Good Family Nights and Great Family Nights

Ok - so Tom and I are pretty vigilant about making sure we have a Family Home Evening every week.  Sometimes the lessons are super prepared and other nights we just throw something together because our day has been crazy busy.  Most nights the outcome usually is , "Well, that was a good family night."  But last night, we all walked away saying,"Wow, that was a GREAT family night."  Everyone was participating, asking questions, we were laughing, singing, not so worried about time because it was a holiday (no homework!!)----but was it because I took 15 minutes to help Spencer prepare his lesson?  No--- because we do that lots of times and the outcomes are the same.  Was it because it was a holiday and the kids had a more relaxing day than a usual day at school?  Tom and I tried to figure it out-----and then, it hit-------we realized why everything was better.  Six little words that made ALL the difference in our family night:  KOHLER WAS IN A GOOD MOOD!

 I am not kidding---he walked in from a 3 hour football practice at 8:00 p.m. and we started FHE right when he got home.  From the moment he walked in the door he was smiling, he participated with us, he laughed with the kids, he made great comments, he even played in the charades game with us and made everyone laugh.  For our family-----the attitude of the oldest child is SUCH a factor on how everyone else reacts.  I am such a believer in that.  Hailey led a game of charades and we had to write down some things that make us happy on a piece of paper, then act it out.  Kohler wrote:  "Making Mom Happy and Saying Nice Things to Someone."  That made my night to hear that by making mom happy, that makes HIM happy!  I kept that slip of paper because it really was one of those sweet things that you want to keep for a while. (to remind me that he is a great kid when some days I think otherwise!  ha ha)

These are some things the kids wrote that make them happy.  Hailey wrote, "playing games with Mom."

Our other three children are so sweet and are usually always in good moods and they try so hard to make FHE fun.  But when the oldest is on board and they can feel that----everything just clicks and we all walk away saying "that was a GREAT Family Night!"