FHE Lesson in 10 Minutes or Less!

Don’t have time to prep an FHE (Family Home Evening) lesson? Sure you do! Here’s what to do:

1. Go to the Mormon Messages page on lds.org. Find a short video with a great message. (hint: they’re all short videos with a great message!) I found this video highlighting a sweet story of compassion. You can stop here and just show the video to your family and talk about it or...

2. Go to Sugardoodle and use the alphabetical “My File Box” at the top of the page to look up more lesson helps that have to do with the topic you’ve selected- activities, entire lesson plans, object lessons, music, quotes, scriptures, games, and more! Grab some of those and you’re good to go.

Now go! Plan FHE! And you’re welcome. :-)

Snack Sorting Fun

My 3-year-old is in the “why” stage of her life- she is constantly curious, constantly learning, constantly talking and following me around. I have begun to notice that she gets the most annoying when she’s bored. This has prompted me to come up with new activities that will help her stay busy and learn.

Today’s activity was very simple and yet very effective: a sorting snack. Just take crackers, nuts, raisins, cereal- anything your child like to munch on- and put them together in a baggie, like trail mix. Then set out plates or other containers, one for each type of item in their mix, and invite them to sort away. Keeps them busy, staves off the hunger grumpies, and helps them practice motor skills and organizational skills. Simple, easy, fun!

How to Cheer at a Little League Game

Batter swings & misses: "Great swing!"

Batter wood-chops a pitch that flew past his nose: "Way to want it!"

Batter watches, glassy-eyed, as the perfect pitch whizzes by: "Way to watch!"

Ball bounces off outfielder's glove and falls to the ground: "Nice stop!”

Outfielders run around in a confused shuffle: "Good hustle!”

(Because it’s all about having fun and building confidence!)

One, Two, Three, Tinkle! (A Little Potty Training Magic)

Anybody else working on potty training? My littlest is just about done- she has the occasional accident and still wears a pull-up or diaper for naps and bedtime, but she's mostly got it down.

If your toddler is like my toddler, she is go-go-go-go- until she sits on the potty. Then her feet are wiggling, her mouth is singing, her head is bobbing, she's chattering your ears off, but she's not going (if you know what I mean). It can be very frustrating sitting around in a bathroom waiting for your little one to do his or her business when they are so distracted (especially if you're in a gas station bathroom and there is a line of people waiting outside the door). 

Here's a little trick I learned: I tell my little girl that I have magic words that will help her go potty. I say this really quietly, so she has to be quiet and listen. My magic words, which I say very slowly and quietly, are, "One...two...three...tinkle!" I stretch out the words (ooooone, twooooooo, threeeee....) so that while she's quiet and listening to me she can get 'in the zone'. It usually helps her to concentrate on the task at hand and focus on what she's doing. Then I'll hear the sound I've been waiting for and she'll gasp and say excitedly, "I tink-oh!" 

On occasion, it doesn't work the first time. She'll say, "It no work, Mom!" When that happens, I just say, "Oh! It didn't work. That's okay. I think I just need to do it again." Then I just repeat the words, and it almost always works the second time, and if not then she usually just doesn't need to go.

This little trick has probably saved me hours hanging around in bathrooms! 

Do you have any tips or tricks when it comes to potty training? 

DIY Cloud Dough

I know I promised that this blog wouldn't be all crafty (for that, see my other blog, The Beautiful Thrifty Life) but this was so simple and so fun that I knew I had to share it.

This morning I made "cloud dough". All you need is two ingredients: flour and baby oil. I used 4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup baby oil, and when I mixed it together it became the consistency of wet sand, only without the wet, and much softer!

I had seen the recipe for this floating around on Pinterest, so I picked up the baby oil at the Dollar Store this morning and when we came home we gave it a try. It was a rainy day, so it was the perfect indoor activity.

I put it into a cake pan, gave my little girl some cups and things and let her have a blast with it.

2 Warnings, however:

1. It's messy. It's not difficult to clean up, but it is definitely messy.

2. You will want to play with it too. See what I made after my little one went down for a nap?

So grab some flour and some baby oil and mix up your own irresistible fun!

Oooh...someday I would love to get a really big shallow container and do this recipe times 10 and let the kids play with it on the kitchen floor. It would probably keep them busy for hours...

Tip of the Day: Applesauce "Smoothies"

Here's my tip of the day, which I can't take credit for because it was a friend's idea- Serve your kids applesauce in a small cup with a straw and call it an "apple smoothie"! I thought this was a great idea because my kids LOVE applesauce but they can make such a mess out of it- especially the 2-year-old! This keeps it off the table and her clothes and out of her hair, plus the kids think it's way more fun to eat it that way.

Do you have any unique ways of serving food? Leave me a comment- I'd love to hear about it!

Thanksgiving Game

This time of year it's easy to overlook the "thankful" part of Thanksgiving and skip ahead to the turkey and pumpkin pie. If you'd like to remind your kids of the real purpose of Thanksgiving, play this fun game:

Have one person start with the letter 'A' and tell one thing they are thankful for that starts with that letter, for example, 'apples'. The next person will then say, "I am thankful for apples and bananas." (starts with 'b'). The next person will say, "I am thankful for apples, bananas, and cheese!"

Continue through the whole alphabet and see how far you can get! It's a fun challenge to not only think of something that starts with a particular letter, but to also have to remember everyone else's answers!

Last night we played this game and discovered that family members were thankful for goats, elephants, and underwear, among other things. It's a great way to add a little laughter and an attitude of gratitude to your Thanksgiving celebration! :-)