Come Follow Me

This was the first week of Come Follow me and 2 hour church.  The program is focused on a home centered church which is what church really should be in the perfect world.  It should be a supplement to what you are doing in your daily lives and at home.  I LOVE it!  I feel like I need to fill my kids with the spirit and the gospel and doing that everyday in our home will help them and help our home.  We learned about being responsible for our learning and responsible for filling our lives with the Spirit. I am so excited for the new program.  I am excited to fill our home with more gospel learning.

Everything is streamlined in church, focused on the essentials and cutting out a lot of wasted time.  3 hour block is HARD with young kids.  Especially when they are my kids.  I don't produce calm children!  But more than that, I am excited for what it means at home.  I am also excited for the importance of the time spent at church.  I have 20 minutes to teach these sweet 3 and 4 year olds.  I feel like that time is so important.  It goes so quick so we have to make the most of it.  The most of focusing on what they learned and helping them applying that for the week to come.  Helping them feel the Saviors love for them and recognizing Him in their life.  So overall I am so excited.

I really want to encourage others to participate in the program because I think it is awesome.  I want to do a family bible study so we will see if that comes to fruition.  At home we have been taking 15 minutes here and there going over the lesson and having great discussions.  Just opening up the book or reading a story opens up to great discussion.  I know it is the Lord's program.  It is incredible to see it in action.  Sooo grateful and blessed.  I already see great things coming from it and it has only been a week. 

Parker is in my class.  He exhausts me.  I am pretty sure has some type of ADD or hyperactivity.  He goes from morning to night, non stop!  Somersaults, dancing, moving, go go go.  But he is happy and carefree.  When I think of Blake and how angry and sad he was this summer, I realize endless energy is something I should be grateful for.  Sometimes it is just hard to be grateful for it because I am so tired.  At first I wasn't that excited to be his teacher because it is hard teaching your own kids.  At least for me.  I feel like they listen to other teachers so much better, but I know it will be good.  But then I realize how that hour with him is quality time.  Something special that we get to share together and I realize that will be wonderful.  He is pretty immature for his age.  He barely talks, he sucks his thumb, is crazy.  Today he sat and listened great and then wanted to sit with me. Part of me wanted him to just sit and listen and the other part of me realized that was quality time.  In class, he came over and sat on me and almost went to sleep.  I know he won't listen as well, will be more distracted with me than another teacher, but I am going to focus on the good, the blessing of being able to teach him.  With 6 kids who all have dominant personalities, my solution for almost everything is quality time so I am grateful that for that quality time.

Hour sacrament went so fast!  It will make it so much easier with the kids.  Today was really hard because Blake was so anxious to get new teachers. His anxiety manifested when he couldn't find his shoes but I knew it was because of getting new teachers.  He gets upset, angry and teaters on the edge of raging.  That hasn't happened since the summer and I think a lot of it is recognizing his anxiety and learning the coping mechanisms.  At least I can now identify what is irritating him.  When I noticed he was getting more and more anxious, I told him we were going to go for a walk during sacrament so we walked the halls.  When he was distracted with something, like reading or playing with something he was ok for a couple minutes, but as soon as it was over, he was stressed.  He kept verbalizing not wanting new teachers..

When kids get severe anxiety doing something that won't come to an end is helpful. Going on a walk, reading a book, going on a bike ride.  So we decided to go on a walk.  He just wanted to leave. I didn't know how it would all pan out but prayed that it would.

Sacrament came, I distanced myself from Blake, and he went way far away from anyone.  I had no idea if he would come in but he did and did fine.  I was so grateful. He is really challenging.  Sometimes I think it would be helpful for him to be on medication.  Either daily or just when we know it will be a hard day or something he will be anxious about.  It seems like everytime I think that would allow him to function better, I hang out with someone that day who tells me how it makes their kids not feel great.  At least it is an option if we need it but for now I am grateful that he is doing so much better than this summer.  Kids are so hard!  Each is so different and has their own unique challenges.  Sometimes I feel like my kids got their fair share of difficult traits and some.   I know some it is nurture.  I can do so much better at so many things. Lately I feel like I have been trying so hard to dedicate my time and energy to my kids which is a good thing, but also exhausting. 

 I know they have amazing strengths and talents.  I just need to find the energy and wisdom to get through the next 20 years to help them focus that energy and drive in the right direction...LOL!