he did. And he ate them while Jacob was distracted so no one would know.

When the boys' parents returned, and started unloading groceries, their mom noticed that almost half of her chocolate chips were gone. She had planned on making cookies later, but now there weren't enough chocolate chips and they hadn't bought anymore at the store.

She asked Caleb if he had gotten into the chocolate chips while they were gone. Caleb felt really uncomfortable. He knew if he told the truth he would be punished, and he really hated being punished. So instead he lied.

"It was Jacob. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back he was eating them!" Caleb said.

(At this point, pull out the monster printable, and put it where your family can see it.)

His mom looked sad, "Well that's a bummer," she said. "I was going to make cookies and now I can't."

Caleb felt a little bit guilty, but he was glad that he hadn't been punished. He hadn't really told many lies up until then, but he had to admit - they were really handy in a pinch.

The next day Caleb ran to the gas station on the corner during recess. It wasn't very far and he just really wanted to buy some candy. He knew that it was breaking the rules, but he thought he'd get back before anyone noticed. But he ended up getting back to class a few minutes late. When his teacher asked him where he was, he told her he was in the bathroom.

(Place a tentacle on the monster.)

A girl in Caleb's class saw him leave the school playground, so she told the teacher that Caleb had broken the rules. But Caleb didn't want to get in trouble, so he told the teacher that his tummy was a little upset and he had spent most of the recess in the bathroom. Then he asked to go to the nurses office.

(Place a tentacle on the monster.)

Caleb didn't notice that a little monster had started following him around. He also didn't notice that it seemed to be getting bigger...

In the days that followed, other kids in Caleb's class began to tell on him when he broke the rules or made a mistake. He found lying to be the most effective way to get out of trouble, so he kept doing it more and more.

(Place a tentacle on the monster.)

After a few days he thought, "Why are the other kids getting me in trouble so often? I wish they would just keep their mouths' shut!" So now Caleb was lying to himself.

(Place a tentacle on the monster.)

At home Caleb's brother Jacob caught him sneaking more chocolate chips, and told their mom. Caleb got angry and said that Jacob was just making things up.

(Place a tentacle on the monster.)

Caleb started feeling really yucky inside. He wasn't quite sure what it was, because he still hadn't noticed the monster that was growing and following him. He also felt really sad for himself, because it seemed like everyone else just wanted him to be in trouble. His self-pity justified many things; he started breaking more rules, being mean to his friends and family, and telling lots and lots and lots of lies.

(Place the last 2 tentacles on the monster.)

Caleb's friends stopped playing with him at school. Jacob didn't want to be around him at home. And even his mom looked at him like she wasn't sure she could trust him. Then Caleb noticed the big scary monster that wouldn't go away. This really made him upset. He wanted to feel better, but what could he do to be happy again?

Discuss as a family what Caleb can do to get rid of his monster. He could admit that he was being dishonest to his friends, family, and teacher. He could stop breaking rules. He could try to be nicer instead of thinking of ways to get out of trouble. Etc. After each suggestion, take away the monster, one piece at a time.

End the story by saying that Caleb decided to never lie again!

And then go get those super special chocolatey treats. Because you probably shouldn't lie to your family like that.

Giveaway: 2 Tickets to BYU Women's Conference 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Melissa Bastow) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:19:00 +0000

It's that time of year again, time for a gloriously wonderful couple of days at the BYU Women's Conference! And if you haven't already registered to go, we have a giveaway you're going to want to enter.

We are giving away TWO Women's Conference ticket to one very lucky winners! (This is the part where you can cartwheel in excitement - but hurry back so you can enter to win.)

Giveaway Rules:

Leave a comment on this blog post telling us why you want to go to Women's Conference. Make sure to leave your REAL email address when you comment, because that's how we will contact the winner. Contest ends Friday, April 26 at 11:59pm MDT. Winner will be chosen randomly using random.org and contacted by email. They will have 24 hours to respond and if they do not respond in 24 hours, a new winner will be chosen. (The winner will be responsible for their own food, lodging and travel expenses.)

