Oh, dear

I really need to find myself some of those cute buttons all over my friends blogs...this is pretty drab. 

Mother's Conference Routine!

I'm so tired...but wasn't Conference yesterday wonderful?!  I can't wait to hear what they say today!!!

It's always so hard to catch everything, and I'm embarrassed to say that I was just a mess yesterday! Here I was, trying to clean and take care of the baby while Nephi was trying to listen!  He finally shushed me a little when I started to vacuum because the Nelson family next door were coming for dinner tonight.  I  Here I was, being a Martha when the pure truth of Christ was on the television, while my sweet husband, sitting there in pajamas was Mary.  I did my best after that to try and keep the baby from distracting him, and then scrambled to have some lunch ready during the hymn.

It made me ask myself, how in the world does my mother do it? We always seemed to have visitors over on General Conference weekend, and the house was always clean, all of us dressed nicely, a special breakfast on the table before session 1, neat plates of sandwiches as soon as it was over, and then a nice dinner on the table before the men had to go to their special session!  Same thing on Sunday, with full sabbath dress, and a Sunday roast!

I gave my mom a call, and she admitted that she has a set schedule for being a good mother on General Conference weekends...it takes a little extra work, but the spiritual gifts (and the example she set for her girls!) are priceless.

My Mother's General Conference Schedule

Friday Night:

• Ensure house is ready for visitors (including those little places guests often see and you don't!)
• Lay out clothing for tomorrow for children, yourself, and your husband: can be more casual then on  Sunday, but Sunday dress is best (here's a wonderful blogger who agrees!)
• Make sure you have Conference-themed games and activities for the little ones, and notepads ready for the bigger children (and yourself!).

Saturday:

• Get up early enough to shower, dress, do hair and makeup, and serve breakfast at 8am sharp (mother always was up at 5:30 or so to insure lunch and dinner would be easy to prepare).  
• Start a crock pot of chili, spaghetti sauce, or something similar (hearty, with the men in mind) so that dinner is ready on time.
• Make filling for lunch sandwiches and slice carrots or apples so you aren't scrambling!
• Get everyone cleaned up and dressed.
• Do a last moment sweep to insure house is tidy.
• Listen to Conference!  Do your best to take notes, and keep the smaller children as quiet as possible so everyone else can listen and feel The Spirit.  
• Slip into the kitchen during the closing hymn to make sandwiches, that way everyone can eat and take a break right away!
• While lunch is being served, do another sweep of the house, and switch the games, make sure there are enough crayons, etc.  
• Listen to the afternoon session, same as the morning.
• Prepare dinner.
• 6pm, see the men off
• clean up after dinner
• Bathe the younger children
• Lay out sunday clothes for tomorrow
• Put children to bed
• Tidy the house
• Make french bread batter and store in the fridge
• Lay out your own clothes for the morning
• Greet the homecoming men with a smile, be sure and ask what they learned about. 

Sunday

• Much the same as Saturday...plan on a little extra time in the morning to have everyone looking their best, and for an extra-special breakfast.  Remember, you want General Conference to be fun!
• Be sure and take notes on sessions...but don't let the little one's distract anyone.
• Generally a roast or ham is best for dinner.  Plan on peeling potatoes and prepping veggies in the morning before breakfast, and getting the meat all ready so you can just start it cooking at lunch(an extra 45 minutes should do the trick)!  
• It might also be a good idea to switch games again, or have a second set for Sunday!!

There!  Isn't that wonderful?  It just goes to show you that with just a little extra effort here and there(nothing really, if you think about it), you can make General Conference a special day for everyone!

Sister Scriptorian

Doesn't that sound great?

President Kimball said that long before I was born...he gave a wonderful talk called "The Role of Righteous Women".  My mother always said he was inspired to give this talk.  After all, many women back then were starting to listen to the lure of feminism more then the prophet.  There is no reason to, though, as President Kimball clearly stated:

We had full equality as his spirit children. We have equality as recipients of God’s perfected love for each of us. The late Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote:

“The place of woman in the Church is to walk beside the man, not in front of him nor behind him. In the Church there is full equality between man and woman. The gospel, which is the only concern of the Church, was devised by the Lord for men and women alike” (Improvement Era, Mar. 1942, p. 161).

Of course, within that equality, men's and women's roles are completely different: men are to have the priesthood and be fathers, while women are to be sisters and mothers. 

Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to. You are accountable for those things which long ago were expected of you just as are those we sustain as prophets and apostles!

 Don't men's jobs sound important?  I know I wouldn't be able to handle that responsibility!  I'm so glad, too, that President Kimball pointed out that even though we might not remember signing up for our role as women, we chose our place, just as important men like the apostles and prophets chose theirs.  My job as a housewife must have been very important for me to have chosen it like that...I must be sure to never complain or be cross with my husband, after all, I chose this, whether I remember or not.

This is where being a Sister Scriptorian comes in.    President Kimball goes on to remind us how vital it is that we grow alongside our husbands, and encourages all women, young and old, to study the scriptures.

Why is this so important?  So that we can serve, of course!

Regardless of your particular circumstances, as you become more and more familiar with the truths of the scriptures, you will be more and more effective in keeping the second great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself.

 Nothing must ever become more important to us sisters then The Church, which means that we must be perfectly obedient to the council of our leaders. 

Bear in mind, dear sisters, that the eternal blessings which are yours through membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are far, far greater than any other blessings you could possibly receive. No greater recognition can come to you in this world than to be known as a woman of God. No greater status can be conferred upon you than being a daughter of God who experiences true sisterhood, wifehood, and motherhood, or other tasks which influence lives for good.

Isn't that wonderful?  It means that I, at only 21, am already fulfilling the greatest status I can ever achieve, that because I am married and have a baby.  This is it, it's beautiful.  Now I just need to be strong for sixty years or so...

At least I don't have to deal with some of the challenges President Kimball mentions.  I'm not one of those sweet sisters who, for whatever reason, can't seem to get married.   I'm also not one of those poor sisters who have suffered due to death or divorce.  I have been blessed right here in this life.  Making ends meet in this economy is nothing compared with that...like he suggests, I plan on thinking on these great blessings when I might "might otherwise wonder and be perplexed."

He goes on to stress education...something I feel a bit guilty about, to be honest.  I only ever got a couple of semesters of college before I began to fill my more important role.  However, I immediately began to feel better when he stressed religious education and homemaking skills; "Let other women pursue heedlessly what they perceive as their selfish interests." 

In closing, he went on to imply that much of the growth of the church in the following years would be women "more concerned with being righteous then being selfish".

These real heroines have true humility, which places a higher value on integrity than on visibility. Remember, it is as wrong to do things just to be seen of women as it is to do things to be seen of men. Great women and men are always more anxious to serve than to have dominion.

It is so vital for me to become one of those women...to be able to show humility and invisibly let my light shine.  To help other women go from what is worldly to what is holy, using the teachings of the prophets and guidelines for behavior and thoughts, avoiding the selfishness of feminism, and remembering my equality with my husband even as I seek to serve him.

This is my goal.