Helping siblings to love one another

It has been a very long time since I have updated this blog.  So much has happened in the last 15 and half months.  last week was spring break, and over the week end was one of my favorite times, General Conference.  I love the spiritual high I get from listening to the loving messages from our prophet and church leaders.  I love coming away from conference feeling uplifted and encouraged.  I truly believe no matter what religion you are the key is to walk away feeling like you have a renewed conviction to be better that you have hope to be better.  Nobody is perfect except for our beloved Savior Jesus Christ.  We are not expected to be perfect but we are expected to strive for perfection by trying a little harder everyday to be a little better then you were the day before.  I have come away wanting to be a little better.I want to use my blog to help share my thoughts and feelings about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To share the little things I am doing with my family to strengthen them I also hope to share a little more about each of them. It will take me a little while to get caught up but with baby steps and small goals one at a time I will be able to achieve this.

Today in my scripture study I read:
Mosiah 4:4 - 4:15

Mosiah 4:4 And king Benjamin again opened his mouth and began to speak unto them, saying: My friends and my brethren, my kindred and my people, I would again call your attention, that ye may hear and understand the remainder of my words which I shall speak unto you.

Mosiah 4:5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state--

Mosiah 4:6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body--

Mosiah 4:7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.

Mosiah 4:8 And this is the means whereby salvation cometh. And there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you.

Mosiah 4:9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.

Mosiah 4:10 And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

Mosiah 4:11 And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel.

Mosiah 4:12 And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.

Mosiah 4:13 And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.

Mosiah 4:14 And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin, or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.

Mosiah 4:15 But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.

Oh how I needed to here this.  Both Heavenly father and Jesus love us the want to help us.  The want us to succeed they will help us along the way.  I don't know why but today has been one of those day where my children have been fighting all day long.  I have heard many mean things said just to try and hurt the other sibling.  After reading this I came up with a fun little Family Home evening lesson we are going to have tonight.  We were suppose to do FHE last night and it was suppose to include preparing the garden beds we are making this year for a new veritable garden.  It was very cold and rainy then the wind started so Eric did not pick up the railroad ties and we decided to push it off until the weather is decent. (which is not today) so instead I came up with this we are learning about saying nice things to each other.

We will start out with a tube of toothpaste and a clear disposable cup.  then I am going to have each child take a turn squeezing out the toothpaste while I repeat some of the mean comments I have heard them say to one another. When all the toothpaste is out I am going to ask them to please put the toothpaste pack in the tube.  Then I will explain how just like we can not put the toothpaste back we can not take back the mean and hurtful things we say to one another. then we are going to try an experiment I read about. http://2-our-healthy-hearts.com/id89.html We are taking two jars that are identical and filling each up with the same amount of white rice (no butter or salt added) one will be labeled love and we will list 5 or 6 loving phases on this jar. The other will be labeled hate here we will list 5 or 6 hateful things on it. Everyday everyone will pick up each jar one at a time and walk into the laundry room where they will say the things on the jar to the rice.  then they will bring the jar back and set it next to the other on my little bakers rack.  We will then watch over time what happens to these two jars of rice and see how the change.  I will take pictures and post them latter.  This is my hope that the children will realize how much the things they say effect each other.

Tomorrow I will start with my first individual update. I think I will start with my Ryan and work my way from youngest to oldest.