I looked at my oldest son and said, "Make everyone sandwiches. I'll be back in two hours." I gathered up my adorable handouts and left. As I backed out of the driveway, I let out a sigh of relief. All was silent.

Then I heard it - a tiny voice in my head. "What are you trying to prove? Just give it up!" I bristled to fight back, but I knew the little voice was right.

With my adorable handouts in hand, I marched into the meeting. It went perfectly. Everyone was impressed. As I left, someone mentioned how great I was with the committee. Guilt flooded that secret place in my heart where tears are stored. I barely made it to my car before those tears rained down.

"How great I was with the committee." More like how not great I felt about all the time I spent putting everything together, the time my family spent suffering as I went overboard. I had just left my family high and dry for another night while I tried desperately to convince some committee that I was totally put together, on top of everything. What was I trying to prove?

At that moment, I realized that if I'd let my family down, there was no point in succeeding anywhere else. When I let my family down, I let God down, He who entrusted me with such beautiful spirits.

When I got home, I apologized for my misdirection. I promised I would put our family - and myself - before anything else. Though I will always have responsibilities outside my home, I promised to always give my family my best effort.

Here is what I learned

• Do not compare your life to anyone else's - not your house, your hair, your amazing baby shower invites or the amount of crumbs collecting under your couch.

• No one should expect you to ignore your family's needs, including your employer, your best friend or your church.

• Saying "no" isn't letting someone down; it's giving someone else the opportunity to serve.

• Putting your family first and putting your home in order creates peace in your soul and decreases anxiety.

• Simplifying - not complicating - assignments outside of the home actually helps you learn more, focusing on what is really important in the assignment. Simplify your social obligations, your church obligations and your job.

Here is what I vowed to change

• I will make sure my responsibilities at home are taken care of first.

• I will make sure my needs are met before I volunteer to help others.

• I will not create more work for myself by going "over the top" on assignments I have been given.

• I will simplify my lifestyle and live within my means.

• I will choose a job that respects my first and greatest responsibility: my family.

I look back at my working mother. Our house wasn't always clean, but my mother was at every baseball and football game. If I was singing, her face was in the audience. She balanced the "have to's" of work with the "need to's" of family.

My mother shared something with me that, as a child, I had been unaware of. She'd had many difficult discussions with employers, taking jobs with less pay, less glamour, even ending her education early so that she could be home with me and my siblings. She worked her schedule around ours in every way she could.

Let's all take a look at ourselves - at our Pinterest boards for school Halloween parades and church Christmas parties - and ask, "What are we trying to prove? What is really important? What is manageable? Are we going overboard?"

Then, let's take a breath, and start finding things to give up.

The post Just give up. What are you trying to prove anyway? appeared first on FamilyToday.

Alan F. Packer, a genealogy enthusiast, has said, "Family history is more than genealogy, rules, names, dates and places. It is more than a focus on the past. Family history also includes the present as we create our own history. It includes the future as we shape future history through our descendants. A young mother, for example, sharing her family stories and pictures with her children is doing family history work."

You may have been using this tool all along and not even realize it. Sharing family history can give you fantastic results.

Knowing helps kids cope

Teenagers often have a hard time in adolescence. They feel the need to be part of a group. Family history can really help your kids feel like they are part of something bigger and cooler than just an ordinary family. Learning about something bigger than yourself creates a sense of pride and honor, two things your children need.

Writing in a journal is history, too

Encouraging your kids to journal can help them with their everyday struggles. Compiling what happened, and thinking it through while writing it on paper helps them process what happened, learning from their mistakes and triumphs.

I will warn you, when teaching your kids about family history, don't dust off the old Bible and unfold the ancient family tree. Your kids will check out, mentally, before they ever check out Great-Great Uncle Emeil. Kids love to learn, and love to play, combine the two for great fun.

Here are some tips for sharing your family's story with your kids

1. Little Reporters

Start with your living relatives. Have your kids come up with a list of questions, with your help, of course. (We don't want them asking grandma what kind of undies she has on.) Then, set up a camera so you can video the interaction. Let your kids take turns as reporters asking the questions. The remarkable history behind the answers is amazing to hear. You will learn things you never knew as well. We have an audio recording of my great-grandmother in this same fashion, it has become a family heirloom.

