Welcome Baby

These are 2 diaper cakes that I made for some of my friends. (Thank You pinterest for being inspiring) The "Stork Diaper Cake" was much, much, more easier than the motorcycle. The motorcycle wanted to make me pull my hair out. AAaahh! Both of them are super cute though, and are always a crowd pleaser to see displayed on a table somewhere.

Pinewood Derby

My calling not only consist of teaching sharing time for the Primary children at church, but I am also over the Cub Scouts. I don't do much with them. I pretty much let the cub master do as he pleases. He will call on my every now and again to help him. When he called me to help decorate for the pinewood derby I was extactic. These races are always so much fun. I had already been doing research for my sons birthday party, so a lot of my work was done for me.

Pit stop station. Sorry no close ups of the food. But I had everything labeled. We had:
Fruit cars (apple slices with grapes stuck on for wheels)
Wheelie Pasta Salad (wheel shaped pasta)
Dipsticks (choc. dipped pretzel rods)
spare tires (choc. donuts)
hub caps and lube oil (nachos and cheese)
tools (silver ware
gas (ginger ale)
oil (root beer)
hot dogs (pistons)

I stacked boxes up so we could show off our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. I also had made a sign for the "sign in" table that also looked like this one.

I came up with the idea of having a station for the little brothers and sisters who came to help keep the occupied since they couldn't race. It was a car toss. I bought cheap cars from the dollar store and had them toss them in the buckets. I had planned on having a real spare tire they could toss them in, but I wasn't strong enough to pick one of them up to transport it. So buckets had to do.

Object Lessons

Be HUMBLE

Give a volunteer a piece of hard, dry clay and ask them to shape it into a useful item such as a cup. After they attempt it, ask why they couldn’t do it. They will probably respond that the clay is too hard to mold and shape. Give them a piece of soft clay and ask them to complete the task. When they are done, explain that like soft clay, a person who is humble is more open to the Lord’s efforts to shape his life into something wonderful and useful. But a prideful person is hard and stubborn and will not allow the Lord to mold his life.

Missionary Work

The Savior once told his disciples, “Feed my sheep”, which means to teach the people and feed them spiritual food. While Ammon was on his mission to the Lamanites, not only did he feed and take care of the king’s flocks he also fed the people of the land spiritually.

Have a vase or container with paper sheep inside it. Cover with a Kleenex and secure with rubberband. Explain that it represents the barrier that people put up against things they don’t trust or understand. Put some vegetables onto the Kleenex. The vegetables represent the gospel, which is food for our spirits.

Tell the children they are going to do an activity to share ways to help feed Heavenly Father’s children. Have them think of ways they can show neighbors and friends they care about them, and ways they can be good examples of the gospel standards. For each idea put a marble or other weighted item onto the Kleenex. (Eventually the barrier will break and the food will pour out.) (If the items you chose aren’t very heavy, have the children put several on the Kleenex each time they give an answer. Experiment with this activity before teaching the lesson.)

Explain that each of our actions makes an impression, and when people realize that they can trust us, and that we care about them, then the barriers will come down and we will be able to begin to feed them the spiritual food of the gospel.

 Satan's Temptations

Show some fishing lures (or the pictures of fishing lures), and ask the children if they know what the items are used for. Explain that fishing lures are designed to attract and catch fish. Some lures are sparkly and shiny and some look like food (like bugs or small fish), but they are all traps. The lures are always attached to a hook. (Show the children the hooks.) When a fish takes the lure or bait they become hooked and can’t get away. Their lives are destroyed and they are devoured.
Satan also uses lures. His lures are attractive to people and are meant to entice us to sin. Many times we don’t see the danger or harm in his lures, and then we take the bait. When we take the bait then Satan sets the hook and we’re caught.
Sin always causes misery and unhappiness, and Satan wants us to believe that once we are caught by his lures and hooks there is no way to escape. But the Lord has provided a way we can escape. It is called repentance, and it may be painful and difficult. Imagine how a fish feels having a hook removed from its mouth. It can be very painful. But imagine how the fish feels if it is set free back into the water. Removing the hook of sin from our lives may be difficult, but the wonderful feeling of being free from its destructive hold is worth the effort. But it is better if we never allow ourselves to be caught in the first place.

 Baptismal Covenants & Eternal Blessings

Give each child a small piece of wrapped candy. Tell them you promise to give them a bigger, better item at the end of class if they promise not to eat or open the candy. Emphasize the fact that you are both making promises. Point out that eating candy is not a sin, but there are many things in life that give pleasure that are against the commandments of God. If we obey God commandments and avoid partaking in these spiritually harmful things, we can eventually receive the greatest gift of all which is eternal life.
After a little lesson have the children trade their small piece of candy for a full size candy bar. Ask them what would have happened if they hadn’t kept their promise and had instead opened and eaten the small piece of candy. They wouldn’t have received the bigger, better prize. Point out that it is the same with covenants. We need to keep our promises to the Lord so that we can receive the wonderful rewards and blessings he has promised. (Note: If a child has opened or eaten their candy tell them they can still have another chance. Give them another piece of candy, and tell them to bring it back the following week. If they bring it back uneaten and unopened they can still earn their reward. The Lord also gives us the opportunities in life to fix our mistakes and repent.)
As we keep our baptismal covenants we learn to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ, and we become worthy to receive the greatest gift and reward we could ever receive, which is eternal life.

