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Monday, February 13, 2012

Yummy Sorbet!

I finally broke down and bought the family a food processor.  I am excited.  The boys weren't as excited as I was....

I hope to make all kinds of amazing foods.  Liberty christened it by making a yummy sorbet.  She added in lots of frozen fruits (that we always get from Costco for our morning green smoothies) with heavy emphasis on the Marion berries.  She added some flax seeds and viola a yummy dessert.  I'm not a big fan of ice cream but this raw food treat was super yummy.

Our Schedule

Below is our Monday thru Thrusday schedule.  On Friday the kids get up early and we have scriptures and breakfast at 6:45 AM and then head for classes and hour a way.  Saturday and Sunday are much like the begining and the end of the days listed below.
  M-Th Daily Schedule

7 AM        Get up

                Core

8 AM        Breakfast

                Family Scripture Study

                Goals

9 AM        Family Work

                Personal Learning

NOON       Lunch

                Read a Loud

                Family Work

1 PM        Exercise

Free Time

                Free Reading

                Service

                Visit Family and Friends

6 PM        Dinner

                Narrations

                Family Work

7 PM         Family Activities

                Service

                Free Reading

                Free Time

8 PM         Journal

                Free Reading

9 PM        Prayers

                Lights Out

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Helping Kids Journal

I have been a pretty faithful journal writer since at least high school.  Sometimes I went in spurts and wrote only every couple of months, but for well over ten years I have been pretty faithful about writing nearly every day.  I love journaling and I think that it is important for emotional and spiritual health. I’ve blogged about it on my other blog several times.  I am grateful to my mom who taught me to write in my journal every Sunday.

Liberty is also a faithful writer.  The boys in our family struggle however.  I feel it is important for them to learn to do this regularly though, especially since President Kimball encouraged it so much.  Through the years I’ve tried to help them get into the habit, but it hasn’t been successful.

The main reason they don’t like journaling is:

  1. They don’t like to physically have to write anything more than they have too.  I think this is a boy thing?
  2. They don’t know what to write.
I guess the first one they just will have to get over, but for the second one I’ve determined that when they write helps solve the problem. So for the last two months or so(?) we’ve struck upon another idea that seems to be working out better than the other ideas.  On days when it is possible they are in bed at 8 PM.  They then write in their journal.  Then they can free-read until 9PM.  After that personal prayers and lights out. On nights when we are out later (mutual, scouts, basketball practice, ward activities, etc.) we just head straight to the prayers and the bed part.  In the end they journal about four times or so a week.  This is a much better average and it isn’t as painful for them. 

But back to the what to write. I encourage them to either write about their day or to list five blessings they are thankful for that they saw that day.  I find they have a lot more to write about and they do it more willingly at night then in the morning as part of their “school work.”

Again creating the habit is the most important part and then the testimony of it will come and they will seek it out to do it on their own, and in their own way.