Patriotic Kid Books

 

It's been a few weeks.  I gave myself permission to take a break after I finished homeschooling Honor!  And it has been soooooo good!  I deep dived into gardening, starting working out and taking long walks in the morning, and reconnected with some old friends. I feel so renewed.

Now I'm back and here to share a few new books with you that I discovered about the American Revolution.  Here they are.  Enjoy them with a kid near you!

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Parenting Middle-Schoolers

As usual, I have about five minutes to blog so I'm going to make this real quick.

I have mentioned a few times over the last year how parenting my oldest as he's turned into a middle-schooler/pre-teen has been a challenge.  Because of the move and all of the added challenges of transitioning to a new life and also being pregnant and adding to our family, it made jumping into a new phase of parenting that much more tricky!

I was trying my best to come up with solutions and strategies, but I was quickly realizing that I didn't have all the answers.

But I'm happy to say that the Lord kept guiding me or putting me in conversations with people who had more answers than I did so that I could take some of their words of wisdom to heart and it has helped.

I wanted to just quickly mention a few books that have helped me develop my strategies as a parent of three tweens!

The first is a book called Unsteady by JeaNette G. Smith.  It is written from an LDS perspective and explains how and why we should teach our kids to save serious or exclusive dating for a time when they are ready to choose a spouse...preferably post-high school and post-mission.

I found her explanation of the six stages of relationship to be enlightening. I certainly didn't have an understanding of this when I was a youth, but now my children will.  Already in fifth and sixth grade my oldest two are having to ask and answer these questions.  They have people pressuring them to "like" someone.  They've been asked out on dates, etc.

As proactive as we have been as parents in explaining sex to our children, there is still suddently a whole new world opening up to them that we need to guide them through...a world of "dating", a world of technology, a world of making friends and on and on.

Although I haven't finished reading this book, it felt like the author really helped me catch-up in being able to reason with my children about the dating standards and helping them come to a logical understanding of why the standards on dating are a wise route to pursue.  And this was an important detail for us to address now as they were suddenly asking a lot of questions which we hadn't yet considered.

The second book, of course, is called "Growing Up Too Fast: The Secret World of America's Middle Schoolers" by Sylvia Rimm.  Now Dr. Rimm is a neighbor of my mother's, believe it or not, and she is also a renowned expert on parenting who specializes and has written many books on parenting gifted children and girls...two areas I need help with.

After mentioning her to me multiple times, my mom finally just gave me Dr. Rimm's book and told me to read it.  But being a busy Mom, of course I wasn't getting far into it.  Finally, one night in the middle of the night, I woke up and thought, "I need to read that book!"  So at 4am I found myself reading her book straight through and highlighting many pages and making notes in the margins.

Now you know any prompting that gets you up at 4am to read a book is legit.

I am so glad that I did this, as her book really helped me to change the way I was thinking about my preteens and helped me to better understand their generation and the things they have to deal with.

Her book really deserves it's own post, but I will just blurt out a few concepts she teaches that helped me a lot:

1.  Consider that because of their exposure to TV/Media/Technology, this generation is dealing with things that are 2 years or more ealier than you did at their age.  So think of yourself two years older than them and then approach their problem with that in mind.

2.  Try to be their "coach" not their "judge."  A Coach assumes the best about them and encourages.  A Judge condemns.

3.  Quality Family Relationships can overcome and prevent many problems.

4.  Don't be afraid to encourage children to be like you.  You are their role models.

5.  The idea of "popularity" is a distortion of the concept of true friendship.

6.  Her explanation of "Erikson's Stages of Psychological Development" was enlightening for me as I'd never learned about it.  It helped me to understand the challenges that my children will and must go through at each stage of development...and therefore I can see better how to help them and facilitate their growth.  It also helped me to see how the standards of dating will help them to develop in a healthy way to adulthood.

And lastly, you know we have been using For the Strength of Youth to teach our children during Family Home Evening the last few weeks.  We are going to continue with this.

Sylvia Rimm teaches in her book that children have more anxiety "thinking" about work they have to do than actually "doing" the work.

Now that I have read up a bit more about how I can best parent my preteens I have a lot less anxiety about it and I am actually looking forward to helping them grow into the young adults I know that they are destined to become.

In addition to talking about language and making friends, we've started having regular weekend evenings where we invite friends over to "practice socializing."  It's been interesting to see how the children do in these little gatherings. 

