14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #9 Happy Mail

March 31, 2015 by Amanda 1 Comment

Who mails stuff anymore? Who even goes to the post office? Who has stamps? Hahaha! Today we are going to take a step back in time and create some good old-fashioned mail! Even though we live in the age of digital everything, there is still something exciting about having a package on the porch, or a bubble pouch in the mail box! Today, take time with your family to write letters to loved ones and mail them, snail mail style. We decided to make a few care packages to mail also . You might want to include some of the printable images & quotes that have been featured theses past few days. Have the children write their feelings about Jesus or what Easter means to them and include these in the packages.

I purchased plastic eggs and an assortment of candy – not chocolate, I didn’t want anyone to receive melted candy 🙂

The children filled the eggs (and sampled a little along the way). Then we packed some boxes with some notes and shipped them off.

Any activity involving candy is always a hit!!!

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #7- Family Service Project

March 29, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Today’s lesson comes from my friend Brittany. She is my super talented friend who is the worlds best decorater!!! You should follow her on Pinterest, Instagram and her Blog!!

Thank You Amanda for inviting me to participate in the 14 day walk with Christ. I am really excited to share an amazing experience of service that as a family we have been able to participate in.

This past month I was browsing Instagram and came across a heartbreaking story of a little girl named “Kycie” she is 4 years old. (You can follow their story on Instagram @JandJterry) We have a little 4 year old in our family as well so it really made us stop and take a moment as we watched her story unfold. This sweet little girl who was thought to have the flu, however she didn’t start getting better in fact she worsened and started to have seizures. She ended up being life-flighted to Primary Children’s Hospital. The Dr’s diagnosed her with type 1-diabetes and after the damaging seizures thought she may have permanent brain damage as well.

Meet Kycie:

I have been so impressed with the constant faith and optimism this family shows. They just recently posted this picture:

Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 9.55.09 PM Her mom writes: If we have faith in Jesus Christ the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. The Savior has carried Kycie (and each one of us) through this journey in our life. And for that, I am grateful.

As I read each of her updates on Instagram I can feel her love for her daughter, it radiates off the page. It reminds me of a song there is sunshine in my soul today.

As a family we decided that we needed to show the Terry family some love and support and to let them know we are praying for them and thinking of their sweet little girl Kycie.

We put together a little care package and each of my kids wrote a letter to Kycie and her family. We wanted to send a little light and a little sunshine to their family, in their time of need.

Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 9.55.26 PM

Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 9.56.01 PM

Screen Shot 2015-03-24 at 9.56.09 PM

Thanks to the Terry family we have been trying to take more time to love each other and give extra tight hugs every night, and of course thank our Heavenly Father for the many blessings we receive each day.

To read more about the Terry family please visit Kisses for Kycie on Facebook.

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #6 Make Dinner For Someone

March 28, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Nothing says family unity like cooking in the kitchen! Today’s service project is making dinner for someone. Think of someone you know that could use a little break from the dinner-time routine. It could be new mother, someone who was recently sick or in the hospital, or it could just be a family with young children and you know the mom would love a night off! Who ever it is – get ready for some fun in the kitchen!

For our meal we smoked pulled pork, made coleslaw and then baked our famous banana cake. I am sharing the recipe with you!!! I literally get requests for it! Even if you don’t have time to make and entire dinner, you could make the cake or other baked items.

I also included this little kitchen towel I made. You can read how to make it here.

I made these little printable tags you can download and print. One is for if someone is not feeling well, the other is for a general Happy Easter message 🙂

Instead of just having mom or dad go drop the meal off, we all went together. Aren’t we cute! I love this quote from President Spencer W. Kimball:

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day # 5 – SMILE

March 27, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Hello! It’s Ginger from Ginger Snap Crafts! I am so excited to be back here with Amanda & all of YOU participating in the 14 days of Christ series ~ service addition! I think it’s a wonderful thing to do with your family this Easter season! I’m so glad Amanda organizes this each year. 🙂 Speaking of family ~ I have a fun, wild & crazy one that’s for sure! ha! 😉 My husband & I have 5 beautiful & active children ages 17 to 5. They sure do keep it interesting around here. They also have really cheesy grins! ha! 🙂 Which brings me to our service idea that was centered all around smiling! 😉

I really love this quote! It helped inspire our whole activity. 🙂

Purpose: We have been struggling (I’m sure we are not alone!) with our kiddos saying mean things to each other & not being kind. So I decided to create an evening where we could learn how to say kind words to each other, give a smile to someone & make each other smile. When you make someone smile it really is beautiful thing!

