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Parenting our Youth

Clint — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:54:44 +0000

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has come out with another excellent video this week. If you haven’t subscribed to the Church’s YouTube Channel, you should. The video is focused on how parents can effect the lives of their children, especially the youth. Elder Hales gave a talk in General Conference on this topic and parts of his talk are included in this video. This is especially cool for our family because we were able to meet Elder Hales personally, if you will remember my post about it earlier this year.

Enjoy the video:

Duty to God Links

Clint — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:17:10 +0000

I’ve been roaming around the internet trying to gather some information about the New Duty To God program and I found a bunch of really good stuff.

This is a set of slides that someone put together for a presentation on the DTG program.
http://www.putonthearmoroflight.com/2010/08/new-young-men-duty-to-god-program.html

Here is another article written about the new Duty to God program. It breaks down each section and each activity very nicely. It talks about how the new DTG program focuses on plan, act and share.
http://bystudyandfaith.net/2010/08/new-duty-to-god/

The Mormon Church has also updated their website with a bunch of new Videos and a PDF Copy of the new DTG booklet.
http://lds.org/dutytogod/

This is a direct link to the “Materials” page of the LDS website for DTG. You will find the links to the PDF file, videos, Q&A.
http://lds.org/dutytogod/materials.html

This is a direct link to the “Implementation video for you men, parents, and leaders. It is a WMV file.
http://broadcast.lds.org/aaronic-priesthood/duty-to-god/2010-05-1010-overview-128k-eng.wmv

This is a direct link to the “Implementation video for Quroum presidencies. It is in WMV format.
http://broadcast.lds.org/aaronic-priesthood/duty-to-god/2010-05-1010-overview-128k-eng.wmv

Scout Camp

Clint — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 02:14:53 +0000

Most LDS Families participate in the Scouting Program in their individual wards. Each LDS Ward has their own troop and patrol. So, as one of those Mormon Families, we send our 12 to 14 year old boys up to Scout Camp. We happen to go to Camp Bradley Idaho for camp. At camp, the young men earn merit badges and have a chance to “rough it” for a week.

Each year the Stake Young Mens Presidency goes up and feeds all of the scouts from our stake. I have had the privilage to go up 3 times now and do just that. When I’m up there, I usually try to encourage my son to finish off his merit badges and sometimes we do something fun.

This year I decided to make a little video commercial. It was fun to make and will be a great memory of Scout Camp. This is a Spoof of the Old Spice Commercial that you may have seen on the internet or on TV. Make sure you take a look at the bloopers too.

Internet Sites

Clint — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:38:05 +0000

My Mom just sent me this long list of websites that have references to Mormons. I havn’t checked them all out yet but they look interesting. If you have some time and you want to surf around some Mormon Help Sites, give a few of these sites a tumble (as Dennis Miller would say).

FAMILY HOME EVENING

www.ayearoffhe.blogspot.com – FHE

www.fheinasnap.blogspot.com -FHE

www.fheplanner.blogspot.com – FHE -link to – www.youpublish.com

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

PRIMARY

www.christysclipart.com – Primary music, Primary, YW, RS

www.emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries, handouts

www.jackandjillofalltrades.blogspot.com – YW, Primary, celebrations

www.latterdaychatter.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries lesson aides, cute handouts

www.ldsactivitydayideas.blogspot.com – activity days

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.wendy’sactivities.blogspot.com – activity days

PRIMARY MUSIC

www.basicprimarymusic.blogspot.com

www.beehivemessages.blogspot.com – Primary music, YW girl’s camp

www.christysclipart.com – Primary music, Primary, YW, RS

www.emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries, handouts

www.jollyjenn.com

www.primarysingingtimeideas.blogspot.com

www.primarysingingtimewithmatilda.blogspot.com

www.thechildrensing.blogspot.com

PRINTABLES – DIGITAL PAPER

www.pinkigloodesigns.blogspot.com – digital paper

www.steadfast-and-immovable.blogspot.com – YW handouts, digital scrapbooking

www.summertimedesigns.blogspot.com – digital paper

RELIEF SOCIETY

www.christysclipart.com – Primary music, Primary, YW, RS

www.emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries, handouts

www.enrichmentcottage.com – RS activities, crafts, recipes, homemaking, humor

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

SELF RELIANCE

www.plentyofpicnics.blogspot.com – self reliance, storage, bible stories

www.preparednotscared.blogspot.com -preparedness, planners

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

VISITING TEACHING

www.alittletipsy.com – YW, VT, gifts, tutorials

www.emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries, handouts

www.latterdaychatter.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries lesson aides, cute handouts

www.ldshandouts.blogspot.com – YW, VT

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.visitingteachingblog.blogspot.com – VT

