a year in review printable
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Year In Review Printable – Good for All Ages (she: Sharon)

Bysharon

Hi all! It’s Sharon back again for another fun year with ‘Or so she says…’ I’m looking forward to visiting with you all each month and sharing ideas I hope you’ll be able to put to use in your own home, family and life.

I’ve had this on-going goal of compiling a list of questions and answers from my kids around each of their birthdays so I could remember all the cute little quirks they have. Well now that I have three birthdays to remember…this never happens. So to solve my little problem, I decided that just once a year I would ask them questions, and this way I’m much more likely to remember to do it. So, starting this year, every January I’m going to fill out this year in review printable I created for each of my kids. I tried to make almost all the questions apply to most ages, it works for my 10, 4, and 1 year old twins.

good better best
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Good, Better, Best (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello my friends!! I’m so happy to be back this year as a contributor for “Or so she says…”. For those who don’t know me yet, I thought I’d briefly introduce myself. My name is Veronica and I’m married to Ricky…AKA Big Daddy, a good ol’ southern boy. I’m the mom of 9 amazing kids. We are literally a “his, hers and ours” family, which is never the ideal situation, but we are proof that it CAN work! I live in the south…which I love! By day, I can ALWAYS be found at my little table making bow ties for my Etsy shop. I’m also over the teenage girls at church, who keep me crazy busy, but I love them! I have many favorite things (my kids being #1), but with 9 kids, my favorite things are simple. Like the fact that Big Daddy was able to fix my 10 year old washing machine this weekend, or how happy I was to sit in a house of sleeping creatures and watch the episode of Downton Abbey that was recorded. Then there’s always the day last week when I found a forgotten hidden stash of chocolate in my t-shirt drawer. Now THOSE are my favorite things…

Anyhoooo…

I’m not your typical blogger. Actually I’m not a blogger at all.

But, I once was.

I knew exactly what I wanted to share this month, and it made me think of my old blog. I really wanted to do the “blog” thing a couple years ago, with the intention of keeping a better record of the little moments in our lives. And I loved it more than I can tell you! I was constantly writing things down, taking pictures, planning what I was going to do for what day, etc. I found myself sitting at my computer more and more. I could easily justify it, because I was being a good mom and recording our lives. Future generations would LOVE me!!!

One day, everything changed. It was a day when I was “BUSY”. Busy with life. Busy with little things…that seemed like big things. Not busy with bad things, just not the best things. I won’t share the whole post, but you can read it here if you would like.

The Moment I Realized Family History Is AWESOME!

The Moment I Realized Family History Is AWESOME!

ByMariel

This post started out as a promo for RootsTech, a class I’m teaching, and a giveaway… but, I change it all and decided to tell you about a special experience and realization I had. You can find the other stuff at the bottom of this post.

Get comfortable.

Let me tell you a little story… a few years back, my husband and I were asked to attend a family history class at church. We both went into it with the wrong attitudes. I felt like, ‘Family history is super cool… but, I just don’t have time for one more thing right now.’ My husband was like, ‘Family history is super lame. That’s all.’ But we went to the class, to support our bishop… and maybe to socialize. That’s the truth.

frozen at disneyland
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Frozen at Disneyland; an Insider’s Tips and Tricks (she: Kim)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

Happy New Year! It’s Kimberly from Packed with Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today. The beginning of a new year always fills me with anticipation and excitement. At Get Away Today it’s an especially exciting year because we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary. Woohoo! One of the most exciting things to happen for families visiting the Disneyland Resort early this year is the new addition of Frozen experiences and activities. For parents with kids who are fans of Anna, Elsa and Olaf, it couldn’t come soon enough! There is so much going on and it officially kicks off today.

Helping Your Family Keep New Year’s Resolutions (she: Heather)
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Helping Your Family Keep New Year’s Resolutions (she: Heather)

ByHeather

I know, it is hard enough to keep your own personal resolutions and goals. Why would you want to set goals with your family too? Well, because setting goals together and working towards goals, brings us closer as a family. It builds unity, trust and is a great opportunity to teach our children skills and values.

Whether your family has a word of the year, sets resolutions, or you have goals that you want your family to work on this year, here are tips to help your family stick with those resolutions so you can improve and grow together.

