Our bid was Accepted

So we put a bid on a house, back at the beginning of January. We waited and waited, and kept worrying if we were waiting in vain. In the mean time we looked at some other houses. Some in our ward and some not. The house we bid on was everything we currently need, everything we are going to need, and everything we currently want and want for the future. Also the bid house is in our current ward, and that was something important to us. We really like our wards and our current callings.

After waiting almost three weeks to hear back from the bank that owns the property, we heard on Friday and their only counter the bank made was that we close two weeks earlier than our requested close date. We can do that.

We love this house and we are so grateful we were able to obtain in. With everything we went through we could have been our own episode of Property Virgins. Now we have all the inspections and paperwork to do. Since we are closing in March and our rental house lease isn’t over till April 30^th, so we are going to have the time to take our time, clean, and paint what we want before moving in.

How Firm a Foundation -Tested, and Funny Pregnacy Story

So just a few quick things:

1- Primary went really well. I was worried about using SO MANY words (see my post about ‘How Firm a Foundation) with the little children. But they picked up on the song so quickly. Much more quickly than they did for ‘I Lived in Heaven’. Because I was more worried about the words I wanted to first make sure they had a firm grip on the tune. I hadn’t spent much time in the past learning the tune first. I had always had them listen to it once through with just the piano, but then we’d try singing it. This time we listened, then we hummed it, and then we la la laaed our way through it. I think this helped. Even if it didn’t help they learn it, I would still call it a success because the children seemed to really enjoying trying to la the song.

2- The only also really went well with the activity around the first verse. We didn’t do this part with the JR primary because we ran out of time, (I took a lot of time reviewing ‘I Lived in Heaven’ before we started learning ‘How Firm a Foundation’). With SR primary, after we had learned all the words, we started turning over the bricks to hide some of the words (this is where we’ll start with JR primary after a quick review). I had 4 children come up at a time, pick a brick, flip it over, and then return to their seat. Since there are a lot of words and there are only a word or two on each brick there were a lot to flip over. We sing the verse trying to remember those words and then I’d have 4 more children come up and then we’d sing it again. It made for a good 4 more times singing the song. WARNING: I love getting children involved. I think they enjoy it more and I think they behave more. But since there were so many bricks to flip, there were only a few children who never got a turn to come up. This is bad because those who didn’t get to come up felt left out and I even had one brake down and cry (remember this was my SR Primary). Just keep that in mind if you are going to do this activity, it can be done as an activity to learn the verse or as an activity for the activity Sunday

3- This was just funny pregnancy stuff: I try to do a wiggle song to transition over to Sharing Time. The song we decided on was ‘Do as I’m Doing’, the action chosen by the child who came up to be the leader was ‘head shoulders knees and toes’. I thought this was going to be fun (although at first it confused my pianist, she wasn’t sure which song we were going to sing). Well, as many of you know I am 25 weeks pregnant, and defiantly showing. As we began singing and doing the motions of head shoulders knees and oh my goodness I can’t really do toes anymore. Each time I went down was something special. Next time we sing either ‘Do as I’m Doing’ or ‘Head Shoulders Kneed and Toes’ I will have to only sing. I’m too pregnant for that anymore.

Have a great week everyone. We had lots of fun today with ‘How Firm a Foundation’, I think it will be one of the memorable ones of the year.

