Using Heirloom Accessories to Teach Kids Family History

When did you start to love family history…..or do you? Hearing the words “genealogy” makes some church members want to run the other direction, quickly. My love of family history started when I was a kid. Without realizing it, I grew to love it thanks to the subtle influences of heirloom accessories and furniture that surrounded me each day.

Our magazine rack had once been my grandparents’ corn grinder. The wooden telephone booth in the den had a real working phone…an antique with a mouthpiece attached to the box mounted on the wall and a separate handheld receiver. My great-grandmother had crocheted doilies that adorned mom’s dresser and the player piano had belonged to my grandmother.

Was my home full of heirloom accessories and antiques? No, but there were enough items around the house that helped me connect with the past. My parents often told me the history or use of the funny looking pieces, which helped me appreciate their worth. The furniture and accessories were family keepsakes, displayed with honor or used with care. Vintage furnishings are great history teachers.

Photos are another fabulous way to teach kids family history as they elicit questions like, “Who is this? How am I related? Why are they wearing those shoes…or not wearing shoes? Why are they not smiling? How come the pictures aren’t in color? Look at that funny hat….or funny car! Did grandpa like horses? Where’s the TV?”

Photo albums with old family photos were always within easy reach but I specifically remember one visit from my grandmother (I was 17) when she brought a box full of old photos. At one point as she and my mother looked through the box, my grandmother pulled out a photo of her mother taken at age 17….and remarked how much I looked like her. Each time I see that photo I not only fondly remember my grandmother’s visit, I feel a connection to my great-grandmother.

Do you have toys from your childhood stored in the closet? What about clothing or favorite books? Display these in kid’s rooms! (Might need to be on the top shelves or framed when kids are little and don’t understand ‘no’.) Talk about what you did, the toys, games, and books you loved when you were their age. Touching the toys or seeing the dolls makes your history real to your kids.

Look around your home. I bet you have more heirloom accessories than you realized. Be sure to learn the stories behind the keepsakes and write them down before you forget. It is amazing how details fade over the years. If you start when your kids are small and share stories of family treasures, the love of family history will become part of their lives……and they won’t run when someone says, “genealogy.”

(For more on teaching kids to love family history, see the September posts on KidSpace Stuff Blog.)

Watch for next month’s post: Safety in Baby, Toddler, and Kid’s Bedrooms.

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Jeanette Simpson, ASID is an Interior Designer and owner of KidSpace Interiors where she specializes in commercial and residential design of children’s spaces. A graduate of Brigham Young University, an author, and furniture designer, Jeanette is mother of six, stepmother of five, and grandmother of 17. Read more of her articles on her KidSpace Stuff blog.

I'm A Mormon!

Bet you thought that was a no-brainer.

Yes, I am. But that really wasn't what I was talking about.

Have you seen the "I'm a Mormon" initiative?  Have you visited mormon.org lately?


I did.  And I filled out my profile.  Rumor has it that I'm the only in my ward who's done it so far.  I hope I'm soon followed by lots of others.  Have you filled out yours?

Mine's kind of boring.  After I wrote it, I surfed around for a while.  Our fellow Mormons are some pretty amazing people.  Watch some of those videos.  How cool are we?

Oh, you can watch and share some of these video profiles on Facebook, too.

Setting up my profile has been on my to-do list for a long time.  But I put it off.  Other than this blog, I don't always talk a lot in print about my faith.  I need to do it more.  For me, this was a good first step.  Now I'll be adding it to my about.me profile, where people go to learn about me personally and professionally online.  I've decided I need to be more proactive.  It wasn't hard.  It only took me about 20 minutes or so.

Now I realize I need to go out and do more interesting things in my life.

Having pretty much always lived in areas where there were lots of other Mormons around, I was surprised at how many people don't know any Mormons and about how much misinformation there is about people of our faith (well, sort surprised, but not entirely because I've fielded some pretty odd questions over the years).

Have you done it?  If you have, share the link to your profile in the comments section below.  I'd love to see your profile, get to know you and learn why the gospel is important in your life.

If you haven't, go take a few minutes today and tell the world why you're a Mormon, too.  Oh, and by the way, encourage your teens, too.  If they are 14 or older, they can create their own profile.  If you're worried about privacy, it's first names only.  And all of the profiles are reviewed before they go live.

Happy Friday!