52 Family Night Lessons all in one post! www.orsoshesays.com #familynight #FHE #family
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52 Family Night Lessons for Every Week of the Year! (she: Mariah)

ByMariah

Happy New Year everyone! I hope all your resolutions are going well so far! Something that I want to be better at this year is having weekly family nights or family home evenings.

For those of you who don’t know what family home evening is, it’s basically a night where your family spends time with each other and they usually include a little lesson, an activity, and (if you’re lucky) a treat.

simplify your life
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Simplify Life – 9 Simple Ways (she: Lindsay)

ByLindsay

For my first post here, I get to share some of my tips to help you simplify your life. A very fitting topic as we enter a New Year and probably have ambitions of making this our best year yet. I have been thinking a lot about this topic lately, of simplifying, and have been working hard at doing just that in every area of my life. Sometimes I fail miserably. But I think I’m making baby steps towards living a simpler life.

So. Here are 9 strategies I use to simplify life. And this all comes with a disclaimer that my life is anything but simplified and easy. But I do what I can to simplify where I can so I don’t get sent to the crazy bin.

GhostTunes, Garth Brooks’ New Single & Giveaway

GhostTunes, Garth Brooks’ New Single & Giveaway

ByRebecca

I have my high school friend and then my husband to thank for introducing me to country music and for turning me into a fan! There’s just something genuine and approachable about country music, especially older country music. My husband loves “classic” country, and of course that means he has a lot of Garth Brooks’ music. I was excited to tell him (and you all) about Garth’s brand new single, “Mom.”

“Mom” is a very moving song about a conversation God has a with a little baby who’s headed to Earth to meet his/her mother. The lyrics of the song describe what a mother is, and it’s incredibly touching. I challenge you to listen to it and not cry.

Preparing for a National Health Crisis (she: Jamie)

Preparing for a National Health Crisis (she: Jamie)

ByJamie S.

Dealing with a health crisis can be scary and may even seem hopeless at times, especially when panic starts to set in. It’s difficult to tell if you’re getting the whole truth about a disease, or if the media is just blowing things out of proportion.

Often times, things take time before they are even recognized as a public health threat leaving you exposed without even knowing it. Also, no one can really be certain what the long-term effects might be until it’s too late.

Have a grateful heart!! Get a full family night lesson on gratitude in today's post. www.orsoshesays.com #familynight #fhe #ldsblogger #churchofjesuschrist #familyfun
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Family Night on Gratitude (she: Veronica)

ByVeronica

Hello friends! It’s Veronica and I’m so happy to be back sharing another fun Family Night Activity. I’m always looking for fun new ideas on how to strengthen my family.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we’ve been talking a lot about gratitude. It’s very hard sometimes when I realize my children are growing up in a world of “entitlement.” I think it’s easier than ever before to be ungrateful and to not recognize all the amazing things in our lives.

disneyland during the holidays
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Disneyland During the Holidays (she: Kim)

ByKimberly w/Get Away Today

Hey Everyone, it’s Kimberly from Packed with Fun, the official blog for Get Away Today. It feels like just yesterday I was giving tips on how to keep cool at Disneyland this summer and today the Disneyland Resort is kicking off their official holiday season! Crazy! If you have been wondering about a trip to Disneyland during the holidays, there are a few things to know.
First of all, the official Holidays at the Disneyland Resort begin TODAY and continue through January 6, 2015. More on what to expect at Disneyland during the holidays to come below… with pictures of course.

Secondly, there are a couple of ways to do it. You can travel before the holidays to kick off the season with your family, or can travel over the actual holidays and forget about all of the normal holiday prep, cooking, etc. No matter when you plan on traveling during the holidays, consider making it your family’s main Christmas present. We have lots of fun ideas on how to give the gift of a vacation on GetAwayToday.com.

Thanksgiving Kids’ Table Idea – Scavenger Hunt (she: Carmella)
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Thanksgiving Kids’ Table Idea – Scavenger Hunt (she: Carmella)

ByCarmella

Hey there! It’s Creative Carmella here to share some fun ideas to make the kids’ table at Thanksgiving fun! Send the troops out into the yard on a scavenger hunt, and they will find everything you need to decorate! This Thanksgiving kids’ table idea is nice because it gets the kids involved, but out of the house. So you can focus on getting all the yummy treats ready for your meal without worrying what they littlest guests are up to.