Back-to-School Fashion Show

Skinny markers- check.

Fat markers- check.

Box of Tissues, Ziplock bags, Red pens, Black pens-

Check, check, check, AND check.

Everything is there, painstakingly sorted into each child's bulging backpack, now hanging neatly in the foyer...just waiting.

My eighth-grader got his schedule today and together we walked through the halls of his new school. Tomorrow my elementary school kids find out who their teachers are and which friends are in their classes. I'll have the rest of the weekend to pretend it isn't coming, but with meet-your-teacher day on Tuesday there will be no denying it. The crazy rush of the school year will swoop down on us in just five short days.

Mornings will be early. Breakfasts will be rushed. Lunches will be packed...and sometimes forgotten. And the gas tank? It will barely keep up with the relay race. Four kids to shuttle in two different directions every morning. Then, squeeze in all the errands and appointments before repeating the entire process in reverse, adding and being careful not forget anyone at basketball, piano, gymnastics, or scouts.

It's not just the hectic school-year schedule that makes me want to cry. It's the idea of losing my kids in all different directions. I will miss the togetherness of summer. The three meals a day all gathered around the table. The family puzzles. The zany skits they put together and beg me to "sit right here" and watch. I'll even miss the way Halle and Lyla love, hate, love, hate and love each other all over again every ten minutes.

If I'm being completely honest, I have a bit of the back-to-school blues.

In an effort to dispel them, we held our first annual back-to-school fashion show. Oh yes, this will definitely be an annual event. I got the idea from my friend, Lynnae, who held her first back-to-school fashion show years ago with her three daughters. Even better, Lynnae has videos that go way back to when her now married daughters were itty-bitty, prancing around, showing off their new school outfits. I may have to see that priceless footage someday. I wonder if it looks anything like what went on here tonight.

The combination of these five kids and classic tunes like "She's Got the Look" and "I'm Too Sexy" were clearly beyond my point-and-shoot camera skills.

What back-to-school traditions do you have?

Good Manners and Sharing Shirts

Eight-year-olds have pretty entertaining outlooks on manners.

"Okay," Tyjah began his FHE lesson on Monday, "I want you to stand if the story I tell is an example of good manners and sit down if it shows bad manners."

After reading the first scenario, his brothers and sisters were all in.

"Tommy was curled up on the couch watching his favorite movie.  He had his favorite blanket and was picking his nose, " he read.

At least he didn't ask us to act it out.  Acting came later.

After the lesson, Lyla chose a general conference story scroll.  I have to say that I'm loving these things!  We've acted out stories from conference in years passed, but I've never prepared them all in advance.  I'm definitely doing this again after the next general conference.

The story came from Elder Bruce D. Porter's talk, "Beautiful Mornings".  He relates a short story illustrating his roommate's perpetual optimism:

When I was a student at Brigham Young University, I lived in a house with several young men. My roommate, Bruce, was the most optimistic person I have ever known. We never once heard him say anything negative about any person or any circumstance, and it was impossible not to feel buoyed up in his presence. His good cheer flowed from an abiding trust in the Savior and in His gospel.

One cold, wintry day, another friend of mine, Tom, was walking across the university campus. It was only 7:00 in the morning, and the campus was deserted and dark. Heavy snow was falling, with a brisk wind. “What miserable weather,” Tom thought. He walked farther, and out in the darkness and snow, he heard someone singing.

Sure enough, through the driving snow came our ever-optimistic friend, Bruce. With his arms outstretched to the sky, he was singing a number from the Broadway musical Oklahoma: “Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day! I’ve got a beautiful feeling, everything’s going my way” (see Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” [1943]).

When it came time for the skit, Beau and Tyjah fought over who would get to play Bruce.  So they decided they could both play Bruce...at the same time.  Sophia buttoned them together into one of their dad's old shirts.  By their faces, you can tell what a miserable experience this was...

So miserable, that Halle and Sophia decided they needed to play Bruce at the same time, too.

After topping it all off with some of Sophia's chocolate chip cookies, everyone headed upstairs, where I spent the next two hours trying to calm the little girls down for bed.

Weekly family home evening with five children.  Easy?  No way.  Worth it?  You bet.

General Conference Story Scrolls

A little drama goes a long way in our house.

My kids LOVE to act out stories!  

So, as soon as the readable version of each April 2013 general conference talk came out, I got to work on our story scrolls.

Now we have eleven ready-to-go family home evening activities.  I can't wait for my kids to open their first scroll and start acting!

For a PDF of the general conference story scrolls click here.

Zebra Cakes After the Tour

I check the time on my cell phone.  "Okay, Tyjah.  ONE more pass through the store. It's time to make a decision."

He picks out some Little Debbie Zebra Cakes from a corner of the store we have never visited.  As I bury them among our other groceries, the 95 % of me that proudly favors homemade-with-real-ingredients slinks down beneath a layer of "Whatever!  My son is SO excited AND he stayed within his budget."  His enormous grin cements my resolve to hand over the box at the check stand.

On the way home, Tyjah makes me promise not to tell the other kids what he has picked out for the family home evening treat.  He wants it to be a surprise.  Love this kid!

A few hours later, we are all gathered in the family room.  Everyone looks up at "the board" to remember who has which assignment.

Yes, I know.  It's been almost 6 years and I STILL
have not added our two youngest children!

Beau starts us off with a prayer, and then we all look at Lyla, who gets to choose the song.  She only knows a few, so we all sing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes."  Then, Halle shares a verse of scripture.

On to the lesson- it's my turn.  I tell everyone that we will be taking a physical tour of our home with our spiritual eyes.  Their faces show a mix of "Huh?" and "Cool-we don't have to sit down for this lesson!"

As we walk through our home, I ask some questions:

"Do you feel welcome when you come home?  Is it someplace you are excited to come back to because you feel safe and loved?" 

"Is this kitchen a gathering place where we have good conversations over family meals?"

"Is it a place of cooperation where we work together to clean up from dinner?"

"Is there arguing in our home that makes any one feel uncomfortable and that destroys the peace?"

"Is this a place of order where we invite the spirit of the Lord and feel peace?"

"Is the media we watch in this room appropriate?  Does it support our family and religious values?"

"What do you appreciate about our home?  How can we improve?"

I'm impressed with everyone's participation.  The older kids express gratitude for some of the things they see and feel in our home.  Some note areas we where we could do better.  Everyone commits to do their part to improve the climate in our home.  Nice.  I end with some examples of families from around the world who find ways to make their home a little peace of heaven on earth.  

It's too bad we got started a little too late.  Wes tells everyone that we need to postpone our activity plans until tomorrow. Long faces and complaints.  March Madness kicks off in two days and the kids were excited to fill out their brackets.

But the kids have school tomorrow and it's just too late, so we close with a prayer.

There are still a few long faces about the post-poned activity. Tyjah softens first because he knows it means we get the treat sooner.  I'm sure he is more excited to surprise his siblings than he is to actually eat the Zebra Cakes.

Weekly family home evening with five children.  Easy?  No way.  Worth it?  You bet.