This feels right to me, to help lead and guide them as they slowly dip their toes into the world of socializing and eventually dating and I am grateful I have been set on a good path too as I parent them through this exciting new phase of life!

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To think in such a place...

It's been a little quiet around here, but not quiet at all in my real life.  Just to catch you up, we had a baby in April (a sweet, sweet boy named Val!) then we pretty promptly found ourselves without a job, we went on a super amazing family road trip that took us all the way to California and back with lots of stops at points in between (this was in the works before the job loss!)  Then we waited a lot and worked a lot to find a job.  And I was sad a lot about the thought of having to move for a potential job and leave this little town I've come to love, and then my husband was blessed to find a great job, which is taking us to the much bigger city of Pittsburgh (which is 1. still in Pennsylvania 2. lots closer to my family, and 3. going to be an amazing place to live!)

So, just to back up, if you've been around my blog here for a while, you might have noticed that I love living here in rural, central Pennsylvania.  I will say, it has not been without it's ups and downs.  But at some point over the last decade of living here, I made a decision...not just to tolerate this smalltown life, but to love it.  Not just to give a passing glance at my neighbors, but to get to know, love, and serve them. Not just to complain about the way things were going down at school and the community, but to make positive change.  

I have mentioned almost none of those life-changing episodes here on my blog, mainly because some of it is sensitive in nature, but these are the experiences that have shaped who I have become over the last 10 years. And the friendships.  Oh, the wonderful friendships I've experienced with Moms of all walks.  Words can't express how much those friendships have nurtured and taught me.

So yes, I have given my heart and soul to my life here, to the neighborhoods and communities I've been a part of.  Where too many transplants come here and complain (a lot) about the lack of stores, lack of "cultural experiences", the very small stakes and wards, the lack of...fill in the blank, I decided not to do that.  And because I decided to deliberately fall in love with this place and to see its beauty, it hurts all the harder to leave. 

But even the hurt feels good and right to me.  If I wasn't sad to leave, then I'd wonder if I'd managed to do what I came here to do.  

I'm sure Heavenly Father, knowing my heart, made sure to give me PLENTY of time to start to let go of my life here, and to say my good-byes.  He knew I'd need time to accept this change.  As soon as the job went away, I knew we would most likely move.  So starting in August, I focused on saying good-bye.  I focused on not just good-bye but on taking my friends aside one by one and telling them just how much I loved them, what it was that they did for me, what I see in and respect about them.  And just giving nice long, real hugs.

In addition to good friends, I found myself saying good-bye to helpers who care for our family: our dental hygenist, my favorite Walmart cashier, my lady at the Post Office, and on and on all who I know by name.

(Knowing most people by name, I'm going to miss that.  Seeing the same people day in and day out, I'm going to miss that too.)

The more I thanked people and expressed my love for people, the more aware of my blessings I became.  Every time I think maybe I've come to the end of my list of friends to say good-bye to, there seem to be more.  This is both humbling and soul-filling.

So, here I am at the end of 10 messy years, really my first decade of Motherhood, looking back with deep, deep, deep gratitude.  

At the school where I attended college there was a saying, "To think in such a place, I led such a life."  Those words come to mind now when I think about life in Lewisburg.

Do other people feel this way about the places they live?  They must. I can't be the only romantic out there.

The saving grace about moving for me is knowing that the Lord is leading us, He is blessing us. He has NEVER let us down before.  And I know that He is leading us to the next phase of our lives, to a place where we can learn and grow and continue to become the people he wants us to become.

I am reading a book that I randomly heard about. It's called, "This is Where You Belong: the Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live." I don't anticipate not being able to love where we will be living next. In fact, I probably could have written this book, however I'm open to suggestions, and my heart is open and ready for new friendships, new challenges, new opportunities to stand as a witness.

I'll admit, I've only read part of the very first chapter, but the quote on the first page is one I'm pondering in my mind, and maybe you'll think long and hard about it as well. It goes like this, "A place belongs forever to whoever claimes it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image." - Joan Didion.

I claim Lewisburg, Pennsylvania from June 2007 to December 2016, and I hope when the earth is rolled up like a scroll, it will claim me too.

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This is an important book.

What happens when a juvenile is sentenced to life in prison for mistakes made as a child? Can a person really change?  Does God care about everyone?  Does he care when we suffer?  This is a true story that will make you consider the roles of justice and mercy not just in society, but in your life.

