Children and Youth Program Printable

With the new program change for children and youth in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I made this for my children to plan and write their goals so they can keep them in a visual place. I might as well share!

Microsoft Publisher
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PDF without names
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What If the Stories Were the Same?

Another mental kick...

I had come up with the idea for this "project" I think a couple years ago, but felt like it was time to start working on it early last September, the same day I felt like I should volunteer to teach all those men.  Thinking about that day recently, I had the thought, "What if the stories were the same?"

Story 1 (the volunteer one) - I felt like I should do it.  On the way home I e-mailed an "I'll do it message" (I wasn't driving) and upon hearing that those in charge were good with that, I put together a monthly plan in excel for pretty much the entire next year, and had my first meeting a few weeks later.  The second month was a really tough one, but when it was over I wrote in my journal, "I think I can do anything!"

Story 2 - I felt like I should do it.  The feeling wasn't as strong, so I packed the idea away for a while, more as an "I'll get on that as I can."  Nudges would come here and there, and I would write posts like the link above mentioning some of those nudges (and now more posts about even more nudges), and yet the first stage of that project is only just over a fourth done.  I have thoughts in my head of a few particulars that will need to happen in the process, but it's not written down anywhere and I don't have a clear vision just where I'm going with it (part of that I hope will come as inspiration, but maybe that's an excuse too).

Story 1 is very driven, with a specific plan, goals to look towards, and something I really put effort into and worked towards.  It's very easy to see that Story 2 is a plan to fail.

So what if the stories were the same?  What if Story 2 read more like Story 1?  After all, as much as I can, it's up to me to write my own stories.

A YEAR FROM NOW, YOU'LL WISH YOU HAD STARTED TODAY.

The Parable of the Chicken House

Once upon a time we got six really adorable baby chickens.  All they needed was a big box for a house, a change of newspaper every day or two, some food, and water.

But then they grew...

And grew...

And grew...

...until they needed a new house.  Because of the timing, we were very busy and didn't have a chance to work on their house more than this (four boards screwed together to make a base)...

...before going out of town for a week to be all scouty with the family (yes, there is an extra in that picture, and Madeleine is on Jamie's back).

When we got home, the need for the chickens to have a new house was even greater, but since Jamie was heading to scout camp for a week and then out of town for a week, it was me or no one.

Thank goodness I had some drill using lessons during our week away.

And so I began.  I had already looked at a lot of pictures online and saved a bunch in the style I wanted (but nothing exactly what I wanted), so I printed some out, figured the size I wanted, went and bought a bunch of wood, and went crazy.

(I thought I took more "during" pictures than that!)

I was very impressed with my skills and how well things were going together.  Then suddenly I would realize I didn't know what to do next.  I would pull out the pictures I had printed - good ideas, but again not exactly what I wanted.  So I would sit in a camp chair in the shade next to where I was building and just stare at the chicken house for a while.  Before long, an idea would come, I would know just what to do next, and I would get back to work.

After days of work, the chicken house was completed!  The chickens were very happily removed from their box and introduced to their lovely new home where they will hopefully live happily ever after, or at least until they go to chicken heaven.

THE END

(For my personal interpretation of this parable, check back in a week or so.  I'm using this in a Relief Society lesson and don't want to spill the beans yet in case someone that will be there reads this.)

Looking at 2010

I guess it's that time of year again! Well first, I must say how great it feels that I accomplished my "learn to make bread" goal last year. Exciting when I start a goal like that at the beginning of the year and by September, be teaching a class to others about it. I love the feel of the dough, and enjoy trying new bread recipes.

This year I'm going to stick with the homemakey theme. I really want to learn more about sewing, try some different projects, and see how that goes. I have a great machine that really should be put to better use, and sewing is in my heritage, so in a way I feel like it's something I should do to honor that. To report, I already started something new and already messed it up in the cutting process. It was a really basic pattern to draw out, and I read part of it as 6" long while it was supposed to be 9" long (sideways pattern piece, easy mistake). So looks like I'll be making a smaller cute handbag for one of the little girls. Too bad I cut a bunch of extra 6" long pieces trying to be on top of things.

Reading-wise, I'm not going to plan the same way I did last year. I thought it would be nice to have a list to check off from, but after making the list I learned about many books I either didn't know about then, or it was just the right time to read them. Things like "Do Hard Things," "Circle of Quiet," "Here, There Be Dragons," "Hunger Games," and "Catching Fire." So I think I'll be smarter this year and just throw out a number. I'm going to say 40 knowing I've got a baby on the way, but that will actually probably help the cause since babies make me sit more and I usually have a book in hand while feeding.

I also want to do more Book of Mormon study. Not read-straight-through kind of stuff, but jumping around, studying to know it better.

And one more - lose weight. Most people think I'm kidding when I say that, but I'm to the I'm-going-to-be-pregnant-till-the-end-of-forever point. Sick of maternity clothes, sick of feeling like I can't move. And I still have 2 1/2 months left. I think it hit earlier this time than it has in the past. I saw a pair of my pre-preggo jeans the other day and was thinking how nice it will be to wear them again, when I realized I still had more time to wear maternity clothes than I've already been wearing them. It was a depressing thought. But, I expect we'll be jumping back into the full swing of life soon and *hopefully* the time will go back to flying. Or I should just enjoy this time to slow down and take it easy. But that is so not me.

This morning I told the kids our baby will be born THIS YEAR, and February 1st I can say the baby will be born NEXT MONTH, so bit by bit we'll get there.

And there we go for 2010!

