by Annette Lyon

I found my son staying up well past his bedtime, a book hidden under his covers. With a stern voice, I reminded him that it was a school night.

“Can I finish this chapter? Pleeeeease?” he begged.

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by Dave Ellis

We recently traveled to Park City, Utah (yes, that Park City) for a family vacation. We had never been there and it was quite an experience. The main thing is that it was 68 degrees the entire time: it was beautiful. Honestly, I could have stayed in the Pahrump municipal dump if it was 68 degrees and I would still tell you it was beautiful. Our vacation was not about the surroundings as much as the temperature.

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I turned a page in my life today. As I write this, it’s the first day of school. I sent three kids off to school this morning, leaving me with only two little ones at home for six hours. This year, I don’t have a kindergartener, tying me to three daily bus schedules. Nor do I have a newborn, tying me to nap schedules and nursing times in between three bus schedules.

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By Rekaya Gibson

In order to get your child to read, create a family reading room or space in your home. Make sure you include comfortable seating with adequate lighting. Have everyone choose their favorite book, magazine, or newspaper to read for fifteen minutes.

Read at the same time every day. If schedules don’t permit this, have the family agree upon a day and time once a week that’s convenient. Do not schedule anything during this time. Reduce interruptions by turning off cell phones, iPods, and televisions. Once you commit to reading on a regular basis, it will become a habit.

Before you begin, set a timer. If everybody wants to read longer, add ten more minutes. When the bell rings, enjoy a light snack with your kids. Take the opportunity to have each person discuss what they read.

By Lu Ann Brobst Staheli

You can lead a horse to water . . . but you can’t make him drink. Unfortunately, this statement is applicable all too often to children within the public school system. The first week of school, I asked students in my reading class to share the titles of ten books they had either read by themselves, or that someone had read to them, which they would recommend to others. Several of these eighth and ninth grade students admitted they had never read an entire book on their own. They have been expected to read throughout their school career. How does it happen that they get to junior high school without having read?

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by Danielle Ellis

Splashy headlines now in vogue proclaim what is be coming increasingly obvious: the world we know is going to change, and perhaps sooner than many of us are ready to admit. But what do things like “peak oil” and “going green” and “the coming economic collapse” mean in our day-to-day lives?

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To better serve our readers, we have extracted the article “The Live Nativity” and made a special section for you to download. This seemed to be the best way to do justice to the numerous photos and accompanying text.

The article was written by Pam Ellis

You can download the Live Nativity file here: Live Nativity.pdf

By Lin Floyd

Retirement brings with it many challenging lessons. One of these is to learn how to survive being together 24/7 with a newly retired spouse. That’s a little too much togetherness for most of us. I discovered this when my husband retired several years ago. Suddenly I found myself with another adult by my side during the day as I went grocery shopping, a former solitary duty of mine. Previously, I’d enjoyed leisurely strolling up and down the aisles making up my menu as I selected produce, meat or other commodities. Now I suddenly had a retired engineer hubby with a linear mind making comments like: Do we really want to eat that? or See how much hydrogenated oil or added sugar that has!

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By Cheryl Stewart Osborn

Let’s be honest with ourselves: Are we afraid to sing hymns in church like we really mean them? Are we so intimidated by our lack of vocal prowess that we sing quietly in hopes that others won’t hear us? (I’m guilty of this.) Or do we subscribe to the notion that the more solemnly we sing, the more reverent we are being?

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by Pam Ellis

The new school year provides the opportunity for college students to become involved in their local Institute program. LDS students have the added benefit of this educational, spiritual, social, and service-focused organization where they can—according to the Las Vegas NV Institute website— find “hope and power as they study the gospel, joy and satisfaction as they give their time in service to others, and love and friendship as they associate with others in the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

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By Nettie H. Francis

I am NOT a politically correct mother. I discriminate based on age and gender, and whether or not you’ve finished your homework. (For example, those who have may go out and play.) I insist that girls wear dresses and boys wear ties to special occasions. I teach my girls to cook and sew, and my boys to dig ditches and mow lawns.

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by LaRae Free Kerr

Young Dollie Wadsworth walked to the polling booth with her husband, where she proudly cast her ballot, knowing she was making history, even in her isolated Nevada community. It was 1920. Warren Harding was elected with 76% of the votes. But in hindsight, that wasn’t the big news. The big news was that women voted in national elections for the first time.

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by By Alison Palmer

Scripture: Mark 11:24
Song: “A Child’s Prayer,” Children’s Songbook, 1 2
Preparation: Gather a few items that make noise, such as: a plastic bag, sand paper, disposable diaper, electronic toy, or spring-activated pen. Place your chosen items in a closed box to hide them from your family’s view.

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With close to forty years as a religious instructor, Robert L. Millet has considerable experience helping students who struggle with doubt. His new book, Holding Fast: Dealing with Doubt in the Latter Days offers a new resource for anyone who needs help overcoming, understanding and coping with doubt in all its forms.

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In Robert Eaton’s new book, Extremes: How to Keep Your Virtues from Becoming Vices (Deseret Book, $17.95, Softcover), he teaches an intriguing insight on Satan’s attitude towards the straight and narrow path. The adversary doesn’t just try to get us off the path, sometimes he endeavors to push us from one edge to the other as we miss the righteous middle ground.

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