“When You Teach It to One, You Teach Generations to Come” Homemaking Skills – She Worketh Willingly with Her Hands

“When you teach it to one, you teach generations to come” Homemaking skills – she worketh willingly with her hands

By Kathy Pyne and Jennifer Yancey

Homemaking skills don’t have to be a burden. The little things we do daily, and things we do at certain times of the year (seasonal), can be fun and enjoyable, especially when the work is done together. Our mothers and grandmothers teach us these things because they know these skills will help us make our house a home.

Whether you are married or single – women are responsible to be the homemaker in their home.

We are so happy to share with you what women have learned from family, from friends, and from sisters in Relief Society. It is evident that because of teaching and sharing, from one generation to another, and from friend to friend, these women have been able to make comfortable homes that are sanctuaries from the outside world.

The women sharing these ideas are from a variety of age groups, and a variety of locations from the United States to Canada.

We are truly blessed when others are willing to share their ideas.

“When you teach it to one, you teach generations to come” Homemaking skills – she worketh willingly with her hands

I Want The Same Things In My Life My best and most consistent example in learning the joys of homemaking and mothering was my own mother. She told me many times every day how much she treasured being a mother and homemaker, and then she lived those words in every action. She sang as she folded laundry; she exulted over the clean smell in a freshly scrubbed bathroom; she taught me how to read and write, sew and cook, love and serve. Because she emanated the Spirit and the fruits of love, joy, peace, meekness, long-suffering, and temperance, I felt it, and I knew I wanted the same things in my life. Her example continues to teach me daily. --Susan Tanner, Provo, Utah (Ensign, June 2005)

Questions from a Four-Year Old My mother is a great cook and taught me how to cook from the time I was young. Until this experience with my four-year-old daughter, I thought that I was rather competent (or at least not dangerous) in my ability to prepare yummy meals for my family and others.

Journal entry: October 5, 1996

Katie and I spent two full weeks with some friends, Marie Tuttle and Patti Greaves, while we awaited the vacancy of our condominium after our move to Utah. One night, after moving into our own place, I fixed what I thought was a very nice supper meal. Katie took her first bite and remarked,

“Mmm! This is good! Did Marie make it?”

A few days later she sat down to another dinner meal I had prepared and started eating. With no warning about where the conversation was heading she began:

“Mom, did Mrs. Tuttle teach Marie how to cook?”

“I think that she probably did, Katie.”

“Then why didn’t Aumee [a.k.a. Grandma] teach you how to cook?”

Bummer ~ Once again I lost the contest with Katie in the critical thinking category and I definitely failed the cooking competition. I hope she has children. ☺

After this conversation I contacted my mother for some advanced instruction in the culinary arts--- you can imagine how happy I was to have a “professional” to turn to! --Lynnette Erickson, Orem, Utah

The Family Home Evening When My Mom Taught Us All How to Iron My mom has taught me many homemaking skills. She has taught me how to be organized and how to utilize the space I have. In a small house it is important to be organized. She taught our family all how to iron. I can still remember the family home evening where she demonstrated how to do it. She has always encouraged me to keep a clean and organized home. The best way she taught me that was by her example. Throughout the years she has really helped me a lot in my home and I am very appreciative of that.

She has also taught me how to cook and still I call her almost every week for a recipe or to ask her a cooking question. --Robyn Pyne, Mapleton, Utah When I Feel Stress, I Do Laundry I have always had a love of sewing and quilting. I learned to sew in junior high school, but it was my grandmother who encouraged me to make clothes. My mother was in-active in the church my whole life, but she had a generous heart. My mother lived on a kidney dialysis machine for 12 years, and she made many friends at the clinic. It didn't take long for my mother to learn that these friends would die as time went on. I taught my mother how to tie a quilt after I learned in YW's as a teenager. My mom started to make tied quilts for these dialysis friends to keep them warm during their treatments.

