Be Careful What You Wish For

So, for a long time I have said that I would love to be called as the Ward Activities Chairwoman. I love to plan parties and have no one come. (At least that's been my experience when planning my own gatherings.) A couple of weeks ago, I got the call. Either I mentioned it to the right person, or they really wanted to get us (and by us, I mean me, because Matt is an awesome teacher) out of teaching the pilot class "Strengthening Marriage".

I don't know about your wards, but in the last 4 years that we have lived here, we have done the same activities. The Chili Cook-Off in March, the Pancake Breakfast on the 4th of July, the Trunk-or-Treat in October, and the Christmas Party. I'm going to bet that it's the same for most of you. Minus the Chili Cook-Off in March. March?? I only make chili from September on, when the weather is right. Now that I think about it, here in Idaho, that can include March.

I got the "go-ahead" to shake things up a bit. I might get fired before I even get to some of my ideas, but it needs to be done. While I won't mess with the Trunk-or-Treat, I definitely have plans for the Christmas Party. I hope no one is offended when I don't serve ham and funeral potatoes.

What are some of your favorite or not so favorite activities that you have been to? I'm talking church gatherings, neighborhood block parties, school parties. We, Mormons, can adapt almost anything to suit our needs, right?

A Little Bribery Never Hurt Anyone

This is how I get my kids to listen to General Conference. Every time they hear the word, they get to eat. They get to help pick the words and assign them to the treat. After one session, they do some switching with words that they never heard to words they think they will hear more. So for Sunday afternoon we added "temple" to the mix. I have to thank Elder Bednar for his talk about "temple" and "service". We ate well during that one. We even ran out of our "temple" treat and had to combine with something else.

It must be noted that I don't expect my kids to sit motionless for the entire thing. The rule is they have to be close to the room with the TV. You'd be surprised how well they hear a word and come running in to get their snack.

Who says you shouldn't bribe your kids with food??