2. Ancestor of the Week, or Month

We are doing this in our family. We have worked our way up the family tree, introducing a new ancestor each month. It has been a blast as the kids help me find information on the ancestor by talking to our living relatives, and searching databases online. Stories we never knew pop up every week. They love building a foundation in history they can brag about to their friends. Family history has become cool, who knew?!

3. Bits and pieces

Listen, not every kid is going to jump at the idea of learning about a bunch of dead people he never knew. If you are serious about this task, and I warn you it will become one of the most enjoyable parts of your day, then you will have to educate yourself first. Dive into family history, search out journals, newspaper articles, anything to help you in your quest to get to know your ancestors. As you do this interject things into daily life for your kids.

Ask your kids opinions about who and what part of the family they want to look at. Set up times for family trips to significant places in your personal family history. It's amazing the feeling you get when you stand where your Great, Great, Great Grandfather built his first homestead.

Enjoy the journey into family history

Make sure your family is enjoying it, don't be afraid to change the way you present your family history if your kids are not interested. Start educating yourself, and then getting your family on the same path. It may surprise you how quickly your family picks up on the family story, and how much they love it.

The post Surprising things knowing family history will do for your kids appeared first on FamilyToday.

1. Be in tune

When we moved to our new home, we called a piano store to arrange for our piano to be moved. When it arrived the jostling and bumping of the truck had caused the strings to loosen, rendering it out of tune. It played a mournful sound. We soon had someone in to tune it. It didn't take much, just a few minutes, but it made all the difference. Listen to the promptings of your loving Father in Heaven. We are all jostled and bumped about in life. Sometimes we need a little help tuning our hearts back to our loving God. He sees everyone's need and uses you to fill that need. You have the opportunity to bring a joyful tune to someone else. When you feel the inspiration to help, to encourage, or even just smile, do it. You don't know the difference you could make to someone in need.

2. Be uncomfortable

No one loves to be uncomfortable; we love to live in our perfect bubbles filled with the air of innocence. Real need sometimes requires us to get out of our comfort zone. We all love the phrase, "If you need anything, just let me know!" Most of the time we can see the need. A young mother needs a nap, a break, a hot meal. An older woman needs company, conversation, or help running a vacuum around. A woman who has been on her feet at work for 10 hours needs a smile, understanding and encouragement. Step out of yourself and do something, say something. Don't put it on them to ask, be there to do.

3. Be kind

When we are at our worst, sometimes we let it show. Be kind when someone else is not. We can't see behind their emotion and into the abyss they are currently in. We have the opportunity to give them a hand and not react negatively. So the next time someone cuts you off on the freeway, slow down and smile. Even if you don't change them, it will change you.

4. Be available

"I don't have time." Is the most frequent lie we tell ourselves. If we need to see the doctor, we make time. If we need to get our kids to their different activities, we make it happen. If we put this kind of priority on the needs of others, imagine the difference we could make. Schedule it on your calendar, add it to your list. Pray for guidance from your willing Father in Heaven, he knows the need and could use your help.

5. Be aware

You are already making a world of difference to someone. Be aware of not only the need around you, but what you are already doing to help others. By realizing what you are already doing, you have the opportunity to apply that effort in other places or other ways. Learn from the response to your service. See how they react and fine tune your effort.

Use these steps to be the answer to someone's prayer. And watch how it changes you and the world.

The post 5 ways to ‘Be’ the difference today appeared first on FamilyToday.

Here are some year-round traditions any family will enjoy

1. Brother or sister day

This is a great tradition for a family of any age. On the designated day every year the brothers or sisters, depending on whose day it is, receives small token gifts, breakfast in bed and the activity of their choice.

2. Daddy dates

When our kids turn 12, they get a special date with a parent. If it is a girl, Daddy dresses up and lets her know what time to be ready. Showing up with a bouquet of flowers, he escorts her for an evening of good food and fun. If it is a boy turning 12, he gets to dress up and tell mom when to be ready. Dad helps him pick up some flowers and take mom on her evening to remember with her little gentleman.