I discovered this book Letters to a Lifer just a week or so ago, when I connected with a friend in my Stake over Facebook.  He and I had gotten to know each other last year through my calling, and I really got to know and admire his father, the Bishop of a ward in our stake, at Girl's Camp last year...however, in those interactions, I never heard about this.

This book is written by his mother, Cindy Sanford, and is their family's remarkable, brave, and touching story about their experience befriending and coming to love a young man who is serving a life-sentence in prison for a crime he committed at the age of fifteen.

I read one or two chapters and immediately declared that this was going to be one of my new all-time favorites...and I was right.

Remember when I read "The Hiding Place" and it changed my life forever?  Well, this book is so much like The Hiding Place in so many ways.  It teaches such similar lessons.  It causes the reader to look inside of themselves in a way that most books don't.  It is full of tragedy (less so than The Hiding Place) and also full of hope...maybe even more-so than The Hiding Place, because this story happened and is happening today.

I love a good, true story...and you will love this one!  I almost never tell my readers to go out and buy any book, but in this case, I'm saying: Pick it up today!!!  You can find it on Amazon or read more about their story here.  

All of the proceeds from the book are donated to MIMIC, a program that help families of inmates and mentors at-risk kids in Philadelphia.

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Christmas Books for Children

I've put together quite a few Christmas Book Lists over the years.  The reading of Christmas books started with my parents who always read The Littlest Angel to us on Christmas Eve.  It is such a tender story and has all the elements of the innocence of childhood, of wonder, of selflessness, of Christ's birth, and of God's love.  This year's list focuses on similar themes, but also gives a big nod to serving others and to Santa and all of the wonderful values that this time-honored tradition has brought into my life, both as a child and as a parent.

By the way, the t-shirt above does not actually exist, I just really, really want someone to make it for me.  I believe in this mantra so much.  I was searching online and saw so many different ways that people "cope" with stress as represented by these "keep calm" sayings, and the only way I could rightly end that sentence for myself, especially during the busy Christmas season, is to keep calm and read to your children.  

This month, I hope you will slow down, hold your children tight, tuck them in at night while they will still let you, and read them a good book.  Or find a child who needs your attention.  Even "big kids" need to be read to.

I hope that as you read this list together, you will make lifelong memories as you explore the true meaning of Christmas, learn the legends and traditions that surround this magical season, and think about what it means for you personally to celebrate and honor the Savior with your children.

Here is:

Jocelyn's List of the Best Christmas Books for Children 2014

1.  Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect by Richard H. Schneider

2.  I Believe in Santa Claus by Diane G. Adamson

3.  I See Santa Everywhere by Glenn McCoy

4.  A Small Miracle by Peter Collington

5.  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

6.  The Christmas ABC by Florence Johnson (a Golden Book)

7.  The Christmas Orange (I like this version best.)

8.  Who Is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate

9. Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck

10.  The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy by Jane Thayer

11.  The Shepherd's Whisper by Heywood Broun

12.  The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore

13.  The Christmas Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood

14.  A Christmas Dress for Ellen retold by Thomas S. Monson

15.  Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon (accompanied by this video.)

16.  The Animals' Christmas Eve by Gale Wiersum (a Golden Book)

17.  On Christmas Eve by Peter Collington  (This book is hard to get, but check your library!)

18.  This is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten

19.  Christmas Around the World Coloring Book by Joan O'Brien

20.  Helping Santa: My First Adventure with Grandma

21.  Christmas is Here words from the King James Bible

22.  The Last Chimney of Christmas Eve by Linda Oatman High

23.  The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado

24.  The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell (Illustrated by Sergio Leone)

25.  Morris' Disappearing Bag by Rosemary Wells

Bonus: The Tale of Three Trees: a Traditional Folktale retold by Angela Elwell Hunt

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Easter Books About Bunnies

This Easter season, I am in love with bunnies!  

It started with one set of bunny decorations that my Mom passed on to us, and it has grown from there.

So, in honor of my bunny obsession, I give you my Easter Book List 2014!  

I love EVERY book on this list!

.....It's all about bunnies, but with some lovely messages of love, hope, faith, family, giving, seasons, silliness, wonder, and yes, Easter.  Some of them will surprise you.  Many will delight you!  So please enjoy with a child near you!

