The Next Adventure (and some reviews).

So, we moved this week. it was kind of hard saying goodbye to our South Weber home. We built some good memories there, including having 2 babies in my upstairs bedroom. At least most of the memory makers are coming with me!

Goodbye dear house!

After much consideration Bill and I decided it would be good for our family to have an adventure in an RV before moving into our new home. The house won't be ready until spring so instead of renting a home somewhere - we put the money into an RV where we can have an adventure now and many more adventures in years to come.

So far it's being going really well. Maybe I will feel differently in a couple of months, but for now if feels simple, cozy, unifying and fun. Our friends let us park it in their driveway so we have had a good time getting to be near them too. We just hope they are not sick of us in a couple of weeks ;-)

Going through the house and getting rid of lots and lots of stuff was really freeing. I feel much lighter. We did put some things in storage - couches, piano, beds, bikes, books. But I tried to follow the advise on "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up." It was kind of fun.

What made moving even remotely doable too was the help from some dear friends. Some brought us meals during our moving week and several good women helped me clean on Wednesday. Friends also helped us transport some things and store them. There are some very good people in this world for sure!!

It's kind of hard for me sometimes because I hate feeling like I'm inconveniencing other people, but they are so sweet and kind about it that it reminds me how good it is to just take care of one another because we all need help sometimes.

We watched The Little Prince last night. It is one of my new favorite movies. I loved the message of "What is essential can only be seen with the heart." And how sad it is that we are filling our children's minds with "head" knowledge of things that can be measured and tested while neglecting the heart - the truly essential .

One of my favorite lines, "We don't just want to count the starts - we mean to OWN them." Isn't that what dry science does today? Gives us facts and figures about what stars are made of so we can pass our astronomy test - and distracting us from noticing how wonderful they are?

I love  looking up at the stars . I think of how my little ones look up at me with their innocent little eyes and am reminded of how much Heavenly Father loves me when I look up at Him. I remember my inherent worth.

I also loved the message that the world will laugh at you when you are on the right path to discovering your true self, your way of serving others, and your relationship to God and His creations.

I just started reading a book with evidence that this is true. It's called "Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life is Designed." It's very interesting, funny, and thought provoking so far. He starts out talking about how it's hard it is to go against the flow in scientific thinking. Peer pressure is very strong. "The stream of scientific consensus flows with an almost irresistible current. Almost."

But then he says something similar to what I said in my last post, "As we think more about how science works, we'll see that those rare people who oppose the stream are the ones to watch."

I wrote the following today about a presentation coming up this week:

This Thursday! I know life is busy, but this is worth attending. Science should strengthen our faith, but often weakens it instead. Why is that? Do we have to fight a battle between science and faith or is this a false dichotomy? Can we teach our children that all things really do testify of Christ?
I have really enjoyed learning about the evidence for creation. Not because it convinces me that there is a creator  (I believed that even when I bought into the evolution of man), but because I see God's hand more clearly in everything.
I was never taught evidence against evolution - only the evidence for it.  I think that is the case for most of us. It's certainly the case for those in school today. There are so many scientists who have done incredible research that isn't talked about in our school textbooks. Now that I am learning about it, I am even more in love with nature and it's amazingness, I've developed a love of science (I think I had a slight fear of it before because of my experiences in science classes), and I've grown closer to my Savior as I have learned to appreciate Him more. It has increased my joy and love of truth. That's what I want for my kids.
This presentation teaches us about why an accurate understanding of science is so important to our freedom. We see that freedom being taken from us everyday, but we are often unaware that the battle stems from some basic assumptions about our origin and worth. If we want to defend our freedom, we need to understand what we are up against.
I hope to see you there :)
Has Darwin Erased the Self Evidence of Our God Given Rights?
Presentation by Vincent Newmeyer
7:00-8:30
1645 S 500 W Bountiful, Utah 84010

And that's pretty much what we've been up to. Busy times full of good people and exciting life lessons. I'm grateful for a family that likes adventures!

Evolution, Israel-Palestine Conflict, Joy's Birthday and Pictures

Awesome Scientists:
One thing I would really like my kids to know before they leave my home is that science is a useful way to discover truth, but that it has limitations - and that many things that are presented as fact or as indisputable in school are in fact theories and much of the evidence is disputable and even purposely misleading.

There are two viewpoints in science: things were created by intelligent design or things created themselves spontaneously from natural selection. If there is intelligent design, we are referring to some type of God - and we can't have God in school these days - so the only view point presented to our children is spontaneous natural selection.

I want my kids to understand the limitations of this perspective and to be able to refute it, not only with faith,  but also with science.

My friends Sara approached a scientist after one of his presentations on a topic like this and asked if he'd be willing to teach classes to homeschooled youth. He really wants to get this message out so that people have a more balanced perspective (it is so one-sided at school) and agreed to help her. He also wanted to get other scientists involved and to teach a larger audience. He asked Sara to help him. Sara invited me to the meetings they have had (it was a little intimidating to be at Dennys eating lunch with all these genius scientists who are so passionate about science and sharing truth). I want to go read all of their books!