My mother taught me many skills for keeping a house clean. We were taught to either hang up our clothes each night or put them in the laundry basket. Before leaving our bedroom we were to make our beds. This is something I did all my life because if nothing else I knew I had one room that was in order.

Clean your kitchen after each meal. My mom would always wash the pot and pans as she emptied them before a meal. The children always had to do the dishes, but it was much easier without pots and pans in the way.

My mom taught me by example how to do laundry. I enjoy the pleasure of taking care of my family's clothes. Whenever I feel stress, I do laundry. I enjoy ironing. Every Saturday night I made sure I had everyone's clothes in order for Sunday. White shirts pressed shoes and socks found. Each Sunday I notice the young men who have freshly pressed white shirts on. I make comments to either them or their mothers on how nice they look. My mom taught me to have my clothes in order each night so I wouldn't be rushed in the mornings. It's such a relief to go to bed each night without worrying about what I'm going to wear to work tomorrow. Robyn does this too when they have places to go the next day.

Clean windows was a big thing in my mother's home. Everything seems so much cleaner when the windows are clean. The sun seemed brighter. I tried to keep the finger prints off the windows and doors. A quick wipe with a window cleaner and paper towel and the job was done.

I love watching Robyn learn to be a homemaker herself. I can make suggestions and she doesn't take offense. She tells me she likes me to teach her how to do things. --Janet Workman, Raymond, Alberta, Canada

Generations of Canning Actually, canning in our family began with my husband. The second summer of our marriage, as I camped with a group of girls for several days, my husband canned about 80 quarts of apricots and cherries. He learned from his mother; she learned from her mother. Over the years, we always canned the produce typical to our part of the country—peaches, pears, tomatoes, strawberry and raspberry jam. Sometimes we added applesauce, apricots, plums, sweet and pie cherries, grape juice and jelly, and apricot and peach jam.

Now, our daughters, daughters-in-law and sons can—sometimes by themselves, sometimes together, sometimes for each other as one finds a good price on a product in her area of the country. They have shared and taught each other and me. As a result, we all include pineapple, chicken and apple pie filling as regularly canned items. In addition, our children have their own specialties, such as salsa and pickles.

My daughters started sewing at a young age. We started with a dimmer switch attached to the sewing machine that would slow down the speed of the machine when the girls were first learning. Laura was about 2nd grade when she helped me make her Brownie uniform. Now, as a young mother, she has made extra money sewing for other people. --Cathy Buss, Orem, Utah We’ll Figure It out Together (With the Help of the Public Library) My mother has taught me so much. Somehow mom always makes big projects fun to do, especially when we do them together. One of the best things my mom taught me is to try new things. Just one example….Years ago when my grandfather died (my mother’s father), my mom wanted us to do the funeral flowers ourselves. I was a little doubtful, but my mom had always taught me that if we want something, we can figure out how to do it. Since we are not “florists” I went to the Orem Public Library and checked out a “how-to” book. My mom and I studied it and we found instructions on how to make the arrangement that my mother had in mind for her father. It turned out beautifully! Now, arranging flowers has become a skill I treasure.

My children gave me a set of books to help me with arrangements for different kinds of occasions. I have taught my daughters how to make flower arrangements. My husband and sons even help. It is really fun to get together and do them, we talk and laugh and have so much fun in the process. It has become more than a hobby; it’s become a family tradition to do flowers together. It is amazing what you can learn from books! I’ll always be glad my mom taught me to not be afraid to try new things. I hope I have taught that to my children. --Kathy Pyne, Orem, Utah

Grandma Murdoch’s Tips on Homemade Rolls Something that I have learned from my Grandma Murdoch is how to make homemade rolls. She will always take the time to show you how to make them and to teach you all the secrets. Like one secret is to always use butter in the recipe. Another is when you roll the dough out you use oil on the counter, not flour; they roll out easier and will stay moist. Another tip from her is to notice the humidity of the area that you are in. It will determine the amount of flour that you will put the dough, so you only add a little flour at a time. Don't over work the dough. Because of her wonderful teaching I have been able to share homemade rolls with others. The rolls are now a big hit with my husband’s family. A holiday is not complete without them. (See PDF attachment for Roll Recipe and Grandma’s Tips.)

