YW/RS Activity

Every six months the RS and YW do three combined activities.  So far we've done cooking, sewing, and self-reliance.  Our activity for life-skills type self-reliance was a lot of fun.  First we had a Price is Right game that one of the YW leaders put together.  She did such an amazing job!!

 I stunk.  I was no help to our group.  I kept wanting to call Mom!!  She knows everything.

 After the game we looked at a bunch of displays the RS sisters set up to show the girls how they saved their family money or enhanced the quality of their family's life because they have skills.  For example, I did a display on bread making.  I am married to cost accountant so he broke down the recipe ingredients and figured out how much each loaf of bread costs that I make: $0.41.  Yep, 41 cents.  If you compare that to a $5 loaf--which I think is fair considering the quality and nutritional value and flavor of my bread--I will save my family $75,000 over the course of a 60 year marriage.  Pretty awesome!  So--self-reliance by learning life skills.

In the picture above Amy and Carrie explained the benefits of knowing how to garden.

 Janae talked about the $ saved and nutritional value of canning.

 My friend Carey showcased the different skills she has and how they benefit her family.  She thinks posterboards are boring though, so she attached all those papers to the umbrella and made this cute display.

 My friend Maude brought in the science fair project her son did comparing different laundry soaps to the soap Maude makes at home.  The homemade soap kept the whites whiter.  I need to try her recipe.

 Another sister made a display about couponing.

 There was food.

Some food and home-sewn items.  

It was a great night.  The whole idea of the three weeks was self-reliance.  The first week we talked about financial self-reliance and Dad gave a 15 minute talk about the importance of education for women.  We followed that with a panel of women with different careers who discussed the pros and cons of their career choices; especially as pertains to working the career around motherhood.  

The following week we did the self-reliance through learning life-skills.

The last week we talked about spiritual self-reliance.  We had three discussion groups about the hastening of the work as discussed in the April 2013 Ensign.  The discussion groups focused on the three ways the Brethren have asked the youth to really step up their game; namely, family history and temple work, being prepared to serve a mission younger, and being prepared to teach each other through the new youth curriculum.

All three nights went really well, though attendance was pretty dismal the last night.  The girls must have been celebrating the end of school or something.  So now I get a break for another six months!  Planning weekly activities is hard work!