Humanitarian Service Room

Deseret Industries

10740 Fairview, Boise

Tues, Weds. Thurs. from 10-2

Phone: 375-4681 ext.113.

The Service Room will be closed November 22-24 and the last two week of December beginning on the 16th.   If you have never worked a shift, then make the trip with us! Watch for an announcement soon.

Several weeks ago, Sister Stokes taught us about the great opportunities for service available through the Humanitarian Service Room.  I was stunned to learn how much good is done there!!  I assumed they just made quilts.  She shared the Church's great vision of caring for the poor and needy.  To see the worldwide efforts being made visit the Humanitarian Service page.

There are 20 Humanitarian Rooms in the Church.  We are fortunate to be so close to one.  Some time ago, the Church changed how some of these things were done.  For example, batting for quilts used to be shipped from Salt Lake City.  The shipping doubled the cost of the batting.  Now batting is purchased locally which allows the money once spent on shipping to stimulate local economies and provides for even more quilts to be made.  The tsunami in Japan offers another example.  Instead of shipping supplies from Salt Lake City, humanitarian funds were sent to stable regions near the affected area and used to purchase supplies locally.  This stimulated a local economy and provided familiar resources to those in need and opportunities for local members to serve each other. 

Almost all of the service offered through the Humanitarian Center will remain in our area.  We are to "love our neighbors" and care for the poor among us.  This provides so many more opportunities to serve!  All skill levels are needed.  If you can cut, glue, color, iron, fold, drive, package, or donate funds, then you can serve!  Supplies for projects can be picked up and then assembled at home as your schedule allows.  If you prefer to help finanically, they are funded through Humanitarian Donations (look on a tithing slip).  Donations of fabric, supplies, or finished projects can be sent to the Humanitarian Center by placing it in the DI trailer CLEARLY, CLEARLY marked HUMANITARIAN ROOM.

Serve together as a family!  Pick up projects to complete together during Christmas break or at a family reunion.

Current Needs from the Humanitarian Newsletter:

With Christmas around the corner, we are hoping to help area agencies to make Christmas a little brighter for the individuals they serve. Hygiene items, new bed pillows, diapers, wipes, baby items, small toys, underwear, socks and warm winter coats are just a few suggestions. If you would like to supply any of these items, they will be delivered throughout the area this season. 1,500 pounds of goods were given out in October and gratefully received by schools, homeless shelters, domestic abuse homes, family advocacy programs, medical and substance abuse treatment centers, learning and language facilities, refugees, families and individuals.

Here are a few stories Sister Stokes shared with us:

• A firefighter pulled two children from the bathtub because of a house fire.  They were wrapped in quilts until clothing became available. 
• Children removed from domestic abuse situations are given a new pair of pajamas and a new book to take with them on their first night away from home.
• Children in orphanages--which are fequently understaffed and underfunded--can go blind because of the lack of visual stimulation.  Wall hangings are made to protect their precious eyesight.
• Victims injured in car crashes who must wait for an ambulance can be covered in a quilt and protected until additonal help arrives. 
• At 18, children placed in foster care loose all financial resources and find themselves alone.  Arthur House was established by a couple who wanted to help these youth transition into the responsibility to provide for themselves.  They are frequently provided with pillows, blankets, towels, and other basic household items.
• School districts can request fleece jackets for children who repeatedly arrive at school without sufficent warm clothing in the winter.

These are just a few of the projects that are ongoing:

• School kits
• Toys
• File Folder games
• Balls made out of leftover scraps of fleece with 4 sides (football shaped) or round balls made our of 6 sides (square shaped)
• Puppets
• Bears with heart on the tummy--there is plenty of fabric available
• Orphanage clothing such as reversible dresses wtih a pocket doll
• Jing bell blocks made out of plastic canvas
• Wall hangings--panels are available to be quilted and sewn
• Fleece jackets
• Quilts for homeless shelters
• Hygiene kits for men and women
• Mentors for homless shelters and for a special program for refugees that have been sent here from countries like Russia, India, and Africa after 20 years in camps or have their lives in danger.  They are taught English and need help to adjust to life
• Pajamas and pillow cases for cancer patients
• Homemade diapers, baby cocoons, hats, etc for unwed mothers or mothers who are struggling to be mothers
• Special needs for children who are taken out of their homes for their safety such as pajamas, toys, clothing, books, blocks, etc

November Presidency Message

 This month we learned from two talks given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:  "You Are My Hands" (Ensign, May  2010) and "Providing in the Lord's Way" (Ensign, November 2011).
All of President Uchtdorf’s words are italicized. 

