RAWR means I Love You in Dinosaur signs

One of the joys of having so many kids is getting to decorate their bedrooms. This is a set of 4 hand-painted wood signs that I will be adding to my own Little Dino's bedroom. I have to admit that I'm kind of in love with this one... :)

Heart Banner

This easy DIY heart banner is the perfect addition to your Valentine's Day Decor. 

Instructions on how to make this banner:

#1 I started out with some ribbon. This one has a linen/burlap type feel to it. 

#2 I decided how long I wanted each flag on my banner to be and cut a template out. Make sure you factor in a little extra at the top to fold down over the string. Using a pencil I marked the ribbon as I went and then made all my cuts for as many flags as I wanted. 

#3 Here's my stack ready for the next part.

#4 I took some rolled-up burlap and added some iron-on adhesive to the back. 

#5 Trace whatever shape you want onto the back. As you can see, I used a cookie cutter to trace around to get my heart shape. Then cut out your shapes.

#6 Take one of the flags and fold the top inch or so down. Use an iron so that you get a crisp edge. Attach a strip of iron-on adhesive like I have in the picture. Remove the paper backing and iron it down onto itself. When you are done you will have a space or pocket to thread the string through, similar to a curtain. If you are really planning ahead- you can lay the string down into the crease before you iron it shut and then you don't have to thread it through later.

#7 Then flip over your flag and iron your shape onto the front. 

 #8 Hang and Enjoy!

Valentine Mantle

The backdrop is now available for purchase at my online store. 

Click here to be redirected to Bear Hugs and Beehives!

Inspiratonal Quote Wall

For our RS meeting tonight I put up a quote wall of some of my most favorite motivating quotes regarding family life. Here's a few of my favorites, and also the link to the file that has them all:

quotes file link

2015 Scripture/FHE Reading Chart and FHE sticks

I was recently called  as the RS meeting coordinator for our brand new ward.We are encouraging everyone to start their New Year off in a great way by taking the time to focus on things that really matter... taking our inspiration from Elder Richard G Scott's most recent General conference talk, Make the Exercise of Your Faith Your First Priority.

He talks about 4 tools we need to utilize and make priorities in our life:
Prayer
Scripture Study
Family Home Evening
Temple Attendance

To encourage sisters to read their scriptures and track FHE I made this bookmark, so they can check off each day on one side, and each chapter on the other. They are free to set their own pace, but are able to see their consistent efforts and progress.

Bookmark link 

We are also going to make FHE jars with ideas written on craft sticks, to encourage each sister to "stick" with it!  My personal opinion on FHE is that when possible you should plan lessons based on the current need in your family. For example; when we have a brand new 8 year old, we do a lesson on baptism, when I notice our table manners are getting sloppy we pull out a lesson on manners, etc. Our "curriculum" is ever changing and there are so many great resources online that I just kind of go looking for whatever topic I think we need and put things together that way.

However, our life sometimes get really busy- like most do- and occasionally I need to come up with something quick and easy when I haven't had time to organize a lesson.That's where our FHE jar comes in handy. It allows me to "stick with my goal" of 100% FHE.

I loved using the craft sticks because I am able to write down ideas specific to the likes and needs of the age of my children. 

At our activity we will brainstorm ideas on the chalkboard for FHE for all age groups and then people can choose the ideas that make the most sense for their family.

I have a friend who said she *hates* her own handwriting and expressed a desire to have some pre-typed to glue on her sticks. You can see from the above picture how that set turned out.

We also have the resources available for each sister to assemble a scripture notebook to help with the goal of reading her scriptures.

Follow this link for the updated 2016 version: 2016 Scripture/FHE Reading Chart Bookmark

Here's the 2017 version!