Trust in the Lord

I don’t know about you, but there’s something about being a woman that is so disagreeable to me (at times). The fact that my hormones and emotions can be destabilized in a matter of days, or even moments, seems so unfair. And I’m not even going to touch pregnancy or menopause (not that I’ve been through menopause...).

So why do we have to deal with the roller coaster that happens monthly or more frequently for some? Because the Lord wants us to learn to depend on Him.

I can feel when I start to go out of whack - my insecurities surface way too easily for my liking and I think the world hates me. Just this morning, after checking Facebook, I questioned whether or not I even had friends. Or if I did, why they chose to not keep in touch with me, never mind that I don’t call them. I could feel other thoughts popping up and I fought to keep them away. I sat there pondering what I should do next. My scriptures came to mind and for once I acted on that thought. I wondered what the Lord would say to me about my so-called friends and why they didn’t like me (irrational thoughts were still lurking around, mind you).

Only the day before had my husband encouraged me to start over my reading of the Book of Mormon. I agreed, somewhat reluctantly, worried that I might get tired of it (another irrational thought). So in today’s study the thought I came away with was that “the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Nephi 1:20).

In pondering that, how did it apply to me? Knowing that I was going to have a rough few days with these lovely, irrational thoughts and feelings, the words “tender mercies” stood out as important. Gosh, I sure needed some of those. The next thing of value was the word “faith.” Ok, trust in the Lord. And lastly, “make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.” I was taking that pretty literally, knowing the storyline of what happened between Lehi and his family, but also Nephi and Laban. So I didn’t think I needed any deliverance, until I thought that sometimes those irrational thoughts can be pretty powerful, binding and unmerciful. Thus the need for deliverance.

Who doesn’t want that?

Seriously. Womanhood is a glorious thing, we are taught to cherish it. How can we cherish it if we don’t allow the Lord to help us? I know so many who battle with depression, who have various day-to-day struggles or those who just have a bad day. Any challenge we have we must confront with the Lord.

I wish I can say I do this often, but I don’t. But without becoming humble and asking for the Lord’s help, we’ll keep floundering. He has angels waiting to attend us. Let’s not keep them.

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About Sarah:  Sarah is a stay-at-home mom to her adorable baby boy, who is growing up much too quickly and sugar momma to her hardworking husband of two years. She works for a local paper once a month and enjoy socializing, crafts and music. You can read more of Sarah at her blogs  http://thejrsrfamily.blogspot.com/ and http://sarahbeu.blogspot.com/ but I'm really hoping she likes us and decides to share posts with us on a regular basis.

Come Serve in the Lord's Vineyard

We need you.

More specifically, the Lord needs you to work in his vineyard. 

Well, not quite literally, but as followers of the gospel, you know that the Lord often used metaphor and imagery to teach his followers.

Today, we have a website called "The Vineyard" full of wonderful opportunities to put our talents to work building the church of Jesus Christ.  You can find it here.  You can also get there at any time by clicking the button that looks like the one below over on the right side of our site.

There are all kinds of amazing opportunities on this site, needs to be filled by the talents possessed by the members of his church.  You didn't think you were blessed with those amazing talents just because, did you?  The Lord knew he was going to need you.

And even cooler, it's all online.  You don't even have to leave your computer to help build the kingdom.

Right now, the church is working on a HUGE project to translate Teachings of the Living Prophets into 31 different languages.  And they need your help to get it done.  If you will go and visit the Vineyard and visit the page for this project--it's right here-- you can see all the different languages.  If you can read and write any of these languages, click up at the top of the page and you will be blessed to be a part of this project.

And even if you don't speak any of those languages, well, go back out to the Vineyard's home page and see what other projects they have going on that you can be a part of.  

Unfortunately, I don't read or write any of the 31 languages that are currently part of this project.  

But the Vineyard does need photographers and I am pretty darn good at that.  Guess where I'll be volunteering. . . .

Is this cool or what?  We don't have to wait for an official calling or an assignment to serve.  We can put our talents to work right now.  If you aren't sure how to get started, go here first and it will walk you through step by step.  Oh, and by the way, you don't even have to be a Mormon to participate at the Vineyard.

So, what are you waiting for already?  Go to the Vineyard and get started!

Remembering. . . and looking forward

As I thought about this anniversary--and what it means to so many people, I decided to look back also.  


These are the words of President Gordon B. Hinckley from the General Conference of the LDS church in October of 2011.


