March Activity

Now, here we go. We are one week away from our next activity. Usually, March is known as the Relief Society Birthday Party activity. And it is. But this year, we are giving a gift instead of sitting down for a nice dinner and program or party. We thought it would be a great way to remember what Relief Society is all about. Not to mention the fact that we can accomplish so much more as a group than on our own!

So the details:

Tues. March 2 at 6 pm in the gym at the church

We will be making quilts for the Humanitarian Center, creating educational games that will benefit a Title One School, and making card/scrapbook kits for the older patients at Primary Children's Medical Center.

Items you can bring to use that evening are: paper trimmers, scissors, colored pencils

We are excited about each of these projects, and we will also have some project ideas that you can take home and do with your families.

We have a few opportunities for you to bring supplies as donations for this activity:

scrapbooking embelishments (stickers, chipboard, stamps, old decorative scissors, etc) (even if they are out-dated, we can use them)

batting for the quilts

We will not have dinner at the church, but we will have a great dessert bar. So come and have a wonderful night!

Ok, sorry ladies, for the slacking! I have been a total flake in keeping up with callings and releasings. I'm trying to get an updated list for the past 6 weeks so I can post all the changes that have taken place, but it's apparently not just a simple thing to get that.

So. To all of you who have been called to and/or released from your positions, we thank you. Thanks for the service you render in our behalf and in behalf of our children. We love you, and we appreciate ALL that you do.

Stake Conference

Don't forget, ladies! This weekend is Stake Conference. That means: Priesthood Leadership meeting Saturday Feb 13 at 4-6, and the Adult Session Saturday night from 7-9ish. And the General Session Sunday Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. at the stake center!

See you there!

Report on Feb. R.S. Meeting

Last night's activity was a great success (at least the presentation part! that mod podge was trickier than I thought it'd be - sorry!! but they were still really cute!). Here are a few highlights from our presenters:

Elaine Tuttle:

Totes. Have everything you need for the job in one place. Saves time and energy when you don't have to run back and forth from the job to the closet for this or that. She has totes for cleaning, hair-do's, nail/pedi stuff, etc.

Clean from top to bottom.

Have a sanctuary. Elaine keeps her room clear and bed made so that even if the rest of the house is undone, she can go in her room and close the door and find peace.

Natalie Emmer:

House Of Order Handbook, by Marie Ricks. She has a system using 3x5 index cards to detail what jobs get done each day, week, month, etc. The website for House of Order is www.houseoforder.com.

“It is important to ‘neat’ your house before you ‘clean’ your house, and ‘clean’ your house before you ‘scrub’ your house.” Makes sense to me!

Monika Hopper:

Uses a reward system with a chart of 100 squares, and when each child fills a chart with stickers, they earn a designated amount of money. She also prints a daily chore chart for each child specific to the schedules and needs of each day. If the child does not complete the list, they do not earn the stickers, and if it becomes a habit of not completing the list, they lose friend privileges.

Angela Jensen:

Her children earn points by completing specific chores, and then they can redeem their points for "coupons" for things like movie night, and an outing with mom and dad, and extra tv time. Great ideas for those who dislike "paying" kids to do their chores.

Cindy Cahoon:

Cindy has adapted some of the House Of Order stuff and created cards for her kids which correspond to her jobs for the day. She also had some great ideas for making job time fun! Personally, I love the 30 second job idea (have jobs written on popsicle sticks and have everyone pick one. Set the timer for 30 seconds, and everyone races to get the job done before the timer goes off.)

**a few thoughts from the audience were:

They aren't bribes, they are incentives.

Create a list for multi-step jobs (like the bathroom) and post it in the room where it is done. Like the back of the medicine cabinet. This eliminates the constant "now what??" or "k, I'm done!" and it not really being done.


Finally, just don't give up. Keep trying things until you find what works for you and your family. It's not about having a spotless home. It's about being able to have a tidy home where the Spirit can thrive and your families can feel peace.

We did not have a ton of time for discussion and sharing of more ideas. Please feel free to comment with any tricks/systems that work for you!


*we will work on getting some of the info into a downloadable format. I'll let you know when that is available.

Relief Society - Groundhog Day Edition

Sisters - A reminder about our upcoming activity.

It is TOMORROW!!! Tues, Feb. 2 at 7 pm. We will begin in the Relief Society Room.
Seeing how it's groundhog's day tomorrow, we are tackling the chores that we have to do day after day after day, and learning about simple routines we can set up in our homes to make the most of our time and energy. We'll also be having a few people present their ideas for getting your kids to help out around the house as well (i.e. reward systems, etc).

I'm excited about the topic. I know, house cleaning??? Really? Really. When I feel the difference in how my house feels when it's clean as opposed to looking like a bomb went off, it makes me really want to do better - all the time. But then life happens. I get busy, and before I know it, it's been a month since my floors got mopped, and there are science experiments growing in my fridge. I am really looking forward to learning a few tricks to getting more done in less time so that I can become a better homemaker (because whether we work outside the home or not, we are all homemakers...) and invite some peace and tranquility into my home.

Can't wait to see you there!

**don't forget, if you signed up for a clipboard, bring your $1. Don't make me hunt you down for a dollar please.