angelbaby

i'm from australia. both my folks are from england & i have heaps of family over there. I got to travel there back in 2000, and see afew sights. i'd love to move there. Got to the States in 2000 too, my favorite spots were Poughkeepsie, NY & Carson, Nevada.

i think the gratitude journal is a good idea. I really ###### at keeping a journal, mostly because i don't always have good days and don't want my kids to read them in several years time and think what a hopeless i was. LOL. Another suggestion i heard was to make weekly entries instead of daily. you could keep notes of all the memorable things that happen during the week, then make a full entry at the end. even if it is a sentence for each day.

Does any one know the most effective way to get sisters more involved in enrichment activities? It's probably an age old question but i thought i would give it a go. I've a friend who's just been called as councellor in RS and they're having trouble getting every one interested.

thanks, that's a great idea. We've been thinking of doing culture nights and things like that. We started up a book club and a craft morning where every one brings along their work (quilting, knitting, crocheting you name it) and do our work together, or learn a new craft. We also had this thing called a talent auction, where you write down a talent you are willing to share, then auction it off. Lots of service projects and things. We're just trying to keep things interesting and moving along.

Hi, i'm just wondering if any one has any ideas for enrichment activities. We're trying to think of some different ideas here. We had afew things like talent auctions, and guess who activities. plus craft days etc. has any one any suggestions?

does anyone have a favorite book at the moment?

I'll tell you what worked for me (a friend suggested it to me after i asked her for advice), though every child is different & will do their own thing when they are ready. I started this around 16 months. I sat my son on the potty every hour on the hour, just to get him used to the routine. If he did anything in it we'd get all excited and be like "yay, look what you did on the potty, you're so clever!", etc. Do that for a few days (how ever many days you feel necessary). Then go from every hour to every 2 hours and so on, gradually, so they are used to the routine & begin to understand what the potty is all about. Also, stretching the time further & further so they begin to know to go them selves when they are ready. The potty got broken one day (my husband tripped over it), so then i moved our son from the potty, to the toilet (using one of those little kid seats you sit over the toilet seat). Initially he hated it, he literally screamed the house down the first few days. I just held him there and made him sit a few minutes. He got the idea & after a couple days he stopped freaking out & realised that it wasn't a bad thing. It didn't take long till he was taking himself. Just leave the door open & the seat on, and they will start taking themselves. Even if they just sit there, they're getting the idea. The other thing is, take notice of when your child does his business, whether it's first thing in the morning or last thing at night. That's when you should sit them on the toilet, they're more likely to do something then. Also (sorry if this is confusing, i'm typing while i jog my memory) Only use nappies when you go out & at bed time. If you're home, just let them wear underpants. If they wee or poop, yeah there's a bit of a mess to clean up - but they work out pretty quick that it's gross having a mess in their pants and they tend to start wanting to get to the toilet in time. Phew. Hope that made sense & was of some use to you.

has any one read any good books lately? Relief Society in my branch recently started a book club and i'm actually really enjoying it. We just finished Little Women, which is a beautiful book and i highly recommend it. And i've just about finished this months book "My Sister's Keeper", which is a great book. Anyone else had a great read lately?

We have a 1 year old and a nearly 3 year old. We just let the 3 year old take the sacrament. It is a personal decision, though one plenty of parents make. I think it's more than just including them. In some ways you're preparing them for when they should take it. Remind them why they are having it. Why the prayers are said. Get them used to listening to and appreciating the sacrament prayers. Remind them as they grow and are taking it. Also encourage them as they take it to sit quietly during the process and think about the saviour. At 3 they are still too young really to understand, but it's a starting point. Hope this helped.

Does any one have any suggestions on entertaining a 1 and 2 & a half year old. I do the reading books, painting, play dough, coloring, sand pit play etc. I'm wondering whether any one has anything different. I feel like i'm totally out of ideas. Especially keeping them still for sacrament.

happy valentine's day! i hope everyone had a lovely one. Mine was boring. My husband isn't into all that romantic "rubbish". he came home from work in a not so good mood, so i didn't even get a "happy valentine's day" from him. he ate dinner on his own before rushing off to church meeting (mutual). he picked me up some chocolates on the way home from church and said "i got these for you because i saw everyone else buying chocolates for their spouses and thought i would do the same ... happy valentine's day". wow how lovely, eh? Hope everyone else' was fabulous ange xx