72 Hour Kits in action!

Dear Posterity,
We take emergency preparedness very seriously here in Sister Molly's house. We have 72 hour kits that we're ready to leave with at any moment. Twice a year we practice with our kits with no warning. After all in a real emergency we wouldn't have any time to prepare! Peter picks an emergency scenario and informs us of what it is- we have 5 minutes to be out of the house and headed to safety!

This time Peter called from work and told us that we were going to pretend we were in California and the fire was coming towards our house and it was a mandatory evacuation. Because of the fires there wasn't any gas at stations for a 100 mile radius so we couldn't get gas for at least 100 miles! He couldn't come home to us and we couldn't pick him up. So we loaded up both Suburbans (yes, we let Adam drive in emergencies!) and headed to our predetermined meeting point to join up with Peter.

We drove until we were out of the "danger zone" and set up camp in a wilderness area and lived with just what we had in our 72 hour kits for 72 hours! Luckily I keep a journal in mine so I don't miss a day of writing. We've been doing this for years and we find it's a great way to combine self sufficiency with family time!

We generally come away with learning of a couple of things that we need so that we can be better prepared next time. I'll never forget the drill when we realized that we needed to have more jello! I can't believe that we ran out- but we still survived.

With all the fires in California we need to remember to pray for the sinners who are fighting against the will of the people. If they would just soften their hearts and repent the fires would go out.

Love,
Sister Molly

P.S. Speaking of preparedness, you do know that with Obama in office the cost of bullets and guns are going to skyrocket because of taxes right? Stockpile now!! (That's your tip of the day!) Thankfully we'd purchased an additional 2,000 bullets last week (it's getting harder and harder to buy bullets! I wish I could get them at Costco!) We keep a couple rifles and ammunition in our 72 hour kits- you never know when you'll need them.

1. Gun and ammo sales at Walmart!
2. Preparedness
3. Quality family time

Ask Molly!

Dear Posterity,
I've asked for questions from readers who need some help and light in their lives. I'm so excited to answer our first two questions today!

Dear Molly,
15 children? How do you do it? Do you believe in family planning?
The Newlyweds

Dear Newlyweds,
Our family planning is through prayer. We have been blessed to have children enter our home every time we've prayed for one (Sometimes we must have prayed extra hard because we have twins and triplets!). We did pray not to get pregnant for 6 months after our triplets were born (Hannah, Isaac and Julia- so great!) but that seemed to have seriously affected our fertility so we've never done that since. There is a book that I enjoyed called Family Unplanning and even though it wasn't published by Deseret Book (my usual criteria for reading a book) I gave it a try because there were scriptures on each page. I do suggest it.
Love, Molly

Dear Molly,
I can barely keep up with my 5 children, I'm not sure how you do it with 15! I have a really hard time staying motivated to keep my house clean and laundry done- let alone homeschooling on top of it!
Frazzled mom in AZ

Dear Frazzled,
First of all may I suggest moving closer to Zion? I know I have an easier time of life when I can feel the spirit of the saints better. I have very busy and full days. I wake up at 4am in order to fit it all in. But I've found that a well scheduled house runs more efficiently. Everything I do during the day is for the benefit of my family and because I love them. Maybe if you loved your children and husband more you'd be better motivated to just get it done. Homeschooling improves my day it doesn't make it harder! So my suggestion to you is to love your children more. I'll pray for you.

Love,
Molly

Hiding My Light...

Dear Posterity,
It's important that we take the time to recognize our talents and let them shine! I've been thinking about this a lot lately and then I received this kind letter in the mail today from a dear sister in my ward. She didn't sign it, but I feel comfortable sharing it here.

Dear Sister Jones,
I'm so inspired watching you each Sabbath with your children sitting reverently in church. All their hair is done and their shirts are clean and pressed or their dressed are pressed and they're wearing appropriate shoes. I don't know how you do it with 15 children so close in age! I am inspired by you and struggle to try to keep up with your abilities.

Your spirit shines so brightly. You are blessed.
Love, a neighbor

Wasn't that so sweet? So I decided that I need to share with all of you my secrets to my wonderful life! I've been blessed with many talents among them organization, spirituality, parenting, and giving helpful advice.