In “You Are My Hands” President Uchtdorf tells this story:

During the bombing of a city in World War II, a large statue of Jesus Christ was severely damaged.  When the townspeople found the statue among the rubble, they mourned because it had been a beloved symbol of their faith and of God’s presence in their lives.  Experts were able to repair most of the statue, but its hands had been damaged so severely that they could not be restored.  Some suggested that they hire a sculptor to make new hands, but others wanted to leave it as it was—a permanent reminder of the tragedy of war.  Ultimately, the statue remained without hands.  However, the people of the city added on the base of the statue of Jesus Christ a sign with these words:  “You are my hands.”

As Relief Society sisters we taught that “Charity Never Faileth”.  What is charity?  We often define it as the pure love of Christ.  What does that really mean?  Are we to love Christ purely?  Yes, but it is more than that.  We are to learn to love each other the way that our Savior loves us—purely, unfailingly, and completely.  As we learn to love others and see them through the eyes of our Savior, we receive the gift of charity.  We must pray for this gift.  With this in mind, let our hearts and hands be stretched out in compassion toward others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. As disciples of Jesus Christ, our Master, we are called to support and heal rather than condemn. We are commanded “to mourn with those that mourn” and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort.”^…This is the spirit of compassion: that we love others as ourselves, seek their happiness, and do unto them as we hope they would do unto us.

Love is what inspired our Heavenly Father to create our spirits; it is what led our Savior to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope.  As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to u-s. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, we read of Elijah and the widow of Zaraphath.  Elijah requested the widow to use her final meal and oil to make a small cake for him to eat and promised that if she did, “thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the curse of oil fail…”  In faith this sister heeded Elijah’s request and “the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.”  The blessing of a miraculous food supply for herself, her son, and the prophet was only provided after the widow offered a sacrifice to the Lord—a show of faith. 

There is a spiritual type for us in this story.  If we would receive help of the Lord, we must first offer a sacrifice to the Lord—evidence of our faith.  Knowing our limitations, the Lord requires a “willing heart”.  When we offer our willing heart, we open the way for the Lord to be our cruse of oil and our barrel of meal.  He never fails.  His strength is more than enough to make right every loss; every hurt; every missed opportunity; every sin on the condition of complete repentance.  Where our strength, wisdom, or capacity ends, we can be certain that His continues—infinitely and perfectly.

What can we do to be “His Hands” and show our faith?  It is to do His work.  This very hour there are many members of the Church who are suffering. They are hungry, stretched financially, and struggling with all manner of physical, emotional, and spiritual distress. They pray with all the energy of their souls for succor, for relief.  [Sisters], please do not think that this is someone else’s responsibility. It is mine, and it is yours. We are all enlisted. “All” means all—every [woman in this church], rich and poor, in every nation. In the Lord’s plan, there is something everyone can contribute. 

The prophetic promises and blessings of Church welfare, of providing in the Lord’s way, are some of the most magnificent and sublime the Lord has pronounced upon His children. He said, “If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually.”  Whether we are rich or poor, regardless of where we live on this globe, we all need each other, for it is in sacrificing our time, talents, and resources that our spirits mature and become refined.  This work of providing in the Lord’s way is not simply another item in the catalog of programs of the Church. It cannot be neglected or set aside. It is central to our doctrine; it is the essence of our religion. Brethren, it is our great and special privilege as priesthood holders to put the priesthood to work. We must not turn aside our hearts or our heads from becoming more self-reliant, caring better for the needy, and rendering compassionate service.

...As President J. Reuben Clark Jr. taught, “When the Savior came upon the earth he had two great missions; one was to work out the Messiahship, the atonement for the fall, and the fulfilment of the law; the other was the work which he did among his brethren and sisters in the flesh by way of relieving their sufferings.”  In a similar way, our spiritual progress is inseparably bound together with the temporal service we give to others…. The temporal is intertwined with the spiritual.

Holiday Traditions Share

Last night we enjoyed being together as sisters talking about holiday traditions that have been meaningful to us. Sister Walker, Sister Raleigh, Sister Sylvia, and Sister Strasser were kind enough to share some of their ideas.

This quote by Sister Cheryl C. Lant in the April 2008 General Conference helps us realize how important traditions are and what kind of traditions we should focus on creating:

Each of us has traditions in our families. Some of them are material. Some of them have deep meaning. The most important traditions are connected with the way we live our lives and will last beyond us as our children’s lives are influenced and shaped. ...

