Monday, November 12, 2007

Easy Family Home Evening Idea

(For my non-Mormon readers (let's see... that's you Liz!), Family Home Evening is something we do once a week, normally on Monday nights. The family gets together; we have a little lesson, have an activity, sing a little, pray a little, eat a snack. No matter what your religion, I think it is a fantastic idea because it gives your kids (and you) a time each week that they can count on to have fun and spend time as a family.)

I loved the talk Elder Oaks gave in the October General Conference. It was about how we spend our time and how there are so many "good" things out there to do we could never do them all-so we need to prioritize what we do. He suggested deciding what activities are "good," which are "better," and which are "best," and then make sure we are giving the "best" activities their fair share of our attention.

So, I picked 10 activities for each one of our kids, things they do everyday like: watching TV, doing homework, doing crafts, playing computer games, family prayer, etc. etc. I printed them out and put them in an envelope.

We first talked about the story of Martha and Mary. This story always hits a nerve with me because I'm pretty sure I would have been Martha, bustling about the house ticked off that Mary wasn't helping me. Mary picked the "best" activity that she could be doing at that time, giving her full and undivided attention to Christ. What Martha was doing was "good", but it was not the "best" thing she could have been doing.

On a white board I wrote "Good", "Better", and "Best". The kids opened their envelopes and they had to decide under which category to place each activity.



I felt like it was good because we weren't saying TV and video games are "bad", just that we can spend too much time doing them when there are other things that may be more beneficial to us. (Luckily, they put computer games and watching TV and movies under the "good" section.)


And although I didn't prepare myself an envelope, it really got me thinking about how I spend my time. I am not going to have the exact same experience as Mary and Martha, but applying those scriptures to my own life, I can see areas where I might need to stop what I am doing (like organizing my email inbox) and give my complete attention to something more important at that moment (like my kids).

With that in mind, at this time, it is "best" for me to go to bed!

10 comments:

Janice said...

I love this. I am going to do this tomorrow.

the lizness said...

lol - that's funny, I'm your only non-Mormon reader! :)

our family is big on family time so this is still an excellent idea.

Awesome Mom said...

That is an awesome idea for a lesson. I will have to steal it when Evan is a bit older.

utmommy said...

What a great idea for FHE. I may have to give it a try.

Super Happy Girl said...

:) Sweet!
I really want to read the "Best" column, look like you guys found a lot of best stuff.

Is Liz really your only nomo reader? Way to go Liz! :D

Gabriela said...

Ok. So Liz isn't the only non-Mormon that reads my blog. She's in good company with my good friend Mom to K-squared and my family and maybe a few people who don't comment. It was late, I was tired, Liz is the only person who popped into my head.

NCS: Juan Carlos (4 yrs) put everything that wasn't "watching cartoons" in the Best column. Poco a poco.

Lana said...

great idea, now I don't have to think of anything for next week...I'll be set with something fun, unlike tonight's lesson on honesty with real life examples from our very own lives :(

Anonymous said...

I thought you've forgotten me!!! But as I've said before, I would really like to do something similar with my family, ever since my kids and I joined one of yours. But this one, I will really do (and I'll print stuff for myself and my husband!).

And you're right. The best thing for me right now is to step away from my computer and get some sleep! Thanks for sharing!

marine's words said...

You are right about spending time with your kids I know I need to spend more time with my son they grow so fast. I need to stop reading blogs and do more with my son and I too am another non-mormon friend.But speaking of Momrmon on Oprah last Firday the Osmonds appear they just lost there fahter but after the show if you log- on you will see Alan Osmond's son's sing a very beautiful song to there Grand father it was so tounching it made me cry go log-on www.Oprah.com and click after the show you will love it. Blessing,marina PS. let me know if you see it and what you thought??

Unknown said...

This is a great FHE idea!

I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt when you fell! Scary.

We love attack Uno, too. Our little ones like to push the button until cards come flying out at them and then they laugh. They think the more cards they get the better!