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)

ByMariah

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)

ByAdelle Belnap

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)

ByDan Jacobs

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)

ByRachel D

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)

ByAdelle Belnap

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)

ByMariah

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)

ByRachel D

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.

Keeping a summer journal is a fun and creative way to beat summer boredom. Get the free printable on www.orsoshesays.com.
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Summer Journal Fun – A Creative Way to Beat Boredom! (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

I have always loved writing in my journal and love going back and reading the things that I wrote as a little girl. I thought it would be fun to put together a summer journaling project that my kids could work on. I’m also a believer in creating our own personal histories. My kids are awesome, funny and creative, and I want them to be able to look back and see what they were like as kids. You don’t need to buy anything. You don’t need to keep track of a journal. You just have to print a page out when you’re ready for them to work on it and file it away when they’re done. Tah-dahhhh!! Easy!

Must-Haves for the Ultimate Family Picnic - Find the round up of ideas on www.orsoshesays.com.
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Family Picnic Must-Haves ~ the Best Recipes and Products! (she: Mariah)

ByMariah

I love when the weather starts to warm up and you can finally start getting outside with the kids. It feels almost like getting released from jail… Not that I know what that actually feels like! 😉 But seriously, it’s a great feeling isn’t it?! Finally you can set them loose on the playground or…

The Good Seed- Help your family better understand the principle of faith with this planting project. Find the idea and free printable on www.orsoshesays.com.
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Faith and A Family Planting Project – The Good Seed (she: Rachel)

ByRachel D

I love the Biblical metaphor equating faith to a seed. It is scattered a few different places, but Matthew 13 expands on the concept well (check out Alma 32 if you use the Book of Mormon). Explaining faith as a seed is such a magnificent way to help children understand an abstract spiritual concept. Cultivating faith, indeed choosing faith, is an important value that I hope to pass on to my children.