I am excited to help in their endeavor.  They are having an information meeting on September 9th for those who'd like to be involved in these classes they want to make available. They should be amazing. I have been so inspired by their passion and knowledge.

Guest Speaker
I was able to get a Palestinian guest speaker, Sahar, to come tell us about growing up in the middle of the conflict between Palestine and Israel. She had an incredible story of faith, perseverance and forgiveness. It was also really sad to learn about how inhumanely the Palestinians are being treated by Israel and how we as Americans are helping to fund a government that is treating people so terribly. As I learn about the Zionist movement, I am begining to think that it is Satan's counterfeit for bringing about Zion. They are trying to establish a Jewish state through force, oppression, hate, violence and lies. Zion will come into being in oppostite ways: compassion, agency, peace and love. That is not something Sahar said, it is just a personal opinion.  Here is her inspiring presentation:

https://youtu.be/2287lCG8ync

She stayed at our house that night and the next day she gave my kids a bag full of fun little toys for them. She was so kind and sweet.

Hiking Budy
I have been wanting to take advantage of the nice weather lately to go enjoy nature.  So I say to my family, "It is a beautiful day! I have to go on a hike! Who wants to go with me??" So far, Cassia is the only one who is as enthusiastic as me to go - so she's been my hiking budy. Maybe someday the rest of my kids will enjoy it as much as we do!

Me going to go play in the waterfall

Cassia in front of the waterfall

Cassia way above the waterfall

View From the inside of the waterfall

View from above the waterfall

Different hike... sitting on the U in Uintah. I'm pretty sure we trespassed to get there - I wonder if there's an actual trail to it somehow... we had no idea what we were doing!

View from the top of the view

On our way back

Joy's Birthday

Joy is 3! We had grandparents over on her birthday and she opened presents.

The next day we invited friends to the park and then to a hot dog/s'more campfire party. Joy got all sticky with her friend so they got all clean together and fell asleep. They are such cute buddies.

Showing her Birthday Presents

Cake



And more presents

At the park...I have the most awesome kids

Waiting for friends to arrive

Trampoline Time after eating hot dogs

Watching a funny video while eating s'mores

Getting Clean After S'mores

Friends went home. And as usual, she ended up on our bed. Sleeping sideways like she likes to do!

Joy is a ray of sunshine in our home. She is always singing, dancing and making life fun. Well, almost always... she does have her grumpy moments, but they are rare and she recovers pretty quickly. James loves nothing more than making her smile and laugh and is constantly trying to get "huggies" (hugs) from her. She runs and laughs with her 2 next older brothers most of the day. Dallin spoils her and she goes to him when she is sad and needs someone to help her. Jessalyn dresses her up, paints her nails and does her hair. William teases her, but she is starting to see that it's his way of showing love. She loves and admires Cassia, and Cassia enjoys her cuteness and laughs at her funny ways. We are all so blessed to have her in our family.

When I write posts like this, I remember how good life is and how blessed we are. We are experiencing a lot of transition lately and it's easy to get bogged down by to-dos and how to-dos, but it is so good to write a little, step back and remember how good things are and what a blessed life we live. Things always work out for the best, so no need to wonder about the future! It is wonderful to just be thankful for the present. 

How do I Motivate my Children to Want to Learn? Step 2

We have had a busy month with family in town for a bit and then a friend moved into our house for a few weeks with her family while they waited for baby #11 before moving to New York :-(. I will post some pictures of our adventures below and through the post. It has been a wonderful month, but now it is time to get back on some sort of schedule.

Last time I posted, I wrote about the importance of "clearing the soil" when we want to motivate our children to want to learn. I mentioned that I would write later about step #2 - surrounding them with sunshine - or love - by building relationships. I don't claim to be an expert, but I have had several questions about this from several people so I want to write about my experience with this in hopes that it will benefit those who are seeking some answers.

I really believe that if there is contention in our hearts, we cannot learn. It is counterproductive to try to force a child to learn something when they are battling with us in their hearts. Before we can teach anything, we must establish an environment of love and trust. I heard someone once say, "If the Spirit is gone, we set aside all of our learning agenda until we get it back, or we are just wasting our time."

I recommend that people take their time to build happy relationships before even attempting to "do school" or formal learning time.

I will list what I have found to be four very important priorities when we are working on building relationships.

First Priority: Scripture and Prayer Habits
In my opinion, the first habit we should establish in our home is the habit of family and personal prayer and scripture study. If our children are growing closer to their God, they will catch the Spirit of Learning (it comes from Him) and they will feel closer to us if we are doing the same. We like to share our morning scripture study "ah-has" or questions during breakfast. It makes for some good discussion and the children know they will be asked each day, which helps them better prepare and remember their personal study.

This is crucial for mothers. It is too hard to parent alone. We need His divine influence, guidance, and love in what we do. We cannot afford to not take the time for a personal devotional each day and throughout the day.

