Family Planning

I read a great article in latest issue of LDS Living magazine. I was by the popular LDS author Marrilee Boyack.

She starts the article off with:

Few parents of my acquaintance have an actual overall plan for raising
their children. They have a vague idea that they will feed and clothe their
children and watch them until they grow big enough that the government says it’s
legal to send them out on their own. Perhaps somewhere along the line they might
teach them a thing or two. But most parents simply approach parenting on a
day-to-day basis...

To begin with The Plan, you need to start with the end in mind. Think back
for a moment to when you first left home, perhaps for college or a mission or a
job and apartment. When you moved out, what did you not know how to do? What
came as a surprise to you? I can remember several things: I had never had a
checking account, never taken care of a car, never made my own doctor’s
appointments, and on and on. Spend a few minutes and come up with a list of
things that you suddenly had to scramble to learn how to do.

It got me thinking about all the stuff I want my kids to know - IT MADE MY HEAD SPIN! And, there are some things that we all need to learn through experience. But, that still leaves ALOT of stuff that Wendy and I need to teach them. And, we can't just "run it by them" and hope they pick up on it. We have to be able teach them in a way that has impact. To me, that is the key - can we teach them how to do certain things in a way they will remember?

What types of things do you hope to teach your kids before they leave home? Things like creating a budget, opening and using a checking accout, managing a credit card properly, etc.

Click HERE for the full article.

I Had To Show This

"A Swiss pilot strapped on a jet-powered wing and leaped from a plane Wednesday for the first public demonstration of the homemade device, turning figure eights and soaring high above the Alps…

Passing from free fall to a gentle glide, Rossy then triggered four jet turbines and accelerated to 186 miles per hour, about 65 miles per hour faster than the typical falling skydiver. A plane that flew at some distance beside him measured his speed…

Steering with his body, Rossy dived, turned and soared again, performing what appeared to be effortless loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other. At times he rose 2,600 feet before descending again.

After one last wave to the crowd the rocket man tipped his wings, flipped onto his back and leveled out again, executing a perfect 360-degree roll.
'That was to impress the girls,' he later admitted."

Click HERE for the full article.

Family Traditions

Cheryl Lant gave a great talk on FAMILY TRADITIONS. It got me thinking...what sort of traditions do I remember growing up with and what sort of traditions do I want to create for our family? Of course, most families have a few "bad" traditions, but what about the good ones?

Family traditions can be social, physical, spiritual, and educational. I ask myself these questions:

• Are Wendy and I creating traditions that are balanced - some that are 'mortal' in nature AND others that are eternal in nature?


• Are we creating habits that will lead to well-adjusted kids who can thrive in society?


• Are we creating traditions that will teach our kids to rely on eternal principles?"

Both are important to the overall happiness and balance in each person. For example, what if the only traditions we have as a family are things like:

• Family vacation twice a year


• Boating trips every Saturday during the summer


• Boys watch football while girls talk during the games : )

Sure, it would be fun for the kids and may do wonders for the family's cohesion. But, what will it generate in the eternal scheme of things? Wouldn't it be better to add in things like:

• Daily family prayer and scripture reading


• Regular Family Home Evening


• Weekly church attendance


• Service activities

Cheryl Lant asked, "What kinds of traditions do we have?
Some of them may have come from our fathers, and now we are passing them along
to our own children. Are they what we want them to be? Are they based on actions
of righteousness and faith? Are they mostly material in nature, or are they
eternal? Are we consciously creating righteous traditions, or is life just
happening to us? Are our traditions being created in response to the loud voices
of the world, or are they influenced by the still small voice of the Spirit? Are
the traditions that we are creating in our families going to make it easier for
our children to follow the living prophets, or will they make it difficult for
them?"

I have two questions for you?

1. What traditions did you grow up with?
2. What specific and creative traditions do you want your kids to grow up with?

Cool Photos

A friend sent me an email with these photos. I thought you would enjoy:

Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers who read this blog...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I know, I am kissing your little booties (notice how I said "little" booties), but you deserve it.

From my mom, whose advice from over 15 years ago still echoes in my head, to those of you who I don't even know - YOU ARE THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS.

I see it everyday in my own home. Wendy spends everyday doing her best to mold our kids into the best people. I thought of this yesterday while Wendy was telling me about her parent teacher conference with Jared's kindergarten teacher. Jared's teacher raved about Jared's behavior:

• He is friends with all his classmates.
• He is a leader in the classroom.
• He always listens to her.
• He has received a sticker (an indication of good behavior) everyday this year, which is very rare.
• He works hard on his school work.

While we are proud of Jared for this, I am just as proud of Wendy. Jared's success is a result of Wendy's hard work. She invests her time and energy into making sure Jared knows how to treat others and how to treat his own life.

The same is true when I watch Rowan treat Reese with care and love. The boys treat their little sister with love and respect.

Consequently, all of this is a tribute to Joyce, who raised Wendy in a way that enabled her to raise our kids the way she does.

There are bad moms out there - fortunately, I have been surrounded by great moms.

To my mom - I am not in prison (yet), I still have a job, and my kids don't have tatoos. Great work!

To my grandma - I think about you everyday. You are a huge example to me and one of the reasons I am not in prison.

To Wendy - (see your Mother's Day card)