Reverently, Quietly...

My friend Camille is getting ready to give a lesson on Preparing for the Sabbath.  So, she put out the question on facebook, "What do you do to prepare? AND What do you do with/for your kids before and during, to help YOU be able to listen and get more out of the sacrament meeting?"  I thought about this and started to feel like I don't do enough mental and spiritual preparation.

I wish I could say that my scripture reading, prayer, and periodic fasting is a little more meaningful the day or two before the Sabbath. That I ask specifically to have an impacting day of spiritual edification every Sunday. But to be honest, my biggest concern on Saturday is whether or not I'll get a date with my husband Saturday night!

Then I started to think about our nightly routine and I realized that we are preparing our family for the Sabbath EVERYday of the week. Every night we kneel together in prayer after reading from the scriptures. We talk about primary and nursery throughout the week, to keep the kids remembering what they learned and keep them excited to go back for more. Although this is done in passing, and is a fleeting moment, it IS what we do. Bart and I also go over the meeting/choir schedule so there are no surprises. Helping the day itself go smoothly. These are all things we do unconsciously that get us ready each week. And although there is still room for more preparation, I think we're off to a good start.

I DID share with Camille my answer to helping the kids be more reverent during the meeting.  After the Sacrament, during the speakers, we get out what we call our Sunday Binders.  Each binder contains a pencil pouch with colored pencils, and worksheets/coloring pages.  All of these pages have been personally created or selected with the topics and themes of the Gospel in mind. BUT with basic math and writing skills included. My kids enjoy quiet learning activities, and it is something I feel is appropriate during the sacred time we get each week to worship and learn of our Savior and His teachings. Some of the pages I use come from www.lds.org/friend under games and activities or at LDSColoringBook.com.  But most of the math and writing sheets I made myself.  They aren't super professional quality, but my kids don't mind that.  You can print out or just use for ideas. You can find the link below.

Church Binder Worksheets/Coloring Pages