Ruth's Talk on Media and Entertainment

Ruth gave a talk in church today. She did such an excellent job, I had to post it here. I am most impressed because she did not get any help from John or I. The only part that I helped her with was showing her how to do a key word search on lds.org.

Hello my name is Ruth Robertson, and I’m fourteen. My talk is on Media and
Entertainment. 

In our world today our access to technology seems almost unlimited. We
have cell phones, iPads, touch screens, kindles, laptops, iPods, and so much more. If we
need to have a question answered, we can just google it. This technology can have many
great uses that can help us from day to day life, but it can also help tear us apart from
the gospel and our father in heaven. 

A quote from the For the Strength of Youth says, “Choose wisely when using media because whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you.” This is very true, though some people may say that ‘it won’t affect me’ or ‘it’s only one tv show or one song, and I can tune it out’ You can try, but it will affect you. 

Though it’s many good a harmless uses, the day to day media is corrupted. It attacks the family, it portrays violence and immorality as normal everyday things, and even as the new cool thing. It is one of Satan’s ways to attack us. In the October 2012 conference Elder Quentin L Cook stated, “One prominent writer recently said, “Everyone knows the culture is poisonous, and nobody expects that to change.” 

The constant portrayal of violence and immorality in music, entertainment, art, and other media in our day-to-day culture is unprecedented. This was dramatically described by a highly respected Baptist theologian when he stated, “The spiritual immune system of an entire civilization has
been wounded” 

Not too long ago there was this one singer whose songs were almost always clean, and for Christmas I asked to get one of their new albums. Being cautious my dad looked up the lyrics to the songs on that cd and told me what over half of their new songs were saying. I was shocked and saddened by how immoral and disgusting some of their new songs now were. 

In October 2003 M Russell Ballard said this about today’s music, “We must be concerned with the violent and sexually charged lyrics of much of today’s popular music and the relatively new “art form” of the music video.” He also had to say this about our media of today, “It attacks religion. It undermines the family. It turns virtue into vice and vice into virtue. It assaults the senses and batters the soul with messages and images that are neither virtuous, nor lovely, nor of good report, nor praiseworthy.” 

We should search for the lovely, praiseworthy and that of good report, it only takes one bad song or one immoral tv show to drive the spirit away from us. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

This Week at Our House #5

1. John had a busy week because I had a busy week. We definitely had to divide and conquer. John usually takes a nap everyday, but I don't think he got very many naps this week. Our kids sure keep us going and going.
2.  I have a private Facebook group with a bunch LDS moms who have 6 or more children. Thursday, a bunch of us that live on the Wasatch Front of Utah had a moms night out. I prepped John all week so that he would be there to babysit for me. I love these moms. They are my best friends. I am so glad to have an opportunity to meet other mothers who are going through or have gone through all of the same things that I am. It is also neat to see how differently we all do things. I spent a lot of time this week going over the Bills that are up at the Utah State Legislature. This year, as I have a nursing baby, I am doing what I can from home. We are going to the Capitol tomorrow-- more on that next week.
3. Ruth had a busy week. She had musical practice Monday thru Thursday and Saturday. She had a school dance Friday afternoon and a church dance Saturday night. Ruth danced with several guys at the church dance. The last dance, the guy who asked her dance had friends hanging around while they were dancing telling him to kiss her. She just walked away while the music was still playing. She also gave an amazing talk in church today. I am proud of my good daughter.
4. Kate had a busy week too going back and forth to musical practice. Kate has made a couple of good friends and feels much more comfortable going back to school in August. She is enjoying the musical. I look forward to seeing the end product in a couple of weeks.
5. On Tuesday, I took Johnny on down to the Family Fun Center in Sandy to bounce in the bouncey houses. I couldn't do much bouncing because I had to hold onto Arwen. Johnny helped each of the little kids get up large slides and find their way through the obstacle course. Johnny also organized a game a tag with his siblings and other kids playing there. On Friday, Johnny got contact lenses. I love seeing his gorgeous dark chocolate eyes again.
6. Adam had an eye doctor's appointment and he is finally seeing well. 2 years ago, Adam was only seeing 20/60 through his glasses. I decided to take him to a pediatric optomologist. He is now seeing 20/25 through his gasses. I am just relieved. It took effort to get Adam's eyes diagnosed correctly and for him to be put on a treatment path that would help his eyes function. I am glad that my little boy can finally see. His optomologist is researching to see if there are contact lenses that could help him.
7. Rachel is whole new child. She's been cleaning her own bedroom and taking care of her things. When I tell Rachel to clean something up, she just does it. This week Rachel told me that she is going to name her children Rachel, Rachel, and Rachel because she just loved her name. Rachel told me that she loves me better than food because I am so nice, then she attacked me with a bunch of slobbery kisses because she knows I can't stand slobbery kisses. Other kids joined in the attack and they all just laughed and laughed. I got them all back by tickling them. :)
8. Anya has been making Valentine's all week. Some are just hearts, some are a whole lot more. One Valentine had an evil dragon fighting a Valentine Dragon that had hearts. The Valentine Dragon was winning. I have pictures taped up all over the house from Anya trying to decorate the house. She has also been taking the play food out and setting up picnics on blankets in various places. Five is a cute age.
9. I can't recall getting angry with Joseph this week!!! That really means two things. 1) I was too busy to notice his pathway of destruction and 2) he didn't do anything that made me too mad. That is progress. I am trying to give Joseph more of my time. My goal for this week is to not send him to bed until I have done a puzzle or two with him.
10. Josh gets things for me. If I need something like some toys for the baby or a diaper, blanket, some one's shoes etc. Josh is a good kid to ask. Josh likes to go. When he sees me getting Rachel and Adam ready for school in the mornings, he gets his coat on and runs out to the car. He likes to go to stores and run errands and such too. Josh really doesn't like to be left behind.
11. Arwen has become a little more chatty and a little persistent. She will just gab and gab at you for a long time. She will also cry if you do not let her have the thing she is trying to take out of your hands. 

