Memorizing & Remembering Christ this Christmas

We are on a memorizing kick.

It started off with our friends, the Brady's, inviting us to their recitation night.

I memorized "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" because I want to be more compassionate and caring.

That hymn, when recited like a poem, is such a touching story.

Donny recited "Good King Wenceslas," which he already had memorized, but he acted it out so well-  

he is good at bringing out meaning with the way he says things.

Sadie recited "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?"

She really does live that hymn- she is constantly noticing needs and feelings of those around her.

Myriam memorized "The Living Christ," the testimony of the first presidency and 12 apostles.

The Living Christ

Now, the rest of the family has joined her in the challenge to memorize that by Christmas.

It has been an awesome experience for me.

As I have recited the words to myself during the day

and taught them to my children- explaining the meaning line by line-

I have really felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me of Jesus Christ.

It has made this Christmas season a 

season of personally seeking a stronger relationship with the Savior.

Today I finished memorizing The Living Christ with the younger kids 

(we do a little bit every morning before school).
Reciting the Living Christ Christmas Morning
We have been studying the life of Christ in the New Testament during the week
and watching the Bible Videos that match what we have read on Sundays.
These are so well done- they have really helped us
understand the life and teachings of Jesus Christ visually.
We are going to watch them all together as one big movie
for family night right before Christmas.
Bible Videos

Myriam has already gone on to memorizing The Sermon on the Mount.

(She is a little bit of an over-achiever)

Relationships are Magnifying Glasses

I believe that we all have or will have a relationship in our life that will bring out the worst in us.
In a weak relationship, we think that the other person is the problem, 
when really they are just a magnifying glass to our problems.
They bring out the areas where we are weak and ungodly so that we are forced to face it... 
The relationship begins to heal when we change our nature, not when they change.
The key to changing our own nature is tapping into God.  We cannot change ourselves on our own... we need to tap into his power (grace) and access the atonement of Christ.

Myriam's 12th Birthday

 Myriam turned 12 and all she wanted was a hot breakfast!

(She usually gets left-overs since she leaves for school so early)

We made her a big pink smoothie (beets, strawberries, milk)

and german pancakes.

We took her out to dinner at The Crepery.

Grandma Jolene, Grandpa Steve, and Grandma Anderson came with us.

She got to go to young womens on her birthday!

We sang at a Christmas dinner, then came back to our house for dessert.

For her family party, we are going to do baptisms for the dead

in the Bountiful Temple with the Johnson aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.

She is preparing family names for all of them to do.

We love Myriam and are so glad she is in our family!

CHORES & ROUTINES- Constantly Evolving Programs

I often wonder if I will ever come up with the "perfect program."
I have found that principles remain the same, but programs need to change
in order to meet the changing needs of the family.
2 guiding principles for work are
1. Everyone needs to do their part (Many hands make light work) and
2. The idler shall not eat the bread of the laborer (Work earns food)
We are currently at a program transition from "3 chores a day" to "3 chores a week"
in order to open up more free time on school days.

3 CHORES A DAY
("The Basics"= getting yourself ready, tidying your room, & family scripture study
are not considered chores. They are mandatory prior to breakfast.)
(I currently am doing "The Basics" twice each morning- once with the older kids before they take off for middle school and junior high, then again with my elementary school kids.)
These are the 3 chores that have to be completed before dinner
1- Family Chore
2- Music Practice
3- Homework (yardwork in the summer)

The "family chore" is their cooking or cleaning assignment.
(Hunter cooked breakfast, Packer did a load of laundry,
Myriam cooked dinner, Sadie washed or vacuumed out a vehicle,
and Holland and Benson helped me with the housecleaning- vacuuming/mopping/scrubbing)

Their 3 daily chores had to be completed by dinner.
I broke it down into "food parts" so they got "paid" for what they did get done.
-Family Chore earned grain,
-Piano earned protein,
-Homework earned fruits/veggies

I actually did pay them money at the end of the week- 10 cents for each chore they did (50 cents a day)
3 daily chores + 1= "cards" +1= "scriptures"= 5 ten cent jobs
(It only amounted to $3 a week, which they used to buy their own clothes, fun & extra learning)
Paying for their own stuff and earning their allowance developed gratitude and self reliance.

3 CHORES A WEEK
Everyone does these 3 things each week:
1. Laundry (their own load on a set day each week- I assist the younger ones)
2. Cook Dinner (one night a week on a set day- they pre-plan with me- I assist the younger ones)
3. Housework (a major cleaning job-"Saturday Suds"-right after breakfast)

We divided our Saturday Suds into 6 job descriptions:
1- SHINER (toilets, sinks, counters, mirrors, glass door, 1 window)
2- HARD FLOORS (shake rugs, mop kitchen floor, bathroom floors, laundry room, garbages)
3- FURNITURE (fridge, stove, microwave, couches, desk, piano, organs)
4- CARPET FLOORS (basement, living rooms, halls, bedrooms, closets, stairs)
5- VEHICLES (clean, vacuum, detail all vehicles)
6- GARAGE (straighten bikes,toys, work bench; sweep)

*DAILY MEAL CLEAN UP:
1-After breakfast, lunch, & snack they each wash their own dishes and
wipe their own place since they have to take off so fast.
2-After dinner they do their assigned job they have been trained in:
wash dishes, dry dishes, load dishwasher, wipe tables & chairs, sweep floor, vacuum living room)
*I often set a timer and reward them with a small food if I need them to clean up quickly.