The first part is taken from his Sunday morning remarks and the second from his remarks at the close of the conference. 

Now, brothers and sisters, we must do our duty, whatever that duty might be. Peace may be denied for a season. Some of our liberties may be curtailed. We may be inconvenienced. We may even be called on to suffer in one way or another. But God our Eternal Father will watch over this nation and all of the civilized world who look to Him. He has declared, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Ps. 33:12). Our safety lies in repentance. Our strength comes of obedience to the commandments of God.

Let us be prayerful. Let us pray for righteousness. Let us pray for the forces of good. Let us reach out to help men and women of goodwill, whatever their religious persuasion and wherever they live. Let us stand firm against evil, both at home and abroad. Let us live worthy of the blessings of heaven, reforming our lives where necessary and looking to Him, the Father of us all. He has said, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).

Are these perilous times? They are. But there is no need to fear. We can have peace in our hearts and peace in our homes. We can be an influence for good in this world, every one of us.

May the God of heaven, the Almighty, bless us, help us, as we walk our various ways in the uncertain days that lie ahead. May we look to Him with unfailing faith. May we worthily place our reliance on His Beloved Son who is our great Redeemer, whether it be in life or in death, is my prayer in His holy name, even the name of Jesus Christ, amen.  

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Our safety lies in the virtue of our lives. Our strength lies in our righteousness. God has made it clear that if we will not forsake Him, He will not forsake us. He, watching over Israel, slumbers not nor sleeps (seePs. 121:4).

And now as we close this conference, even though we shall have a benediction, I should like to offer a brief prayer in these circumstances:

O God, our Eternal Father, Thou great Judge of the Nations, Thou who art the governor of the universe, Thou who art our Father and our God, whose children we are, we look to Thee in faith in this dark and solemn time. Please, dear Father, bless us with faith. Bless us with love. Bless us with charity in our hearts. Bless us with a spirit of perseverance to root out the terrible evils that are in this world. Give protection and guidance to those who are engaged actively in carrying forth the things of battle. Bless them; preserve their lives; save them from harm and evil. Hear the prayers of their loved ones for their safety. We pray for the great democracies of the earth which Thou hast overseen in creating their governments, where peace and liberty and democratic processes obtain.

O Father, look with mercy upon this, our own nation, and its friends in this time of need. Spare us and help us to walk with faith ever in Thee and ever in Thy Beloved Son, on whose mercy we count and to whom we look as our Savior and our Lord. Bless the cause of peace and bring it quickly to us again, we humbly plead with Thee, asking that Thou wilt forgive our arrogance, pass by our sins, be kind and gracious to us, and cause our hearts to turn with love toward Thee. We humbly pray in the name of Him who loves us all, even the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and our Savior, amen.

President Monson Blogs--How Cool is This?

I don't know if you've seen this yet, but it's worth a few minutes to read.

Elizabeth Tenety, the On Faith columnist from the Washington Post, invited religious leaders from around the world to share their thoughts about this 10th anniversary of 9/11.

One of the respondents who blogged for her was President Thomas S. Monson, who if you are one of our readers from another faith, is the president of the LDS Church.  You can read his post here.

Of Power Failures and Passing Trains

The choices we make determine our destiny."  --Thomas S. Monson

I've been thinking a lot about this this week.  As the mom of teens and young adults, you might imagine it is a frequent topic of conversation at our house--and you'd be right.

There have been a lot of news stories this week about consequences.  The anniversary of 9/11 is coming up this week (I already blogged about it here if you're interested).  An evil choice made consequences for all of us, some of them life-ending or life-altering.

There was a HUGE power outage in Southern California and beyond yesterday.  Apparently, someone decided to remove a piece of equipment he didn't think was working right.  That certainly had some consequences.  I hope one of them isn't that he has to find a new line of work.

Police here in Colorado found the body of a young woman who has been missing from our city for some months this week.  Her seemingly innocent choice to go out one night ended in the most tragic of consequences.  That one broke my heart.

The big story here this week, though, was train hopping.  I'm sure you've all heard it or read it because it made national news--over and over and over.  Four young college students decided to hop a passing freight train, supposedly to get to school one morning, and the young woman fell and had her legs severed by the train.  That one made me physically ill.  My first thought was, of course, for this poor girl; my second was for her poor mother getting that phone call—the one every mother dreads.