Songs:

Smiles

If You’re Happy

Lesson: For the lesson we each took a turn going around the room & saying something kind about each person in our family. It turned out so well! Everyone took a turn, & they all really shared from the heart what they loved about each other. There were lots of smiles all around. I think it was the best (& longest!) lessons we ever had! 🙂

Activity: For the activity we wanted to do something that would help serve someone else, and we hoped to be able to put a big smile on their face, too! DonateaToothbrush.com is a wonderful organization that donates toothbrushes all over the world to those that need them or can’t afford one. So we went to the store & stocked up on a bunch of different kinds of toothbrushes to send to them. The kiddos had fun picking them out! They might of even picked out one or two toothbrushes for themselves, too! ha! 😉

When we got home we packed up the toothbrushes in a box!

Then we mailed our “smiley” package to DonateaToothbrush.com so they can hand them out.

You can find our more, & see how to donate to Donate a Toothbrush right {HERE}.

Handouts: For the handout I wanted to give my kiddos something that would remind them to speak kind words to each other, to smile more &to make each other smile. I found these cute walking mouths at Hobby Lobby in the party section, & then I made some cute smile tags to hang on them.

You can print out your own set of smile tags right {HERE}.

Just cut them out, punch a hole & then tie them on with some twine or ribbon.

Treat: These Apple Smiles make the perfect treat!

Apple Smiles from She Saved

Other ideas & resources:

I Can Be Happy

A Reason to Smile

Make Someone Smile

A Smile is Like Sunshine

I hope you try this activity out with your family. It really was a special evening for us! 🙂

Thanks for having me over, Amanda! I hope you all have wonderful Easter. 🙂

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #4 #ShareGoodness

March 26, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Today’s lesson focus on Sharing Goodness through Social Media. Does your family look like this?

I know we are like most families and Social Media is a big part of life. Even if you don’t want it to be, it still is. Instead of keeping my children away from social media, I use it as a learning tool. It is a great way to have so many discussions. If they learn now how to navigate the world of social media safely, they are more likely to continue those patterns into adulthood. Use today’s lesson as a springboard to discussions with your children about the good and bad of Social Media. Ask them to share experiences they have encountered personally or experiences their friends have had. Talk about these #ShareGoodness Tips:

For the service part of this lesson, take some time and asks each family member to write 10 positive posts or comments on their social media sites. If you have young children, help them send emails or write comments on your accounts to people they know and love such as grandparents, aunts or uncles. So much of the time we are “takers” on social media – checking how many comments we have or how many “likes” we have. It is important to give of ourselves in this virtual world. Set goals on how each member of the family can #ShareGoodness each day.

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #3 Random Acts of Kindness

March 25, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Today’s post is by Mique from the 30 Handmade Days blog. Mique is one amazing gal. She and I live in the same town and have been friends for over 10 years. She is the queen of printables, organization, photography, craftyess, and ideas for Random Acts of Kindness. You should definitely check out her blog, follow her on Pinterest, FB, and Instagram!!

The inspiration for these activities comes from this scripture and these quotes. You can use them in your family lesson to introduce the activity.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:36–40).

“Spiritual strength frequently comes through selfless service.” – President Thomas S. Monson

“As we obey His commandments and serve our fellowmen, we become better disciples of Jesus Christ.” -Elder Daniel L. Johnson

Mique is sharing some of her fabulous printables for quick little gifts you can take a friend, neighbor, teacher, or anyone that needs a little sunshine in their day. Involve your family as you choose a project you want to make. Click on the picture for a complete instructions and to download the printable. Have everyone in the family suggest someone they would like to take one to.

randomactsofkindness

Click HERE for more of Mique’s Random Acts Of Kindess Ideas!!

Watch the short video Lessons I Learned As A Boy to conclude your evening.

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #2 Service Cranium

March 24, 2015 by Amanda 1 Comment

Hi! I’m Sheena from Little LDS Ideas. I am so excited to be here today and to be a part of Amanda’s 14 Day Walk With Christ. I have been sharing my LDS ideas and printables on my blog for the past 5 years. I have loved learning all about blogging, but mostly I have enjoyed sharing my ideas with others. I share ideas for Primary, YW, Relief Societ, FHE, and a few other things.I love the 14 Day Walk With Christ! It’s such a great idea to get our families focused on Christ during Easter. This year’s focus is on Service. I am excited to share a game from my blog and hope you and your family enjoy playing it!

