Saturday, December 24, 2011

Modern acorn wreath

It's Christmas Eve and I never blogged about the cool wreath we made over a month ago.  I found the idea here http://www.littlethingsbringsmiles.com/2010/11/acorn-wreath.html

Parent teacher conferences in November gave us quite a few half days and one of those afternoons the kids and I gathered acorns.  They had a great time scouring the ground for them.

I glued them on and it took a lot of glue and a bit more time that I thought it would.  But I am pretty happy with the results--a wreath I can have on my door all year--no straw (visible), flowery flowers, fake birds, plastic grapes--just a clean, simple, modern wreath, my kind of wreath.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Oh, please!

Many of you know I can easily get on a soapbox and start voicing my opinions: this is one of those times. 

A brochure came in the mail this week.  This is the cover.

Dialogues, like the following, flood my head...

Mom: Oh, Betty, this computer game is much more important than for me to make dinner.  Well, maybe I will, but I definitely don't have time to do dishes!  We are bonding too much in front of my laptop.  Hey--maybe Dad will let us order take-out again, or better yet--McDonald's!

Dad (reading to little Sue): "And Kimmy said to Kelly, 'Mother says I can come over after I clean my room...'"

Little Sue: What's, "clean my room?"


If people are taking the attitude, "Life's too short to clean our own homes" than we are really missing the opportunity to teach our kids an important lesson.  Children feel more valued in a home where they are counted on to do their part.  Why is teen suicide higher now than decades before?  Oh, I could go on and on about the value of work!

"Thou shalt not be aidle; for he that is idle shall not eat the bbread nor wear the garments of the claborer."  (D&C 42:42)