Learning by example

This past weekend was conference.  I personally like conference.  But kids make it hard to enjoy.  They come home with packets from Primary that they are supposed to fill out to help them listen, but my kids never seem to want to do them.  Even if there is a reward offered.  And they don't keep them busy the whole time anyway.  So I feel like I am running a three ring circus, trying to find activities that help them to listen a little.  Conference Bingo, setting up tents for them to listen in, printing off appropriate coloring pages.  But then I still try and get Canon (nearly 10 years old) to fill out his packet because it helps him work on his Faith in God Award for Primary.  And none of the activities keep the kids completely quiet, so we are still shushing them, referring their squabbles and finally giving up when they really just want to go play.  And of course for some reason my nearly 5 year old wants to play Hungry Hungry Hippo with her sister, the loudest game we own.  So we send them to the farthest corner of the house and make them close the door.  Not what I had planned.

But somewhere in the eight hours of conference, we do get some pictures colored and Bingo played.  Canon ends up coloring the best I've ever seen him color, and Savana randomly tells me how much she loves conference.  And the best of all was when Canon told me he had made a goal to read all of Alma before summer break.  I have to back up and tell the back story on this one.  At the beginning of the year, I had made a goal to read all of the Book of Mormon before conference.  Not really that hard if you stay on top of things.  Two or three chapters a night.  But of course I don't stay on top of things and I forget to read for a couple of weeks here and there, and the next thing you know, I have 60 chapters to catch up on in the last week before conference.  So I did a lot of listening on my phone and ipad both while working around the house and before I got up in the morning.  Canon actually loved to come in and listen with me.  So even though I wasn't consist, Canon noticed that I was trying to accomplish a reading goal.  And made one for himself.  Even though I can't get him to always jump through all the hoops, I love that deep down, he recognizes and wants to do them important things.  And even though Savana didn't listen to every session of conference, she still had a good experience, and that is what counts.