"Rough Draft"

Well, here goes....
PREPARE
Learn to Take Care of your SELF
 -Clean Body
     *Proper Hygiene: shower/bathe regularly, trim nails, clean ears, wash hands, comb hair, use deodorant, brush teeth
     *Proper Fuel: eat food as fuel, drink lots of water, learn what works best for you, plan, shop, prepare and clean up meals/dishes
     *Proper Rest: go to bed on time, get up early enough to give yourself time to get ready
     *Proper Exercise: be active, be involved in scouts, sports, school activities, etc., or establish your own daily exercise routine (suggested exercises: running, walking, jogging, jump rope, push ups, sit ups, jumping jacks, biking, roller blading, hiking, air squats, planks, lunges, burpees, dancing, etc)
     *Hard Work: daily chores, a good turn daily

  -Clean Mind
     *Keep up in school, do homework, complete assignments on time
     *Read lots of books
     *Set goals and set your mind to achieve them
     *Learn about people and subjects of interest/research
     *Perform casual experiments to test your ideas and theories
     *Keep a clean mind: "Hum your favorite hymn", "If it's bad, look away and turn it off," (thanks, Safety Kids), don't allow deer poop into your life
SIDE NOTE: For one FHE lesson, I told the kids about the mom who made cookies for her kids. Before they took a bite she told them she had used a little bit of doggie doo doo in them. Her kids didn't want any of the cookies!! She told them that it was "just a little bit" and the rest of the cookie would be fine. The kids refused to eat the cookies, of course. I told my kids we have to treat bag language, violence, sex and crude humor as doggie doo doo (we had deer poop on our lawn that morning so I used deer poop instead of doggie doo doo as an example). We can't let even "just a little bit" of the bad stuff enter our lives and ruin the rest of it. The lesson went well and I think they got the message. .... We'll see.

  -Clean Spirit
     *Study the scriptures every day (Alma 17:2, 1 Nephi 1:24-25, 2 Nephi 32:3, John 5:39, Acts 17:11, 2 Timothy 2:15, Mosiah 1:7)
     *Pray Always (D&C 10:5, 2 Nephi 32:9)
     *Serve Others (Mosiah 2:17)
     *Fulfill Priesthood Responsibilities (D&C 84:33, 1 Samuel 2:30, 1 Timothy 4:14)
     *Be worthy to attend the temple (Moroni 10:32)
     *Keep the Sabbath Day holy (Jeremiah 17:22, JST, Mark 2: 26-27, Mosiah 18:23, Mosiah 13:16,18, D&C 68:29)
     *Repent and forsake sins (Mosiah 4:10, Alma 39:9)

Well, iffn that's not enough, I decided to make a list of useful, helpful and essential skills I want my kids to learn. But I warn you, it's LONG!!! And I know there's more I want to add. :)

IN THE HOME
  - Kitchen
     *Learn to prepare 10 breakfasts, 10 lunches, 10 dinners, and a few healthy snacks (mind you, these are the ultimate goals. I'm going to make checkoff lists for each of the kids to keep track of their progress)
     *Clean as you go. Clean up spills when they happen.
     *Learn to make meal plans, using what you've got and store ads
     *Learn how to look for deals and stock up when you can
     *Learn how to wash, rinse, dry and put away dishes, load a dishwasher and start it, unload the dishwasher, clean out the fridge/freezer, clean counters, tables, chairs, and sweep and wash floors

  -Bedroom
     *Make bed, change sheets
     *Organize closet and drawers
     *Learn how to hang pictures properly

  -Living rooms
     *Organize "stuff", clean up after yourself
     *Learn how to wash walls and baseboards
     *Learn how to deep clean windows, including window tracks, glass, and surrounding areas.
     *Learn how to dust properly
     *Learn how to vacuum properly
     *Learn how to change light bulbs and clean light fixtures
     *Learn how to change smoke alarm batteries

  -Laundry/Clothing
     *Learn how to pre-treat stains
     *Learn how to select the right load size and water temperature
     *Learn how to use the dryer properly
     *Learn how to fold clothes properly
     *Learn how to hang clothes properly
     *Learn how to iron clothes
     *Learn how to sew on a button
     *Learn to tie a tie
     *Learn to polish your dress shoes
   
  -Bathroom
     *Learn to use a plunger
     *Learn to fix sink leaks
     *Learn the workings of toilets
     *Clean mirrors, sink, toilet, bathtub, walls, floors and door

  Okay, I'll save the "OTHER" stuff for next time. Thanks for reading. PLEASE give suggestions, ideas, comments, etc. I know it's overwhelming. Trust me, I know! But I feel like I have to break it down like this in order to know where to begin. I think it'll pay off  in the end. Don't expect perfection from us, though. ;)  We're just beginning this glorious journey!! How's YOUR journey going? I'd love to hear about it!