 Divine Truth & False Beliefs

Get a pack of gum and take the gum out, but then fold the wrapper back up and slide back into the box. Offer the empty pack of gum to a child. After they take a piece, ask them how they felt when they discovered the wrappers were empty. Explain that during their life people will try to convince them to accept things that are empty and have no value. Discuss about divine truth to help them avoid the disappointment and sorrow that comes from accepting false beliefs. (Give that child a piece of real gum to take home.)

Testimony

Ask volunteer to break a toothpick. Point out how easy it was. Tell the children that the broken toothpick represents someone who does not have a strong testimony. That person’s resolves to follow Christ is easily broken when temptation comes along. Someone who has built up their testimony of Jesus Christ through study, prayer, and obedience to the commandments can gain spiritual strength.
Add toothpicks to a pile as you mention (or as the children mention) things that will strengthen a testimony such as: studying the scriptures every day, praying every morning and night, listening to General Conference, listening carefully to teachers and speakers at church, listening and participating in Family Home Evening and family scripture study, reading stories from the Friend magazine, studying for and giving talks in Primary, and obeying the words of Christ.
After you have at least 10-12 toothpicks in the pile, have a volunteer try to break the pile. They must keep them bundled close together. If they do this, it should not be possible to break them. Explain that our testimony can start out weak and small, but it can be reinforced and built up until it is strong and firm.

I Can Be a Missionary Now

I will first walk into the room eating a bag of M&M's. Ignoring the primary kids as I emphasis how WONDERFUL this candy is. Mmmm these are so good! I just looove chocolate. I could eat these all day. Mmmm...blah blah blah. You get the idea. After I finish the bag I turn to the kids and say, "Oh, you didn't want any of these did you?" Of course they did. Tell them sorry, and that you will share with them at the end of the class as they exit to go to their next class. (Hand them a mini bag of M&M's)

? If you had something so amazing, so wonderful, wouldn't you want to share it with others?
Everyone in this room has something wonderful. Something so special that we should want to share it with EVERYONE we know.

? Does anyone know what it is?
-The Gospel!
? But how do we share it?
- missionary work

We have some special visitors with us today. Do you think you can spot them out? (Have the missionaries sit in the back of the room)Once they have found them have them come to the front. Let each Elder/Sister tell a few things about themselves. -Where they are from?
-How long have they been out on their mission?
-Why did they decide to serve a mission?
-How do they feel when they are able to share their message instead of holding it in for themselves?

? As the missionaries stand there ask the kids if these Elders/Sisters are the only ones that can be missionaries to share the Gospel?
- No we all can
Have each missionary tell the kids one thing that they can do now to be a missionary.

Read Matthew 5:14-16
"Ye are the light of the world. A City that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

? What does it mean to "let your light so shine?
-testimony & knowledge of the gospel
? What does it mean to "put your light under a bushel?
-to hide yourself and not share
? What could be the "good works" of primary children?
-being nice to friends, inviting friends to church, obeying the commandments, bearing your testimony
(You could bring a flashlight for a visual ex. Have it shine than cover it with your hand (bushel)then unreveal again)

Cut out paper candles for each child and tape under chairs (bushel) After lesson tell kids to get their candles from under the bushel and write on their candle a way they can be an example to others. Then as they exit the room you can hand them their M&M's and tell them that everyone can be a "Member Missionary" (thats what M&M's stand for)

I would like to thank Little LDS Ideas and Sofia's Primary Ideas for helping with my lesson. I love their sites.

Dreaming...Formal Living Room

Ever since I have moved into this house I have had such a hard time figuring out my formal living room. Note in this picture I have separated my sectional that I have in my family room so I could at least get a picture of the room with some furniture in it. It usually is empty. This room is an odd shape. (Skinny rectangle since I have a huge walkway through it) Making it kind of difficult to deal with. I think I have finally decided what I want to do. I am going to turn it into a library/reading area. I have looked at several different stores online and have come up with a plan.

 Here are the items I would love to have. I couldn't fit 2 bookshelves in this picture, but I will have at least 2 of them so I can line the whole wall with shelving. Of course these are the dream items. If I get these exact items I will have to pay around $4500. I don't have that kind of money to spend, so I will be doing some serious bargain shopping. Maybe a little refurbished 2nd hand stuff? I know for sure my husband will be building me this bookshelf instead of buying one. That already cuts the price down tremendously considering that was the most expensive item I had on my list. But at least I have my idea sketched out and ready to go. I know exactly what I need to be looking for. Time to go shopping

Media and Keeping a Clean Mind

Today in Sharing Time the lesson is "Reading, Watching, & Listening to wholesome things keeps my mind clean."
This time my lesson will be the same for Jr. & Sr. Primary.

