AKA "Family Home Evening"
You know....that wonderful Monday night wrestling match you hold with your high-energy kids in which you dream of singing the hymns of Zion, studying the scriptures with reverence, and participating in uplifting, educational activities only to realize that such a calm, spiritual experience will not come until the kids are preparing for their missions (and even then, you have to wonder, given the energy level of these four!).
Why is it that as soon as we say "Family Home Evening", all chaos breaks out??? All day long I have been telling the children that tonight we would be singing a hymn, Mark would read a Wordsworth poem, and then we would write in our journals for our FHE activity. I thought they were looking forward to the evening. But as soon as I finished the dinner clean up and said, "OK, come to the piano to sing!" Blake had a melt-down and had to be put in time-out twice before he finally came downstairs and was reverent and participatory. Then Brent and Blake started chasing bugs around the house just while I was trying to get them to FOCUS and tell me what to write in their journals. At least Mark and Jocelyn are now old enough to behave well and participate in hymn singing and journal writing.
Each day this summer the children must practice the piano, read the Book of Mormon (two chapters), do their "dailies" workbooks, and write in their blogs or journals. We are not turning on the t.v. until late at night or if Wendy has to get something done and needs the kids to settle down (even then, we are trying to send them outside to the trampoline or to ride the scooters around the house). The challenge of raising young children is channeling their energy, which is limitless in the case of my kids. My revenge will come when they are teenagers and want to sleep all day but I make them get up early for sports, summer school, music lessons, and jobs!
Each day this summer the children must practice the piano, read the Book of Mormon (two chapters), do their "dailies" workbooks, and write in their blogs or journals. We are not turning on the t.v. until late at night or if Wendy has to get something done and needs the kids to settle down (even then, we are trying to send them outside to the trampoline or to ride the scooters around the house). The challenge of raising young children is channeling their energy, which is limitless in the case of my kids. My revenge will come when they are teenagers and want to sleep all day but I make them get up early for sports, summer school, music lessons, and jobs!