There Might Be a Different Way

A few months ago I was at a meeting. Something came up in that meeting that two of the other participants had very different and very strong opinions about, and a VERY HEATED argument ensued. I'm one of those people that sits through a fight, then 20 minutes later (or the next day or week even) I think of great things I could have said to drill a point home, but in the middle of the fight I go blank and curl up inside thinking, "Can't we just all be friends?"

I was so uncomfortable that night that I went home and started looking at books online about how to argue, and how to debate. I brought a couple home from the library and perused them, but never made it very far. The books were intriguing (why would you not want to learn what Homer Simpson can teach us about arguing?), but I ended up taking them back to the library hardly opened.

At women's conference at BYU the other day I was sitting in one class trying to listen while I was also trying to decide where I was going next, reading through class descriptions. I found one that sounded intriguing, called "'Our Hearts Knit Together in Unity': Women as Peacemakers," with a description that mentioned finding "joy, peace, and common ground" and differences being "opportunities to learn to love and value one another." I immediately thought of that terrible meeting. This is what I need! To learn to be a peacemaker and calm things, instead of learning how to jab and parry with amazing argumentative skills.

The class was excellent! I feel like I was directed to the right road I need to be traveling, with some keys I can use to start unlocking what I need to study, and learn to become someone that can be effective in a Christ-like way, without curling up inside and wishing myself away.

My point - your first answer might not always be the right answer. There can be a better way to accomplish the same goal. Maybe even accomplish a higher goal. I'm grateful that my Heavenly Father cares about me enough to guide me to those things.

My other point - give peace a chance. :)

Kids and Goals

I haven't been a New Year's goal person for very long. In the past I always figured that I shouldn't set a goal just because it is New Year's, that when I saw a need for change I should set the goal then. But a couple years ago I caught a bigger vision of the New Year's opportunity.

I was helping one of the kids prepare their Family Home Evening lesson the first Monday in January. We were looking for a good story about goals from the Friend magazine and happened upon this great goals chart. We printed one out for each member of the family, and that night everyone set goals for the year! The simplicity was fantastic to help the kids get the idea of goals. The topics helped us to think outside the box (although they are in boxes?) and set a good variety.

I remember one of Melanie's goals the best. She was 5 at the time and set the goal to be able to jump rope 10 jumps in a row. She had been practicing and could get a few in a row, and I knew if she could get to 10 she would quickly surpass that. The day after setting the goal, she practiced and practiced, DESPERATELY wanting to reach that goal. Within just a few days she had it, then went far beyond her goal, soon reaching 20, then 50, then 100! Later that month her kindergarten teacher told us she had never seen a kindergartener so good at jump roping. A simple goal, but a real lesson that if she could set a goal and work hard, she could achieve it. Definitely something good to learn at an early age!

I've given up on plenty of goals because of lack of planning, so likewise, if you want to help your children reach their goals, help them make a plan. Help them think about and define all the who, what, when, where, why, and how's. Help them get of vision of what they need to do to accomplish it so they will know what will be required of them. I'm grateful for my Wood Badge training and the goal setting experiences I've had through that so I can be a better mentor for my kids in this.

Since as homeschoolers we work on school goals a lot more hands-on than most, we got each of the kids a simple planner so we can keep track of monthly and weekly goals and keep a better record of all the great things we're learning. It's one of my New Year's goals to teach the kids to use those.

Last year I set a goal to make 2008 the year of decluttering. I got rid of a wonderful amount of unnecessary stuff and have been very pleased with my progress, but with so much more to do I plan on continuing that goal this year (Karen, still willing to check up on me?). My attitude change about 'stuff' has been the greatest result of all.

BTW, here's a list of questions to help think of New Year's goals.

P.S. While writing a portion of this we were watching a fun family movie called Hawmps! It's a kick and a half. "Don't mess 'em up so bad they won't hang good!" Reminiscent of some of the great old Disney comedies like The Apple Dumpling Gang and Hot Lead and Cold Feet. Watch it if you get the chance!

First Day of School, Our Style

Hooray! The first day of school!

The kids and I took a hike up Ensign Peak today. Unfortunately Jamie had to head to Wyoming for a few days and we missed him being with us, but we still made it up the hill and enjoyed the hike. I've got more object lessons from this one hike than I'll be able to use up for quite a while. One biggie I didn't even think of till we got home, "in the world, but not of the world."


While we were up there we talked about vision, mission, and goals.

We talked about the vision the men had that originally climbed there to lay out a city, and how we need to have the same kind of vision in our own lives. We talked about having a vision for our family, and looking down at the temple we talked about how we want to all be there together as a family someday.


We talked about how each of us have a mission, and that everything we do and everything we learn helps us to get closer to learning what our mission is and makes us better to accomplish it (D&C 88:77-80).


We talked about how we had the goal to make it to the top of the mountain, and even though it got hard, and sometimes people even got scared (Sammy thought he saw a snake), we helped each other, pushed on, and MADE IT. Goals can feel the same way - hard, sometimes scary, but if we keep at them we'll be all the better for it. Over the next few days we'll be laying out some of our goals for this year.


We talked about some 'schoolish' things too through it all, like erosion and wildlife (on the way down the trail Melanie said, "It's sure nice they put all this nature here!" I let her know the nature was there before the people, LOL!) and of course Utah history. We're looking to visit the capitol and council hall sometime soon.

When we got back down the hill we decided to go to the Pioneer Museum and saw a lot of great things there as well. The kids really liked seeing tangible objects that belonged to people and prophets they've learned about, including the wagon Brigham Young rode into the Salt Lake valley on. Melanie made me take a picture of the two-headed lamb, but I am so not posting that here.

Just the beginning of a great year.