What kinds of traditions do we have? Some of them may have come from our fathers, and now we are passing them along to our own children. Are they what we want them to be? Are they based on actions of righteousness and faith? Are they mostly material in nature, or are they eternal? Are we consciously creating righteous traditions, or is life just happening to us? Are our traditions being created in response to the loud voices of the world, or are they influenced by the still, small voice of the Spirit? Are the traditions that we are creating in our families going to make it easier for our children to follow the living prophets, or will they make it difficult for them?

Sister Walker:

Presidents Day

• display pictures of different United States Presidents and talk about them throughout the month

Halloween

• Witchelina is a fun way her daughter celebrates Halloween with her family. The days leading up to the holiday they read scriptures about different traits they would like to work on. On Halloween Eve they have a yummy dinner with all the FUN Halloween food you can make. Witchelina is a fun way to take the scary out of Halloween.
• Reverse Trick or Treating - take a plate of goodies to someone instead of having them give you treats

Thanksgiving

• Read books that teach the meaning of the holiday
• Invite single sisters or missionaries to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with them
• Pass a bowl of corn around, every one takes two kernels and tells two things they are thankful for
• One year they reenacted the Thanksgiving story. Someone dressed up as the king of England, they talked about why the pilgrims lefts England. An old scout canoe was filled with the kids and carried across the ocean (the road) to the Americas (Grandma Walkers). Once there they had some Indians teach the kids how to plant food and then had their big feast. That year they cooked a pit turkey.

Christmas

• 12 Days of Christmas
• Matching PJ's
• One year Grandma Walker made 12 matching polyester dresses (it was very memorable)
• Aunts made toy boxes for their oldest sons - they still sit in their family room today.
• Read Christmas books to teach the meaning of the holiday
• Make an ornament for each child, each year - when they move away from home they can take all their ornaments with them to decorate their tree.
• Burn a Christmas countdown candle - at dinner time it is fun to turn the lights off and listen to pretty Christmas music while the candle burns
• Family History Binders - each year she has her kids send her a letter summarizing their year along with some pictures of their families. She copies them, puts them into sheet protectors and and then into three ring binders. Each family gets a copy for Christmas. This has been a very special thing for their family, the kids love looking at the books and reading what their cousins have been up to the past year. It is also a great way to keep a family history.
• Acting out the Nativity - this is everyone's favorite
  • one way to do this is to have EVERYONE draw a part, that way each year someone does something different.

Sister Raleigh

Sister Raleigh has had the opportunity to live in a variety of places, because she has moved often she has spent a lot of her holidays alone. Many of her holidays have been spent working so other people could have the day off with their families. She said that sweet blessings have come even though she hasn't always had family close by during the holidays and that Heavenly Father has a way of blessing us even when we can't do what we want to be doing.

Thanksgiving

• Invite people to join you for dinner
  • when they lived in Arabia their table had a diverse group of people sitting around it. Many of these people were from all over the world and brought some kind of food from their country.
  • She also told of a very sweet Thanksgiving she had in Hawaii with her niece and her nieces roommates.

Christmas

• Giving books as a gift (she got this idea from Grandma Dille). Each year she gives her grandchildren a book with their name and the date written inside. Some examples of books she has given are:
  • church books
  • primary song theme books (I Hear The Saviors Voice)
  • Mrs. Piggle Wiggles Magic (a fun one she enjoyed as a child)
  • picture books of visits she has had with them (made on the Shutterfly website)

• Christmas stockings - almost all of her grandchildren have received a cross-stitched Christmas stocking from her. They are beautiful and treasured by each of her children and grandchildren.

Sister Sylvia

Thanksgiving:

• Thankful tree - they pick a big wall in their house and place a big tree cut from paper on it. Each of the kids trace their hands on paper and cut those out. Then throughout the month they write things they are thankful for and put the hand prints on the wall.
• They have Thanksgiving dinner at her parents house every year. They take turns telling things they are grateful for.

Christmas:

• Christmas books they look through during the month
• scripture/thought/activity flip book
• countdowns (if you want to make your own make sure one block has these numbers: 0,1,2,6,8,7 and the other block has these numbers: 0,1,2,3,4,5)           
• every year she (and her kids) make an ornament, one for each kid, each of her siblings, nieces and nephews and grandparents. When her kids move away they will each get to take their ornaments with them so they can decorate their own tree.
• Plethora tree - she hangs ALL the homemade ornaments on this tree and has a smaller tree she can decorate with a theme.
• Christmas gifts
  • a stocking (from Santa) and 3 gifts - something they WANT, something they NEED and something to TREASURE
  • This simplifies Christmas a lot and also makes it a little easier on the pocket book

Sister Strasser

Thanksgiving:

• They spend the family home evening before Thanksgiving talking about being grateful

Christmas

• Try to take a plate of goodies and go caroling to their each of their neighbor. This has been a good way to get to know their neighbors
• Each Christmas they try to help a family in need by dropping off Christmas presents anonymously. She said it has been good for their kids to spend some of what they would have spent on themselves on someone else.
• One set of Grandparents has tried to have an activity that is memorable before Christmas rather than give a wrapped present. This last year the rode the train to Horseshoe Bend - the kids loved it and still remember that fun event!
• Their Christmas Eve are spent at home with just their little family, they try to make the evening a spiritual one and save the presents and other things for Christmas morning.

