This was how we watched General Conference

I love General Conference.  My kids enjoy it, too, for the most part.  We love doing nothing but listening to the messages given by the leaders of our church.  We love being uplifted and inspired.  Sometimes, with lots of young children fairly close in age, the process of listening to eight hours worth of inspiration over two days is not so easily achieved.  We have tried various tactics to get the kids to sit still, so all of us could gain something beneficial from the words given to us by the General Authorities.  I have tried coloring packets, craft projects, and things like that.  None were as effective as the Bingo cards that encourage these guys to actually listen to the words and then add a treat to the squares when they heard that word.  But we have used Bingo cards for the last three or four years.  It was time for something new:

We do not have satellite T.V. anymore (nor do we have an antenna), so we watched General Conference on the internet this year.  See how attentive they are all being.

 I was lucky enough to find a site that suggested making treat buckets labeled with common words spoken at Conference.  I have noticed that other friends of mine had similar ideas.

 This was a fun way to get them to pay attention without them shouting Bingo every few minutes.

Thanks so much to Camie at Cookie Nut Creations for the inspiration and the printable pictures, and thanks to Sugardoodle on Facebook for referring me to them.

I love General Conference!  Every moment of it, including all of Saturday.  I love that I have a husband who also treasures that time.  We do not plan special projects for Conference weekend.  We plan to be sitting and listening to the inspiring messages the entire time.  We usually plan to have yummy food the whole time (and boy did we!)  I was just about bursting by the time the weekend was over--not just from the good food, either.  I was touched over and over by messages that I felt applied to me and to those I love.  And I received a very strong confirmation that our General church leaders are very much aware of the members needs, all over the world.  For me, it was another reassurance that my Heavenly Father knows and loves me.  The moment when President Monson announced that the Provo Tabernacle would be rebuilt and that it would be a second temple in Provo, I started bawling.  My girls looked at me like I was crazy, but it was an excellent opportunity to teach them about how the Spirit works and influences us.

I can't wait to read the messages again soon, and once again be inspired by all those wonderful messages.  What a gift it is to be an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

By the way, I am over my funk for the moment.  I guess I just needed to vent.  I am feeling ready to hope again today.  Thanks for your love and prayers.