I have used my Service Cranium game for Sharing Time, but would be great for Family Home Evening as well. My Service Cranium focuses on service. As you and your family play the game you will read scriptures, answer questions/scenarios, read about parables/stories, sing songs….all about service. It’s so important to teach our children to serve others. Our Savior was the greatest example of serving and loving others. I love this quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:“As we lose ourselves in the service of others, we discover our own lives and our own happiness.” {Dieter F. Uchtdorf} Get together with your children and plan a fun family game night. As you play discuss the importance of service. Discuss the scriptures and stories in the game. And then after you have played, plan a service that your family can do together.Items Needed to Play:Cranium Cards (link below)Paper & PencilTimerSomething to keep score (paper, chalkboard, or dry-erase board)Quick Look at Service CraniumThere are 5 categories in Service Cranium:Scripture SearchQuestion QuizSinging StarCreative CatFactoidEach card describes an activity that each team will need to do. Some of the activities will have you answer questions, draw, charade, hum, or read a scripture, and they all are about Service.Some of the cards have a ‘Two Team Play’ on it. When one of these cards are chosen a member from each team will be playing head to head. This is a great game to teach your family about Service while having fun.How to Play:Split into 2 teams and pick a team name for each team.On a piece of paper or a chalkboard/dry erase board, write each team’s name, this is where you will keep score.

Decide which team goes first and have one member come up and pick a card. Have the person read the card and do the activity described.If they correctly do what is asked on the card before the timer runs out, their team is awarded a certain amount of points (your family decides).If they are unsuccessful at completing the task the other team has a chance to answer and ‘steal’ the point(s).Continue playing until all the cards have been drawn or until you have reached a certain amount of points.Other Ways to Play:Instead of having the person pick a card you could create a 6 sided dice. Have each side a color of each category and for the sixth side you could have a ‘Wild’. When they land on a ‘Wild’ they can pick the category.Service Cranium CardsI decided to give my game, that I shared so many years ago, a little ‘face lift’.There are 4 pages of cards for you to use for your own family ‘Service Cranium’ game night.There are 6 cards for each category and then I included a blank card for each category if you wanted to create your own.Just click the link below to download the zip file!Click HERE to print page 1 of the Cranium Service Cards.Click HERE to print page 2 of the Cranium Service Cards.Click HERE to print page 3 of the Cranium Service Cards.Click HERE to print page 4 of the Cranium Service Cards.I want to Thank Amanda once again for letting me contribute to her ’14 Day Walk with Christ.’ This is such a wonderful idea and I’m so grateful to be a part of it.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day!

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ

Day #1 – 14 Day Walk With Christ 2015

March 23, 2015 by Amanda Leave a Comment

Welcome to the first day of the 14 Day Walk With Christ! These last few years we have enjoyed studying a new gospel topic each of the days during this journey. This year we are focusing on serving: serving our family, our friends, our neighbors, and our community. I hope you are able to join in and find ways to see another’s lack and give of yourself. Day #1 – Serving in our FamilyThis is our family. This photo makes it look like we are a perfect family – we all are in our nicest clothes that even coordinate, our hair is perfect, it is a sunny day and we are all smiling. Isn’t this how families are supposed to be?

This is really a better representation of how our family is – especially during a family photography session in which NO ONE wants to be at! Our family is far from perfect. On any given day I am faced with children who are fighting, arguing, poking, pushing, hitting, teasing, touching, tattling, and you get the picture. I have good kids, but somehow they can push each other’s buttons.

I thought this was a good place to start in our 14 Day Walk With Christ. Taking this time to be reminded how the Savior loved and how we should have that same love in our family – especially!I love this quote from Mother Teresa:

Our Savior gave Himself in unselfish service. He taught that each of us should follow Him by denying ourselves of selfish interests in order to serve others.

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

“For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 16:24–25; see also Matthew 10:39).

Service Bunnies – Hop To It!

I have been sewing these little bunnies last week for this little idea I had. If you want to make your own, here is where I got the pattern. You can also use store-bought bunnies, paper bunnies, or bunnies you already have.

The idea is to begin with one bunny. Tell your family that the little bunny is going to help bring some love into your home. Ask for a volunteer who wants to begin. That person then takes the bunny and thinks of something nice or thoughtful he/she can do for someone in the family. After that person has done their little act of service, the bunny is placed on the recipient’s bed.

That person is then next for the service task. What they don’t know is that bunnies tend to multiply. Give it a few days and then introduce another bunny. Keep the bunnies hopping around to each person in the family.

Then a few more days, introduce another bunny – until you have more bunnies then you can handle! At the end of the 2 weeks, hopefully there will be a little more peace in your home and the children get to each keep a bunny as a reminder to have more love in our families.

Filed Under: 14 Day Walk with Christ, FEATURED, FHE, serve

Day #14 He Has Risen

April 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment

This is the same lesson we do every year the night before Easter – the children look forward to it every year.

Resurrection Eggs
If you haven’t had a chance to do this with your family, the night before Easter is a great time. Preparation: you need 12 plastic eggs. Number them 1 through 12. Below I have the number and corresponding items and scriptures. (you could also place a little treat in each one.) Place them inside the eggs. Hide the 12 eggs.

Have the children find the 12 eggs. Open the egg and read each scripture beginning with egg #1. This will take you through the Easter story. There are pictures to go with just about every scripture. Click HERE for the pictures. The scriptures began with Christ’s entry into Jerusalem.

