FHM aka Family Home Morning!

"Family Home Evenings should be scheduled once a week as a time for discussions of gospel principles, recreation, work projects, skits, songs around the piano, games, special freshments, and family prayers. Like iron links in a chain, this practice will bind a family together; in love, pride, tradition, strength, and loyalty"- Ezra Taft Benson

Today marks the first day of our FHE/FHM! We have been wanting to do this for weeks but have never actually sat down to figure out what we would do, or how, etc. We knew it would be impossible for us to actually do FHE on Monday evenings like the rest of the LDS world because of Eric's work schedule, so we're tweaking our FHE a bit, and renaming it Family Home Morning!

We started off our FHM by making breakfast together; what would normally be a cereal/toast/yogurt/bagel/grab whatever you can when you wake up type of morning is now going to be a family cooked meal. Mainly, I cooked the meal and Eric assisted me and kept Tristan out of the kitchen. On today's menu: French toast & scrambled eggs with orange juice! With such a busy body youngster, we figured the best way to do our lesson without having one of us disrupting the entire lesson by having to chase Tristan around was to contain him in the high chair with food. Worked like a charm! He was happy to be there, and we were happy to have him :)

I took charge and kicked off our new tradition by giving a lesson on family and the importance of FHE. Coming from a home that never did FHE, I have never experienced the weekly tradition but I can certainly appreciate the importance of it. I have seen how it has blessed other families and how close those families were and still are.  I remember my mom trying to do some sort of family activity with us, but over time eventually gave up because Clint and I couldn't stop arguing over who got to do what. What I wouldn't give now to have my brother be forced to spend an evening with me. I realize now that although nobody feels cool riding in the backseat, if it meant that I could have an everlasting friendship with my brother, I guess I would let him ride shotgun. A quote I found during my research really stuck out to me, and I have decided it's a perfect quote for our FHM chart (coming soon!)

" We should not be discouraged if every family home evening is not ideal, it is important just to spend time together. The Lord promises that if we patiently continue to hold FHE, He will strengthen our families."

I am so glad I found that quote BEFORE I did my first lesson. I kept this quote in my mind the entire time I was planning my lesson, preparing the meal, and while giving my lesson. My lesson was a simple object lesson on the strength of families. I asked Eric to break a stick (OVER OUR KITCHEN TABLE WITH FOOD ON IT- WHAT WAS I THINKING?!) and then again after I tied a hairtie around a bundle of sticks. Each stick represented a member of the family, and the hairtie represented the strengthening influence of the Gospel...you get the idea, right?


"When we stand alone, we are not as strong as we are with our family. We are stronger when we are united as a family and strive TOGETHER to live the Gospel."


I'm excited to see what FHM has in store for our family, and even more excited to see what Eric comes up with for his first lesson next week! I can't wait till I have two little boys to teach. I've already come to terms with most likely having to tie them down to chairs to get their attention, but I'm totally cool with that. I have made a promise to myself and to my family, and also to God to stick with this and I know it will pay off if I do.

FHM is something that anyone and everyone can do, it's not just for members of the LDS church. Whether it's just you and your spouse, or you're a single parent, or you have a couch surfer living in your home- making the time to do it - even for 20 minutes- is so worth the effort!

Remember:

There aren't really any guidelines to it, except to just do it!