Tuesday, May 6, 2008

My FHE Blog...

I don't know how many of you know that I started blogging last year with an FHE blog. I was pretty good about it for a few months but, I started feeling like no one ever looked at it or even used the site really and so I fizzled out on it. It just didn't seem worth all of the effort. Well, in February I watched the Worldwide Leadership Training broadcast. They really put a strong push for FHE along with other things. But it really got that feeling going again in me that I needed to be working on Family Home Evening. I need to have those formal lessons and really would like to be doing with my website. Now, I really don't want anyone to feel like they have to do this, but I wanted to put it out there for anyone who would. Yesterday I got a comment on my blog from a really sweet lady asking me if I could up date my FHE blog. I sent her a message back telling her that I was going into the many reasons why I wasn't doing it right now (I am going into finals week and then I will have a 2 week break and then start taking my last 2 classes to get my associates degree, in the mean time going on a 2 week vacation and then coming home to finish up school and having 6 weeks to pack up so we can move to graduate school.) I am feeling like I have a full plate but, I really feel like our family needs to be doing better with Family Home Evening. I have been thinking for a long time that I wanted to find people who would like to do this FHE blog together with me. So, I asked the girl who commented about it if she would like to post a few FHE's and now I am going to put it out there for all of you. It you or anyone you know would be interested in being a contributor on my FHE blog I would love to talk about it with you/them. I was hoping that I could find between 3-7 women besides myself and that would make it so that we would only have to come up with a FHE lesson at the most once a month and maybe only once every two months. It would also give us more traffic over there and we could compile a list of Lessons that people would like to see. Now, keep in mind that the goal of my site was to give parents with small children (0-5) FHE ideas because I was having a hard time finding good ideas for kids this young. Anyway, let me know what you think.

8 comments:

Erika said...

I could contribute, but my lessons aren't normally as involved as the ones you posted. My husband is very simplistic about FHE's and not very supportive if I want to do something involved since he doesn't think our kids are old enough. So most of the time our FHE's are only about 10 minutes long. But Baby Dragon has started requesting that we have them, so they are good enough I guess. For instance, she has been having a hard time sitting for sharing time in Primary, so for FHE I lined up some stuffed animals and had her and my husband sit on little chairs and listen while I presented a short lesson using pictures from the Gospel Art Picture kit. The purpose wasn't necessarily the lesson, but the practice of sitting and listening, even if there is no direct eye contact from the teacher. Then I had my husband get up and share a scripture and then we put a few stuffed animals up by me and we sang the "Hello" song to them. Then Baby Dragon came up front to help "lead" the music. That was the end of our FHE. (with a closing song and prayer) So that's about as involved as we tend to be. If that's sort of what you are looking for then sign me up to contribute!

Perry Family said...

Sounds like a great idea! I actually need lots of help in that department! So glad you are doing it. Once I get the hang of how you do it, I would love to contribute!

Amanda said...

I'll do it, but mine aren't as involved as your either. I usually just follow the Primary Sharing Time schedule and use the same songs and ideas--and it it's my month for sharing time, I do my sharing time for the FHE. It'd motivate me to plan a better FHE, though, and give you a little more traffic, as you said. Count me in!

kitty said...

natalie,

I am so impressed that you are doing this. Isn't is interesting how you can have such a conviction about a spiritual practice? I have been feeling so "moved/impressed" to start a food storage/ preparedness blog. I hesitate because I'm not sure that anyone cares like I do. I commend you for your dedication to this - I'd love to steal ideas from you but I hesitate on contributing because I'm afraid my lessons will seem inadequate. Great idea.

jocelyn

kitty said...

Ok..... I'm going to embellish my comment a bit. I read through what Erika and Mandy said and I do just about exactly what they are both doing. My kids seem to do better with a short and sweet lesson. I'm no good at coming up with fun games or activities to reinforce the lesson. Besides, my first grader is surprising me around every corner by kissing boys at school and church - so then we have to have a lesson about that....... then the next week she drops a couple terrible words so we have to have a lesson on that. ect. ect. ect. I'd be a great resource for which FHE lessons DON"T work real well. ha ha ha

joce

April said...

I just found your site today and I am SOOOO excited to find it. I have two little girls ages 3 and 20 months. They are definately capable of sitting and learning a basic gospel doctrine, I just was never sure how to make it so simple. That's exactly what you have done...simplified the gospel topics. I can't wait to prepare my FHE's now. Keep doing your blog and I really hope you get contributions from others.

Elizabeth said...

I don't think I can contribute, but I have to say I found your FHE blog first and I love the lessons that are there right now. Thank you so much.

SunnyD said...

I just found this after a search...yeah! My friends and I started a relief society blog and we felt a need for an fhe section. Maybe we can combine efforts. We were each going to take one week a month so that every wed there was a new idea for the following monday. Let me know if you are interested in combining efforts and I'm sure we could help you fill your open spaces. :) My name is Sunny. Email me at sunnydwright@hotmail.com