www.visitingteachingsurprise.blogspot.com – VT

www.visitingteachingtips.blogspot.com – VT

YOUNG WOMAN

www.alittletipsy.com – YW, VT, gifts, tutorials

www.beehivemessages.blogspot.com – Primary music, YW girl’s camp

www.christysclipart.com – Primary music, Primary, YW, RS

www.emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries, handouts

www.jackandjillofalltrades.blogspot.com – YW, Primary, celebrations

www.jillsldsyw.blogspot.com – YW

www.latterdaychatter.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries lesson aides, cute handouts

www.ldshandouts.blogspot.com – YW, VT

www.papercakesandicing.blogspot.com – YW lesson aides $$

www.steadfast-and-immovable.blogspot.com – YW handouts, digital scrapbooking

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

OTHER – CRAFTS / SEWING

www.alittletipsy.com – YW, VT, gifts, tutorials

www.controllingmychaos.com – recipe cards, crafts

www.deckthehalls-christmas.blogspot.com – craft ideas

www.enrichmentcottage.com – RS activities, crafts, recipes, homemaking, humor

www.jackandjillofalltrades.blogspot.com – YW, Primary, celebrations

www.makingitfun.blogspot.com – sewing, tutorials

www.mormonchic.com – gospel, recipes, mommy, style, crafty, healthy, deals

www.plentyofpicnics.blogspot.com – self reliance, storage, Bible stories

www.preparednotscared.blogspot.com -preparedness, planners

www.skiptomylou.org – crafts, recipes, teacher appreciation

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.thecottagehome.blogspot.com – sewing tutorial

www.theideaattic.blogspot.com

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.thequiltingdiaries.blogspot.com – quilting ideas

www.threebears.wordpress.com – sewing tutorials

OTHER – MISCELLANEOUS

www.christmasintheair.blogspot.com – Christmas stories

www.educationaltoysplanet.com – wooden toys

www.etsy.com – shopping

www.executivehomemaker.com – kids, parties, holidays, gifts

www.family.go.com – Disney site

www.lds.about.com – 150 wrappers for Life Savers

www.mormonchic.com – gospel, recipes, mommy, style, crafty, healthy, deals

www.mycreativestirrings.blogspot.com – ideas

www.partiesandholidays.blogspot.com – lots and lots of ideas

www.room-mom101.blogspot.com – lots and lots of ideas

www.skiptomylou.org – crafts, recipes, teacher appreciation

www.wonderwoman.blogspot.com

ALL AUXILLIARIES

www.emmasplacetobe.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries, handouts

www.jackandjillofalltrades.blogspot.com – YW, Primary, celebrations

www.latterdaychatter.blogspot.com – all auxiliaries lesson aides, cute handouts

www.lds.com.about – clip art, visuals

www.ldshandouts.blogspot.com – YW, VT

www.mormonshare.com – all auxiliaries, clip art, activities, primary talks

www.plentyofpicnics.blogspot.com – self reliance, storage, Bible stories

www.sugardoodle.net – all auxiliaries, much stuff

www.theideadoor.com – all auxiliaries, much stuff

Grandpa and Grandma Carter

Clint — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:37:03 +0000

As many people know, Mormon Families and LDS Families do a lot of genealogy. For some reason, genealogy hasn’t really been a focus for me yet in life, however, I do like dabbling a little in family history when it has to do with pictures and audio. That is the reason I am posting this excerpt today.

My Dad brought over a CD the other day and wanted me to copy it for a family reunion we were having in a couple of weeks. He said it had some audio of my Grandpa Carter and Grandma Carter. I knew my Grandpa Carter so the minute I heard Melvin William Carter’s voice, a flood of memories came into my head. I could quickly picture him in my mind and I remembered his mannerisms. As I listened, I then heard a short clip of my Grand Mother Birdie Ione Carter. I don’t remember hearing her voice before. I didn’t ever know Grandma Birdie Ione Carter because she died about the time I was born. I’ve seen some pictures of her but never any audio so this was quite a treat to hear her voice. I have listened to this audio over and over again to get a sense of who she was and to get a feel for her background. It is really interesting to hear her accent. To me she has an Idaho accent. There are certain words that just come with a little bit of a twang and some of the words are slurred together to shorten a sentence. For some reason I always thought of Grandma Carters as a very prim and proper woman which didn’t laugh or tease but this audio shows her more of a fun lady with jokes and stories to color life’s experiences.

I decided to grab a few still pictures of Mel Carter and Birdie Ione and put them together with the audio and uploaded it to YouTube. For those of you who are not related, it isn’t very intersting, but for those of you who are related to the Carter Family, you might enjoy the clips I’ve edited.

A couple of the most famous clips I have added are told by Grandpa Mel Carter about some stories he memorized (recitations) when he was younger. First is his account of learning the Alphabet Backwards, the second is the story of the Cremation of Sam McGee.

Wass Up Video

Clint — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:02:57 +0000

A while ago I pulled out my Flip Video and did a re-enactment of the Wass Up Commercial. I scripted out all of the parts, took the video clips and spliced them all together. Little did I know that I had put so many little references to the Mormon Church in the video. At the beginning, my daughter answers the phone. If you look close, she is sitting on our couch and the Mormon Temple in Logan is in the background. Then, as my part comes into play, I noticed that I have a BYU hat on. Both of my daughters are drinking caffeine free soda. One of the soda cans isn’t even open. It is funny that I just now noticed. So, here is our little LDS Family doing our own version of the Wass Up Commercial.

