RV is Home, so a Home for our RV?

So it never hurts to dream. Since we will be "technically" parents of adult children in September, we might even be "empty nesters," we have been thinking about what our long term plans and locations might  be. 

Seriously, we have to have a home to keep my scrapbook stuff. And we definitely don't need our current five bedrooms if all the kids are doing their own thing.

These are somewhat random and likely much larger than we would be looking into. FYI, the majority of communities that have these models are either in Arizona or Florida. But I think they are styles that could work in Pleasant Grove or American Fork, Utah.

Food for thought!

Developing Celestial Traditions

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World paragraph 7

MormonShare.com: 100+ LDS FHE Ideas

There are over TWO YEARS worth of FHE lesson ideas below! Hope they help you with your family home evening lessons! 

Family History

1. Make an "About Me" collage out of pictures from old magazines.
2. Read excerpts from the journal or history of a member of your family.
3. Start a family journal.
4. Go to your local genealogical center or library and research your family history.
5. Prepare a family group sheet/four generation pedigree chart.
6. Interview an older family member.
7. Get out the family photo album and tell stories about family members.
8. Install LDS Church's PAF program and begin entering your family history in your computer.

Service

1. Make up a play. Perform it at a nursing home, or grandma's house (so she can enjoy FHE, too!).
2. Write letters to grandparents or a missionary.
3. Clean up trash at a local park.
4. Ask an elderly neighbor how your family can help him or her.
5. Make or assemble humanitarian projects.
6. Invite a non-member family over for a barbecue.
7. Have a service car wash.
8. Visit an inactive family member, elderly person, or a shut in.
9. Adopt a grandma or grandpa from your church or neighborhood.
10. Make simple puppets to take to a children's ward of a local hospital. Put on a puppet show of a favorite children's story. Then let the children keep the puppets. (LDS Family Home Evening Resource Guide, p. 266)
11. Prepare a musical program to take to a foster home, hospital, or nursing home. You could invite another family to join you. Your program could include vocal or instrumental solos, duets, trios, or quartets; and be sure to include some familiar sing-along tunes that your audience could join you in singing. (LDS Family Home Evening Resource Guide, p. 266) Print copies of any church music you need from the LDS Church's Music site

Music Appreciation

1. Listen to classical music, lights off, lying on the floor, and take turns saying what it sounds like.
2. Learn to conduct music from LDS.org.
3. Make your own musical instruments and start a family band.
4. Learn Music symbols and terms from LDS.org.
5. Memorize a family hymn.
6. Have a family dance. Learn about appropriate dance moves and positions.
7. Attend community concerts or listen to a local orchestra. Talk about the effects of good music on your thoughts from Elder Packer.
8. Appreciating Music from the LDS FHE manual
9. Games that help children learn Hymns and Children's Songs from the LDS FHE Manual

Developing Home Skills

1. Learn simple home repairs like using a drill, hammer, screwdriver, or following directions to put together furniture or electronics. 
2. Learn to sew on a button, wash clothes, iron, cook a pancake, or wash mirrors. See the The Suzie Homemaker Awards 
3. Learn about 72 hour kits and assemble them.
4. Make and take treats to neighbors, sick friends, a nursing home, or the emergency room at the hospital.
5. Make a family calendar.
6. Make a grocery list, set a budget, divide items, go get pizza with the money you save.
7. Make a family cookbook.
8. Make a family goal chart.
9. Plant a tree or some flowers. Discuss faith in Alma 32:28-43.
10. Have a budgeting class.
11. Have an etiquette night. Practice your skills over a formal dinner.
12. Study indoor gardening! Learn to Garden in containers from the FHE manual or from Helpfulgardener.com. 

Church History

1. Study a Prophet by printing his picture and biography from LDS.org.
2. Study Church History Sites by printing out pictures and information, including scriptures, from LDS.org.
3. Study the Church in your area from LDS.org. Get headlines, stories, a brief history of your area, and statistics (click "Quick Facts"). Information on the Church world-wide.
4. Study present day Church Leaders' Biographies from LDS.org
5. Learn about this history of your local temple by printing its picture and story from LDS.org.