Something else that has stuck with me over the years is to always have eggs in the fridge. Eggs stored in the fridge for at least a week before you boil them peel easier after they are boiled; the shell will come right off and not tear the white part of the egg.

Something that my mom has taught me since I was young is that if you pick up after yourself as you are going along you will not have as much to clean up later. She was really good at this especially when cooking or baking. I would get everything out and leave it, then have a huge mess after to clean up. She would always say, "Jenny, if you just put it away after you get done with it then you will have hardly any clean up to do later." It has stuck with me. I find myself saying it in my house now, and it works. Life is way easier when you are more organized. --Jenny Yancey, Payson, Utah

Best Way to Start the Day My mother taught me that the best way to start the day is to get up, get dressed, make the bed, fix your hair, and then you are ready for anything the day brings. I have found that this is really true. When you make sure your bedroom is done, get dressed, and fix your hair, you really are ready for the day ahead.

Another thing she taught me is to not be afraid of big projects. She taught me this by example. When she makes her mind up to do something, she works until it’s done. It was fun working alongside her. I have taught my children to not be afraid to tackle a big project, and to have fun doing it. Now they are teaching their children the same thing. We still do big projects, and when we all get together it is fun. Sometimes there are five generations in my home while we are working on these projects. My mother will be 93 in May, and she doesn’t miss any of our projects. She comes and finds something to help us with. --Barbara Murdoch, Provo, Utah

Cooking in the South Last year my husband and I moved to Southern Georgia. Some of the ladies out here are teaching me how to survive the hot months of Georgia. They bake their cakes and cookies in the winter months and freeze them. They say that this helps with their heating bill in the winter, because when they bake they don’t have to turn on the heat to heat their house. It also helps them to not have to bake in the summertime. The ladies in the South try not to use their ovens in the summer because it heats the house up too much.

I like to set the days I am going to do laundry, clean bathrooms, and vacuum. I try to do laundry once a week to cut down on the humidity inside the house. This might not work with a large family, but it works for my husband, my baby, and me.

My sister, Jenny, taught me to cut my scouring sponges up in squares of 4 or 8 (depending on the size of the sponge). This has been a great tip she taught to me. It saves money and the sponges last longer.

Planning and cooking meals was something that I never really thought about until I got married. I helped cook growing up at home, but mom always had the meal picked out so I did not have to think what to cook. When I got married we planned out the meals a little, but, now that we live in Southern Georgia and have to go to Jacksonville, Florida (to Costco) to do the monthly shopping. I have started to keep a monthly meal calendar. (See PDF attachments Shopping List Planner and Monthly Meal Calendar.) This is something that I saw at my Grandma’s house and thought it was a good idea. The good thing about this is we know what we are having and what we need to get for the meals. For our family it has saved us money. We try to do all as much of the shopping for one month at one time as we can. We also try to stick to the shopping list. I think that the monthly meal calendar is a great idea. The family can help plan the meals they like and they know what is coming for dinner.

Because Costco is 45 minutes from our home, we pack the cold items in a picnic cooler in the trunk so they will stay cold traveling home. When we get home we divide the bulk items up and seal them in FoodSaver bags, then freeze them to use later. This saves us a lot on our food budget and we make fewer trips to the store. --Steffanie Kramer, St. Mary’s, Georgia

I Would Travel the World for Her Cooking My mom is the best cook in the world. I love her home cooked meals, I would travel the world for her cooking. She knows everything there is to about cooking! I can call her anytime anywhere and ask her questions about how to make things and she'll tell me what I should do. I have only been married for about 3 months and I have taken my mom’s hard work and pride into my own cooking. I am not that great at it right now, but I know as time goes on, and I get a lot more practice, I will be as good of a cook as my mom is today. I will always cherish cooking with her and what she has taught me about cooking. -Jacqui Pyne, Springville, Utah

