Top 10 Board Ideas

Top 10 Movies (We decided the best way to answer the Top 10 Movies was to ask if you could only own 10 movies what would they be?  Then applied this way of thinking to help narrow the thought  process.)

Top 10 Disneyland Rides
Top 10 "Heros"
Top 10 Books
Top 10 Reasons my Family is better than yours
Top 10 Restaurants (might break into fast food / slow food)
Top 10 Foods (Savory)
Top 10 Foods (Sweet)
Top 10 Dream Jobs
Top 10 Things I am most Grateful for
Top 10 Past Vacations
Top 10 Dream Vacations
Top 10 People I wish I could meet - living
Top 10 People I wish I could meet - dead
Top 10 Things I want (realistic)
Top 10 Things I want (unrealistic)
Top 10 TV shows
Top 10 Meals
Top 10 Things to do Before I die
Top 10 Super Powers

Stout Family Moto

Taken from the LDS "Handbook 2" 1.4.1 - "A Christ-centered home offers adults and children a place of defense against sin, refuge from the world, healing from emotional and other pain, and committed, genuine love."  Click Here 

We added "Our home is" to the begining, and "and full of fun" to personalize it to our family.  Find a statement that is your family and make it your motto.

 

Watch How You Spend Your Time!

"Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children" - Elder Oaks

Rely on HIM!

Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.” ¹¹ You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even—no, especially—when your days and your nights may be the most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” ¹² And it will make your children whole as well.

- Jeffery R Holland, "Because She is a Mother" General Conference April 1997   Click Here 

Plead to Parents from Pres Hinckley

President Hinckley has pleaded that we "work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it."  - Pres. Gordon B Hinckley, "Each a Better Person" General Conference Oct. 2002. Click Here

Belonging NO MATTER WHAT!

Ideas to create a family team feeling:

• Think of a team/gang.. what do they do to mimic "family" - they build each other up... are we doing that ? are we doing that? They are there for each other no matter what.  They have each others back!  They are great familyers, but can never compare to the family unit designed by our Heavenly Father!  
• Give Responsibility... do chores TOGETHER - some of my greatest childhood memories come from the after dinner dishes.  It was a full team effort & there were often bubbles, and laughter involved.  Once even a kitchen sink sprayer that sprayed all the way across the kitchen... by my (very serious) dad!!  
• Give Acknowledgement - One of the basic human needs is Acknowledgement!  We need to show our kids that they are good at doing things!  I have a friend in her late 50's and to this day when we have gone to serve by cleaning houses, she will pipe up,  "I will clean the bathrooms!  I know I can do that well because my mom told me I am the best bathroom cleaner!"
• Sit at the table for a while after dinner.  Growing up our best conversations & honestly by testimony started at the dinner table.  We sat at the table every night, and then my tired mom would stay there, usually someone (even my 16 yr old, very cool brother) would sit on her lap and we would talk for a little while.  This was our dessert, and it was a sample of heaven.  
• Get to know each other... like friends do. Sister Feinhauer taught the three F's 1. Food 2. Fire 3.Fanny.  Each of these bring the kids. especially teenagers together.  1. Food - build it and they will come! 2. Fire - what is it that draws us to fire, but try one in the back yard... it drives away flies and drives in family members (especially if roasting things is involved). 3. Fanny - If my sits her fanny down, the kids will gather, IF there are not any "screens" turned on.
• Make Top 10 Lists - We have a white board that changes each month with different Top 10s to be filled out by each family member.  It is a fun way to get to know a little about each other.
• Create a family motto/logo/mission statement - It will help you define how to family each other.
• Call yourself a team - a friend from out of town called, can she come over?  AAAHHH, 10 minutes until company! " Team Stout, all hands on deck company in 10 minutes!"  My kids know that means all hands on deck right now, and get an area in the house ready for company.  If they are spending the night, sheets on a bed, towels ready for them.  Make sure the kitchen is clean... you know the drill.  OR - It is 6:45am and I hear the garbage man on other street and I realize I forgot to take the cans out to the street.  "Team Stout!!  Garbages!" Then in life when there are real challenges there is a Team Stout!  It is fun to to have Team awards, or a surprise trip to ice cream... 
• Have family (private) jokes, stories, words... that you repeat to belong. 
• Play Mom always said..., Dad always said.... Simply ask your kids, "What does Dad always say?" Or "What does Mom always say?" It is eye opening!  And bonding!
• Play "Remember When..."
• Traditions - Make them, then keep them!  Even when they seem stupid, do it anyway!
• Write heart felt letters and then go and read them out loud to the family member, then leave it for them.
• One-on-one time/dates/talks - pray pray pray, have an open heart/mind, treat as friend.
• Mom Daughter Journal - get a cute note book and start it with a note to your daughter saying you would like to have a chance to get to know her better, so you will be writing notes (like the ones you used to pass in school)  to her, and then she can write you back, ect.  I know one mom that says anything she needs to vent about in their journal, she will not get in trouble for saying.  It is the safe place. 