1.  A Tale for Easter by Tasha Tudor

2.  The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

3.  So Many Bunnies by Rick Walton

4. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

5.  Ready for Easter by Laura Rader

6.  The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Heyward

7.  Richard Scarry's The Bunny Book

8.  Little Bunny's Easter Surprise by Jeanne Modesitt

9.  The Little Duck (a Golden Book)

10.  What is Easter? by Michelle Medlock Adams

11.  The Easter Story by Patricia A. Pingry

12.  Jesus Loves Me by Laura Logan

13.  If Jesus Came to My House by Joan Gale Thomas

14.  Look & Find Bible from Copenhagen Publishing House

15.  Happy Easter by Kurt Wise

16. Hopper by Marcus Pfister

If you are looking for my other Easter Book List 

"The Best Easter Books for Young Children" click here...

 

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Living in the 11th Hour

I have always been an optimist, but when I became a Mother I also experienced depression.  So I am always doing things to stay up, to stay optimistic, to see the good.  By by filling my life with good, positive, spirit-filled moments with my children, family, and friends, and by sharing those moments here with you, I remind myself that there is good in the world.  By looking for the good, I find it.

I found this idea echoed back to me in my reading of "Living in the Eleventh Hour" by Robert L. Millet.  In his chapter "Wars and Rumors of Wars," I found his advice both confirming and helpful to me, and maybe it will be for you too.

In speaking about the conditions of the world in these last days, Millet says, "We need not be a Pollyanna to be optimistic about living in difficult times."

(Um, he says Pollyanna like it's a bad thing!)  :)

He continues, "Rather, we need simply to realize that moaning and complaining about the evil of our day will do little to improve the world."

Point taken.

Then he wraps the chapter up with this sound advice:

"A passage of scripture that has special appeal to me is from the writings of the apostle Paul: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). 

"Paul tells us that we are to focus upon things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy.  While we are not to be naive in regard to evil or foolish in regard to unholy influences about us, we are not to fixate upon them or conclude that all is lost.  There is too much good to be seen and acknowledged, too much good to be enjoyed and appreciated, too much good to be accomplished by those intent on the salvation of souls.  We have no time for despair, no time for feeling sorry for ourselves; we have time only to be about our Father's business."

Hopefully, I can always make this my mantra, to call attention to those things that are true and pure and lovely and virtuous, and not despair, but "be about my Father's business."

There are plenty of other gems of advice that make this book worth the read, as each chapter delves briefly into such topics as why the Lord allows the wheat and tares to grow together, why it is our personal responsibility to keep our own lamps of testimony filled, and how to avoid being deceived by the precepts of men in the last days.

I look forward to giving it another read...right after I watch Pollyanna again, and play a few rounds of the Glad Game.

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52 Life-Changing Questions from The Book of Mormon

This week Honor turns one.  Next week Guy turns *8*!!!  Two weeks after that, we're hosting 20+ people in our home for Thanksgiving and the next day Guy is getting baptized!

I am so excited I can hardly sleep, and I frankly hardly have time for sleep!

Visions of all the yummy desserts that I'd like to make and all the special arrangements that need to be made are constantly dancing in my head.  And I just can't wait to give my family a big fat hug on Thanksgiving day.

It's kind of hard for me to take a time out from my Thanksgiving and Baptism and Birthday prep to do this book review, but I'm going to try.

A few weeks back, I received the book "52 Life-Changing Questions from The Book of Mormon" by Brad Wilcox and John Hilton III.  Naturally, anything that helps me internalized the messages of The Book of Mormon is of interest to me.

So often, I go to The Book of Mormon with questions about my life, but this book encourages us to slow down and take notice of the questions that The Book of Mormon is asking us to consider about ourselves...or rather the Lord through The Book of Mormon is asking us.

Questions like:  Do you look forward with an eye of faith?

Have ye spiritually been born of God?  

Can ye feel so now?

Are ye stripped of pride?

Have miracles ceased?

No matter how busy our lives are, we'd all do well to slow down and consider these questions and most especially make time to read and ponder The Book of Mormon during this season of celebration.  It is this book of scripture that will help us draw closer to God.

From how many questions are asked in all of scripture to which prophet asked the most questions, "52 Life-Changing Questions from The Book of Mormon" takes a look at all of that from a scholarly but mostly applicable, down-to-earth perspective.  Each chapter focuses the reader on just one question, so you can take it in bite-sized nibbles.  Read it in the morning and consider the question all day or take on one question each week for a year.  (That's more my speed!)