3. Birthday letters

In the days leading up to a family member's birthday get out some stationary and write a letter telling exactly what he means to you, his strengths and talents. Each family member can add to the letter, and you could even get the grandparents involved. Save the letters in a special place and return them when your child finally leaves home.

Traditions for the Spring

1. Welcoming the full moon

The Farmers Almanac has a great article detailing each full moon, its name and meaning. The spring time is a wonderful time to bundle up without too many bugs and take a nighttime stroll under the full moon.

2. Valentine Love

We put up a paper tree without leaves on our wall every February. The kids get to pick a paper heart out of a basket and write a note to a family member detailing what they love about them. We fill the tree by the end of the month every year and spend an evening taking them down one by one and reading them to each other.

Summer Traditions

1. Summertime cinema

Grab the laptop or projector and head outside under the stars with your favorite treats and a few snuggly blankets for an outdoor movie. This great tradition can be held as often as you like for giggles and great fun. You can now buy a projector that hooks up to an iPad or tablet.

2. Board of Review

At the end of the school year, have a night the kids get to quiz their parents on things they learned in school. Can Mom find the square root of 150 without a calculator? Can Dad remember the state capitol of Maine? This is a fun tradition sure to conjure up some smiles and laughter.

3. Treasure Hunts

Buried treasure is sure to lure your buccaneers out of the house and onto the hunt. Create a treasure map. You can do this by ripping the side off a paper bag and crumpling it up until it resembles an old parchment. Lay out a map of familiar land marks. This can be as small as your backyard or park or as large as a road trip or trip across town. Create clues hidden at each landmark to lead your pirates to the next one. At the end, hide a stash of fun treats or even a picnic. Sure to please small scallywags.

Traditions for fall

1. Service with a smile

Service can help your family develop a deeper connection and greater character. As a family, research your community needs and find a way to do service each quarter. Some ideas include:

• Gathering items for the local shelters.
• Volunteering at a retirement community or children's hospital.
• Collecting donations for a charity.
• Joining a 5k or other run for charity.

2. Turkey Shoot

No real turkeys are harmed in this hilarious activity. The day of Thanksgiving line up turkeys made of water balloons in the yard. The turkeys are constructed by blowing up a small balloon, ideally a water balloon, and taping on a few feathers and drawing a face on the smaller end of the balloon. Each child gets a hand full of rubber bands and "shoots" the turkeys. This is a great game to play while waiting for your real turkey to cook.

3. Annual fall leaf collection

Each fall when the leaves are at their brightest, arrange a family walk to collect all types and colors of leaves. Be sure to take lots of pictures. When you return home, press the leaves between two paper towels and two plates. Microwave for less then 30 seconds and let them cool between the plates. They should be pressed and dried. You may have to adjust the time depending on your microwave. Make a picture collage using the leaves and pictures taken from the walk.

Winter traditions

1. Picture contests

When you take a family trip, vacation or even just a walk or hike hand over the camera to the kids. At the end of the outing, print off a few photos each child took for the photo contest. Have a silent vote and announce the winner. Not only will you end up with great printed photos of your trip but great memories with your kids.

2. Monthly game night

I adore this tradition. We do it weekly, but if your kids are older and have families of their own, monthly might be a better option.

3. Ultimate sledding

This is a great trip for the family. Pick a hill that works for your difficulty level and let the fun begin. At the end of the day, cast your votes for various awards such as most snow in the face or best belly flop.

Your family will thrive when traditions are involved and looked forward to every year. Start planning now for fun traditions this year

The post Fabulous family traditions appeared first on FamilyToday.

1. It's never too early to use physical money

If your child can speak, she can learn what money is and how to use it. Let your children use physical money when they are small. Have them pay the parking meter, hand the money to the cashier, or give money to a church or other donation organization. The act of letting physical money leave their hands helps them understand the flow of money. Here are some simple ways to help them learn.

• Tape money to a paper with its amount and name so smaller children can start to understand the value of each piece.

