Love & kisses and Valentine's day all go together so well! 

Here's my gift to the Boyfriend. This was so easy to do - red lipstick, pucker up, put it to paper, sign. Bam! Done. Well, except the framing part. But still pretty easy. So I thought I'd share.

Then I thought to myself, self, how easy it would be to make it into a downloadable. If you aren't inclined to do your own, then just - print, sign, frame. Wham Bam!

So what do you think? If you like it, share the Valentine love. 

Okay, I seriously do not know where January went! Maybe you feel the same. I've been away from home a lot this month. With that, I've missed FHE with the family. It makes me feel a little disconnected from the kids. 

I happen to really like FHE but it hasn't always been that way. For one, I didn't really know why it was done. And two, I didn't have FHE as a kid so I didn't know how it was done. Then three, I lacked motivation to get it done. 

I believed there were blessings to be had from having FHE so I did a few things. First, I joined a FHE group of about 5 women where we each made part of a lesson. For example, I'd make 5 lessons, or 5 activities, or 5 songs. We met regularly so FHE was always on my mind and having others to be accountable to made sure it got done. It helped a ton. Then I made a plan of topics that I wanted to talk about and teach. When I had a topic already in mind I would get excited to teach it.

I can't be in a FHE group with you but I can help you (and me) to continue to parent deliberately. Here is a FHE Planner for February to download. Some topic ideas are at the bottom of the page to get you started. If you need some of our other ideas you can go here.

After having FHE for over 20 years with our family I now understand the wisdom of the counsel. Here's a little extra motivation from the prophet.

Do you have a FHE idea for February to share with us?

Here is a quick little visual about tips for teaching youth. Info adapted from lds.org. I love that preparation doesn't just apply to having handouts (which you know I LOVE!), or setting up the room, but that preparation applies to having rules and a mutual respect for everyone in the classroom. 

Including everyone is as simple as asking each person one thing that made them happy that week--just remind them to keep it brief, especially if you have a large class! 

Sharing is always fun. I ask the young women after reading a scripture or story, "Have you ever had an experience like this?" and almost always the answer is yes! It's great to hear them apply the doctrine in their lives. 

Calling the youth by name is a great way to help everyone pay attention. It helps them realize that you expect participation from them and makes them feel important. Because they are!

Listening is huge. When your youth answer a question, acknowledge that they have done so. There is nothing worse ignoring a person who responds to your query. A simple, "good job" doesn't cut it. Allow room for discussion; ask them, "How did that make you feel?" or something similar. Don't immediately move on to the next thing. Respond to what they said, and if possible tie it into the lesson by saying something like, "I like that because it applies..." or "We are talking about that next in this scripture...." or "Can anyone think of another example like this?"

Challenging the youth is my next favorite. Challenge them to choose one thing from the doctrine to apply in their lives throughout the coming week. Have them write it down!

What else do you find helpful? PS. These tips can also be applied to your adult classes! 

It's a new year, Nesties! Now that the holidays are over you'll probably see more of me :) Either way, here are handouts for Come Follow Me for this month. Can I just say how much I love this curriculum??! I LOVE IT! 

I've started creating black and white versions for those of you that want to print on young women value-colored cardstock. For those of us that don't care (raises hand), I also have colored handouts you can print on white cardstock. Win-win!

This handout is for "How can I know my Heavenly Father?" You can download either version here.

Handout for why is "Jesus Christ important in my life?" You can download either version here.

Handout for "What are the roles of the Holy Ghost?" Have the young women read the scriptures listed together, individually,or however you want to do it, and write out the roles of the Holy Ghost. You can download either version here.

Handout for "Who am I, and who can I become?" You can download either version here.

And as a bonus, here is a card for your ring thing with the 2014 theme on it! (and I added a little extra, but hey). Download them here!

If you find these helpful in your lessons then share them with your friends! Enjoy!