Second Priority: Obedience
I am really focusing on this one in our family right now. I have always known that teaching obedience was important, but I didn't realize how essential this duty was until recently. I have been reading Charlotte Mason's books on home education. She talks about how a parent must not rule by whim or that makes them a tyrant. They must rule by principle. I realized that I sometimes rule by whim because I want my children to be happy.

Last week, one of my children decided that something I asked him to do was unfair, so instead of doing it, he laid in his bed. We had planned to go to the duck pond that day and he loves the duck pond. When it was time to go, I wanted to let him come with the promise that he would do his jobs when he got back, but it occurred to me that if I did this, I would be governing by whim, because I wanted him to go. If I were to rule by principle, I would not allow him to go if his work was not done.  This was a very hard thing for me to do, but I remembered, and reminded him, that it is my duty  to God to teach my kids obedience and hard work. So he stayed home and cleaned. I thought he would be mad, but he almost seemed relieved to have a boundary he could not cross. Charlotte Mason talks about how many children spend much of their energy deciding whether or not to obey. We do them a great service by teaching them the habit of obedience.

So the goal right now is that I only ask them to do something once. If I have to ask them again, we do "obedience practice" and then I ask again. "Obedience practice" may be picking up certain items, or doing jumping jacks, or running somewhere and back as fast as they can. Then we talk about how good we feel when we obey. We have only been doing this for a few days, but I have already seen a drastic difference in their behavior and attitude. It has been a very good thing.

Third Priority: Serving One Another
Establishing a family work plan not only teaches children to work, but it also teaches them to love and serve one another. It may not seem that way since it appears that many struggles and contentious moments arise during family work, but it is in learning how to work through these differences that we grow closer and build solid relationships.

This will also put to the test how well they have learned obedience and will allow them to practice it. In addition to that, your house will get clean which makes learning time a lot more peaceful for all involved. I have written before about family work. We have a good system right now that I might write about later, but really everyone needs to experiment on what works best for them and where their children are at this time. And then change it as the need arises.

Fourth Priority: Nature Time
Spending time outdoors is very healing for the soul and for relationships. Some of the most peaceful moments with my children have been when we have been outdoors in the midst of God's creations. Relationships have been healed and we feel whole and closer to Him. Nature is a wonderful place for all to be taught by God.

Ladybug tries to run outside whenever a door opens. Little children are especially sensitive to His influence there, but even my teenagers seem to feel more calm and have a clearer perspective when they have been stressed or frustrated. Charlotte says, "Never be indoors when you can rightly be without." We are trying to get out everyday this summer. It has been very good. I now find myself really craving nature's influence when we are not able to get outside. A bonus benefit is that younger children are able to find sticks, bugs, leaves, flowers to play with instead of the silverware, books, blankets and dishes they seem to want to get into after we "cleared the soil" and took away their entertaining toys.

The Proclamation on the Family by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states: "Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." Time in nature is about as wholesome as it gets.

I may write some ideas about some of these things in my next post. And then I want to write a post about Step #3 - Watering our plants - or nurturing them with the educational environment they need to fulfill their unique work on earth. Happy Sabbath!

More pics:

Donut Falls with family from Georgia (how I miss them!) and from around here (I love you all!).

We left our dogs at my mom's house that night, knowing we would be back to visit them early the next day and not wanting to pick them up after our hike. It happened to be the night our dog, Daisy, had puppies. I woke up the girls and we drove an hour to her house to watch the puppies be born. Then we drove back home early the next morning for theater practice. She had some pretty cute puppies though.

We also went to the Natural History Museum with them (no pictures) and to the Zoo.

We also spent one day bowling, playing mini-croquette, doing a ropes course, and playing laser tag. I only got some bad pictures of the bowling portion!

After family left, I took the kids to Zion National Park and we met our friends up there. Rock couldn't go with us and we missed him. Especially in the tent in the middle of the night during a loud lightning storm. I wan't sure what I would do if the tent blew over. We survived, though, and had a great time with our friends even though we got rained on a lot :-)

 

 

 

We stopped at a hot spring on the way home with our friends:

 



When we got home, our friends moved in with us (like I mentioned before). We had some fun times with them. They just left us yesterday and we miss them already.

We went camping by a reservoir for Ray's birthday. Some friends joined us there for lunch.

 The kids made lots of creations on our picnic table out of the things they found.

 

 Ray opening presents  in the evening when Rock got there.

 Family Time on the Beach:

 

Whittling with friends and playing in the river on a different "nature day:



 

 

 

 

My friend had her baby at my house last Thursday. I had the honor of getting to be there. There is an incredible feeling when a baby comes into the world. You almost feel like you could touch Heaven. 

 

This weekend I spent time preparing for next week and figuring out our summer schedule. I am excited to try it even though I know that things always look better on paper than when you actually try to  execute them, but it will be fun to shoot for the ideal and see where it takes us :-)