Anyway, enjoy the little video.

New Duty to God Program

Clint — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:05:40 +0000

The LDS Church just came out with a NEW Duty to God Program. I’m just now starting to read through the requirements. The New DTG booklet is way different than the old booklet. As I read through the requirements, I’ll let you know if the similarities and the differences.

The first major difference I found was that all 3 sections of the Duty To God program are all bound together. There are no longer 3 separate books. The Deacons, Teachers and Priests sections are all bound together by a spiral binding. So, each young man will have one book for all 6 years of his Aaronic Priesthood years.

The Deacons Duty to God section is split up into 3 categories. Spiritual Strength, Priesthood Duties, For the Strength of Youth. In each category there are requirements to follow. For example for the Spiritual Strength category there are 3 requirements which include a “Learn” section, “Act” section, and “Share” Section. At the end of each category, there is a “Review” section that allows the Young Man to talk about what they have learned while working on these items in their lives. For example, the first requirement is entitled “Pray and Study the Scriptures”. The Deacon is then given several scriptures to read and advised to make a list of words and phrases that describe how he should approach studying and what blessings will come from studying the scriptures. He would then “ACT” and develop a habit of regular prayer and scripture study. There is a section where he can write down this goal. Then, at the end of this section the Deacon is invited to “Share” what he has learned with a family member of church leader to strengthen his testimony.

One of my first questions was, “What do we do with Aaronic Priesthood holders that are more than half way through the old program?” A number of questions just like this one have been answered in a memo that was sent out several months ago. This memo is also available on the LDS website. Here is the link to Commonly Asked Questions. In general, the answer is that young men can continue in the old program until the program has been fully implemented in their Ward or Stake. From what I understand, if they are close to finishing, they can continue with the old program and finish what they were working on and then move into the new DTG program. That is not the official church policy but it is what I understand. You will need to go to the DTG website to get the exact wording.

As I learn more, I’ll post more information.

Family Activities

Clint — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:46:10 +0000

I’m always thinking of ways that our family can create lasting memories of their childhood. I’m not very good at it but I do try to make fun activities that our kids will remember when they are older. As a Mormon Family, we try to do activities that will bring us together and will unite us and help us have more love for each other.

My two latest activities for our little LDS Family were a hike to Auger Falls and our attempt to fly kites. The Auger Falls hike wasn’t that successful but I am sure all of the kids will remember our failed attempt for many years. Not only that, it was a good practice hike for when we travel to Wyoming and visit Martin’s Cove later next month. You will see from the video’s that we would not have been very good pioneers.

Below is the little video I took of the girls flying kites. I’m ashamed to say that they have never flown kites before. Once I found out that they hadn’t, we went to Kings, and bought kits and flew them the same day. We had a great time. The girls even mentioned that flying kites was better than going swimming. That’s pretty high praise for two avid swimmers.

When to use “Mormon”

Clint — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:15:19 +0000

I follow a blog called LDS Media Talk which talks about many technology issues and announcements from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Because I write on this website that is titled LDS Family.net I have always wondered when I should be using Mormon, Mormons, LDS, Latter Day Saints, LDS Church, Mormon Church and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I really would not like to leave out the fact that it is The Church of Jesus Christ, but it is really heard to use the full name of the church every time I want to refer to my faith or my beliefs. It is so much easier to just say that I am a Mormon or I belong to the LDS Church. Well, the Newsroom Blog has posted a nice article about when would be appropriate to use each of these terms and why. Here is the article entitled, “Using the Term “Mormon”“.

I guess the bottom line is that it’s ok to use the term “Mormons” in referring to Church members, but don’t use “Mormon Church” as a substitute for the “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” It makes sense that many people that aren’t aware of the official name of the church. What they do know and recognize is the name Mormon. So, when members and non-members go searching for information on the internet, it looks like “Mormon” is one of those identifying words the helps them find LDS content.

Role Models

Clint — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:05:22 +0000

Last weekend my wife and daughters had the opportunity to attend a dance production put on by “The Fab 5“. This group of dancers where on a TV show called America’s Got Talent. These 5 ladies made it all the way to the finals solely on their clogging talent. Follow this link to watch one of there performances while on America’s Got Talent. This was very exciting for the little cloggers in our house, so, to go see them live, was a special treat. There are some wonderful things about these 5 ladies. They are all sisters, they are all Mormons (members of the LDS Church), they wear modest outfits, they are all married, and they are cloggers. What great role models for our little girls.

After the performance our girls were able to meet all of the members of the Fab 5 and my wife took some pictures with her phone.

They had a wonderful time. I am so thankful that there are successful LDS women out there in the world that are doing their best to be good examples and role models to the young women of the Church.