• Let your children pay for items at the store.

2. Help them understand the value of work

The world works mostly in plastic now, so children don't always understand where the money comes from. Sit down and explain how money is earned, and setup a system for your children to earn money, either from you or others. On one wall in our house I use sticky notes to display the work I'm willing to pay my children for and the amount they will earn. As they complete the work they can bring me the note for a final inspection and payment. Here are some simple ideas.

• Chore charts. They can be as simple or as grand as you like.

• Let your older children hire themselves out for work. Dog walking, lawn mowing among other tasks.

• When you make a large purchase, or go on a family vacation, get your kids involved in making decisions about what to do and how much it will cost.

Give older children a ledger. Post available jobs and how much you are able or willing to pay. Add them to the ledger. You are the bank. When they want to make a withdrawal, teach them how to write a check by filling out a fake check.

3. Tell money where to go

If your money doesn't know where to go, it will disappear. This is the greatest advice I received as a young adult. When your children receive money, set up envelopes, jars, bank accounts or whatever system you prefer and help them give their money marching orders. The basic systems include: saving, spending and charity. There are even piggy banks with dividers for these categories, some even include investing.

4. Help them give it away

Philanthropy is a great way to help children see the value of their money. Donations to a church, organization, or even time spent earning money for a good cause can instill character and charity in your children. There are many organizations across the world accepting donations. If your children are small, help them find one they can physically hand money or buy resources for. If they are old enough to understand how a bank account works help them make online donations or use the Internet to find organizations that could use volunteer work.

5. Budgeting is not old-fashioned

Delayed gratification is a difficult thing to learn today. This important concept, when learned young, can mean the difference between your child thriving as a young single adult, or having them begging you for money each month. This can be taught to small children.

We have a snack cupboard with sections for each child. Once a week I fill up the snacks, and my children are allowed free reign of their snacks with a warning. If they run out, they get only healthy snacks like carrot sticks or apples. The first week, they all ran out in 2 days. The next week, they managed to make it 5 days. The next week, they had snacks left over and were eating more fruits and vegetables to help it stretch. It has been a wonderful learning experience about budgeting.

• Older children and teens can use budgeting tools, apps, or even written budgets to learn this concept. Even playing board games that involve money like Payday, Life or Monopoly can help a child understand budgeting.

• Take out, in cash, your household budget and print out your bills. Have your children help you pay each bill and see what is left. This was a huge shocker for my kids and really helped them understand the flow of money.

6. Set goals and reach them

Working towards a goal can encourage a child to succeed. If your child wants a new toy, set up a chart with the price at the top and zero at the bottom. As your child earns money help her fill in the chart so she has a physical representation of her progress. This works with philanthropy, as well. If your child wants to make a donation to an organization and needs the help of the community, help him set up a way to track donations so he can view his progress in real-time. Spreadsheets, charts and graphs work wonderfully with children.

7. Be a responsible parent

The easiest way to teach your children is to let them watch you. If you are in the store looking for peanut butter, let your children help you decide which one is budget friendly. If you give them chores for money, make sure to pay them when they finish. Showing parental responsibility lets your children understand what you expect out of them.

Sometimes earning money can be hard, but managing that money should be a natural, easy process. Teach your children the value of money now so that they can enjoy the rewards of wise spending later.

The post Fun and creative ways to teach kids to manage money appeared first on FamilyToday.

It was early on St. Patrick's day when my son came bursting into our bedroom and announced that we had been robbed! Of course, we shot out of bed, after stifling our giggles with the comforter, first, running into the room of question. In the kitchen we found our beloved wooden "kitchen lady" ( a statue of an over plump woman I bought in Poland years before, much to my husband's horror.) She had been bound and gagged. Below her was a tiny note written in green ink:

Dear Children,

You see we have bound and gagged your beloved kitchen lady. We, leprechauns get a bad rap! We demand tribute! To free her, you must succeed in three tasks before dawn tomorrow:

1. Build a fort out of sheets and chairs, the largest fort will only do. Fill it with pillows and books.

2. Create a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

3. Commandeer snacks from the closet and fill the fort with goodies.

Only after you have filled our demands will you get your kitchen lady back! Fail, and the fat lady gets it!