Meal Planning When my husband had a heart attack, I had to change the way I plan meals. I use this to help remind me to keep a lot of healthy food in our meals. (See PDF attachment Heart Healthy Meal Guide) I gleaned this information from a combination of the USDA Food Pyramid and several instructions the doctors sent us home with. They are suggestions to help me plan meals. --Kathy Pyne, Orem, Utah Mom Was Home Mom was home. Just her being there in the house made it feel comfortable. She always had a project going on. I watched her take on and accomplish so many things. I think I learned to accomplish a lot in a day’s time from her example. She wasn't afraid of anything; big project or small. All her projects started with a vision. She always knew what she wanted them to look like in the end.

My mom would do craft fairs to bring in extra money when I was younger. I remember one particular craft fair she was making these reindeer stocking holders. I begged her to let me help paint them. She let me do some simple painting. Of course, that wasn't what I had in mind. I wanted to show her I could paint the hard stuff. She had gone to bed. I stayed up and painted all of the hard stuff on the reindeer. When she woke up in the morning she saw what I had done. She couldn't believe that I had painted all of the reindeer and that they look so good (at least that is what she had told me)! That’s how it was the whole time I was growing up. I saw my mom doing stuff, and I wanted to do it to. She really gave me the mindset that “you can make anything look good with a little imagination and some hard work."

I Love you mom, thanks for letting me use my hands and imagination! --Mandy Pyne, Mapleton, Utah

Easter Bunny Cakes When I was a young child my family had a foreign exchange student from Germany who lived with us for a few months. At Easter she taught us how to blow the yolks and whites from the eggs by pricking a small hole at the top and a larger hole at the bottom of the egg and blowing them out the larger hole. Then, using a needle and thread and a small piece of paper at the knot, take the needle and thread up through the top of the egg shell with a loop long enough to hang on the small tree. Then she used children’s water color paints to create an intricate design. That tradition has carried on to my children and grandchildren.

Another tradition we started at Easter was to have a Family Home Evening of Easter Activities. We decorate bunny cakes. (See PDF attachment Easter Bunny Cake.) We also make Bunny-shaped Orange Rolls and each family is sent home with yummy bunny treats. For the rolls, any sweet dough recipe will do. The secret is in the sauce: Orange Roll Sauce: 1 cup butter 2 TBS orange juice concentrate (not diluted) 1 cup sour cream 1 ½ cup sugar Cook over medium to low heat until the sugar is dissolved and begins to boil. Brush on the rolls when they are baked.

The most valuable part of any activity whether working, serving, or playing together is the interaction, the relationships, the unity and the memories that are created . . and then passed on to the next generation. --Jane Beuhring, Orem, Utah

Cleaning Grandma’s House I clean my grandma’s house once a month. She has porcelain tile in her entryway. The microfiber mops are a wonder on her tile. All you do is squirt it with water and mop over it with the microfiber mop; it cleans, dries, and shines pretty much all at the same time. Because you use so little water it is really slick. The dirt clings to the mop head, and it dries and is shiny within a minute after mopping. It doesn’t leave any reside that gets tracked on carpets.

I use dish soap in water when washing windows and big mirrors, along with a big fabric rag and squeegee. It leaves the windows and mirrors shinny and streak-free. To help with hard water from sprinklers, toilet bowl cleaner helps get that off. You can buy it at janitorial supply places. --Joni Trewartha, Orem, Utah Ironing and Baseboards My mother ironed everything! I loved watching her iron. When I finally got old enough to learn, she let me start by ironing the pillowcases. I grew to love making our clothes look nice and crisp by ironing them.