Outdoor Activities

1. Got a GPS? Go Geocaching and have a lesson on carefully following directions found in the scriptures.
2. Learn how to use a compass. Have a lesson on carefully following directions from our Church leaders.
3. Learn how to build a fire and the cook hot dogs and enjoy.
4. Make and fly inexpensive newspaper kites. Use the kite object lesson for an easy FHE lesson. Here's a Kite lesson from the FHE Resource guide.
5. Make miniature boats and float them in some water. Sing Master the Tempest is Raging Read the story of Jesus calming the storm for children or for adults
6. Go on a family trip/historical excursion
7. Go fishing. Talk about missionary work and being fishers of men (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17).
8. Go for a hike. Learn about outdoor safety from the US Forest Service. Here are tips on Hiking with small children from the FHE manual.
9. Go swimming. Learn about water safety.
10. Go for a bike ride together. Study bicycle safety and helmet safety
11. Go bird watching near your home. Talk about the Creation or use The Creation Lesson.
12. Learn physical coordination while playing Yard Games - from the LDS FHE manual

Cultural and Community

1. Read a scripture story and paint a picture of it.
2. Attend a local orchestra production. Discuss the effects of good music on your thoughts from Elder Packer.
3. Have a patriotic night with a flag ceremony.
4. Go to a museum.
5. Make the inexpensive Christmas Ornament: Gift of Myself
6. Make an ethnic meal and learn about that country. Here are a few recipes from various countries at InternationalFreeway.com
7. Learn about the Christmas customs in a different country. Christmas.com has a big list of different countries' Christmas customs, or there's another, shorter list at NorthPole.net.
8. Find out about your area's community center and/or park activities.
9. Attend the dress rehearsals of your local ballet, opera, or theater. Many times tickets are extremely low priced, or even free. Call to find out.
10. Read excerpts from the history of a prominent member of your community.
11. Read the testimony and lesson from Military Service by Iraq Veteran, Chris Jones. 
12. Write a letter of support to a military serviceperson. Email our Military is a service that helps civilians correspond with United States servicepeople ($2.00 registration fee).
13. Find out how to support your troops. Army.mil's Support our Troops section has several resources.
14. Fun with Stories and Poems from the LDS FHE manual
15. Enjoying Dance and Drama from the LDS FHE manual
16. Creating Pictures and Things from the LDS FHE manual
17. Arranging Flowers from the LDS FHE manual
18. Arts and Crafts from the LDS FHE manual
19. Christmas Crafts from the LDS FHE manual

Sprirituality

1. Walk around the temple grounds. If you don't live near a temple, download a picture of your local temple, and have a pretend picnic there! 
2. Memorize the Articles of Faith.
3. Have a family testimony meeting.
4. Work on Duty to God, Faith in God, or Personal Progress 
5. Have a missionary night
6. Have a family fast for an ill friend or family problem. Break your fast for FHE and talk about how you felt while fasting.
7. Study the Plan of Salvation from mormon.org. Video available online.
8. Why do Good people suffer? Watch and discuss a video from mormon.org, and study adversity.
9. Study Families online at mormons.org. Watch the videos and discuss with your family.
10. Learn about gratitude and the 10 lepers while you fill out the Happy Heart Crossword Puzzle.
11. Print the Child's Scripture and Prayer Chart for a lesson on the importance of daily scripture study and prayer.
12. Memorize and discuss one of the Articles of Faith each 4 weeks (52weeks/4weeks =13).
13. Bear your testimony, and invite others to do the same. A seminary, YW/YM, Sunday School, or Primary lesson topic makes a great starter. Learning to bear testimony is especially important for future elder and sister missionaries. 

Developing new skills

1. Learn how to build a fire, cook hot dogs, and enjoy!
2. Learn the metric system.
3. Learn sign language alphabet or Sign language from quicktime movies.
4. Learn the Morse code.
5. Learn to play golf together.
6. Learn about photography.
7. Take the Presidential Fitness Challenge and learn to exercise as a family. (Your efforts will earn an official award from the President of the United States!)
8. Have a culture night.
9. Have an etiquette night. Practice your skills over a formal dinner.
10. Write a story together.
11. Learn some new dance steps.
12. Study the history of dance from the 1878 book How to Dance.
13. Study and apply principles from the new Preach My Gospel book. 
14. Go to the library and learn to use the computers or Dewey decimal system
15. Try different musical instruments.
16. Magic Tricks - from the LDS FHE manual
17. Magic Trcks - from kids.Mysterynet.com
18. Learn good study habits for teenagers from eHow.com or from the Institute for Responsive Education: Helping your Child Develop good Study Habits
19. Learn How Stuff Works - from HowStuffWorks.com, has articles on everything from appliances to politics, particle accelerators to fireworks