Yours sincerely,

The Leprechauns

The set up was complete with tiny footprints made out of flour and doll feet, sprinkled with gold glitter. The kids went wild, my 11-year-old boy included, and set to work on their fort. Our home that day was filled with giggles and laughter as they completed the three demands, to include a huge paper rainbow, a cooking pot filled with all the gold costume jewelry they could find and all our snacks pilfered into the fort. After they finished we wrote a sassy letter back to the leprechauns and spent the evening with the whole family reading stories in the fort. It is a memory I will never forget.

Here are some tips for your own prank:

Keep it simple. You don't want your 4-year-old in tears because he can't fill the demands. Keeping it simple increases the fun. This doesn't mean it can't be challenging, just age appropriate.

Make it a team effort Get your kids to work together to fill the tasks given.

Document your deed. Take pictures, keep the notes and special small tokens of the day. You will want to look back on it later.

Tie in a holiday or event, like patriotic Lego men or terrible tom turkeys. This will help make it a tradition your children will look forward to every year.

Set a time limit. This will get your kids' blood pumping.

Have fun with it. Get the whole family involved.

Make it interesting. Make the tasks involved something your child is interested in whether it means collecting 10 worms or making a glittery poster.

Make it impossible. Give them something to think about, for example, ask them to make a pig fly or a Lego man climb a mountain.

Make it heroic. Like our fat damsel in distress, give the kids a reward at the end, some toy to rescue or treasure to uncover.

Here are some prank ideas:

A scavenger hunt. Set up a note from pirates who have stolen the iPad, game controllers, etc. Include a map in the note leading the children to their toys with tasks to complete along the way. This can be as small as a room or your yard or as large as around town or a road trip, it's up to you.

Backyard Fairies. Use the backyard as a staging ground for kids to meet the request of the fairies. Leave tiny cups and chairs around the yard. Have the fairy ask the children to help build her a palace out of sticks and leaves in a designated spot and furnish it. This is an all-afternoon outdoor game the kids will love. In the end of the note let the kids know there will be a reward waiting for them in the morning, such as mini muffins for breakfast or other tiny treats.

Have your children collect photographs of things that are unusual like a close up of a flower or an ant.

Whatever you decide to do, be a part of it. Your children will remember moments with each other longer than gifts or toys. Help them make memories they will want to pass on to their children.

The post Kid challenge: Doing the impossible. Are you game? appeared first on FamilyToday.

Jessica is a young mother with an energetic brood of children. She loves playing with them and hearing their laughter. She loves to cook, craft, and create. She kisses scraped knees, raises a vegetable garden, and loves to serve others. She is like most young mothers, with one exception. She is the wife of a soldier suffering from PTSD. Her husband, Josh, is diagnosed as fully disabled because of his PTSD.

"It's hard,"� Jessica confides, "people don't see what I see in Josh. They look at him and can't see his disability. I love him, and watching him struggle is hard."� She goes on to describe a camping trip they had. Josh started having flashbacks. He didn't know where he was, he only knew that his family was there and there were ghosts in the background all around him.

When we were putting the kids to bed some campers across the pond started letting off fireworks. Josh's memories triggered the thought it was mortars going off and he yelled about insurgents storming the gates. He tried crawling under the beds and hiding in the bathroom. The whole time his eyes were bulging and his breath came fast. He ran out onto the deck screaming, "You'll never take me alive!"� It was scary for Jessica, she explained how the kids thought he was joking or playing a game. After, Jessica repeatedly called his name until he finally realized she was there and calmed down, sobbing himself to sleep.

Josh is unable to function on his own and can't work. He is working to overcome his PTSD, but still depends on his wife and friends for everyday support. Jessica describes moments when she is confronted by people who do not understand the severity of PTSD and make judgments. "It hurts when people judge our family. Because his disability is not physically visible, they can't understand why he doesn't work. This is just as disabling as losing a limb or some other physical disability."

