Symbols of Christmas Story For Children-Great Family Home Evening Lesson

Children learn by seeing, touching and experiencing. This is a great story to teach children the true meaning of Christmas and help them see that many of the decorations and symbols we use today help remind us of Christ.

In addition to Family Home Evening each December, I have also  used this as a Christmas Sharing time in all three of the primary presidencies that I've had the blessing of serving in. 

Just bring a gift bag containing each of the symbols represented. As the symbol is mentioned, pull out that item and ask a child to stand at the front of the room and hold the item, Then pull out the next symbol and continue on. You will end up with 8 children standing in a row at the front, all holding their symbols of Christmas.

At the end of the lesson, I send home a copy of the story with each child along with a  candy cane.

If you can't find all the the items listed in the story, I've attached some clip art that you can print. Just cut out each symbol separately and place in the bag. Simply click on the image and print it out.

Christmas Kindness Calendar for Kids!

Friends, 

I am so excited to share this with you all!

My family loves, loves December and everything Christmas. In an effort to keep a Christ-centered focus and not get too carried away with the commercial aspect of Christmas, we have implemented a Christmas Kindness Calendar for the past few years.

This is a simple and inexpensive way to help children reach out to others and remember to serve during this time of year.

Just click on the image to open it in a new screen and right click to print the image or "save as" to save it to your computer.

Check out my website here to find ways that adults can also simplify this time of year.

A Savior is Born!

The reason for this blessed season. A Savior is Born!

Join me on Instagram #abundantlife30 for a December abundant with reminders of and messages about Christ.

Go here to view this beautiful video from Mormon.org

It's all about perspective

No Nonsense November: Learn to Count The Ways That Your Abundance Cups Runneth Over.
This is something I have learned time and time again in my life. It is so important to take a personal inventory of our own blessings without comparing them to what others may have.

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." -President Thomas S. Monson.

The free printable above can be printed as a high quality 5" x 7".

No Nonsense November-Daily Schedule and To-Do's

No Nonsense November-Tips for organizing your daily tasks and prioritizing your schedule

I find that if I don't create a daily list of things I need to get done, I end up going in circles all day trying to figure out what I should be working on and towards.  When I write down what my priorities are in regards to what I need to accomplish, I am able to plan my time wisely, and have more time available to focus on my family, spend time with friends, serve those around me, and reach personal goals.

After trying many different systems, this one has worked best for me, and I have been using it daily for many years.  I realize that technology now allows for task tracking and prioritizing, and that I can manage this on my phone,  but I am really trying to put my phone down during the day so as to limit the distractions that I face with social media, online shopping, Pinterest and other diversions that befuddle my course and goals.

I am also trying to be more present with my children, and find that if I am looking at my phone all day, even if it is for something good, like my to-do list, I lose that connection with them.

So, here it is. Plain, simple and inexpensive, yet it works like a charm:

I purchased a small white board and dry erase markers. Every night I evaluate about what I have accomplished that day, and what I need to get done the following day.

At the top of the white board I write down the day of the week and what I need to get done that day based on priorities. There are always things I COULD do, but I try to limit it to what needs to be done that day. Then I list a few "If time permits" tasks that would be nice to get done if I have a bit of extra time.

I simply cross off tasks as I complete them and work my way down the list. The tasks that don't get done that day simply move up the list for the next day and become higher priority to ensure that I complete them the following day. While it is fulfilling to cross items off and see the fruits of your labors as you go, this system is also very forgiving since everything can be easily erased and modified. 

This tends to reduce stress for me since I can determine that I don't have time for something that day, but that I can make time for it the next day. Since it's on the board already, I won't forget to add it to the "to-do's" for the following day.

I don't mount the board on a wall, instead, it is usually sitting on my kitchen table. Not having it hung up also allows me to move it to my computer desk so I can look at it while I complete computer- related tasks such as paying bills, and I can also set it on my nightstand while I am organizing my thoughts and tasks for the following day.

This system has made me a more organized mom and spouse, and allows me to spend my time more wisely so I can move forward to more meaningful activities.

I love this quote by Bishop John H. Vandenberg, former Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church, "

• “I feel that goal-setting is absolutely necessary for happy living. But the goal is only part of the desired procedures. We need to know which roads to take to reach the goal. In many cases we set far-reaching goals but neglect the short-range ones. With such short-range plans, we need self-discipline in our actions—study when it is time to study, sleep when it is time to sleep, read when it is time to read, and so on—not permitting an undesirable overlap, but getting our full measure of rewards and blessings from the time we invest in a particular activity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, 94).

Simply cross of tasks as you complete them and work down the list.

No Nonsense November-Gratitude

No Nonsense November: Take time to show gratitude for those who have blessed and influenced your life.

Our family decided to try something a little bit different this year for the month of November. Instead of our using "Thankful Tree' where we think of things we are grateful for on each day of the month, we decided to remember the many people who influence and bless our lives. We created little leaf thank you cards and my children wrote notes of gratitude for all the people who help them. 

So far, this has been a memorable lesson for us that we are surrounded by do many good people who serve and bless our lives on a daily basis. We are excited to see this project through to the end of the month.

In the words of President Monson, "Gratitude is a divine principle. Do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive?

Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love.

Regardless of our circumstances, each of us has much for which to be grateful if we will but pause and conflate our blessings. We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate with our hearts an attitude of gratitude. May we ever reflect our gratitude for our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

He taught us how to pray. He taught us how to live. He taught us how to die. His life is a legacy of love.

Let us follow Him. Let us emulate His example. Let us obey His words. By so doing, we give to Him the divine gift of gratitude."

You can check out this snippet from President Monson's talk here.

No Nonsense November: Simplify Gift-Giving This Year

We started this gift-giving tradition with our children about 6 years ago and it has really changed our focus from gifts, gifts, gifts under the Christmas tree for our children, to a more Christ-centered one.

Our children know that this is how we handle our gifting to them, and they are totally on board with it. In fact, instead of long lists of wants, their Christmas wish lists tend to be very well thought out and composed of things they really want and need, instead of a list of all the cool things their friends have.

They still get a gift from Santa and a small gift from each sibling, and this seems to be a perfect recipe for us to enjoy the fun and excitement of Christmas without going overboard.  This has allowed us to feel the thrill of gift giving and receiving, but now we have more time, energy, and resources to focus more on the real reason for the season-the birth of Christ.

President Thomas S. Monson gave a meaningful talk about gifts titled "Gifts", that really puts things into perspective. Go here to check it out. It's worth listening to!