A fun Family Night on how to create a strong family...with the help of some chocolate.. Get the info on all this family night fun at www.orsoshesays.com.
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Family Night Fun: How to Create a Strong Family (she: Veronica)

We’ve recently moved and I’ve noticed how the stress and chaos of it all has started to affect our family. We’ve had more contention, less patience and you know the rest of the story. We all have those periods of time in our families.

One night recently, we sat down as a family and I asked the simple question, “What makes a strong family?”. One by one we talked about that question and made some decisions of things we could do to strengthen our family. That sparked an idea for a Family Night, so that’s what I’m going to share with you this month.

License Plate game with an easy printable - You could use this easy-to-print license plate game for your family, a classroom game, or for your Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. Find it all on www.orsoshesays.com. #roadtrip #vacation #familyvacation #games #licenseplates #family
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Creative License Plate Game – Decipher the Hidden Message! (she: Rachel)

I get a kick out of the vanity plates I see around town, especially ones with creative spelling.

So I thought it would make a fun game to capture and translate license plates! I can’t guarantee that any of these are actually real, although there are rumors that these plates are truly on the road. You could use this easy-to-print license plate quiz for your family, a classroom game, or for your Cub Scout Pinewood Derby.

Here's a back to school Family Night idea from Veronica! Help get everyone prepared and eager to tackle what the year ahead holds. There's a free printable, too! See all the info at www.orsoshesays.com.
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Back to School Family Night idea: A Father’s Blessing (she: Veronica)

Hello! It’s Veronica and I’m so happy to be back! For many, including us, school just started again. (WHERE DOES THE SUMMER GO?!) But, many of you still have a few more weeks of summer left. I thought I would share one of our favorite back to school traditions with you. This back to school Family…

7 Simple Learning Strategies for Scripture Study - Today Rachel is sharing some ideas for helping young families make the most of their scripture study. After all, what's the point of reading together if no one ever learns anything? See the strategies on www.orsoshesays.com.
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7 Simple Learning Strategies to Help with Scripture Study (she: Rachel)

t’s just about time for the kids to head back to school—if they haven’t already started! From meeting the teachers, to checking out textbooks for the year, to shopping for school supplies, I’m spending a lot of time thinking about learning and study. I recently ran into a great article with seven learning strategies used by kids and how they can help everyone learn better. I love the idea of incorporating childlike learning strategies into lifelong learning, but as I was pondering how to adopt some of these skills into my life, I realized that each of the seven strategies could revitalize scripture study as well!

16 Golden Ideas for Enjoying the Olympics as a Family ~ Crafts, Activities, and Treats (she: Mariah)
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16 Golden Ideas for Enjoying the Olympics as a Family ~ Crafts, Activities, and Treats (she: Mariah)

The Summer Olympic Games have begun! It’s so fun watching people who are so amazingly talented and who love what they do! Since the games started, we’ve been watching them together as a family in the evenings and really enjoying it! So far my son loves the swimming and is mesmerized by the gymnastics. I think it’s great for our kids to watch these athletes achieve their dreams. I also love that they get to hear some of the athletes’ stories and learn that their lives haven’t always been all that easy and that hard work and dedication can take you so far in life!

Respecting Police Officers may be of more importance now that ever before. There's a lot going on in the world today and this Family Night lesson aims to teach our children about the important work law enforcement does and how we can show our gratitude.
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Respecting Police Officers – Family Night Lesson (she: Adelle)

There are so many negative things going on in the Media about police officers in our country. It makes me sad. The men and women who serve and protect our families are an important part of our communities. I created this Family Night activity and lesson to help us show our local law enforcement officers some appreciation and thanks. It is also gives you, as parents, some talking points to go over with your children about how to respect and support their local community leaders.

Unplugged: Why It’s Important to Make Time Stand Still (he: Dan)
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Unplugged: Why It’s Important to Make Time Stand Still (he: Dan)

I calculate that it has been 7 years since I have been truly “off the grid” for longer than 24 hours. Even when I went to Italy with my wife 4 years ago, I would check my inbox at least twice a day to make certain I wasn’t getting too behind with work. Sadly, there are just truly too few places left in the world where we are no longer easily connected to our electronic lives.

My status of being constantly “plugged in” changed this last week. My father in law, after many years of trying, was finally able to convince our family to find a break in our schedule – not an easy task – to accompany him on a backpack trip into the Uintah Mountains. So we took a 3 day, 2 night venture out into the wilderness. To a place where electronic service of any kind was unavailable. There was a sense of satisfaction when I put my vacation response on my email settings as not having any access to my phone or email during my time away.

Scripture Verses for Travel at Or So She Says - See how Rachel created a simple way to incorporate scripture study while away from home.
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Scripture Verses for Travel – Free Printable for Studying (she: Rachel)

Summer means travel! Even if you’re not going on a big vacation, you’re probably road-tripping for a family reunion or taking off for an afternoon at the mountains or the beach. Getting out of the routine can be invigorating, but sometimes these trips can disconnect us from the small habits that keep us close to the Spirit! Traveling can mean we miss church services, daily scripture study, or regular prayers. With this in mind, I created printables of eight travel related scriptures verses to help keep you and your family a little more connected to Him during the summer travel season.

Just Keep Swimming - A Family Service Activity inspired by everyone's favorite fish! See the lesson and activity ideas on www.orsoshesays.com
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Family Service Activity – Just Keep Swimming (she: Adelle)

love Disney movies. I especially love them when they have a good message. One of the lasting messages from the animated film, Finding Nemo, and more recently with Finding Dory is when you are in a situation, and you don’t know what to do…”just keep swimming!” When you keep on swimming, then eventually you will figure things out.

Today’s Family Night lesson is a fun one because it allows you to do more than just talk to your family about being good, it gives you the opportunity to DO something good in your own neighborhood. I love putting the lesson into action. I hope you do too.

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of beach products to help you and the family be prepared for your next adventure. Find it all at www.orsoshesays.com
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The COOLEST Beach Products for Summer! (she: Mariah)

I know that when getting things together to go to the beach, it can be tricky to know exactly what to bring to make your beach trip as fun and enjoyable as can be (especially if you have kids!). Having fun, keeping the kids protected from the sun and safe in the water, setting up a comfortable place to relax on the beach, etc. are all important things to keep in mind. This list is chock-full of TOP-RATED beach products that will help to make your next family beach trip as fun, care-free, and relaxing as possible!

Rachel is sharing a genius idea to help parents survive summer by having the right attitude with the kids! It's a good reminder to reinforce good behavior in the kids and enjoy the (LOOOONG) summer together! Get the free image from www.orsoshesays.com to dowload to your phone's home screen.
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Reinforce Good Behavior – They Need to Hear You Say… (she: Rachel)

I love summer time with my kids, but I’ll be honest: the days can get a little long! Without the school routine, it’s easy for me to feel drained by the late mornings, with melting popsicles, and wet beach towels. This summer, though, instead of focusing on activities for the kids I decided to make a list of the things I want to do to be a better mom, starting with the things my kids need to hear me say. Hopefully this will help reinforce good behavior in my kids so we can all get along during the school break.