Safety

1. Learn CPR
2. Have a first-aid night and assemble a first-aid kit for your car or home from the American Red Cross.
3. Tour your local fire department.
4. Learn what to do if you are lost. Here's information from Absaroka Search Dogs (with instructions to make a small emergency fanny pack) and from Extreme Mountain Biking
5. Talk about saying no drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances.
6. Learn about internet safety from LDS.org. Here's an internet safety brochure from the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
7. Have a friend come and discuss good nutrition and health practices.
8. Learn about 72 hour kits and assemble them.
9. Post Emergency Phone Numbers - from LDS.org
10. Preparing for a blackout - from LDS.org
11. Make a survival kit - from LDS.org
12. Prepating for an earthquake - from LDS.org
13. Protecting your home against theives - from LDS.org
14. When someone goes into shock - from LDS.org
15. When someone chokes... - from LDS.org
16. Treating Bleeding - from LDS.org

For Toddlers and Childen - (more help on FHE for small children)

1. Ask your child's Nursery teacher what the lesson was in class on that week. Look the lesson up in the Nursery manual, and reinforce what was taught. 
2. Read the picture story of the creation from Old Testament Stories' Jesus Makes the Earth and Play my Creation Matching game or teach The Creation Lesson - for younger children
3. Read the story of the Birth of the Savior from New Testament Stories' Jesus Christ is Born and Play my Nativity Matching game
4. Read a story from the Gospel art picture kit while holding up the picture.
5. Use the FHE lesson suggestions in the current edition of the Friend.
6. Share testimonies

For Teenagers

1. Reinforce your Youth's Young Men or Young Women's lesson by teaching the FHE lesson suggested in the current edition of the New Era.
2. Work on Duty to God or Personal Progress activities together.
3. Have career exploration nights. Arrange to visit a business that stays open in the evenings (like a newspaper, television or radio station, supermarket, etc.), and find out what its like to work there.
4. Visit your local television station and watch them do a news broadcast. (Youll have to arrange in advance for this one.)
5. Bear your testimony, and invite teenagers to do the same. A seminary or institute lesson topic makes a great starter. Learning to bear testimony is especially important for future elder and sister missionaries. 
6. Study and apply principles from the new Preach My Gospel book. 

For Singles or Adults with no Children

1. Make "FHE Coupons" to give to family members and friends for 1 free FHE lesson, and enjoy treating them to a FHE lesson taught by you. 
2. Make a quilt or other humanitarian project.
3. Write a positive note to a Congressman, Senator, military serviceperson, mayor, bishop, or parent. 
4. Write in your journal.
5. Write your life history -- these are important even if you don't have children! Here is a history about a great-great-great Uncle Hugh Uriah French who had no children of his own. Uncle Hugh Uriah's life story is wonderfully interesting, and I love to read it!
6. Write a note to a missionary. Pray for guidance and inspiration about what to share -- be it humorous, spiritual, or a report on what's happening in your unit. 
7. Offer to redo, clean up, and fix the dolls and toys from your local thrift shop.
8. Stuff envelopes for a charity organization or a nonprofit group.
9. Study the most recent Conference Addresses from the Ensign.
10. Study and apply principles from the new Preach My Gospel book. 
11. Volunteer to help clean pens and walk the pets at the local animal shelter.
12. Go to a hospital and read stories to the elderly or to children.
13. Research and write a history about a relative.
14. Research a favorite gospel topic at library.lds.org 
15. Invite a member of your church unit to teach you about entering genealogy into the computer.
16. Prepare names for the temple -- attend the temple and do the work for your ancestors.