Baby Update

So I have had questions about the baby. I am without a doubt feeling the little one moving around now. I am sure that I was feeling it before. They are the same feelings I had, it has just become more intense and distinct. Sometimes I can see the movement on my tummy. Its cool.
I still have a day here or there where I am more sensitive, but besides that my all day-everyday morning sickness has ended. Thank-goodness. If I spend the entire pregnancy as sick as I was for the first 20 weeks, then I might have to rethink this big family thing.
I had a doctor's appointment this last Thursday. The last appointment I had they were unable to see anything due to complications. So this time we were really hoping that there would be no complications and we'd be able to find out what we are having. I hate calling my baby "it" all the time. Well this time my baby was moving all over the place and the doctor was only getting a momentary looks. But since there were no obvious boy parts in those little looks-he says he is 70% sure its a Girl. The doctor said that if I need to be more sure than that I can go up to Tucson and pay for a 3D/4D ultrasound. Those pictures are more clear and are defiantly cool to see, but I don't know if it is worth all that money to me. After all we are in the process of buying a house, we'll have to purchase a fridge for the house and a washer and dryer, and we need to save up for all the hospital bills for the delivery, not to mention we are taking a trip in a few weeks to the mid-west. Nothing is cheep in this life. And although it would be cool to have those pictures, and to be more sure- is it worth the cost? I think my in-laws really want me to get the pictures. But if I got the pictures done with this child, will I feel obligated to do it for all my other children? I don't want to start out knowing that I am doing so much more just because this baby is our first.

SingTime: Wiggle Song Idea

I can't take the credit for this, it was totally my pianist's idea and she may have got it from somewhere else too.

We sang "If You're Happy" # 266. (if you're happy and you know it.....)
-1st verse: Clap your hands
-2nd verse: shout Hurray (or one of the more reverent ideas suggested in the primary book)
-3rd verse: fold your arms. The pianist plays softer you sing softer, and at the end everyone sits back into their seats, quite and arms folded.

It worked well to turn the time over to the counselor doing sharing time.

Activity: I Lived in Heaven

I had planned on taking the words to the songs and having some words missing, then having the children fill in the blanks of the song. As I drove back home from spending the weekend in Phoenix, I had a lot of time to think (my husband was not feeling well and spent 2 of the 3 hour drive asleep). I then came up with a different idea for this week's activity.
To start this is my plan for Singing time each month: (See Previous Post)
Week 1- Learn the Song
Week 2- Continue to Learn the Song and start to fix it in their minds
Week 3- An activity focused around Making the Learning solid
Week 4- Free Activity

So this "Focused Activity":
For Senior Primary- I first reviewed all the verses. I took my book (the one I made for the song) and we sang the song, with the words showing, then once with only the pictures and then once with no helps. Then we re-sang where ever they were struggling. After that I gave each class an envelope that contained 2 of the lines from the song. Their job was to first put the line in order, and then to figure out where in the song the line belonged.
These lines I just printed out on the computer. I printed it out on landscape page format so the lines could be long, "Andy" font, and font size 120. I wanted them big enough to see from once we placed the lines on the board. The printing took all of 5 minutes to retype up the words, select all the settings, and print. I then cut the phrases out during sacrament meeting (not entirely recommended, unless it is the only time you have).
In each envelope, were two lines. There were next to each other in the song so as to not confuse the younger of the children. So each verse had two envelopes. They were to tape the lines together. That made 6 envelopes. Since we only had 5 classes with teachers today, I split the oldest boys’ class into two groups and their teacher oversaw both. I gave them a few minutes to put the lines in order, while my pianist played the song in the background.
Once all the groups were done, we were all say the next line and that group would come forward and put their line on the board. With each completed verse we'd sing the whole verse. All the children seemed to really enjoy the activity. I could hear each of the groups singing the song while working, and they all took it as a challenge.
For Junior Primary- we only did the above activity with the last verse. They hadn’t learned the last verse yet. Since they have been having so much of a harder time, I went much slower with them. Today while learning the 3rd verse we first said and repeated the lines a few times and them sang each line a few times. Since one of the suggested reasons why the very little children are having a hard time is the key of the song, I thought I would try just saying the line so the music didn’t get in the way of learning the words. I think I will try this technique while learning ‘How Firm a Foundation’ since it too is not going to be an easy one for the young children. Back to the activity part, I split the third verse into the 4 lines and then the children into 4 groups. They put the lines together with the help of their teachers. I was fearful that all words with no pictures would trip up those children that can’t read yet, but with the help of the teachers, no of them seemed intimidated at all. In fact, they seemed to really enjoy the challenge. I took the pictures that went with the lines out of the book and had two children from each group come up for each line (one to hold the line the other to hold the picture), and we sang the verse, then the whole song. I think it really helped the children become familiar with the words, the last verse I had more children singing then on any of the other verses.