That is the story that prompted another choices-and-consequences discussion at our house this week (no, I did not specifically tell my children to avoid hopping freight trains—I just made them watch the news when they played the 9-1-1 tapes; I don't think it will be an issue).  We talk frequently with our kids about how they are free to choose; we can guide them, we can teach them, we can prompt them, we can push them, but in the end, they are the ones who choose their actions. BUT (and it's a BIG but), they don't get to choose the consequences. And, sadly, very often, they don't think about those consequences--at least not the negative ones--before they choose.

I'm pretty that sweet and beautiful 17-year-old girl never imagined for a moment that the result of her decision to hop the train instead of taking the bus (or carpooling or biking or however she normally got to school) would alter her life so profoundly.  And I'm sure her friends never imagined it, either. They'll be living with the consequences of that decision for the rest of their lives as well.  They may not carry the physical scars, but they will carry the emotional ones.

Have you read this with your kids lately? It might be a good time to pull out their For the Strength of Youth pamphlet.  In it we read that freedom of choice is a God-given, eternal principle that carries with it moral responsibilities for the choices made:

“While you are free to choose for yourself, you are not free to choose the consequences of your actions.  When you make a choice, you will receive the consequences of that choice.  The consequences may not be immediate, but they will always follow, for good or bad.”

Why is this such a hard principle for us to live with?  It isn’t going to change, yet we always try.  I know my teens aren’t the only ones at my house to have experienced some unforeseen consequences of ales-than-stellar choice, yet we don’t always choose the right.

How is it for you? Is this a principle you find yourself having to remind yourself about more than once?  Or are you one of the wise ones who knows better than to test an eternal law just in case it might suddenly change?

And one final thought from Richard G. Scott:  "You will have challenges and hard decisions to make throughout your life. Be determined now to always do what is right and let the consequence follow.  The consequence will always be for your best good." ("Do What is Right", Liahona, March 2001)

A Society of Holy Women

by Guest Contributor Sarah

It’s a new month - and last thing you want to think about is visiting teaching. But I just can’t get over the awesomeness of last month’s message. Not that they’re not all awesome, but this one in particular hit me smack dab in the center.

For those who didn’t hear or read the message, it’s entitled “A Society of Holy Women.” My favorite part is Eliza R. Snow's quote: “We shall have elevated aims, if we are holy women. We shall feel that we are called to perform important duties. No one is exempt from them. There is no sister so isolated, and her sphere so narrow but what she can do a great deal towards establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth.”

Do you hear that? You are all important! You each have a great work ahead of you in building the kingdom!

The message continues with this: “In our service a new dimension is added to our lives. We progress spiritually, and our sense of belonging, identity, and self-worth increases.”

I love that - because I know so many (including me at times) who struggle with a low sense of self-worth. We all have heard that if you’re feeling blue, serve someone. This is why, and as we belong to the holy sisterhood of Relief Society, there are so many opportunities to serve and become holy.

As my visiting teaching companion was sharing the message with our sisters, I remembered a talk by Sister Wendy Watson Nelson given at BYU-Idaho. I didn’t attend the meeting, but I heard about it. There is not audio or transcript, but the Church News published a story on the talk.

In the talk, Sis. Nelson spoke on the importance of becoming holy. She admonished the sisters present to choose one area in their lives where they could become more holy. She said it could be in the way you greet your husband when he comes home from work, or in the way you help your child or in the way you serve.

I’m sure we all have our areas and at times it may seem impossible to lead a Christ-like life. So ladies, let’s not eat the elephant whole, but rather bite by bite.

Ask yourself: In what area could I be more holy? My list is a mile long. But instead of getting overwhelmed, I understand this is the whole purpose and intention of the gospel - to reach my full potential. I get there through becoming holier each day, doing it the best I can.

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About Sarah:  Sarah is a stay-at-home mom to her adorable baby boy, who is growing up much too quickly and sugar momma to her hardworking husband of two years. She works for a local paper once a month and enjoy socializing, crafts and music. You can read more of Sarah at her blogs  http://thejrsrfamily.blogspot.com/ and http://sarahbeu.blogspot.com/ but I'm really hoping she likes us and decides to share posts with us on a regular basis.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.  And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  2 Nephi 12:2-3

Do it Anyway

Here's a little video put together by a friend of mine, with this lovely bit of prose from Mother Teresa.

I hope it gives you a little lift and a little motivation today.

Happy Weekend!