Well, I really must get to work on this fine Monday.  24 days till Thanksgiving, don't-ya-know!  If you'd like a chance to WIN THIS BOOK, just leave a comment on this post.  

Tell me one of the following:

1. Something you love about The Book of Mormon

2.Something you are thankful for.

3.Share some Thanksgiving/family gathering tradition or tip.

I will pick my favorite comment and announce the winner on my blog tomorrow.

Have a great day!

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Halloween Books for Children

Halloween is finally here!  Over the years, my children and I have really come to love all of the books on this list.  They contain just the right amount of scariness and silliness and quirkiness and mystery and rhyme, and they are just the right length for a bedtime story.

So, check them out of your local library and enjoy our list of

The Best Halloween Books for Young Children

1.  Who Said Boo? Halloween Poems for the Very Young by Nancy White Carlstrom

2.  Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson

3.  In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories by Alvin Schwartz

4.  Best Witches: Poems for Halloween by Jane Yolen

5.  Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell

6.  The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis

7.  Goodnight Goon: a Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex

8.  The Littlest Pumpkin by R.A. Herman

9.  Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler

10. Spooky Tricks by Rose Wyler and Gerald Ames

By the way, if you are looking for some easy ways to start teaching your children the messages of General Conference, then don't miss the tips on the Friend's website this week.  
Click here to see them all!

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German Translation of God Gave You a Body

zum Download auf Deutsch hier klicken

When we first published God Gave You a Body as a free download last year, we immediately received requests from Primary presidents and concerned mothers in Germany to have the book translated into their native tongue.

Today, we are so happy to bring you "God Gave You a Body" in German!!

We would like to express special thanks to Kristin Pfister whose translation we used for this version.  And thanks to others who submitted translations as well.

Please share this with all and anyone who might benefit from this labor of love from Jessica and from me to all of the children of the world.

And if you are interested in seeing this book published in your native tongue, and can assist with translation and/or proofreading, please let us know.

God Gave You a Body - German Translation by jocelynhatch

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A True Principle Makes Decisions Clear

As you know, we PA saints have a General Conference Book Club that meets weekly.  Lately, although we received some really amazing counsel during the last installation of Conference, I felt that in our discussions we tended to get bogged down in the challenges that face each one of us.

I was praying for advice on how best to strengthen our group and organize our discussions so that we could get the most spiritual understanding out of them, when I cracked open this new book by Richard G. Scott called 21 Principles: Divine Truths to Help You Live by the Spirit.

I didn't have to go very far to get exactly the guidance that I needed.  In the introduction to his book, Elder Scott says:

"As you seek spiritual knowledge, search for principles.  Principles are concentrated truth, packaged for application to a wide variety of circumstances.  A true principle makes decisions clear even under the most confusing and challenging circumstances.  It is worth great effort to organize the truth we gather to simple statements of principle."

This true principle about seeking out true principles is so amazing to me.  True principles make decisions clear...even under the most confusing and challenging of circumstances.  From experience, I know that this principle is true.  But what a valuable principle to know, understand, and put into practice!  (And maybe even memorize since Elder Scott is so big on that as well!)

I could really stop right there, but the rest of the book is also packed full of true principles, stated simply, that can really point us toward living successfully by the spirit and gaining spiritual knowledge to help us in our personal lives.

He talks about things that block our ability to receive spiritual promptings, such as exaggeration, conceit, haughtiness, pride, not having good health practices or becoming offended, and other things that do, such as practicing faith in Jesus Christ, and understanding why recognizing answers to prayers can be difficult.

He explains so much more in his book.  In some ways this seems like a book you might give to a graduating senior...maybe a spiritually mature one!  I certainly would have loved to have some of this advice, spelled out so concisely, when I was younger!

Elder Scott's formula for collecting true principles can also be applied to secular knowledge or courses of study.  As we scour books of various topics (as I happen to be doing right now!) it is so important to seek out true principles and to organize those truths into simple statements that we can come back to as we study and compare them with the words of the prophets.

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In My Father's House

I just finished reading "In My Father's House" by Corrie ten Boom.  The author should sound familiar to you. She is the author of my favorite book "The Hiding Place."

Earlier this year, I read a few books by Maria von Trapp, one of my other heroes, and imagine how happy I was to find that my very favorite person Corrie ten Boom had actually written a book about raising children.  