Here are the Scripture references for the 12 eggs:
1. Ride on a Donkey – Matthew 21:1-9
2. Silver Coins – Matthew 26:14-16, 46-50; 27:1-5
3. Passover Cup – Matthew 26:17-19, 26-28
4. Praying Hands – Mark 14: 32-42
5. Leather Whip – John 19; 1-15 Matthew 27:26-31
6. Crown of Thorns – Matthew 27:29-31
7. Nails in the Cross – John 19: 16-22
8. Dice for Gambling – John 19: 23-25
9. Soldier’s Spear – John 19:31-37
10. Linen Wrapping – Matthew 27: 57-61
11. Stone of the Tomb – Matthew 28:1-3
12. Empty Tomb – Matthew 28:5-8

Activity
For the past 16 years it is a tradition in our family to make “Resurrection Rolls.” I didn’t come up with this recipe – it’s one of those things that gets passed around. I am still amazed how everyone marvels at how the marshmallow disappears! Click here for instructions.

I hope your family enjoys making these. This is my children’s favorite part of Easter. We look forward to making these every year. AND they are super delicious!!!

We also love to dye Easter Eggs. Nothing fancy, nothing I’m going to “pin” – just good old fashioned eggs and dye! It never gets old. This is a good time to talk about the symbols of Easter. Sometimes its hard for children to know what eggs and bunnies have to do with Easter. While you are dying your eggs, you can have a little review:

Easter Bunny

There are many different theories…..Spring celebrates new life as did Jesus’ resurrection. Rabbits are one of the many animals born in the spring and they also have lots of offspring during this time of year. The rabbit burrows deep under ground and when he emerges from his burrow, it can represent Jesus leaving the tomb.

Eggs

In many cultures eggs are the symbol of life and Jesus gave everyone Eternal Life through His Atonement and Resurrection. Eggs were died Red in memory of Christ’s blood, eggs are rolled symbolic of the stone being rolled from the tomb,

Lamb

This comes from the Jewish Passover where a lamb was sacrificed in each family. Christ became the Passover Lamb for everyone and so the lamb became a symbol for His sacrifice.

New Clothes

This is a symbol of a new beginning.

We are having fun this year with all our cousins and Gramma and Papa here!

Handout:

I love this nest image from the Graphics Fairy. I thought this would be nice to include in our journals and write what the nest and eggs represent.

Journal

Summarize the events that took place and the scriptures you read. Which one stood out to you? How do you feel knowing Jesus died for you and suffered all things for you that you may have eternal life?

Thank you so much for joining me on this 14 day journey. I hope you have been able to do a few of these lessons with your family and find yourself drawing closer to Christ. Life gets pretty crazy, we missed a few days here and there, and we are looking forward to having the lessons for Family Home Evening. Happy Easter and may God Bless 🙂

Filed Under: 14, 14 Day Walk with Christ, easter, FHE

Day #13, Jesus Christ, My Savior

April 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Hi! It’s Melanie from LDS Handouts. I started my blog so I could share my handouts I was making for Young Women with others. Since then, it has expanded to a whole bunch of different free handouts. I live in Idaho with my awesome husband and 4 children, ages 11, 8, 5, and 2. I’m excited to share another lesson with you!!

Jesus Christ, My Savior

Attention activity: Spread the letters around the room and have your family find them and spell out the word Savior. Ask them what a Savior is and why we might need someone to save us. (Handouts are 4×6 inches)

Lesson:
We needed a Savior because Heavenly Father knew that when we came to Earth we would sin. When we sin and don’t repent, we cannot live with Heavenly Father again. We needed someone to save us so we can live with Heavenly Father again. Jesus volunteered to be our Savior and come to Earth and teach us, atone for our sins, and be crucified so we can live with Heavenly Father again.

Cut this picture into puzzle pieces. (Picture is 8×10 inches)

On each piece, write a way that Jesus helped save us. These can include:
He went through the Atonement and saved us from our sins.
He was crucified and died to save us from death.
He taught us about the Sacrament.
He was a perfect example.
He taught us to be kind.
He taught us to serve.
He taught us to repent.
He taught us to forgive.

Put the puzzle together and talk about each way Jesus saves us.

Handout:
Print this handout to add to your journal or hang up.

For another fun activity, write your testimonies down and bury in a bag or seal in an envelop and open again next Easter.

Filed Under: 14, 14 Day Walk with Christ, easter, FHE

Day #9 Happy Mail

Day #7- Family Service Project

Day #6 Make Dinner For Someone

Day # 5 – SMILE

Day #4 #ShareGoodness

Day #3 Random Acts of Kindness

Day #2 Service Cranium

Day #1 – 14 Day Walk With Christ 2015

Day #14 He Has Risen

Day #13, Jesus Christ, My Savior

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