Alternative Focused Activities (could be applied to many songs):
-Use the words of the book idea, but have the children make the pictures. Assign each class to draw a picture for a page in the book. Then sing the song with their pictures instead of whatever you made.
-Have the lines on the board. Either have them mixed up or cover some the words.
-Assign each class to learn a line. Then as the song is sung have that class stand and perform their line.
-Have colors on a sticks, or just large circles to hold up. As we sing hold up a color, the children who have the color on, then get to stand and sing while that color is being held up.
-Put the a picture (preferably the one you may have used to teach the song) on the board and also the printed line that goes with that picture. Have the children match the line of the song with the picture and sing the line once matched.

My Goals for an organized Singing Time

To start this is my plan for Singing time each month:

• Week 1- Learn the Song
• Week 2- Continue to Learn the Song and start to fix it in their minds
• Week 3- An activity focused around Making the Learning solid
• Week 4- Free Activity (ie: Sing all sorts of songs, a game, or another focused activity). Whatever I want. If it is needed to have a sub, switching the weeks around with this week is easier on the sub. Especially if you make them up beforehand so they are ready in emergency situations.
• Same for Week 5 (I also think that on week 5s I will take to Sharing time and see what their plans are, see if they want to do a joint sort of thing.

2nd thing is due to a comment someone made on my blog, I have decided to make packets of all the songs for the teachers. That way they can learn the words and follow along for all the songs, regardless if I use 'words' to teach the music. We have always made these packets for the teachers, but we didn't make them and give them to the teachers until it was focus time for the program. My hope is they will keep it with their lesson manuals and also lend them to their subs or new teacher.

Examples of Focused Activities (could be applied to many songs):

• Use the words of the book idea, but have the children make the pictures. Assign each class to draw a picture for a page in the book. Then sing the song with their pictures instead of whatever you made.
• Have the lines on the board. Either have them mixed up or cover some the words.
• Assign each class to learn a line. Then as the song is sung have that class stand and perform their line.
• Have colors on a sticks, or just large circles to hold up. As we sing hold up a color, the children who have the color on, then get to stand and sing while that color is being held up.
• Put the a picture (preferably the one you may have used to teach the song) on the board and also the printed line that goes with that picture. Have the children match the line of the song with the picture and sing the line once matched.
• Using my maze (See blog post: ‘This Week for the Primary’ on Nov 6, 2008), Attach to the back of a picture (appropriately sized for your maze, could be anything) a line from the song. Have the children go through the maze and then when reach a line have the children determine where in the song that line belongs and then sing it.
• Have multiple lines/pictures for the song made and hand them out to the children. When the line of the song is sung that coordinates with the picture they have, they should raise their picture high above their head (or stand up would be a good idea too depending on how reverent they remain doing so).
• Practice singing the song faster, slower, higher or lower pitched, humming, la la laing, buzzing, quiet, loud, with their hands on their head, under their rear-ends, behind their backs, touching their nose, eyes, ears, folded, toes, belly-button, ect. Making signs of each (good things to laminate).
  

If any of you come up with ideas for Focused Activities, please share them with me. Or if one of these ideas worked well or not so well for your primary, please share.

Whatever Activities (4^th week activities):

The idea is to still sing that month’s song, but to also incorporate all the past months’ song along with some of the songs from last year, and the other suggested songs in the lessons, plus just some of the fun songs to sing and release energy.

• name that tune, either by hearing it on played or by reading a line
• puzzle or pictures under the chairs
• Using my maze (See blog post: ‘This Week for the Primary’ on Nov 6, 2008), have whatever pictures you want in the maze and a song on each picture. If you make the maze it is a great activity for subs to use, especially in an emergency.
• Any brightly colored pictures with songs to be sung written on the back. Could put the pictures on the board, under chairs, or around the room.
• there are tons of ideas all over the place, these are the ones that aren’t as focused on the learning part, more just the fun part.

Please also share any fun ideas you may have.