Blogging

Sister Beck on Blogging:

"The Savior emphasized the importance of keeping records. And one of the most valuable records is the one you keep of your own life". - Spencer W. Kimball

"With the blessings of modern technology, we can express gratitude and joy about God's great plan for His children in a way that can be heard not only around our workplace but around the world. Sometimes a single phrase of testimony can set events in motion that affect someone's life for eternity." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Blogging Disclaimer

• You can keep it positive while keeping it real
• Don't let the nasty comparisons/jealousies/one-upping each other bug you or get into your blog
• If it's a hobby, give it hobby time and priority in your life

Setting Goals and Purpose Of Your Blog

• Ask yourself, "what is the purpose of my blog for now and for the future?"
• What type of posts will you write?
• How often will you blog?
• Will you include photos or videos?

Tech Advice

• Free hosting is available at blogspot.com and wordpress.com.
• If you want your domain to be .com, start with wordpress
• You can turn your blog into a book at blurb.com and shutterfly.com
• You can set your blog to be private and invitation only

Your Life Now

• Story-tell! Instead of simply documenting, tell the story behind events and photos
• Write to your loved ones. Write to them on their birthdays, summing up their year, tell them how you appreciate them etc.. Or, a post of facts - some silly, some factual. You could even have a blog set up for each child and write to them throughout the year, have them write entries, take photos of their artwork etc..
• Document special events: birthdays, vacations, holidays. These are the memories you will want to remember.
• Write and post pictures of every day moments. I do a "Things I loved" post every week and they are always the small moments that brought me joy in the week.
• Sharing great ideas. Blogs are a great way to share recipes, visiting teaching helps, crafts, service projects, and books.

Family History

• Spotlight an ancestor or family member living now. Include pictures, or voice recordings. Post on their birthday, or after a funeral, or anniversary.
• Family Recipes. Document with pictures
• Memories from your past: re-create with your children, interview family members about an experience, write a memory in storytelling form and scan old pictures. Handwrite a post and scan it in so your posterity can see what your handwriting is like.
• Start your own family history - do "wrap-up" posts such as a summary of the last year or 6 months.

Using Your Blog to Strengthen Your Family

• Choose a theme, word, or scripture for the year. This can be personal to your or your family.
• Work on a goal together as a family and document it on your blog. I asked my three daughters to join me and "return to virtue" by completing the YW goals for virtue.
• Blog your testimony. Blog through trials. You can uplift people now, as well as your posterity, by being honest, real, and sharing these important things.
• Be grateful and thankful on your blog. What you record stays with you forever!

Inspirational Blogs for Great Reading and Post Ideas

cjanekendrick.com

nieniedialogues.blogspot.com

71toes.com

chellisandalex.blogspot.com

annievalentine.com

thrilledbythethought.com

theparentals.blogspot.com

theyflewthecoop.blogspot.com

beealittlebetter.com

sharon-thesavvygrandma.com

Email me at tylervanessabrown@gmail.com for any more blogging questions or recommendations.

Mommy 101

I Wish Game
- When your child is throwing a tantrum and doesn't want to do something like get out of the bath tub, play the "I wish game". Start talking and wishing " I wish the tub was big and we could all climb in and grow fins and swim in here all day. I wish your pre-school teacher came over and ate lunch with us in the tub". Before you know it, they will be in a towel climbing out of the tub!

Be Positive. Say Yes More Often.
- Children learn what "we'll see" means
- The spontaneous stops at the park and other places will be what's remembered
- Quality time and quantity of time are equally important

Relax!
- It is okay to let your house get a little messy. Have a sense of humor about things. The relationship you are creating with your child now (while they are young) will last through the teenage years. It is difficult to have an open relationship later if you don't have one now.

Trust in your Heavenly Father. He trusts you to raise His children. He will guide and help you.


Go out of your way to invite the Spirit into your home

Have a Family Plan.
- Talk about your future! If you know what you want your family to look like in 20 years (sons on missions, college, whole family in temple) it will shape your traditions now.

Have Open Communication Between You and Your Spouse.
- You are a team!
- You are your husband's wife, not his mother.

It's Here...Somewhere by Alice Osborne

Streamline BEFORE you organize.
Three important concepts to remember:
1) Big isn't necessarily better, it's just big. The space you have is perfectly fine as long as it only holds what matters most to you (what you like, use, need, want, and have room for).
2) Less is always best.
3) Strive for quality over quantity

Three reasons why really bright intelligent people keep things they don't like, use, need, want, or have room for:
1) Sentiment
2) You paid "good money" for it
3) You "might need it someday" (this is true, you will, but that's not the point: there is someone that does need it today. Find the courage to send things to charity).

Eight Streamlining Steps
1. Prepare self and family
2. Gather containers
3. Start in the master bedroom and work in clockwise pattern
4. Evaluate and assign (puts rhyme and reason into spaces)
5. Use keeper questions (to decide what matters most, what your keepers are and how to know what to put in each container)
6. Group and store like items together
7. Give every family member a memory box
8. Enjoy the empty space (and make it part of your homemaking standard

Conclusion: The familiar feelings of being overbooked, overworked, and overwhelmed are eliminated as you eliminate clutter and overload from your home and workplace. Streamlining makes the best use of the space you have and gives you an advantage over whatever your day has to offer.

Information taken from It's Here...Somewhere, Spring Creek Books, 2008).

Oh-so-delicious Pasta Salad

We have had a lot of requests for the recipe used for our stake relief society conference. We served it on a bed of spinach with a roll. Enjoy!

35-40 Servings

10 cups bow-tie pasta (uncooked)
8 cups cooked and cubed chicken (9-10 chicken breasts)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
3 cans sliced water chestnuts
3 (20 ounce) cans pineapple tidbits, drained
2 cups chopped apples (soak in pineapple juice)
2 cups chopped celery

Dressing:
4 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 T salt
1 T pepper

6 cups red and white grapes
3 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups craisins

Directions:

Cook pasts according to directions. Drain.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for grapes, pecans, and craisins. Marinate mixture for several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Add grapes, pecans, and craisins just before serving.

Photos from our Stake Relief Society Conference