Growing up, this was our “Family Scripture:” 2012-08-16 misc 59579 It’s in D&C 118:19.  (For more about what the D&C is, click here.) Isn’t it an awesome scripture? It became part of our family because we had to memorize it and work on it, but also because I remember my dad buying a HUGE canvas that we all helped paint it on (complete with painted illustrations of each part of the “house” we wanted to establish by all of us child artists…I sure wish I had a picture of that canvas).  I remember feeling so cool that I got to paint on a big real artist’s canvas.    As school started this school year (yes, way back in August), I decided we needed a little extra motivation for “learning” and “ORDER” around our house so I decided to get serious about Family Home Evening and concentrate on a different aspect of this scripture each week. We didn’t do it in order, we just did whatever I figured we could use the most work on each week.  Each week we had a little lesson on Monday night, and I added an extra paper up in the kitchen to remind us of what we were working on one week at a time:2012-11-01 home 64080 …and wrote it on the chalkboard at the top of the stairs too.2012-08-22 iPhone 59726(You can never have too many reminders, right?) We started with “order” because man alive, we needed it.  We cleared out a bunch of closets and everyone was assigned one closet or cabinet they needed to organize during that week.2012-08-18 misc 59601 Things went from looking like this:2012-10-06 conference weekend 61832 …to this:2012-10-06 conference weekend 61833 And it made me so happy. 2012-09-01 iPhone 59997During our “prayer” week the girls gave the FHE lesson and used a telephone to illustrate how it would feel to call someone and do all the talking, no listening (kind of like what we do with Heavenly Father sometimes).  We talked about how “listening” is such a huge part of prayer and that we will be guided if we listen for direction, i.e. maybe show a little extra love for that child at school who isn’t so nice, write a nice note to a family member, talk to a teacher about something that may be confusing them if they’re praying for help at school, etc. We also made a conscious effort to get in our morning prayers better and being more thoughtful in what we said in each prayer. 2012-09-11 misc 60254During our “faith” week we used the analogy of planting little seeds in our hearts and helping them “grow” with light and water which is prayer and choosing to do what’s right. During our “glory” week I gathered everyone around in the kitchen and had each person put a different ingredient in the blender.  When we mixed them all together they made our fav. salsa (back here).  I talked about how “glory” is kind of a mixture of all the things we had been working on, and when mixed together they make something wonderful. 2012-09-28 iPhone 61263I like how Claire added her own note to the “Glory” chalkboard. During our “Fasting” week we added a little more purpose to our fasting and tried to beef up our “Fasting Club” now that all four big kids are part of it. To culminate all those weeks and wrap them all up together we just had to do it: paint our own version of that verse.  I led up to that night trying to build the anticipation, that it was a secret but that they were going to love it. Their eyes lit up when they realized they got to be the artists on something we were putting up in our house.  Ok, mostly the younger one’s eyes lit up, but the older ones actually participated and liked it too.2012-10-29 family stuff 63879Even Dave helped.  It wasn’t as big as the one we did growing up, and it lacked the pictures that were so appealing to me as a child, but I think everyone still really felt a part of it.  2012-10-29 family stuff 63885Elle was especially mesmerized as you can see…hmmmm…. We plunked it up right where we walk in the house just until we can find a better spot for it.2012-11-16 iPhone 65101 I sure hope that helped engrain in those children of ours how we want to build our family.

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28 Comments

  1. I was going to ask about that sign, I saw it when you posted your Christmas décor stuff… what a great idea!!! And it looks super cute!!!!!!! I actually think it's the perfect spot for it. You see it, right when you walk into your home, and right when you walk out 🙂

    Ps, love the pic of Elle on the phone, makes me know she's a normal teenage girl.. what a sweetie pie she is.

  2. Wonderful! My dad made us memorize that as kids, too. I think it was the ORDER part that really got him lol. I like the idea of focusing week by week, too.

  3. What a wonderful idea! My little boys are really small (4 &1, but i LOVE this idea of a family scripture. Thanks so much for this 🙂

  4. How did you do this without just creating more work for YOU? I look at the organizing pictures and realize I am the only one who could do the medicine organizing, etc. Did your older kids actually help with any of the things through the week? They probably did, but my kids are young and I can't picture things like this being anything other than more stress for mom. Maybe you can share if that changes over the years ;).

  5. Please don't mind me as I copy the HECK out of this!!!!!!!
    I LOVE IT! And it's exactly an answer to my prayers right now. I wanted to do something similar to this, but didn't know how to go about it.
    Done.
    Thank you!

  6. My husband and I used to do FHE series, and this was the scripture that started them off. Doing a series helped give our FHE more purpose.

    Now, instead of learning a new hymn as part of our FHE, we sing a quick song (Once There was a Snowman, anyone?) and have a quick lesson out of the 'Behold Your Little Ones' manual before it's bedtime. Ha!

    One day, we can go back to lessons with real meaning, but for now, we're doing what works.

  7. We used this scripture for our family scripture a year ago (we choose a new scripture each year to memorize and focus on….and now I am realizing it was two years ago)

    What I love most is that every time we forget to prepare a "scripture" for Primary, one of the kids just gets up there and rattles off a family scripture. (Saves mom every time 😉

    Which also reminds me that we have yet to choose ours this year…

  8. I use to give this scripture with the gift I would give bride and groom for their wedding, but not nearly as creative and beautiful as this. As always Shawni, you do such wonderful and impotent and fun things for and with your family.

  9. I love that picture of Elle…I SO get that-but wait, I have to text something! 🙂 She is a sweet teenager. It's beautiful Shawni and I can picture it as something you will have forever.

  10. LOVE this and am totally "borrowing" your idea. Though we aren't Mormon (I was raised RLDS but left the church when I was in junior high) I love so much about your church! FHE is another idea I really want to incorporate, and am so thankful for your willingness to share what your family does, you really inspire me:-) And can I tell you seeing Elle text just made my day. I have 14 and 15 year old girls, we get that a lot!

  11. What do you do about fasting when you can't skip meals? I am nursing and I miss fast Sundays! What if you have a medical condition that doesn't allow you to fast?

  12. Heather a lady in my ward told of how she eats really "basic" food. Nothing fancy. Since she couldn't give up food for nursing she gave up her favorite foods for breakfast & lunch. I think this is a neat idea & would help you stay focused as you reached for the delicious food & then put it down & had Something plain instead 🙂

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