Tones Of The Heart

Tonight was part two of our Kindness Family Home Evenings. We started with a basic review of what we talked about last week and what we did over the week (the caught-ya poster). The kids have responded very well to the visual and are constantly trying to do nice things. Since it was a Caught-Ya poster someone else had to catch the person doing something nice and kind. It only took a little bit into the week for the kids to stop telling us every time they did something nice and asking if they could put something on the poster. I like this because I wanted the kids to do nice and kind things without "flaunting" what they were doing.

So, tonight we moved on to Tones of the Heart. We started the lesson with the first verse of "Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words To Each Other" (Hymns 232) and then pointed out the last line of the chorus which is "Kind words are sweet tones of the heart."

Next we said there were two types of tones - sweet and sour. We brought out a slice of lemon and a spoon of sugar. We let each kid taste the lemon (rubbed a finger across and then licked their finger). We talked about what it made our faces do. (Puckering, furrowed brows, grumpy-like face) and then had Daddy taste the lemon so they could see what it did. After doing this with the lemon, we did the same with the sugar (letting each kid get just a little sugar). We talked about what our faces did then (smile, eyes light up, excited-faces) and then had Daddy taste the sugar so they could see the reaction.

We asked which one they wanted more. Of course, it was the sugar. Then we talked about how the sour lemon, which made our faces grumpy, was the sour tones of our heart which makes us say mean words (hurtful, loud, rude, nasty, sarcastic, etc). And how the sweet sugar, which made our faces happy, was the sweet tones of our heart which makes us say nice and kind words (gentle, kind, friendly, soft, peaceful).

Gabi also pointed out that the sugar was "pure and white". We likened that to when we use kind words and voices, how we are working on being better people and are more willing to keep the commandments and follow Christ. This is what we need to return to be with Heavenly Father, Jesus and our family forever.

This week, to add to our Caught-Ya poster (which will continue through the "kindness unit") we will add a poster to record our "Sugar Words". The kids are very excited!

I love being able to teach my children things which are important both for here and in the eternities. I love how the Spirit guides these lessons. And I love the inspiration which comes to teach through visuals and hands on. My children really understand these lessons so much more than they would otherwise.

Kindness Begins....

Okay... like many of you, I've noticed an on going battle in our home. Friendliness gives way to bitterness, sharing to selfishness, nice and uplifting words and voices to mean and nasty name calling and screams.... This isn't all the time (and thank goodness or I might just have to resign from motherhood - just kidding ;) ), but when it does happen, the Spirit leaves! And when that happens, everything negative escalates.

Since Jeremy had the lesson last night for Family Home Evening (and Peter next week, myself the week after, and Bob after that) we started a series of lessons on kindness. Last night was the broad topic:

Kindness Begins At Home With Me

We had Jeremy remind us of the ways to be kind to one another. We're doing a chart (for a visual.. since at least one of our children absolutely needs that). It's entitled:

Kindness Begins At Home With Me
Caught-ya Chart

Whenever someone catches someone else being kind (in word, in deed, in voice, etc), then the person who did something kind gets to put either a sticker, a smiley face, or a heart on the chart. We want to fill it right up.

Next week will be The Tones of the Heart (using soft voices) and the week after that will be By Your Acts Ye Shall Be Known (acts of love and service). Bob's week is up in the air. If things are going well, then he'll move on to another topic. If we need to be specific about something else, then he'll do that.

The children typically do well... but I don't want to have to remind them all their lives! I want it to be the habit they have, not something they struggle with throughout life.

Pattern Blocks

Beth has had a continual stream of presents since her birthday party. One of the most recent arrived today. Grandma n Grandpa Nielsen sent a bucket of pattern blocks, just like the ones we used to use in school. For our Family Home Evening activity tonight, Beth decided that we needed to all play with her new blocks.

Since the Lesson was on Valentine's Day, we challenged everyone to make a heart. Doing this with the shapes provided (two diamonds, a square, a Triangle, a Trapezoid, and a hexagon) without a pattern proved to be quite challenging, although the attempts brought out many different flowers, butterflies and other cute shapes. Beth made two people on either side of a flower, and Jeremy built a chimney off of mom's butterfly. Gabi worked hard on her heart, and finally came up with several variations.

Being more ADD than I would like to admit, I Started off in several different directions, and would not follow the patterns given to me on the sheets. I started to do the sheets using only colors that did not match. Finding a Kindred Spirit, I challenged Beth to do the same on her sheet. With a quick example in the beginning, she was off and running, and in no time, had joined her anarchist old man in full blown pattern block rebellion. This activity ran beyond the typical 15 minute FHE activity time, and led to the kids finally finding their bed nearly 2 hours past bedtime. One of the best parts of being a parent is playing with your kids' toys!