Just for fun

1. Did it snow? Go sledding and make a snowman.
2. Is it hot? Make fresh lemonade, homemade ice cream, or buy slushies.
3. Did it rain? Use the FHE Manual's Activities in the Rain
4. Tell scripture stories around a campfire.
5. Watch the sunset and then do some star-gazing. Talk about the beautiful things God has made.
6. Dress up and act out a story from the Bible or Book of Mormon.
7. Play Book or Mormon or Bible character charades.
8. Do role-playing from the LDS FHE manual

Other Wholesome Recreational Activities

1. Watch the sunrise. Figure out when the sun will rise and set in your location.
2. Have a picnic. (If it's raining, have a picnic in the family room on a blanket.)
3. Have a family treasure hunt. Treasures can include scriptures, pictures of the temple, and family portraits.
4. Have a bubble-blowing contest. 
5. Have a baking contest
6. Do a rain dance.
7. Make Christmas ornaments together.
8. Make your own family cards for the holidays or birthdays.
9. Make homemade jam.
10. Have a family slumber party.
11. Play board games.
12. Go dancing.
13. Go miniature golfing.
14. Go ice skating or roller skating.
15. Go camping.
16. Go for a long walk.
17. Play LDS games from lightplanet.com 
18. Play LDS games from Jenny Smith's LDS Games 
19. Play LDS games from Book of Mormon Toons 
20. Play LDS games online at LDS Games 
21. Play stickball.
22. Play hopscotch.
23. Play freeze-tag.
24. Play broom ball.
25. Play Frisbee.
26. Play touch football.
27. Play chess, bridge or checkers.
28. Visit a local bookstore or library.
29. Visit the park or zoo.
30. Visit the countryside.
31. Visit the City. (Maybe on a bus?)
32. Walk the dog.
33. Start a family collection (coins, rocks, stories, dress-up, clothes, treasures).
34. Shoot hoops together.
35. Build a fort.
36. Play H.O.R.S.E.
37. Organize a game of capture the flag.
38. Climb a tree.
39. Take a nature hike trail.
40. Pick berries together
41. Solve a crossword puzzle together.
42. Bake cookies or bread.

Sources: lds.about.com, the FHE manual, "FYI: For Your Info," New Era, Feb. 1992, page 41, and me, Jenny Smith

Notes:

_____________________________________________

A Cleaning Story

So I posted this to my family's blog:

interesting cleaning tips

I am not sure if this will be overload, but I did find many of these to be worth trying. I will let you know how it goes! Especially the cleaning the floor and grout. My kitchen has been horrid the entire time we have owned the house.

Hugs!

http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/2013/05/21-spring-cleaning-tips-tricks.html?m=1

So. What was I thinking?

I move the four chairs. Get help from my son to move the table, ackward and heavy. The dog pens. The dog water and food dishes. Dog toys. Garbage and recycle. Trash can from the powder room. The clothes from the laundry room. Put up the baby (read puppy) gates. Roll up my capris, sweep, get the hot water going. Ready, set, go!

I doubled the "cleaning the floor and grout tip." It is hot water, baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar. And then slop it all over the floor. Supposed to sit for an hour and have the tile and grout cleaner than ever. I guess I forgot to read scrub and rinse and rinse and rinse.

Hands and knees, clean the floor molding, long window sill. All the bottom of the doors, in and out. Next the appliances, which are a nice cheery black.

So. Do you know how much baking soda one cup is?

The floor molding is finally going to get cleaner than clean! Yeah! Now try the paint coming off. The cleaning rags don't do well when they are full of clips and flecks of paint. Aye yi yi!

This chore is getting worse and worse. My toes are numb from being on my hands and knees. Its cold on the tile floor. Try to walk normal. Next the fourth shower of my day. One to start the day, after yoga, #3 after walking, trimming and bathing the puppies. #4 I am desperate to get clean. Gotta love the baking soda dripped down my legs and dried in to white rivulets of powder. My knees look like they are going to bruise. Feet are starting to thaw. This day is wrecking havoc on my growing mountain of laundry and my depleting drawers of clean clothes.

At the end of this I have a couple comments. Not from the tips and tricks, but because of my experience. First, I used two buckets alternating a first rinse bucket and a final rinse bucket. New trick for me. Second, the best part of this whole adventure was the volcano lava action from mixing baking soda and lemon juice. Then do it again with vinegar. Wahoo!