One of my chores growing up was cleaning the bathroom. My mother always said that a bathroom is not clean until you have wiped the baseboards. She would always check to make sure we had washed the baseboards along with the sink, bathtub, toilet, mirrors, and floor. --Trina Warner, Orem, Utah

Quality Time My mom spent quality time with us. When we were growing up she would put aside tasks that she had going on to take us somewhere or to just spend time with us. I have many memories talking and going out with my mom. Even to this day my mom can have a lot on her plate, and when I call and ask her to talk to my kids she drops everything.

As I raise my kids I often wonder how she did it. She was constantly spending quality time with us. --Kaycee Leishman, North Bergen, New Jersey

Picky About Laundry My mom taught us how to work hard and have a clean house. I am very picky about how I do my laundry and it is the same way she does hers. We start by sorting to an extreme! (Whites, Lights, Darks, Levis, and Towels) We wash mostly with cold water so that the colors don't bleed. We then proceed to hang dry everything, so that the clothes won't shrink. We use TIDE and DOWNY faithfully!! She also Irons EVERYTHING! I, however, iron very few things, and I know that drives her crazy. My mom has a very clean house and I try to have a clean house. The one thing that I hate to do is DUST! She knows this, and I often see her looking at my "dust bunnies" and shaking her head. I have also caught her dusting my house a few times! --Kiffin DeWitt, Spanish Fork, Utah

Homemade Dishcloths and Pot Holders I have always wanted to learn to crochet. Now that my children are grown, I have time to learn. My good friend, a sister in my Relief Society Presidency, has taught me how. Now I am making dishcloths and pot holders for Christmas and birthday gifts. (See attachment Dishcloth and Potholder Patterns.) I have really enjoyed this. She is now teaching me how to crochet a lap quilt for the Humanitarian Center. –Trina Warner, Orem, Utah

The Aroma of Baking Bread My mother made delicious homemade bread. As a child I remember her giving me a piece of dough to play with and make whatever I wanted to make. As I grew older I would help her make the bread. I can still smell the wonderful aroma of baking bread when I recall those times we spent together. I have recently begun making bread on a regular basis, and I always think of my mother when I am doing my bread baking. --Carolyn Davis, Orem, Utah

Creating a Record of Personal and Family Events My learning process… My grandma and I have always had a love of paper and books. From a young age I would carry books and paper around her house and my mom’s house in a sack. As I got older my interest turned into journals as well as books and cute paper. I remember, even when I was little, my grandma had a bookshelf full of journals that she had kept. Over the years, her approach refined and changed based on what was conducive to her life situation at the time. I would often read her entries with her and we would talk about journals and how and why she kept one. She shared with me the importance of keeping a personal history and encouraged me to do so myself. My grandma’s method was to keep a large binder (one per year...about) with slip cover pages inside. As she was given special notes, or had pictures developed she would slip them in the book in chronological order. Many times she wrote an entry that accompanied the keepsakes/pictures. Although it was not a journal with daily entries, it was a journal that gives great insight into her life and thoughts. These journals are something that all of the family cherish.

My mom was not a journal keeper in the sense of written entries but she recognized the importance of keeping a record. My mom did this through taking a lot of pictures and keeping them in an album. My mom as well kept a binder with photo slip covers. She would take pictures, print them a certain amount of times a month, immediately put dates on the back of the pictures and put in the binder. My mom keeps about one album a year. This version of a family history is something that we will always value.

So as this tradition of keeping some sort of family record, I have developed a system that works for me. I keep albums of photos with dates and brief explanations (that is as close as I get to scrapbooking). I also enjoy writing in a journal. I keep a planner where I make notes of special things that happened on that day or little things that I want to remember. I then write a full journal entry about once a week referring to my notes and filling in the details. I enjoy this process and it works for me.

