Wholesome Family Activities

Jacob got up this past Sunday morning and said, "Mom, I think my favorite Sunday of the year is the Sunday of the Primary Program."  I think I agree with him.

Once a year our sweet Primary children get to participate in Sacrament meeting, teaching the rest of the congregation through their short and simple gospel messages and their beautiful singing.  This past Sunday was just that day in our ward. 

This year the children have focused on the importance of families. 

Early this summer Emily (7) was already thinking about the Primary Program.  She came home eagerly from church one Sunday and said, "Mom, I really have to go to the Primary councilor's house.  She said if we want to give a talk for the Primary Program we need to tell her.  I really want to do a talk and I forgot to tell her at church."  She made the needed visit and was told that she could do a talk.  She was given her assignment and got to work. 
 
She was asked to give some examples of "wholesome activities" that she has done with her family.  Just what is a wholesome family activity?  Well, here is how my sweet 7 year old interpreted that phrase.  I think she did a great job.  We sat down together and she started talking and I just started typing.  And this was the result.

I was asked to give a talk on wholesome activities that I do with my family. 

One of the wholesome activities that I have done with my family was when we went to Canada for Canadian Thanksgiving.  The drive is 16 hours long.  To make it fun we sing in the car.  Sometimes my brother Jacob even sings like Elsa from Frozen.  We also like to talk with each other and we play a game called Slugbug.  Me and my sister like telling each other stories and making each other laugh with funny jokes.  We all help keep David happy.  He doesn’t like being in his car seat so long.  I make him happy by singing him songs, telling him stories, making him laugh by saying funny words and sounds and feeding him snacks. 

In Canada we spent time with our grandparents.  I helped my Grandma Vance do family history.  She is the director of the family history center where they live.  Grandpa tickles me and gives me coconut icecream every night. I liked spending time drawing with my Uncle David.  We got to spend time with Uncle Drew and Aunt Amy who I haven’t seen for a very long time.  My Aunt Amy is a dance teacher.  She helped Olivia and I with our splits and other stretches.  We also saw Uncle Marc and Aunt Lisa and my cousins.  All the cousins had so much fun playing with each other.  I loved being together for Thanksgiving.

Another wholesome activity that our family did recently was to watch General Conference on television.  We had our cousins and aunts and uncles over, and Brandon and two of his friends.  In between sessions I liked playing with my cousins and Brandon’s friends.  During the sessions I like to color and take notes and play bingo.  Dad makes lots and lots and lots of cinnamon rolls and we eat and eat and eat and eat.  They are so yummy. 

Another wholesome activity that our family does is service.  We like to sing together and that is one way we serve.  We sing for lots of older people and make them happy.  We all have to work together to learn our songs. 

We also like to go on hikes.  Not too long ago we hiked to Cecret Lake.  We saw a giant mushroom and lots of little squirrels.  We also like to go on bike rides and go to family reunions.

Wholesome family activities help us to get to know our family better and love each other more.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
 

Homemade Pizza and Family Home Evening

In The March 2003 Ensign President Gordon B. Hinckley encouraged us to hold Family Home Evening.  He says,

(this was quoted from an interview with the Boston Globe)

“We have a family home evening program once a week [Monday night] across the Church in which parents sit down with their children. They study the scriptures. They talk about family problems. They plan family activities and things of that kind. I don’t hesitate to say if every family in the world practiced that one thing, you’d see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world” (interview, Boston Globe, 14 Aug. 2000).

We had a nice family home evening tonight.  Each member of the family made his or her own personal pizza for dinner.  We have dairy allergies in the family, so we often have to make pizza without the cheese…yeah, I know that seems kind of weird to those who can have cheese.  But tonight was special.  I found some tapioca based mozzarella shreds at the health food store that are actually pretty good.  They make the pizza taste much more "pizzalike."  We got some regular mozzarella for Dad to use on his pizza as well.  Sophia made pizzas for herself and little David.  She made faces out of the veggies and meat.  They were pretty cute. 

Sophia, with a little assistance from Emily and Mom gave the lesson tonight.  She gave a lesson on faith and prayer.  We talked about stories from the scriptures and church history where people had problems or questions, but through their faith and prayer, were able to find answers.  Then everyone shared times when they had prayed in faith and received answers.  It was a great discussion. 
 
When you have really young children as well as older youth it is always a challenge to come up with lessons that are beneficial to everyone.  This lesson really worked.  We had pictures and stories that had to be matched up.  There were pictures of Joseph Smith, Esther, the brother of Jared, and Nephi building the ship.  There was a word strip containing a "problem/question" and another with an "answer to prayer" that went along with each picture.  We had to match everything up.  That part was the most fun for the younger ones, and the scripture discussion and sharing of personal stories was great for the older children. 
 
In that same article in the March 2003 Ensign President Hinckley was quoted as saying,

“[The Lord] expects us to have family home evening—one night a week to gather our children together and teach them the gospel. Isaiah said, ‘And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’ That is the commandment: ‘All thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’ And the blessing: ‘And great,’ he said, ‘shall be the peace of thy children’ [Isa. 54:13]” (meeting, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 17 June 2000).

I want to have peaceful children.  I want to have peace in my family.  I find great joy in teaching my children the gospel, in gathering together in the family room on a crisp fall evening, and talking about the scriptures and sharing our experiences with gospel principles.  I believe that as we follow the counsel to hold regular Family Home Evening, our family will be strengthened, testimonies will develop and love in our family will increase.