It is fun to read all of the things on here and know how everyone is doing. I have been praying for the peace to be in our home and minds so far I am not seeing any change but I am hopeful that our vacation that we are leaving for on Sunday will help. Disneyland here we come. Thankyou for your prayers and help. WOW Heather I thought we had problems looking like a zoo sometimes with all the kids running around here but I think you have the prize in that area!
Nicole I haven't had a chance to re read the conference issue of the Ensign yet, but I do have something that I actually read about in a school newsletter that I decided to try and it has been pretty fun. They called it a brag board so I changed it slightly but all the rest of the idea is the same. We have been having a lot of trouble with the kids having trouble seeing any of their talents and well quite frankly lately I feel like all I ever do is get after them for something or another and it was bringing us all down then I read this idea and it has been great! The idea was to put up a board of some sort ours is just half of a poster board laminated. On the top it says have I done or seen any good....yes I have! It is....(my change) then underneath are two columns one that is for new things and one that says oldies but still goodies. Then we cut up index cards into thirds and wrote on them the good things we have noticed others doing or things that we thought we did really well on and then posted them on the poster that way everyone could see them. It has been fun the kids check it often to see what kind of new things are up there about them and they always get excited when there is something new but they also enjoy reading the older things too. I have to admit I am the one that posts things mostly but it has also helped me to notice the good and not so much the bad more often. It has made me have a whole new appreciation for all of my kids and the amazing people they are becoming! Some days I admit it is hard to think of things but sometimes those are the days when I try the most! I try everytime I add one about one child to think of one for at least 2 or 3 others but I usually end up thinking of one for all of them so it is a good way to also let them know that they are not just a number I think. I worry sometimes that they feel that way because there are so many of them and I hope this is a way to show them that they are noticed individually and appreciated. I know it didn't really start out from a spiritual source but it has been a spiritual experience for me. The day that I read it I was at my wits end with several of our children and then I read that and I started thinking about what I would write if I started one and I am ashamed to admit it probably took longer than it should have for me to think of things for all of them but I did and it was an answer to a prayer I hadn't even realized I had uttered until after I read the article. The prayer for a way to bring us back into harmony with each other. Obviously there are still good and bad days especially with so many teenagers at our house but I am feeling much more like a mother who appreciates and enjoys my blessings(children) than I was previously feeling. I hope this is kind of what you were wanting as a response. I enjoyed sharing it!