My grandma and mom taught me the importance of keeping some sort of record. I have realized that it is important to do at least a little rather than expect myself to complete a huge/detailed project. As wonderful as scrapbooks are, I know it is not something that I will ever get done, and should not expect myself to keep on top of one. Instead I keep a binder with photograph slip covers ready, print the photographs worth keeping once a month, date them as soon as I get them from the store and put them in the slip covers. I spend a couple of hours once-a month writing brief explanations of the pictures and make a goal to have it completed within a certain amount of time. As far as my personal written journal, I keep a small notebook/planner in my purse, make note of things I want to remember/significant events and then spend a little time on Sunday writing about my week using my notes as reference. The example my grandma and mom set, sparked an interest in me in preserving family history and organizing memorabilia. Their own versions of keeping a history are ones that my family and I cherish.

My tip for keeping a personal/family history…. Develop a process that works for you and keep it realistic. Create a process that is something you can stick with. With photographs, print the photos worth keeping, date (even if it is the month/year or at least the year), and immediately put in slip covers. If you are a person that wants to scrapbook or complete other projects from there then that is great. If not, at least you will have pictures in chronological order with dates rather than a box of unmarked photos. As far as journal keeping goes, one suggestion is to keep a small notebook in your purse or by your bed. Write a few lines, words, or notes in it daily, weekly and it will provide great insight into your life. Then if you want to expand on your notes from there then you can use these notes as guides, if not, you will still have a great record of the significant things in your life. --Emily Warner, American Fork, Utah

Before You Leave the House in the Morning One thing that my mother always told me was to make my bed in the mornings before leaving the house, and always do the dishes before going to bed. Then you don't have to come home to a messy bedroom, or wake up to a dirty kitchen. It sure makes me feel better....I'm still trying to convince a couple of my girls it is a good idea!

I am so grateful that my mom taught me how to do canning. Having fruit and vegetables on my shelves has been a life-saver more than once in our marriage. (And I never had to spend money on baby food.)

Also, I am grateful that mom also told me to teach my sons how to do housework, and my daughters how to do yard work. They are better wives and husbands now and equally share the work with their spouses. --Lynette Carter, Orem, Utah

Life is so much easier when the kitchen drawers are organized My mother has a great kitchen storage system. All of her cupboards are organized, even her spice cupboard. Doing these easy steps will help you keep your kitchen cupboards de-cluttered, and will give you easier access to your frequently used dishes and utensils. Here are three very valuable hints she has taught me: • Designate the kitchen items you use daily and weekly. These items should be stored in your kitchen cupboards or drawers where they are easy to access. • Seldom used items, or seasonal items, should be stored in a pantry or storage room. My mother keeps these items clean while storing them by wrapping seldom used items in a plastic wrap (saran wrap type material) after you have washed and dried them so that the next time you use them they are dust-free. These items would include extra silverware and china, extra water pitchers used for large family gatherings, large salad bowls and trays used for parties, seasonal (holiday) items, picnic items, etc. • Wash, dry, and put away everything as you use it, or directly after your meal. We always do this as a family, which I love. We talk to each other, laugh, and have a lot of fun. When we do it together, the kitchen is spick and span in no time at all. Then we have time to go do something else. Mom taught us that helping and doing these things together is the best way to do it.

I remember growing up my mom would shake her head at us if we threw our clothes on the floor when we took them off. She would remind us that if we put them in the clothes hamper or closet right when we took them off, then we wouldn’t have to pick them up “again” when we cleaned the room. She used to say it’s easier to keep a house clean than it is to clean a dirty house! She let us have our free agency about it. I learned she was right. --Kathy Pyne, Orem, Utah

Peroxide vs. Chlorine Bleach I have used Peroxide for stain remover instead of harsh chlorine bleach. I have used it to get blood off our white comforter Grandma gave us for Christmas one year. I’ve also used it to get hair dye off my shirt that it dripped on the first time Suzanne colored my hair while she was in hair school. If you use peroxide in your laundry it keeps underwear nice and white. Here are a few uses: Put a cup of peroxide in your bath water to get rid of skin infections. Add a cup of peroxide (instead of bleach) to whiten clothes in the washer. Fill a spray bottle with 50/50 mixture of Peroxide and water to disinfect bathrooms, kitchen counters, cutting boards, table tops, etc. It also leaves a clean smell. Soak toothbrushes in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs. --Joni Trewartha, Orem, Utah The Gremlins Have Been Here! My maternal grandmother was a wonderful lady and her home was always immaculate. She lived with us for a short time after my grandpa died and made cleaning fun. When I made a mess, she would come into the room and say, “Oh look, the gremlins have been here! What can we do to drive them away?” The answer was always that gremlins don’t live in clean rooms, so we would clean up to drive the gremlins away. What fun we had and never an unkind word was spoken about our messes!