For Additional Entries:

Blog about this giveaway, linking back to MMB and BYU Women's Conference and then comment on this post with a link to your post. Make sure you tell us why you want to go to Women's Conference and what you hope to gain by attending. The post must include the hashtag #byuwomensconf in your post.
Share this on your FB wall and come back and leave us a comment.
Pin this post to Pinterest using the hashtag #byuwomensconf and then come back and comment on this post with the link to your pin.
Share this post on your Google+ profile and come back and leave us another comment.
Tweet about this giveaway on twitter using the hashtag #byuwomensconf then come back and leave us link to your tweet. You could say something like:

I just entered to win TWO tickets to #byuwomensconf from @mormonmommyblog #mormon #twitterstake

That's a total of SIX chances to win your very own set of tickets (one for you and one for your bestest friend)!

We will be at Women's Conference again this year, live tweeting, blogging and making some super fab printables! So if you can't come, make sure you are following us on FB and Twitter so you can still be a part of the good time that will be BYU Women's Conference 2013!

If you'll be at Women's Conference too, make sure to post on twitter and instagram using the hashtag #byuwomensconf Last year they reminded everyone to turn off their phones before each class, but we blatantly ignored that because how better to spread the joy of womanhood than through social media? JOIN US - put your phone on vibrate instead and share the love online!

Now stop doing those excited cartwheels and come enter the giveaway!!

Life Hack: Mormon Mom Planner

noreply@blogger.com (Caroline Bingham) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:25:00 +0000

I am an organization junkie, and I HAVE to write everything down or else I'll forget. This is not uncommon among women, especially women with kids. You have your stuff, your spouses stuff, your kids stuff... and somehow, you're supposed to keep track of it all, AND keep it organized, scheduled, and maintained. This can be pretty tough. Add in to that the typical activities of an LDS family, (FHE, home teaching, visiting teaching, YM/YW, activity days, cub scouts,. etc) and you have a planning disaster waiting to happen.

So when I was contacted by Melinda of Mormon Mom Planners, I was excited to see what she had come up.

image via mormon mom planner

I honestly have nothing but love for this planner, and here is why.

Tracking sheets for my kids. My kids are pretty close in age, and they're practically the same size. I have a hard time remembering which kid wears which shoe size, because they're so close. The Mormon Mom Planner includes tracking sheets for you to write down shoe size, pant size, shirt size, and any other little tidbits that are good to know.
The Book of Mormon reading chart. We're reading the Book of Mormon, and it's good for my kids to see how far we've gotten, and how much is left. They love marking off a circle each night as we finish a chapter.
Sunday Lesson Plan summary. I'm in Primary, so I'm pretty out of the loop as to what the adults are learning, but now I have an overview of what the grown-ups are learning. And right NEXT to that, is a page called "Teach My Children" which asks basic gospel doctrine questions, that coordinate with the current church curriculum. I've been taking one question a week, and that's what we've been covering in our Family Home Evening lessons. Which means that:
Family Home Evening is automatically planned. But if you don't want to use the planner that way, you can use the FHE pages to plan your own lessons that would most benefit your family.

Overall, it's just a very thoughtful planner that is a great tool for you to use to simplify your life. All your important information is in one spot, and the planner can fit in your purse or diaper bag.

To see more of the goodies that are included in the planner, check out Mormon Mom Planner.

ALSO: Mother's Day is coming up, and they have are offering a Mother's Day edition May-Dec planner at a discounted price, marked down 15% from the regular price to $29.95. Use coupon code: MD2013 at checkout to get your discounted price.

ALSO ALSO: Like Mormon Mom Planner on Facebook, because Melinda posts freebies and coupon codes over there too! ;) Right now, she has some cute LDS chore charts up for grabs.