FHE - Ideas

PLAN AHEAD....If you have the idea already in place it is much easier to implement the plan! When you involve the family in planning, they will have a vested interest in making it successful.

General Conference

• Develop a story to learn the names of the brethren   - a "picture" our family has developed to learn our leaders names, in the order of authority. 
• Quote the Quotes - Assign each person a talk and they pick out  every time a prophet quotes a prophet (if they think it is worth repeating we might want to listen) and then they read those to the family. 
• Find the Gem - Assign each person a talk and have them choose 2 "quotables" then read them to the family. 
• Set a Goal - the Monday after General Conference have each person come up with their own goal to achieve for the next 6 months.  (Awards for success are always fun.)
• Play a Match game of the name/picture of the prophet & apostles. 

Memorize Something

• All the words of a Hymn/ Primary Song
• Favorite scriptures
• Living Christ

Practice is Perfect

• Testimony night
• 2 1/2 min talk...each person gives a talk . It can not be read, just notes (except exact quotes can be read) allow 15 min for prep.
• Gospel object challenge -give each person a random item and they give a 1 minute parable. i.e. a light bulb can be us in the gospel, if we are screwed in to the power (scriptures, prayer, then you can light the way for yourself and those around you.    

Service

• Random Acts of Kindness day, or month - one lady did 35 acts of kindness in one day, i.e. girl scout cookies for the post lady with a thank you note, treats delivered to the librarian, spare change in ziplock taped to a vending machine. with a Random Act of Kindness note....
• Pay It Forward - leave gifts for perfect strangers in odd places with a pay it forward note. i.e. a new baby toy in a shopping cart (make sure it has a bow and a pay it forward note) Or leave a book you enjoyed for someone to find (again with a note) 
• Make and Deliver Freezer Dinners to give to needy families (ie new baby, illness) or to the RS Pres to distribute.
• Make "Blessing Bags" to use through out the year.  Make gallon size ziplocks filled with things that would be nice for a homeless person... granola bar,apple sauce, candy bar, gum, deodrant, toothpaste and brush... then keep one in the car and give it anytime you see someone begging or homeless.
• Hearts - make 5-6 hearts/person - they do secret acts of service throughout the week and leave a heart behind, showing they love each other. 
• Super Server - make each family member a cape they wear to go do kind acts... rake leaves, shovel snow, go weed for a busy ward member... 

Gratitude

• "Things I Love" list or board
• Gratitude book - leave it out in the open with a pen for the family to add to it
• Hearts - collect 5-6 hearts/person and they leave the heart anytime they notice service done for them.
• You are my favorite... Write each persons name on the bottom of a paper, each person writes a note to that person sincerely writes, "You are my favorite because... " then they fold it down, and pass it to the next family member until everyone has written to each person.
• Make a Thanksgiving tree/wreath/falling leaves - everyone write something they are thankful for on a paper/silk leaf and adds it to the tree.