PTSD is an anxiety disorder usually triggered by trauma or an event that is severely emotionally damaging. Jessica's husband is one of many soldiers who are silently dealing with the effects of war, who struggle to cope every day with the trauma they witnessed. Jessica describes a moment they had after watching an action movie in the theater. Their kids were yelling and running, on their way to the car. Josh screamed, "Don't they know that is what people do when they are hurt and dying!"� He drove home white-knuckled on the steering wheel with eyes wide. He kept repeating, "It's OK,"� until he could calm down enough to cry.

PTSD is difficult to control; it can take years to gain even a little ground. Maketheconnection.net, a site dedicated to soldiers with PTSD, lists some of the symptoms:

• Feeling upset by things that remind you of what happened

• Having nightmares, vivid memories or flashbacks of the event that make you feel like it's happening all over again

• Feeling emotionally cut off from others

• Feeling numb or losing interest in things you used to care about

• Becoming depressed

• Thinking that you are always in danger

• Feeling anxious, jittery, or irritated

• Experiencing a sense of panic that something bad is about to happen

• Having difficulty sleeping

• Having trouble keeping your mind on one thing

• Having a hard time relating to and getting along with your spouse, family, or friends

Soldiers are not the only ones who can suffer from PTSD. Many innocent people have witnessed great traumas or experienced horrific conditions. If you, or someone you love, suffer from PTSD there are ways to help. In recent years, there have been many medical advances in this field. Treatments have greatly improved. Seek out help, you are worth it.

The most important thing we can do, all of us, is know the symptoms and triggers. Showing unconditional love and compassion can mean so much to a spouse of someone who is suffering. We may never completely understand what these men and women are going through, but we can support them on their path to happiness and peace.

The post PTSD: Struggling for a future amid hauntings of the past [VIDEO] appeared first on FamilyToday.

My husband and I had the privilege of serving in the US Army for a joint 14 years. During that time, we knew many people of good character. Men and women who did the right thing, even when people screamed they were wrong and even if it meant great danger. Who knelt to pray without shame. Who would gladly lay down their lives for a stranger. Men and women who we were proud to serve alongside and privileged to know. I sincerely hope my children will have the same character as these men and women.

Courage is needed, even if no one is looking

Good character comes with sincere courage and the strength to stand amid the tide of opposition and do what is right. Thomas S. Monson, a teacher and religious leader, explains to us, "We live in a world where moral values have, in great measure, been tossed aside. Where sin is flagrantly on display. In order to make correct decisions courage is needed... the courage to do the right thing because it's right... will we have [this] courage?"

Our children face great challenges today. As parents we cultivate character in our children without even knowing it. Good character requires knowledge and a belief of values. In their book, "Teaching your Children Values," authors and parenting experts, Linda and Richard Eyre, give us this advice, "One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is a strong sense of personal values. Helping your children develop values... is as important a part of their education as teaching them to read or how to cross the street safely. The values you teach your children are their best protection from the influences of peer pressure and the temptations of consumer culture."

The atmosphere we are in has a great impact on who we are

Teaching your child the importance of being the same person at school as they are at home can seem daunting. Help your child understand courage is not loud. It is as simple as leaving a friend's house when he feels uncomfortable with the situation. Monson gave us this advice: "If you ever find yourself where you shouldn't ought to be, get out." What parent wouldn't love to hang this off the end of her child's baseball cap so he can read it all the time.

I have a child that is very shy. If he needs to speak to a stranger he will quietly say, "I can't, I'm not courage enough." I assure him being shy is OK and has nothing to do with being courageous. I hope the love he feels from me will further his courage to do the right thing. Teaching courage and character is worth the work.

Courage comes in many forms

Teaching our children, by example, to do the right thing when faced with the loss of popularity or friends can seem impossible. My son, Mark, taught me this in the second grade.

He was just 8 years old when his principal called me into the school office. The principal explained that something had happened on the playground and the boys had conflicting stories. Because of the situation we would need to take our boys to the police station for statements. As a mother, I was terrified, and I wanted to know the truth. But something inside of me, I can only describe as a prompting from God, told me to wait silently until he spoke. We drove in silence to the station down the street, my heart aching for him.