This Weeks Pictures

This Week at Our House #4

1. John is the same old same old. We went to his parents house for his dad's birthday yesterday. (That's why the day late on the blog) John enjoyed hanging out with his dad and his brother a ton. I am truly married to a great guy, by the way. I didn't deserve him. 
2. Me, well, see the blog post below about being cynical. I have spent the week trying hard on the exercising front, and feeling frustrated with: exercise, weight loss, disobedient little kids, my lack of nice furniture and decor, and my kids breaking things without a thought. I guess I need an attitude adjustment. Life is better than all of these complainy feelings.
3. Ruth did not enjoy her back to full on everyday life. She had a few days off the previous week and was just not into going to school, doing homework, going to Young Women's, going to musical practice, studying, doing chores, etc. But she did it all anyway and didn't really complain.
4. Kate talked Anya into liking a different Samurai. She drew some pictures of herself and Heihatchi. Ahhh, young love. Hopefully someday she will love more than a cartoon character.
5. Johnny never ceases to amaze me at what a good boy he is. He is honest and true and truly tries to be good and to do better. I am very glad Adam, Joseph, and Josh get to have such a good example.
6. I am trying to get Adam to learn to love reading. He is so unconvinced that reading can be fun. I hate forcing him to read because that seems counterproductive, but how in the world can he learn to love reading if he never reads?! Everyday, I tell Adam to read, and everyday, Adam tells me he hates to read. 
7. I am pleased to announce that Rachel is finally doing bigger and harder chores without a lot of nagging. That has been a long time coming. I had parent/teacher conferences this past week. Rachel has been a slow reader and I talked to her teacher pretty extensively about that. I asked if there were other kids at Rachel's level. Her teacher told me that most of the kids are at Rachel's level. I think that means Rachel and her classmates are probably developmentally right on and it is the curriculum that is off. Anyway, that is good to know. Rachel's teacher did rave about Rachel's imagination. Apparently Rachel brought her teacher a tardy slip with the excuse "I am late because I was halucinating in my dreams".
8. Anya is actually making leaps and bounds in reading and writing and I have done very little with her. I am looking forward to homeschooling kindergarten with Anya next year. She really wants to go to school, but I think she needs that one on one time with me everyday before I send her out into the world. With this many kids, I just can't always do things the conventional way.
9. Joseph is driving me nuts. He is breaking things, ignoring everything I say, hitting and biting and fighting. I can hardly stand him at all right now. I am trying to think of some good things to say about him. I think I better spend the next few days finding everything he does right and letting him know. I would hate to be stuck with him acting this way much longer. It is time for some serious positive reinforcement.
10. Josh is still just the cutest toddler. He calls all round fruit "ballbulls". I love it.
11. Last week Arwen started fake coughing and sneezing. This week she growled at us and begged for our food.

This week's Pictures

 

Teaching Cooking and Meal Planning

I have read all of these fantastic blogs of other moms with 9 or 10 kids that just have it all together. Their kids are organized in cooking, cleaning, and doing their own laundry. I am not that mom. I have struggled to get my 2 to 3 oldest to clean bathrooms and do laundry over the last three years while wondering how in the world am I supposed to add cooking into the mix. I fear that my kids will not grow up and be able to do the basic house keeping chores to keep their own homes running because I am not making it work now.

Every attempt I have made to get Ruth and Kate to cook meals has completely failed up until now. I decided to use a little manipulation to get those slackers involved. I told Ruth and Kate that if they cooked one meal by themselves and helped with most of the others each week, I would clean their bathroom and they could rotate with Johnny every three weeks cleaning the downstairs half bath. They took me up on it.