Sister Olsen

Her daughter-in-law has a fun tradition with a little elf named Mr. Peeps, he comes to their house on Thanksgiving night and stays with them until Christmas Eve. Here is the poem that comes with Mr. Peeps:

Christmas is approaching, and this is the day
Santa has sent Mr. Peeps to your house to stay.
He sent this small elf to your house and mine.
Soon after Thanksgiving, He must be on time.
Mr. Peeps has a purpose. His purpose will be,
To whisper to Santa all the good that he sees.
Soon after he gets here, he moves only at night
To high places, low places, he stays in plain sight.
In the kitchen, for instance, he sits high on a shelf.
Mr. Peeps can sit anywhere, for he is an elf.
He holds very still when he thinks you are watching.
His magic is precious, it fades upon touching.
He sits on the tree on Christmas Eve day.
He knows that Santa is soon on his way.
He waits and he waits without making a noise.
He waits until Santa arrives with the toys.
So you better be nice and mind what you say
Because Mr. Peeps will tell Santa when he comes with his sleigh.
Once Christmas is here and Santa has come,
Mr. Peeps must leave, for his job is well done.
But, he will return next year on the very same day,
To watch your behavior as you work and play.

If you are looking for a Mr. Peeps who could spend the holidays with you Sister Westover ordered some from Oriental Trading and will have a few extra. Contact her if you are interested. Also this website is all about the little elf tradition: http://www.elfontheshelf.com/Home.aspx

Sister L. Hansen

A big part of their holiday traditions include FOOD! (I think this is a big part of every families traditions!)

Sister K. Bergquist

At their Christmas dinners they set and place for Christ - this helps them remember who this holiday is really about.

Other ideas (I can't remember who mentioned them):

• Christmas Stocking for Jesus - each year they write down on paper what they want to do better on in the next year, they place these notes in the stocking and open them each Christmas Eve to see how well they have done.
• Gift Giving Idea: 3 gifts - something to READ, something to PLAY WITH and something to WEAR

At the activity we made our own "Thankful Trees" here is the link to where we got the idea.

We also enjoyed cinnamon and orange rolls, hot chocolate and wassail. Some sisters mentioned they wanted the wassail recipe so here it is:

Hot Wassail (Sister K. Bergquist)

1 gal apple cider

2 (48 oz) pineapple juice

2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. whole cloves

2-3 cinnamon sticks

Mix in kettle. Boil 5 minutes. Serve hot.

All of these ideas are GREAT - PLEASE share with us some of your traditions that make the holidays meaningful for you and yours! You can comment HERE or email me (Sister A.Youngberg) and I'll get them posted!! Have a wonderful holiday season! 

Daughters in My Kingdom

5th Sunday Lesson

The We May All Be Edified Together

On Sunday, October 30 we had an opportunity to meet together as Relief Society sisters—including those who currently serve in the Primary and Young Women organizations.  Thank you to everyone who helped make our time together possible.  Here are a few highlights and links to resources used during the lesson.

Daughters In My Kingdom—The History and Work of Relief Society

“Our presidency has prayed, fasted, pondered, and counseled with prophets, seers, and revelators to learn what God would have us do to help His daughters be strong in the face of “the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the earth.”⁶ An answer has come that the sisters of the Church should know and learn from the history of Relief Society. Understanding the history of Relief Society strengthens the foundational identity and worth of faithful women.” (Julie B. Beck, Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of Relief Society, October 2010 General Relief Society Broadcast)

Then we watched a video called Open the Gift--Daughters in My Kingdom.  Sister Beck related an experience she had as a girl with a gift she received and the blessing she missed by not opening it right away.

 Prioritizing Our Lives

“The ability to qualify for, receive, and act upon personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life.”  Julie B. Beck, Ensign May 2010.

Sister Beck recently spoke at BYU-Idaho and shared some basic guidelines to help us prioritize our time and energy.  To watch the clip, click here and scroll down to Prioritizing Our Lives.   Her words were also made into a display in the Relief Society Building in Salt Lake City and are transcribed below.