Actually it is a story of what it was like growing up in her father's house before she and her family embarked on the trial of a lifetime, hiding Jews in German-occupied Holland during WWII, a decision that later landed her in a concentration camp at age 50.  It's basically her life story before The Hiding Place.

Since we were in the process of buying, moving to, and setting up a new house, this title especially drew me in.  What I loved about her book was that it was just plain and simply beautiful and hopeful.  Her stories of life growing up in the "Beje" spoke of all of the wonderful things that children should be given in a home:  love, attention, validation, standards, time, expectations, play, faith.  I loved the line that went something like this, "We knew in our home that no children's problem was ever too small for an adult to care about."

Other lines I loved include:

"I believe that a child should be lead, not left to wander."

"Children need the wisdom of their elders; the aging need the encouragement of a child's exuberance."

One reviewer said, "A home soaked with love and faith can produce extraordinary individuals."  I love that.  But the ten Boom home was saturated not primarily with love just for one another but love for everyone with whom they came in contact, even strangers, and people who would have been considered their political enemies.

Long before they did the will of God in those hellish concentration camps, they were serving him and his children in their daily lives.  And they were quite innovative about it, creating something akin to the Girl Scouts in Holland that went to camp and met to do activities every Wednesday night (remind you of anything?)  When the group joined up with the Girl Guides, an international organization, Corrie was told not to speak so much of God to the girls, that she should strictly teach good morals without preaching about the Savior.

For Corrie, this was an unacceptable and illogical demand, for how could one, she wondered, teach them good morals but neglect to bring the girls to the One who could safely lead them the rest of the way home?  Corrie's group disassociated themselves from the Girl Guides and continued to bring young women and men to Christ for many years.

There is more...oh so much more...like how Corrie started a bible study group for the mentally challenged, and gave of her own time to seek out and visit the disabled.

If you haven't read The Hiding Place....read it first...then read In My Father's House.

I am reading The Hiding Place again.  I am sort of asking for it by doing so.  Last time I read it, I finished it and was sure that I was a changed person.  I was so inspired.  Little did I know that the Lord would respond by letting me "try out" my new understanding of forgiveness by giving me some of the hardest trials of my life...tailored just for me!

I can only imagine what's going to happen this time around.

As Corrie says, "This is what the past is for!  Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our path is the perfect preparation for the future only He can see."

Lately, I've been speculating about just what that future that I'm being prepared for might look like...

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To Tell the Truth

Earlier this month, I read about Heather at Women in the Scriptures' new "Mom's Missionary Training Center" that she is doing with her kids this year.  I read her post about Teaching Kids Honesty that she so generously shared, and I decided to hop on board.  She basically is taking nine attributes of Christ's character as outlined in chapter six of Preach My Gospel and teaching them month by month to her children so that they can better emulate the Savior as they form their character.

I grabbed a bunch of her suggested books from the library and have them around the house for the kids to read or for us to read together and casually discuss.  We just finished reading Shiloh by Phyllis Richards Naylor, which Guy loved.  What a tender and wise story. It really treats the subject of honesty on a mature level that allows kids to explore the implications of being honest (or dishonest) on a life, a family, a community, or a society.  What an excellent read with a lot of heart.

It has struck me over the last 24 hours how much the world suffers now because of a lack of honesty and integrity.  From famed athletes falling from grace for lying or being deceived, to loan officers and business people doing less than their best or outright stealing, to "yellow journalism" or just plain lazy reporting, to the ridiculous scam email I received this week from "Jess" in Manila claiming that she was in a pickle and needed me to rush her $1,980 to get her out of it!

This world needs a generation of children who know how to tell the truth and how to be true...at all times.  I can see that as the years pass this will only get harder and more unpopular. And more complicated.  And perhaps that is why it's such a wise thing to start with teaching our children this now.  Honesty is the first virtue...the one that leads to all others.  Let's instill this in our kids now...any way we can!

Since we are in the middle of a move, I don't really have time to plan out all the fun lessons that I like to do normally with my kids...that's why I am so grateful to Heather for putting together and sharing this lesson plan which is really RICH with resources and easy to tailor to the way you'd like to teach this in your home.  So please go check out her Mommy's MTC.  It's a very valuable thing to invest time in...I promise you! :)

PS - Just by way of explanation...I use the duct tape to color code our moving boxes.  It's a great way to make sure boxes make it into the right room on the right floor...saves lots of time and work, plus it's just fun!

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