Ruth and Kate are now required to help in the meal planning and cooking. They have been doing it for three weeks. Things are working out. They are planning for and making dinners without help. I was thinking I would never see the day that this happened.

I am still in no way like those other moms that can get their kids to clean hard bathrooms and cook and do laundry and and and. But hey, at least I am making progress.

There is one part in all of this that makes me feel pretty good. One week Ruth and Kate have to plan the menu and then we shop for all of the ingredients. The next week, they have to plan the menu using only what we have available at home-- no shopping allowed. I do think both menu planning skills are worth while.

Now, I am just hoping that in a few more years, I can convince them that they can clean bathrooms and cook and do laundry and babysit and get all of their homework done and practice their music and do extra-curricular stuff, etc. For now, I'll just take what I can get.

Feeling Cynical

Okay, so I have been exercising more than I ever have in my life. I am not feeling the benefits that everyone claims comes along with the exercise.

• Weight Loss-- I am supposedly burning 1500+ a week, I have not lost an ounce, and I am not eating more either.
• Energy-- you always hear that you will have more energy if you exercise a lot. Well, I don't. I exercise hard and I am TIRED. I finish and I feel like I need a nap. I don't take naps, though, I just struggle through the rest of the day trying to get everything else finished. I liked it better when I could get everything done without feeling so tired.

I really, really want the weight loss and the energy. At this point, I am not expecting to get that. Alas, I will still press forward and attempt to run a half marathon in June.

This Week at Our House #3

Heihachi, the love of Kate's life

1. John hates his job, a lot! But he goes and does it every single week. I am grateful that he does. I am certain that if he wasn't married and had a bunch of  kids, he would have quit this job a long time ago. John helped a neighbor remove 200 pounds of icicles dangerously hanging over her central air unit. He just saw them and offered to take them down.
2. My schedule worked. If I make it so I have to exercise before cleaning, I exercise and clean. The other way around is not a guarantee. I just can't let my house go for anything. I never have. I do not even remember a week since well before I got married that I did not deep clean the bathroom. 
3. There is this guy, Rob, that Ruth goes to school with. (Or should I be grammatically correct and say, with whom Ruth goes to school?) He is in at least two of her classes. She says that he does not have very many friends; he constantly makes off the wall comments and makes fun of people. He likes Ruth. She can't stand him. Ruth's science teacher has assigned Ruth to be his lab partner, and Ruth's seminary teacher has assigned him to work on a project with her. I asked Ruth if she is ever mean to him. She said no. Aha, I think I know what is going on. Not many kids will work with Rob so Ruth who is nice gets saddled with him. Ruth's not too happy about this, so she and I agreed that she would try really hard to be nice to him, work well with him, and make it her Young Woman's Value Project for good works. Ruth's a good girl.
4. I have a lot I could say about Kate. She is in that transition from kid to young adult--aka teenager. First, Kate is feeling desperate for friends. At the beginning of the month, I had to force Kate to try out for the school musical. This week, musical practice was cancelled and Kate cried. She is feeling lonely. I am so glad that It have already insisted she goes back to school next year. I don't think she would have made that decision on her own. Second, while, I exercise, I have been watching an anime series called Samurai Seven. Since, Kate was nine, she said that she was in love with one of the characters, Hayashida Heihachi. While they were watching it, Anya pointed to a picture of him and said, "He's cute. He's mine". Kate pulled her aside and in no uncertain terms told Anya no way, he is Kate's and she is not going to share. She was serious too. John even made her do a chore because she would not settle down. Eventually John just said, "He's a cartoon. I'll just give you both a photocopy. That's as good as it ever gets. I have always wondered if Ruth and Kate would like the same guy and have hard feelings over it. I never imagined Kate and Anya would like the same cartoon character guy and have hard feelings over it.
5. I made the rule of no computer or videos games at all Sunday through Thursday. Johnny got back to writing a book, he started last summer. He made a whole ton of stuff with legos. He helped me clear ice off the driveway, he played board games and card games with Adam and Kate. Johnny played tag and hide and seek and had friends over plenty. It's like he has woken up and found out that life has some fun things to offer. 
6. Adam woke up too. My mother bought Adam Skylanders Wii game for his birthday. It is a video game that you buy physical characters for. Adam is obsessed. He has spent every penny he has earned or been gifted on Skylanders. He has spent every free moment on this game. I have had enough and made the rule that began last Friday. Adam is back into life again. I was really surprised that when Friday and Saturday came Adam didn't spend every waking moment playing SkyLanders. Sometimes I feel mean taking away things the kids love, but not this time.
7. I heard Rachel saying to Adam, "I promise I will never tell on you again, if you don't tell on me now."
8. I asked Anya if I could help her get dressed. She said. "I can do it myself". After she got dressed, she came over to me and said, "See, I can do it. I am 5 now. I am all growed up."
9. Again this week, Joseph didn't whine as much. It is nice to know that Joseph has a voice that isn't just high pitched and weepy. Joseph still won't write his name, but just from playing on Starfall, Joseph knows about half the alphabet. That just makes me happy. I love Starfall because it teaches my children things that I find painful to teach, and my kids just think it is fun and games.
10. Joshua woke up screaming at 7am this morning and didn't stop until about 10am. I guess he has decided to be a terrible two. 
11. Arwen is six months old today and has begun fake coughing and sneezing to get attention. She is just darling and delightful. I love the baby stage.