“A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do.  Life is calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important.  A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence.  But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.”  Julie B. Beck, Ensign May 2010

Essential Personal Preparation that Strengthens Home and Family

”The things that must be taken care of and if I don’t take care of them, the blessings of eternal life won’t be mine nor will they be the blessings of my family.”
·         Revelation
·         Pray Always
·         Daily Scripture Study
·         Time to ponder and fast
·         Making and keeping covenants (Sacrament Meeting/Temple)
·         Love On Another

Necessary

“Things we have to do as part of mortal life in order to be self-reliant and be of service to our families and the Lord.”
·         Marriage and Family Relationships
·         Homemaking (cooking, cleaning, working)
·         Self-reliance and provident living
·         Compassionate Service
·         Temple and Family History
·         Sharing the gospel
·         Church Service

Nice To Do’s

“These add variety to our lives, but they won’t save us.”
·         Crafts
·         Hobbies
·         Recreational Reading
·         Lunches with Friends
·         Movies
·         Travel
·         Blogging and Recreational Computer Time
·         What is on your list?

Visiting Teaching

Sister Bergquist shared a variety of thoughts with us about Visiting Teaching.  Sometimes changes have to be made and like dominoes they cause even more.  Please don’t take them personally. 

We watched a video of Mary Ellen Edmunds (who served on the RS General Board) speaking at Women’s Conference.  Sister Edmunds said, “My friends, I am convinced that we will never be asked to do anything stupid—anything that doesn’t really matter.  We just maybe don’t understand it all yet.” She also talked about the Savior’s words, “In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  As we minister and care for each other, we show our dedication to follow the Savior’s example. 

The time of visiting teaching as a monthly visit with a lesson that is reported and checked off our “to do lists” is passed.  Just as the law of Moses was replaced with a higher law, we have an opportunity to increase our vision of Visiting Teaching by letting CARING COUNT.   Visits don’t always have to be two by two with a formal lesson.  As we serve and meet our sister’s needs, we live the higher law that “charity never faileth”.  On page 123 of Daughters in My Kingdom, we learn How Visiting Teachers Love, Watch Over, and Strengthen a Sister.  We can do more than just offer “Call us if you need anything”.  We can pray for our sisters and consider the questions found on page 115 or the questions posed in Sister Edmunds talk. 

Sister Barbara W. Winder taught: “It is vital that each sister have visiting teachers—to convey a sense that she is needed, that someone loves and thinks about her.  But equally important is the way the visiting teacher is able to grow in charity.  By assigning our women to do visiting teaching, we give them the opportunity to develop the pure love of Christ, which can be the greatest blessing of their lives.”  (Daughters in My Kingdom p. 120). 

We closed with a wonderful video called A Visiting Teacher (scroll down below Sister Thompson’s picture). 

Take some time to look at the amazing resources available on the Relief Society portion of the Church’s website http://lds.org/service/serving-in-the-church/relief-society?lang=eng

October Presidency Message

In preparation for General Conference, Sister N. shared some thoughts with us from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk entitled An Ensign To The Nations.  What a blessing it is to be guided by prophets and apostles!

Here are a few choice thoughts from his message:

"Perhaps you already know (but if you don’t you should) that with rare exception, no man or woman who speaks here is assigned a topic. Each is to fast and pray, study and seek, start and stop and start again until he or she is confident that for this conference, at this time, his or hers is the topic the Lord wishes that speaker to present regardless of personal wishes or private preferences. Every man and woman you have heard during the past 10 hours of general conference has tried to be true to that prompting. Each has wept, worried, and earnestly sought the Lord’s direction to guide his or her thoughts and expression."

"Consider the variety of the messages that you hear—all the more miraculous with no coordination except the direction of heaven... In the wide variety of sermons given is the assumption that there will be something for everyone. In this regard, I guess President Harold B. Lee put it best years ago when he said that the gospel is “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the [comfortable].”⁹

"If we teach by the Spirit and you listen by the Spirit, some one of us will touch on your circumstance, sending a personal prophetic epistle just to you."

Want more?  Watch the entire message by clicking here.

September Presidency Message

On September 4, President B taught the Relief Society lesson.  She shared with us some of the wonderful resources available in the new church publication

Daughters in My Kingdom--
The Work and History of Relief Society 

Follow this link to learn even more about the purpose and history of this book.  You can even download the entire book for free at http://www.lds.org/. 

