FHE 4 Life.

I like to be obedient. In first grade I peed my pants instead of going to the bathroom because the teacher said we could never go unless we asked and got the pass (how degrading is it to walk down a hall announcing your need to go to the bathroom) and the teacher was out of the room.  Thus, I carried my pee soaked pants around in a bag all day rather than break a rule.  However, some commandments I enjoy keeping more than others.  Some commandments I keep because they make sense (don't smoke, don't steal, don't kill people), other commandments I keep because I know there are blessings (fasting, family prayer, and visiting teaching), but some commandments I keep because they are fun. I would say the most fun commandment of them all to me is Family night.  I love it. I probably wouldn't invite the prophet to any of our FHE's because our reverence lessons are less than impressive but I wouldn't miss it.  Part of the reason they are so fun is because Liv thinks family night is better than a vacation. Not very many commandments include a mandatory treat.

Liv was in charge of lesson last week and I heard her in my room praying and saying, "Please help me do a good lesson about love and bless my barbies."  She spent more time setting up her station with her frozen microphone, getting a skirt on, putting up a table, and handouts the actual lesson itself but we were impressed with her prep.

2 weeks ago she was on treat. She was very disappointed because she loves to be on lesson or "joke" (whoever has this responsibility has to make up their own joke, the great news is Liv fake laughs no matter what you say).  I explained that we were taking a special trip to Walmart and she would be allowed to pick whatever she felt was best to fulfill her treat duty.  That seemed to change her mood.

She found a classy bright green salsa and chip holder and chose animal crackers, chocolate pretzels, and strawberry tooth rotting pop served in tea cups.

Grace was thrilled with the selection. 

I thought it was really classy that our salsa dish from the dollar store and the towel matched.  Spencer W. Kimball said,  "If eight things were present, we’d have a quality family home evening: a lesson, scripture reading, music, stories, an activity, prayers, refreshments, and a relaxed atmosphere with no criticism."   Sometimes I think the only part we are good at is the relaxed atmosphere but I still really like this tradition every week.   Since the girls have the attention span of a Walmart goldfish, our lessons are rarely longer than 3 minutes, our activities usually include bubbles, playdough, dancing to Frozen, or a wild game of go fish and I wouldn't say anyone weeps from an outpouring of the spirit but it is definitely a good time.

President Kimball also said, " "We cannot impress too much the importance of having family home evenings once a week....that you may be rewarded by a fulfillment of the promise that if fathers and mothers will discharge this responsibility, not one in a hundred of your family, as has been said by the leaders who have preceded us, would ever go astray."

Of course I don't want my gals to go astray but besides all the blessings and promises attached, there's really not a commandment I can think of that I enjoy more.