Howdy Folks!
I hope all the Dad-like people you know felt suitably adored yesterday. Now we can get back to taking them for granted! (Never.) I was so pleased that my husband wore the popsicle-stick tie our eight-year-old made for him in scouts to church. It was a moment of beauty and shows why I love the guy.

We've got a fresh new article posted at LDS Families now, right out of the oven. (Or, out of the oven of my brain.....I haven't quite perfected the analogy yet.)

Parenting : See the Joy Instead of the Chaos

Sometimes it's easy to become more focused on keeping life neat and orderly than on allowing our kids to be kids. We forget that those things that take us out of our way aren't beside the point; they ARE the point!

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art32436.asp


And if you missed last week's offering:

Personal Revelation - Supporting One Another

Faith in the Lord and a resolve to follow the promptings of the Spirit may lead us down some paths that seem crazy to friends and loved ones. Finding ways to support and encourage one another will help strengthen all of our testimonies and help us all find our way to our eternal home with Father.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art26184.asp


And so on to what's doing at the Rose house:
In our home we are currently working on a film production. The eight year-old is feverishly finishing his first screenplay (one he conceptualized and developed entirely on his own, I must add. Never been more proud!) His brothers are assigned to figure out costumes, and will be playing themselves as the hapless victims of a nefarious giant brother-napper. He has written a very professional and polite letter to Reese Witherspoon, whom he has determined is the only one who can play the female lead opposite himself, and even offered to pay her $10, assuming he manages to earn that much and hold on to it after tithing. Mom's ready to fill in if Ms. Witherspoon has other obligations. His grown-up cousin and her fiancée will handle the camera work using a camcorder that is roughly 15 years old and came from a pawn shop. Dad is the stunt coordinator, and I'm fairly certain that I will also be doing double or triple duty handling the catering as well. Barring a bit of envy that his screenplay has generated considerably more interest than any of mine ever have, I am so much more thrilled with this than I can say.

We have also taken advantage of kidsbowlfree, mentioned in the article,
Free Summer Activites For Kids! http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art17118.asp

I am really happy with this activity, but because we still have to rent the shoes, it isn't one we're able to do often as a whole family. (At $2.50 a pair shoe rental for our whole group is close to $20). So instead my husband and I take advantage of this on our one-on-one dates with the kids. Sad to say, each of us has been wasted on the bowling green--field, court?--oh yeah, LANE, by several of our children. That's just because they get bumpers, though, right?

Also mentioned in the article: we're loving the Barnes and Noble reading program that gives each kid a free book for every eight read, and we continue to go to the workshops at Lowes and Home Depot. Between those activities and swimming several times a week it is a kid-full summer so far. It'll be my birthday next month. My exact age doesn't matter; all that's important is I'm still a few years away from 40, so back off!


In other news, I am currently enjoying (I mean enduring) a spectacular lack of success on twitter. I am not sure how to lure followers to my den of wit and occasional snarkiness, mixed, of course, with vast spiritual truth. So I will continue plinking away and hope for the best. Please do follow along!

@LDSFamilies1

And don't forget to like LDS Families on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LDSFamiliesSite

Come on, guys! You know I like YOU!



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Jamie Rose, LDS Families Editor
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