I watched as each boy told their story, individually, their parents prompting them to elaborate. Each story became more wild and outrageous. When it was my son's turn he stood up, he had always been a truthful boy, and very timid. My heart broke for him as all his friends prompted him to confirm their stories.

He looked at the police chief and said, "That is not what happened, here is the real story." I knew what he said was the truth, and the police agreed with his story. Though he faced ridicule from the other boys, he had done the right thing. I gave him a hug and told him how proud I was of his good character.

Monson explains, "Not all acts of courage bring [...] spectacular or immediate results. And yet, all of them do bring peace of mind and a knowledge that right and truth have been defended. It is impossible to stand upright when one plants his roots in the shifting sands of popular opinion and approval."

Persistence is a must when teaching children this important lesson

Small lessons in character throughout the day will yield greater results. Encouraging them when they show courage is as important as helping them understand their guilt when they make the wrong choice. Show them, through example, the courage to fix their mistakes.

Monson gives parents everywhere great advice. Think about the example you are to your children. He asks,

"Are you the same person wherever you are? And whatever you are doing? [...] The person you know you should be? [...] We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us, all of us, have the courage to defy the consensus. The courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God's approval."

Are you that courageous? Do you have the courage to teach your children character? Imagine the results if all our children were to stand in the face of opposition, no matter the cost. Imagine if they stand for what is right, shoulder to shoulder. What a change the world would experience. Let's be that change. Here are some ways to build character in your sons.

The post Standing tall: Raising kids with courage to have character appeared first on FamilyToday.

Egg dying is one of my favorite parts of Easter. Gathering my kids outside in old clothes and letting them dunk eggs in little cups of color is almost magical. Last year, we tried dying our eggs with natural dyes. I was hesitant at first, but we had a great time, and a mini science lesson, and it instantly became a family tradition.

This year, after educating myself a little more on the topic, I am ready. I now have an arsenal of colors available. Here is what I've found.

Science behind it

Nature is full of colors, and you can use almost anything to dye your eggs. The trick is to help your dyes penetrate the egg pores. And using only edible dyes. Yes, eggs have pores, so whatever you put on the shell will touch the hardboiled egg you eat.

Whatever you use as dyestuff, make sure you add mordant. This sounds like something a hobbit would have. But it's a scientific term for alum, cream of tartar or white vinegar. This is what helps the dye penetrate the egg and stay put. Typically you will need 2 TBS for every 4 cups of water used.

Raw egg option

You can boil your raw eggs in their respective dyes, just make sure to add your mordant. Place your eggs in a pot with 4 cups of water, or enough to cover the eggs by an inch. Add your mordant and dyestuff. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and put a lid on the pot for another 15 minutes before you remove your eggs. You should have perfect hard boiled eggs, but please check an egg before you allow your children to eat them, raw eggs can carry salmonella and salmonella is painful.

Precooked eggs

If you prefer to hard boil them alone then add to dyes, this is a perfectly acceptable option, as well. Boil your dyestuff in 4 cups of water, continue to boil until there is a deep rich color. Allow your water to cool to room temperature and strain before adding your eggs. The longer you leave the egg in the dye the deeper the color. I suggest at least 30 minutes per color. This may seem like forever for smaller children so have other activities ready for them while they wait.

Dye suggestions

This is the fun part. Here is a list of dyes you might use. Remember, you can experiment for yourself. Just be sure to add the mordant to the boiling pot.

Tea bags: With the different colors of tea you have a great choice of colors. These give great earth tones.

Beets: Our personal favorite. Beets have fantastic deep purple-red tones.

Curry Powder: A very pale orange.

Purple or red cabbage: This actually gives you a great blue color.

Yellow onion: Use just the papery outside to create a rusty color.

Red onion skin: Use the skin you have peeled off your red onion and boil with 4 cups of water for a nice jade green color.

Grape juice: a nice lavender color.

Fun designs

Why not add masking tape in a fun design to your dry eggs or try stickers?

