Primary

In my new ward I was called to primary AGAIN.  I must have primary written on my head.  At first all I could think of was. . . "again, what am I not learning that I need to be in primary again.  I can do other things." For those of you who don't know I have been in primary since I was 18 with a 2 year break in Young Women's.  I accepted the call because the Lord knows better than I do and if he wants me to serve in primary than that's where I'll be.
I have a challenging kid in my class who loves to try people.  The presidency was worried, but I said go ahead and put him in I'll straighten him out.  As we were doing our final practice for the annual primary program he was his usual self.  It was his turn to say his part and he was causing a stink because he didn't know his part and he wanted to read it.  I said NO the lady up by the mic would help him.  He was NOT happy with that arrangement so in my frustration I said VERY sternly "Well you should have memorized it then!!"  He had had ample time to do so with many reminders.  He was shocked that I would use such a tone toward him.  But I am happy to report the next day right before the program he came up to me and said triumphantly "Guess what?  I memorized my part."  To which I replied "Well good. That's what your supposed to do."  I am happy to say he was a perfect angel the rest of the day in church.  I am a firm believer that if you tell kids what you expect of them they will give it to you.
On another note, as I was sitting in the stand with my class while they were doing the primary program the spirit was so strong I couldn't help but think  that primary is the place to be.  Sure it can be stressful, and tiring, and frustrating, and tedious.  But these kids need us more now than ever before.  They are strong and have close relationships with our Heavenly Father so for now I will be content to be in primary

RS general Broadcast

My little sister scored some tickets for the General Relief Society broadcast at the conference center.  I had been to the conference center only once before for a Christmas devotional taping so I was excited for it. My mom and all my sisters minus one went so it was a good girls night out. The seats were as far as you could get but it you could still feel the spirit.  There was a lot of good points brought up. I loved the play on words with the quote that went something like this; There is so much need for RELIEF in this world, that is our goal.  Relief not so much in the sense of  helping with natural disasters but the fact that the adversary has caused so much turmoil that we need to help.  They urged us to "Unite to protect the families from adversity."

 My favorite was Dieter F. Uctdorf, I love his style of speaking.  He talked about how he was at garden and was admiring all the beautiful flowers when one particular flower caught his eye.  It may be small but is equally as beautiful and significant. That flower is called a Forget Me Not. He  then went on to use this particular flower for an analogy.  Because the flower has 5 petals he came up with 5 forget me nots.

1. Forget Not to be patient with ourselves. god is aware that we are not perfect, he is also aware that the people that WE thing are perfect are not perfect.  He said that so often we compare our weaknesses to others strengths, and we should stop punishing ourselves but never stop striving to be the best that's in us.

I am guilty of this myself. I always get mad at myself for not doing better. I know that if I put all my energy into it I should be able to get it perfect.
2. Forget Not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish/unnecessary sacrifice. Sacrificing sleep to wake up with a child that has had a bad dream is a good sacrifice.  Staying up to the wee hours to crochet the Sunday lesson in a potholder for each sister is an unnecessary sacrifice.  Basically are we committing out time wisely?
3.Forget Not to be happy NOW!  Don't wait for your golden ticket. Be happy with what you have and are experiencing now.  If you wait for your ideal, you will miss all those sweet moments in life.
This is one I am really trying to keep in mind this year.  I am trying really hard to enjoy every moment and all stages of life whether it is mine or my children's lives.

I love how happy everyone looks in this picture

4. Forget Not the WHY of Jesus Christ. In the church we often get caught up in all the have to's or supposed to's and it turns into one big list of things we have to do.  While those things are good, do not let them over shadow the why of Jesus Christ.

5.Forget Not the Lord loves YOU. Your are not forgotten no matter what circumstance you are in.  Whether you are struggling with little ones or major situations Jesus knows you and loves you.  We need to let his love into our lives.

We are closer to heaven than we suppose.

This talk really hit home for me.  So often I get overwhelmed with striving for perfection that I am so far from its weighs me down.  I keep thinking that if I just worked harder, if I just focused more and was less selfish I could get closer to that goal.  Its nice to know that I could be okay.

General Conference

Its that time again. A Time I look forward to but worry about getting my children to appreciate it even a little. Yes, General Conference time. Twice a year the leaders of our church counsel us with revelation and words of wisdom. Each person that is assigned to speak prays about what their topic should be. Without conversing with one another about their topics there always seems to be a theme for each conference. Just another testimony to me that God is guiding our leaders to help us be the best people we can be. This one seemed to me to be about family. that we need to protect it, nourish it, guide it, raise it in the Gospel, and keep it together.

I got up early to make cinnamon rolls (a tradition I have) While I was busying myself in the kitchen I was listening to uplifting music. It was a wonderful peaceful morning for me. I love to bake working the dough with my hands in a steady calming rhythm. The smell of flour, the heat of the oven, it really is relaxing to me. This was the perfect way for me to prepare for conference.

As for the kids, we try to have them listen by doing bingo and listen for the "special word". My kids are motivated by money so each time they get a bingo they get a dime, and each time they hear a designated word they get a penny. The words for this conference were faith and temple. In one talk alone Ellie earned 50 cents. For the little boys I had coloring pages and cut outs. The kids are not good for the whole time but I feel like I'm trying and it gets better each conference.