? What are some things in our society today that may have a bad influence on our thoughts & speech?
(write answers on board)
-TV shows/ movies
-magazines/ books
-video/computer games
-friends
-internet
-school
*For visual experiment have a clear glass of water and for each bad example add a drop of food coloring.
  Explain: That our minds become clouded like the water when we let vulgar & impure thoughts & language into our minds.
?What should we do when an unclean thought enters our minds?
-Dismiss it immediately!
*Visual Experiment: Wrap a volunteers hand once with string. Have him try to break the string by pulling his hands apart. Explain: That the string represents a bad thought. Now wrap the string around several times to where you think he can't break it. Have him try to free himself again. Explain: That the sooner we can free ourselves of unclean thoughts the better. When there is just one bad thought it is easy to get away, but as we let ourselves become immersed with bad media it is harder to get away. We want our minds to be clean and sharp. We don't want to keep ourselves clouded like the glass of water. Get out as soon as you can

 ? How Can we keep our thoughts clean so that the Lord's spirit can dwell in us?
-We have cleaning agents to help us stay pure.
(write answers on strips of paper and tape under random seats. After each reading drop a dab of "Mind & Language Cleaner"[bleach] in the cloudy water. Eventually the water will be clear again)

Answers:
Sacred Music: Choose a favorite church song and memorize the words. Use this hymn as your emergency channel. Use this as the place for your thoughts to go. It will change the whole mood of your mind. Because it is clean and uplifting and reverent, the bad thoughts will leave.
Earnest Prayer: Through the exercise of self-control and by engaging in earnest prayer, it is possible to learn to govern one's speech
Savior's Example: A person who is striving to pattern his or her life after that of the Savior will be pure in thought and action. His or her speech will then be clean, dignified, and worshipful
Good Company: Choose your company so you will not be tempted. Good choices and self-control are often influenced by those whom we associate.
Mental Control:Visualize your mind as a big televisions screen or theater stage. When an evil thought enters, mentally change channels or change the scene or set, and think of something uplifting.
Memorized Scripture: Pick a favorite scripture that has special meaning to you and memorize it. When the temptation to think evil enters your mind, quote the scripture over and over until the thought leaves.
Avoid Evil: Avoid pictures, books, magazines, movies, or anything else that would bring evil thoughts into your mind.

If time permits You can move on to my next Object Lesson (have a cupcake on display)

Many of us try to rationalize bad media. A lot of times we say, "Oh there is just ONE bad scene in this movie I'll be ok to watch it. There is only ONE curse word, ONE nudity scene, ONE fight scene, etc" How many of us do this?
One parent had a solution to this problem. After the kids begged and tried to rationalize their decisions the next day the Dad cooked a lovely batch of cupcakes. He went on and on talking about how good these cupcakes were. The kids were so excited and couldn't wait to eat them. Right before the kids took a bite he made them stop. He proceeded to tell them there was just ONE thing that was bad in it. What you might ask? DOG POOP! The kids were disgusted and threw the cupcakes down. The Dad was confused. He thought it was just ONE thing. All the rest of the cupcake was good. Why couldn't the kids look past just this ONE bad thing.
I thought this was a wonderful comparison. Probably one the kids will never forget, because it is so dramatic. ONE bad thing really can ruin something no matter how good it is.

Let us stay strong and keep ourselves away from bad media & company. We need to remember our Cleaning Agents to help us keep our minds clean and pure.
Read Scripture: Proverbs 23:7 "for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."
 

Modesty

I know this is a craft blog, but I thought it would be nice to jot down my ideas that I have for my Sharing Time Lessons too. I love object learning. It seems when you have a visual to your lesson it helps the learning process. Well, at least it does for me. So 2 weeks ago my lesson was, "Dressing Modestly Shows Respect for Heavenly Father and Myself.

For the Junior Primary:

I had a large laundry basket filled with clothes. I taped a label on each article of clothing; short sleeve, tank top, short skirt....etc. I had good & bad examples. I had volunteers come up one by one and pick something out of the basket. They then had to decide if it was a good or bad piece of clothing. If it was good we hung it up in our closets to keep (I just hung ours on the bulletin board ledge with a coat hanger) If it was bad we threw it in the trash. We also had a little discusion about why each one was appropriate or why not. I closed by saying how our bodies are like temples. Just as temples are sacred we keep them clean and pure and so do we keep our bodies.

For Senior Primary:

I kept the clothes that the Jr. Primary sorted out and hanging. Since the Sr. Primary are older kids I thought they would have enjoyed something a little more hands on. Most of the older kids already know what the standards are. So we just did a quick recap of what they were by pointing to the clothes hanging up and in the trash. The big problem today is finding modest clothes. We talked about how we could modify immodest clothing to make it wholesome. For example: wear a tshirt under a tank top, or a tank top under a low cut shirt, etc. I then told them that they were going to be the fashion designers and had to make a modest outfit for their teachers. The catch....? It had to be made out of toilet paper. After the kids were done dressing their teachers up I had them walk down the red carpet runway (long red plastic table cloth) while I had the pianist play "I love to see the Temple" The kids had a blast doing this. I will have picture coming soon