A few of the highlights from the book included:

p. ix  A Message from the First Presidency
     "We encourage you to study this book and allow its timeless truths an dinspiring examples to influence your lives.
     "We testify that the Lord has restored the fulness of the gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that Relief Society is an important part of that restoration.  Relief Society sisters have a glorious heritage.  We pray that this volume will be an important resources for preserving that heritage."

p. xi  Preface  "Something Extraordinary"
     "This book is not a chronological history, nor is it an attempt to provide a comprehensive view of all that the Relief Society has accomplished.  Instead, it provides a historical view of the grand scope of the work of the Relief Society.  Through historical accounts, personal experiences, scriptures, and words of latter-day prophets and Relief Society leaders, this book teaches about the responsibilities and opportunities Lattter-day Saitn women are given in Heavenly Father's plan of happiness."

     "We know that women who have a deep appreciation for the past will be concerened about shaping a righteous future."  --President Spencer W. Kimball

Additional Resources

• p. 182  A visual timeline of "Important Events in the History of Relief Society"
• p. 185  A list of all the "Relief Society General Presidencies"
• p. 194  A list of visuals used in the book.  This includes a description of the picture placed at the beginning of each chapter.  In the picture from Chapter 1 on p. 2 you can see mites, a distaff, New Testament era fabric, the Star of Bethlehem, and a replica of an oil lamp.

Getting It Together Again--Menu Planning

Sister Y. shared some fun & easy ways to make mealtimes simpler! As she said,

"Avoid the HOUR OF DOOM!

"The hour before dinner time spent with your face in the refrigerator hoping you can make something out of the jar of pickles, nearly gone gallon of milk, and the still frozen chicken...in 45 minutes."

With a little planning ahead, dinner time can be less stressful, less time consuming, less expensive, and more delicious! Here are some fantastic ideas!
Thanks, Sister Y.!!


Why plan menus?
Menu Planning is advanced planning of the menu for the next few days or the entire month (if you're that good!). It improves nutrition by increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables & cuts back on the "drive through" habit. It saves time by reducing last minute trips to the store and saves money by reducing impulse spending, using leftovers instead of wasting them, and buying in bulk.


6 Easy Steps for Menu Planning
1.  Decide what to do and just do it!
"Remember your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing." --Abraham Lincoln

2. Set aside a regular time and make a plan.

3. Start small and simple-- Think 7 dinners and 1 trip to the grocery store.

4. Decide what to make
Take an inventory of meals your family likes to eat
Note any new recipes you'd like to try
Think of categories--Soup or Salad, Ethnic, Pasta, Casserole, Quick & Easy
Cooking Styles--Grilling, Stir fry, Crock Pot
Theme Nights--Mexican, Italian, Kids, Specialty

5. Determine Ingredients & Recipes

• Scan food fliers and store circulars for what is on sale
• Write it down! Make an inventory of what you have on hand and a grocery list of what you need.
• Keep recipes organized (See Sister R's 3 ring binder of recipes, below)

6. Make a menu plan

• Write Sunday though Saturday down and begin drafting your plan
• Remember, there is no perfect way to plan a menu. Every family is different.
• The size of your family, the time you have for cooking, your family's food preferences, and whether or not you have picky eaters ALL effect what you cook!

Making things fun can really beat the "dinner doldrums".

Variety is the spice of life so rotate your standby recipes and try something new!!

Theme/Category Nights

• Monday: Mexican Monday or Meatless Monday


• Tuesday: Pasta Tuesday or Picnic Tuesday


• Wednesday: Casserole Wednesday or Whatever Wednesday


• Thursday: Leftover Night or Breakfast Night


• Friday: Fun Friday or Pizza Night or Fiesta Friday or Fast Friday


• Saturday: Grill Night or Comfort Food Night or Feed Yourself Night


• Sunday: Soup Sunday or Salad Sunday or Leftover Sunday


• Kids: Recipes that involve the kids in preparation and will enjoy eating.


• Special Night: Plan with company in mind or a special occasion


• Freezer Night: Batch cooking 101! Make 2-3x the recipe and freeze it.


• Comfort Food: Always brings a smile and a full belly


• Garden: Usually a "summer" option. Reminder to try yet another zucchini-based meal.


• New Night: Anything you want to try. An occasional attempt to expand your family's palate.

From One Week and Beyond...

• Build a personal shopping list on the computer--include all the food your family regularly consumes.


• Recycle menu plans & when you're stuck simply reuse one!


• Try expanding from weekly to monthly plans!

Getting it Together Again - Sister M.

We had such a fun night as we learned some things to help keep ourselves and our families organized. We started off the night by hearing from Sister M. who talked about how to keep our families/homes organized. Here are a few ideas she mentioned on why we should be organized…

Find Stuff Faster

Sort it out and Group together

A place for everything and everything in its place.
example: store all your toilet paper in one place so you know when you really are on the last roll!
CORNER Pocket – a place you can put all the clutter to quickly clean-up. Once a week sort and put away everything in your corner pocket.