My mother was also an immaculate housekeeper. As I look back, I realize she did almost all the work herself while we were at school or in bed. Again, an unkind word was never spoken but cleaning was fun. Sometimes pennies or nickels were hidden under doilies (that dates me!) or lamps for me to find when I was dusting. Clean bathrooms had to sparkle, so after we cleaned the bathtub, we looked for “sparkles” and we always found some. On his mission, Devin (my son) was known as “Mr. Clean” because the first thing he would do when he got to a new apartment was to scrub the bathtub so it “sparkled.”

The old expression, “A place for everything and everything in its place” was used in our home. I am not as good at this as my mother was because I have too much stuff, but it is a goal I have!!!! --Linda VanOrmam, Orem, Utah

Relief Society has helped me become a homemaker Sister Margaret D. Nadauld said, “The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more purity.”

Relief Society gives us all of this. Whether you are a five generation pioneer women or the first generation it does not matter. What matters is striving to be “Women of God.” Tender, kind, refined and faithful. This is what the Gospel of Jesus Christ has taught me. This is what Relief Society has empowered me to become. A first generation woman of faith, a first generation covenant wife, a first generation mother of Zion and I treasure these titles far above any title the world could bestow.

My mother and father allowed me to join the Church when I was age 15. A few years later, my mother passed away. The homemaking skills I would have learned from her were instead taught to me by sisters in Relief Society. Everything I learned, I learned from sisters who shared and taught me.

When my 4 children reached age 8, I taught them to sew. Each of them had to make their “summer shorts;” even my boys. My children loved doing this. I have raised my own children in the gospel, and they seem to have turned out all right, so far. I will always be grateful for sweet Relief Society sisters who share their talents with me. --Betty Johnson, Provo, Utah

Iron the small parts first My mother taught me to iron a shirt by starting with the little parts of the shirt first. If you do the little parts last, it wrinkles the big parts you just ironed, and you have to do them over again. This method makes ironing a shirt much faster.

My mother used liquid starch in a spray bottle. Follow the instructions on the bottle. (Dilute the starch with water in a spray bottle.) Did you know that a $2.50 bottle of liquid starch equals 7 large cans of spray starch ($2.85 per can)? -Betty Gomez, Orem, Utah

Cleaning Day with a Large Family - Taking Time to Train Side-by-Side The joke in the family is, “Mom’s not happy unless she’s dusting.” Now that isn’t really true, but I do like a home of order, and when my home is in order then the rest of my life seems to flow smoother. I was asked how I could have a family of 10 and have such a clean home. Now let’s be realistic. My home was clean, but not without normal family clutter; shoes at the front door, homework on the table, baskets of laundry in the family room needing to be folded. But the floors were vacuumed and the dusting was done.

I have six daughters and two sons. Even today, my daughters all keep beautiful homes. You may ask. “How did you achieve this?” I watched many mothers tell their children their jobs, and walk away, expecting them to do them and do it correctly. I started giving my children jobs when they were 3 and 4 years old. The first job was vacuuming the stairs. You may say, “But that is way too young. It can’t possibly be done well.” It can be done. Let me share how I taught my children, boys and girls alike. I went out and bought a small vacuum, and stair by stair my little one and I would vacuum the stairs. We would talk while I taught them my standard and techniques for cleaning the carpet on the stairs. I stayed with that child on that task till they had mastered it to my expectations. We then moved on to dusting. I would do the wood dusting while that child did the wet dusting (things that need to be wiped off with a wet cloth). We moved from room to room depending on the age, but I was by their side watching and teaching and talking about their lives.