This Weeks Pictures

Arwen sad because she dropped her toy

 

This Week at Our House #2

1. John bought this new game that can take up to 4 hours to play. The older kids are all really enjoying playing it with him. He loves all of these nerdy board games, but I think he also gets them to have games besides video games to play as a family. I am not a big board game fan. If I want to show love to John, I can play a board game.
2. I have not been good at exercising. I completely failed this week. Thus, the new schedule. I am trying to figure out how to get everything in, but really, I'd be happy to just sit and read.  I have also thought that my kids have been using screens for entertainment entirely too much. I first tried having then sign in and out when they began and ended any sort of game or social media. That was too hard to enforce, so I made the rule that they could only use video games on Friday and Saturday and Facebook only on the weekdays. I am hoping these rules will help me control all of the screen time madness that comes with modern family life.
3. I totally biffed it with Ruth this week. She planned a surprise birthday party for her friend at the Rec Center on Friday. She asked if I could pick everyone up and take them there. I said I could. Friday afternoon I thought it would be good to get to the Temple for an hour before taking Ruth and her friends. Well, the Temple took over 2 hours, and Ruth and I had some misunderstanding about times. Some other friends mom took all of the girls. I felt horrible. I really failed Ruth. She trusted me to be there for her and I was not. Fortunately, Ruth had a great time with her friends at the party and really enjoyed her first time ice skating.
4. We've had a busy weekend and when I had not written anything on my blog by 8:30 tonight, Kate pulled up my blog to remind me. I think she is curious to see what I will write about her this week. Kate decided not to compete in Mock Trial this year. She really likes learning about court procedures and the laws, but her team is very different from last year's team and that alone made it not worth it for her.
5. Johnny has been doing really well with his piano practice. He is picking it up again with ease and even seems to be enjoying it. Johnny started writing a fantasy novel. He won't let me look at it while he is near, but I can read it when he is not around. Now that he can't play video games expect on Fridays and Saturdays, I am hoping he will spend more time on creative hobbies.
6. I got to do an art project in Adam's class this week. It is fun to see him in his school environment. His teacher told me what a good kid he is, so I asked if he was still behaving really well. She started to say yes, paused and then said, "Every now and then he does a couple of flips through the classroom." I am not surprised. Adam cannot stay right side up.
7.  On Wednesday, Rachel found a coupon for a buy one get one free ice cream. She decided that was to be used for a date with Dad that night. Then she found out that Dad was not home. She began singing, "Dad come home. I am singing my Dad home." Dad then called and said he was taking the kids he had with him out. Fortunately, Dad listened to Mom, came home and took Rachel and Anya out on a little date. Oh, and Rachel is reading a lot better now. Hurrah!
8. I saw Anya sitting on the couch pretending to read my book. I love it when your little kids imitate the good things you do. On the whole, however, Anya had a pretty naughty week. She cut up part of Rachel's brave wig, she stole Johnny's brand new SkyLanders guy and hid it under her bed, she called my sister in law, Marie, fat, she cried every time she needed to be buckled in the car, and she hurt Joseph during a fight over toys. Hopefully next week will be better for Anya.
9. Joseph whined less this week. I am hoping this is the beginning of a new trend. I have not been able to get Joseph to write out his name. He almost seems afraid to do it, kind of like he was about potty training. What does that mean?
10. Josh, of course, turned two. He was absolutely adorable during his birthday. He loves, loves, loves cars and plays with them all day long. If we cannot find Josh, he is guaranteed to be in the toy room playing with cars. He pretty much always has a toy car in his hand. Josh is talking up a storm now too. I think I am going to have another big talker in the house.
11. Arwen is just as sweet as can be. She loves to have a pile of toys put in front of her. I can usually put her down with some toys and she will play for a good hour. She's an easy going baby. The only real difficulty I have with her is that she takes a very long time to nurse. She'll be 6 months old next week, and I could start her on solid food. She even seems ready, but with all of the RSV and such going around, I plan to have her nurse exclusively through the winter.

This Weeks Pictures

I actually kind of regret having the boys do the snow removal They did a horrible job and since it has been so frozen, we have a pretty slippery driveway and walkway.

Rachel made this card for Josh