De-clutter

Designate the right amount of space for IT, but rid of excess

Be Prepared

Food storage – store what you use, use what you store. First in first out. Rotate your supplies

More routine = fewer “battles”

Train the Troops

Routine (this way when your kids complain about a job, it’s not your fault it’s the routines!)
Example:
Monday – laundry
Tuesday – toilets
Wednesday – ______
Thursday – bedding
Friday – _________
Saturday – work as a family

More time to enjoy the moment

Traffic Patterns – less time backtracking, searching and looking
example: have your main garbage can in an easy to access place so it’s NOT hard to take the garbage out!

This is a list from a handout she gave on ways to stay organized:

Organizing Ideas

• Plan meals ahead of time
• Make a double batch of dinner and put the second one in the freezer for another night.
• Have things packed and ready to go the night before.
• Keep a basket or folder ready for outgoing mail.
• Keep the diaper bag and snack bags stocked.
• Write all of your appointments on one calendar. In fact, you may want to designate one color for each member of the family in order to easily see all of their activities at a glance.
• Keep flat surfaces clutter-free
• Create a play zone for children’s toys.
• Designate a game area where all games are stored
• Creatively display photos to eliminate clutter. Consider using collage frames and photo albums to store a lot of photos at once.
• Sort your movie collection – get rid of all the movies/CD’s you don’t plan to use again.
• Display your houseplants in a tiered plant stand.
• Avoid the tendency to display all of your special collectibles or mementos. Display half of what you own and store the rest.
• Put all of the plastic grocery bags in a bag holder and when it’s full recycle them. Or better yet, go green and use reusable grocery sacks.
• Compartmentalize your utensil drawer to eliminate the hassle of looking for the potato peeler.
• Set up a baking zone in the kitchen so you easily know what you have on hand and what you need to purchase.
• Clean out your pantry and get rid of those items you aren’t using
• Organize your recipes and get rid of those you won’t use. Put those on index cards in a recipe box, and full-sized recipes in a 3-ring binder.
• Donate! Donate! Donate! Here’s a good rule of thumb - if you have something that you have not used in 1 year and it's not holiday decorations or vital to your happiness GET RID OF IT!!!!
• Designate a place for everything. Remember the old adage a place for everything and everything in its place? It’s true time saver!
  • Designate a place for things and label it to make it easy to remember.
  • Put things back where they belong when you’re done using it and make sure the kids do too!
• Start small – organize one area at a time.
• Create routines for everything from errands to laundry to school work.
• Clean as you go and don’t save it for one day per week or once a year.
• Keep all info in one place.
• Put it away now.
• Use an inbox and empty it regularly at intervals that work for you.
• Keep a simple filing system.
• Have a simple system for pending items.
• Create a landing strip for keys, purse, and cell phones so that they can easily be accessed.
• Set an allotted time to organize so that it doesn’t become overwhelming.
• Open all mail immediately and dispose of the outer envelope with the junk mail. Have one spot for all bills.
• Keep your calendar close at hand when sorting papers. You can file or toss the paper if the event is recorded in your calendar.
• Combine similar activities. For example, make all your phone calls at one time, pay your bills at one time, run errands at one time.
• Write it down – a short pencil is better than a long memory! Carry a pen and notepad with you to capture information that is easily forgotten.
• If you forget the notepad, use your cell phone to capture that phone number or message.
• Delegate responsibilities and be sure the person responsible has all the tools and information to get the job done.
• Use Post-it notes! Stick a pad of post-its in your car to write down that important thought, message or phone number.
• When running errands map out the best path and don’t get sidetracked.
• Start your phone conversation with “I only have ____minutes to talk,” and then stick to it.
• Remember there are many valid ways to organize. Find ways that make sense to you.

Thank you Sister M. we all learned a lot!!

Getting it Together Again - Lunch Ideas

Sister H. put together this visual comparing the processed convenience foods
we typically reach for with healthier (and less expensive) alternatives that can be made at home.