Today I called two of my daughters to ask them if they remembered how I taught them to clean and my oldest said, “Of course, those were some of my favorite times working alongside of my Mom, talking and laughing and having some one on one time.”

I don’t believe in giving long lists of time consuming jobs wherein the child’s pride in his work wanes for the fact it takes so long. I break those jobs up in sections or short time segments. I also don’t believe in just saying, “Clean up your room.” A child needs an outline of the tasks to be completed. My approached would be to break it up the task into parts, like: First, make your bed, then dust your dresser and end tables, then pick up your clothes, and finally vacuum the floor. My children also knew that after they had mastered the cleaning teachings there might be times when I still might show up to help with a refresher course if needed.

I also don’t believe in adding on assignments as the day wears on. I believe that children need to feel that when they complete their list of chores, the remaining time is their time to enjoy. This way you won’t hear a child say, I’ll take all day to finish my jobs, because if I do it too fast, I’ll just get something else on my list to do.

As a mom of many children, I felt like shadow leadership in the house cleaning department made all of the difference in the lives of my children. I firmly believe in the learning by doing it together until mastery is the key to training a child. --Carol Martin, Orem, Utah

Very Patient Mother My mom was known throughout the state of Utah as an amazing quilter. She taught classes on quilting, participated and lead guilds on quilting and made hundreds of beautiful quilts. What was less known were her skills in many other forms of hand-work. She could needlepoint, cross-stitch, sew, knit, crochet and many other things. So it is no wonder that I was able to learn crocheting from my mom. The first thing I remember learning was a pillow that we made in Merrie Miss. She was in charge of our group and painstaking helped a large group of 10 year-olds to make all the stitches. She even helped my best friend who was left-handed. I loved crocheting so much that I asked my mom to teach me more. She helped me select yarn and a pattern to make an afghan. I would take it out to work on and she would be near working on her own project, so I could ask for help whenever I needed it. My mom took the time to help me understand the language for crocheting so that I could look at any pattern on my own and create the object. She did not force this skill on me, but was willing to take the time to help me understand and love the art of crocheting. --Jennifer Boren, Orem, Utah

Think Outside the Box Changing tires – think outside the box – If the bolts are on to tight and you can’t get them off – place the lug nut bar on one of the nuts and stand on the bar. You may have to jump up and down on it a little, but it will get them off.

If you need to do some household repair and don’t know how? Go to your local hardware store and they are generally very happy to walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

Clean your windows with vinegar and water and wipe them down with newspaper to prevent streaks. --Christine Wilshaw, Pleasant Grove, Utah

DISHCLOTH PATTERN

Use Peaches and Cream cotton yard and a size H crochet hook. One ball of yarn will make one dishcloth.

This pattern uses a half double crochet stitch (yarn over, insert hook in stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and draw through all 3 loops on hook). A double crochet stitch may also be used which will give a looser more open dishcloth.

Row 1: Chain 22 Row 2: Half double crochet in 2nd chain from the hook and all the way across. Row 3: Chain 2, turn over, half double crochet in each half double crochet across. Repeat rows 2 and 3 until there are 16 rows. Fold in half, single crochet around all four sides. End with a slip stitch and weave a 2 inch tail of yarn into stitches on the back side. --Carolyn Davis, Orem, Utah

POT HOLDER PATTERN

Use 2 balls of Peaches and Cream cotton yarn and a size H crochet hook. Stitch is half double crochet.

Row 1: Chain 22 Row 2: Half double crochet in 2nd chain from the hook and all the way across. Row 3: Chain 2, turn over, half double crochet in each half double crochet across. Repeat rows 2 and 3 until there are 30 rows. Fold in half, single crochet all four sides. End with a slip stitch and weave a 2 inch tail of yarn into stitches on the back side. --Carolyn Davis, Orem, Utah