If you would like to experiment with foliage grab a few pairs of pantyhose. Knee highs work great. Grab a few flowers, daisies are fantastic or ferns for a nice leaf pattern. Be sure to use flowers and leaves that will add an interesting design to the egg without being so large you can't wrap it around the egg itself. When using a daisy place the egg on the face of the daisy and break off the stem. With the daisy successfully cradling the egg place them both in the toe of the pantyhose. Twist to tighten and add a rubber band to the twist to secure it in place. Then soak the entire thing in your dye. You may want to leave these eggs in the dye for a few hours, even overnight. When you remove the eggs the areas covered by the foliage will have stayed white.

When using two different colors, wrap rubber bands around the eggs to keep stripes white then submerge in your darker color. Remove the egg from the dye and allow to dry before removing the rubber bands. Then soak in the lighter dye color.

After thoughts

Add a shiny finish to your eggs with vegetable oil when you are done.

However you choose to dye your eggs, make it fun. This part of Easter can be a tradition you look forward to every year.

The post The way nature intended: Earthy ideas for Easter egg dying [VIDEO] appeared first on FamilyToday.

As I unpacked my kids from the car for a fun afternoon at the park, I bathed them in sunblock and let them go. They ran, giggled and played in the afternoon sun as I chased them. My experience was the same as millions of mothers across the world. My kids called to me, showed me their tricks, and became very dirty very fast. I found myself looking around at the other mothers, their beautifully dressed and clean children then back to my messy, giggling brood. I became distracted from the great fun we were having. I had lost focus and began daydreaming about what I would do differently in the future. Soon it was time to go, and I had missed the moment. I had no memory of the last 15 minutes of play including the looks on my children's faces as they hung like monkeys or hid from a sibling.

Continually looking toward the future leaves you with a glowing idea of what could be and one major flaw, it never turns out perfectly. So while planning ahead is a good idea, fully experiencing the moment you are in will give you the fulfillment and satisfaction you need. Making an effort to take in everything around you can embed your experience in your memory.

Author Anna Quindlen tells us, "The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make ... I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. [...] I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less." (Loud and Clear [2004], 10-11).

Here are some suggestions to help you focus more on where you are now and fully enjoy the moment.

Breathe.

This one is the simplest and easiest to forget. Sometimes taking a breath, and letting go of our anxieties, allows us to fully enjoy the moment we are in. It can feel a little strange at first, but given time will calm and focus you. When I feel pressed for time or dwell on stress in other areas of my life the moment I am in suffers, and I'm left with stress and regret. When I breathe and let go of my anxieties, I allow this moment in time to become the most important. Every moment only happens once, give it the time it deserves.

Don't overdo it.

Over-scheduling your family can cause great stress. While we don't want our kids to come back in 20 years and accuse us of failing to give them the chance they deserved, make sure they get the chance to be kids. Be flexible. If you and your child are enjoying reading books together, the grocery store can wait a few more minutes.

Schedule out time.

This may seem like a direct contradiction to the earlier advice, however, it actually goes hand in hand. Schedule out free time for your family and yourself. Give yourself time to cultivate interests and hobbies. By scheduling it, you won't feel the need to be somewhere else.

Turn it off.

The phone, the TV, the radio. Whatever is distracting you, it can wait. My kids asked me once what we did before cell phones. I said, "We planned ahead, made calls before we left and had answering machines to catch the ones we missed. And we wrote notes instead of texting." That wasn't very long ago, and maybe the "instant" in instant messaging is not as important as we believe.

Live in your bad moments, as well.

Allow yourself to fully experience the trying moments. It can help. My daughter screamed every morning at 3 a.m. for the first 18 months of her life. I remember holding her sweaty body against my shoulder rocking back and forth, wondering if it would ever end. It did end, and I am sad it is gone. It means a little less time she will let me hold her. Soon it will mean friends, boyfriends and life outside my arms. I will have this moment to look back on and treasure. This is why I take in every moment I receive, the good and the bad, with joy.

What will you change to live more fully in the moment? How can you slow down and enjoy today? Emily Dickinson said, "Forever is composed of nows." Enjoy now so you can enjoy forever.

The post Live in the moment [VIDEO] appeared first on FamilyToday.