“Stick-wiches”

Ingredients:

bread (a firmer bread, such as ciabatta, baguette, etc... works well)
cheese
lunch meat of choice
grape tomatoes
lettuce pickles
olives

Directions:

Cut up cubes of bread, cheese, and lunch meat (order your meat from the deli cut into 1/2” slices - which makes it easy to cut nice cubes)
String the cubes onto a skewer with other foods your child likes, such as a grape tomato, piece of lettuce, pickle, or an olive.
(To make it easier to pierce each cube of cheese and meat - use a straw to poke a small hole first. Threads right on without pushing so hard)

Brown Bag Bar Cookie
(found at The Changeable Table)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (optional - if using unsalted butter)
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs peanut butter
2 Tbs milk

Directions:

In a bowl, cream sugars & butter with peanut butter. Add egg and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Spread into a greased 9” x 13” pan (or half-size cookie sheet) Sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool ten minutes. Combine powdered sugar with 2 Tbs peanut butter and 2 Tbs milk. If desired, add a drop or two of vanilla. Beat, adding a little more milk if needed for drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bars. Allow to cool completely before cutting. Makes 24 squares, or 3-4 dozen small bars.

More Ideas for School Lunches: (found here)

SANDWICHES/WRAPS/MAIN FARE
• Tortilla wraps {Natural lunch meat and cheese wrapped in a tortilla, cut in half and each half secured with a toothpick}
• Sandwiches {PB&H, PB&J, meat and cheese, etc.}
• Sandwich skewers {a deconstructed sandwich skewered on a long toothpick or bamboo skewer – meat chunks, cheese cubes, bread cubes, cherry tomato, etc.}
• Meatballs {my kids love meatballs on a toothpick or just in a little container with a plastic fork}
• Leftover pizza {I know cold pizza makes some of you want to hurl but my kiddos love it}
• Ham or Turkey roll-ups {lunch meat rolled up with a squirt of mustard and a pickle}
• Mini-bagels with filling/topping of kid’s choice
• Sliced turkey kielbasa or other lean sausage {I include a toothpick for easy eating}

FRUIT
• Apple or Pear slices
• Dried fruit/Raisins
• Fruit Leather
• Applesauce
• Strawberries/Blueberries
• Grapes
• Half of a banana
• Watermelon/Cantaloupe chunks
• Pineapple chunks
• Orange slices

VEGGIES
• Baby carrots/carrot sticks
• Sugar snap peas
• Celery sticks
• Handful of cherry tomatoes

SIDES
• Hard boiled egg
• String cheese
• Mini Babybel cheese
• Crackers/chips
• Pretzel sticks
• Yogurt/Cottage cheese
• Popcorn

Getting it Together Again – Sister R.

Sister R. talked about her 3 ring binders as well as coupons. In order to keep herself organized she has binders to organize important information.

Rasmussen Household Dealings has different sections including: This months bills, past months bills, auto, personal (each child’s school information), computer, pay stubs, and receipts. With all of this information in one place it is a lot easier to stay organized. Each family should personalize it to their own needs.

Family Home Evening Binder for small children. She started this when she was trying to come up with ideas for FHE. Each sections is a different gospel topic. When she finds a good story/game in the Friend or Ensign she cuts it out or copies it and files it into her binder. Because she has done this when she needs a quick FHE lesson, primary talk or game she has somewhere to turn, or if someone has a question about a topic they can turn to it and find information.

Recipe Binder Favorite recipes that we have copied, written down or cut out scattered here and there in our kitchen – we all this similar problem. She solved this problem by putting all her recipes in one binder under different tabs. In the front, inside pocket, she slips the recipes she wants to try out on her family. Once she has tried these recipes she will either: toss them or file them in the binder for future use.

Coupon Binder has all of her coupons organized by type. In order to Coupon you have to be organized!

All the products (minus the binders) in the picture she paid $0 for!! Amazing! She also explained the different resources she uses to save the most money couponing. Here are a few of the websites she uses:

• http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/
• http://www.coupons.com/
• http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

She definitely sparked some money saving cords in each of us! We are going to have a follow-up class on couponing in September.

Thank you Sister R. for all of your great ideas!! If you have any other ideas on how you keep your family organized, what you keep in YOUR binder, or ways to save PLEASE leave a comment and share it with all of us!

Getting it Together Again - Sister W. - The Church Website

Sister W. is our ward website administrator. She gave us a glimpse at all the resources the church website has to offer! You will find links to some great resources like: Family Search, Youth.lds.org, Mormon Channel, Provident Living, and the online store. Take some time to explore the website you will be amazed!

In order to sign in to our ward website you need to click on Sign In at the top of the church website. Sign in with your login and password. If you do not have a sign in you need your membership record number which can be obtained from our ward clerks. Once you are signed in you can access our ward/stake calendar, directory, map, an online study notebook, and even request a copy of your patriarchal blessing.

The Mormon Channel is wonderful. You need to just explore it!
The Church website is an amazing resource! Thank you Sister W. for giving us a peek into what it has to offer!