If you have questions about anything please email me and I'll do my best to answer them for you on 'Ask Molly' days!! I'm so excited for this chance to 'let my light shine!'

My email is SisterMollyJones@gmail.com I'll be hearing from you soon!

Love,
Molly

1. Talents
2. Sweet Sisters in my ward
3. Children who sit reverently in Sacrament Meeting

Preparing Future Missionaries

Dear Posterity,
Last night we had the opportunity to have the missionaries over for dinner. They are such wonderful sweet boys. I am raising 9 future missionaries and I was asking how their mother's prepared them for the mission field. I was pretty sure they didn't do such a good job of preparing them since they were sent to Utah Valley where there is hardly any missionary work to be done. But sometimes the mission is for the people and sometimes the mission is for the missionary. Since the raising the bar there aren't that many that slip through that need the mission for them but those that do get sent here to 'Happy Valley' so we saints can help perfect them.

I thought I'd take a minute and share how we've prayerfully decided to prepare our boys for missions. Like I said yesterday, 'Be Prepared' is more then just the Boy Scout motto! When our boys are conceived we decide which language they should learn (obviously through fasting and prayer) and start to teach them from the womb. At night I play tapes of hymns being sung in the language of choice with headphones on my belly, as well as the scriptures on CD in that language. After they're born we continue to teach them while they sleep and begin formal language training with tutors at the age of 2.

So far they are learning the following:
Adam (14) fluent in Icelandic (having the MTC close is such a blessing!)
Caleb (13) fluent in French
Elijah (12) fluent in Spanish
Felix (11) fluent in Japanese
Gideon (10) fluent in Tagalog
Isaac (9) Conversant in Swahili
Kenan (6) learning Farsi (we're sure he's going to open some Middle Eastern Missions!)
Matthew (4) learning French
Nephi (2) learning German
Ophir (4 months) learning Portuguese

We are also raising them in righteousness to prepare them to serve the Lord in a foreign mission- because the most righteous missionaries are the ones the Lord can trust with foreigners and farther away from Zion as well as being among not as 'strong' of members. I take my job as their mother very seriously and by the time they're 9 they do their own laundry from start to finish and all children in our house learn to cook starting at 5. By they time they're 10 they're assigned 'dinner nights' when they're in charge of preparing dinner for 17! Most adult women can't even do this!

We also have 'cultural night' on Thursday nights where the children prepare a dinner of food from a country of their choice, we dress up in culturally appropriate attire, play musical selections from the country and sometimes watch a movie with subtitles! What better ways to prepare children to adjust to different cultures and circumstances!

One of our favorite FHE activities are 'missionary prep' nights. We have scripture chases, relays where they need to sew on a button, shine their shoes, play a Hymn from memory, and make a bed.

How are you preparing your future missionaries?

Love,
Molly

1. The MTC
2. Missionaries to help perfect
3. Sons (my future missionaries!)

Another Wonderful Sunday!

Dear Posterity,
Sunday is truly the best day of the whole week! We spend the day as a family and avoid all electronics as well as reading anything that doesn't come from church headquarters. We love to sit around and play music together. We'll turn off the heat in the winter and the AC in the summer so we can be closer to our pioneer ancestors. We're blessed to only live 1 1/2 miles from church so we don't even need to use the car to get around on Sunday! I'll confess that sometimes Peter does use the car when he's speaking at a ward on the other side of the stake that is 10 miles away, but it was a matter of weighing the consequences. We decided it would be more spiritually beneficial to spend more time with the family then to walk to and from that meeting. It was a decision we prayed about and fasted about intently.

Yesterday afternoon we played together and sang together from the Hymnbook. Elijah played the piano (he is so great! Such a talent for him), and our 'family string quartet' also joined in. They're getting so good! All of our children play the piano starting at the age of 2 1/2 and then at the age of five they get to choose a string instrument or flute (music that is appropriate for Sacrament Meeting and all). Once they've mastered that they may move on from there to other instruments of their choice. We also practice singing as a family regularly. On Sunday Caleb as on the bass, Adam was on the cello, Deborah was playing viola and Bethany was on the violin.

Music is such a blessing in our home. We're so blessed that I quite the accomplished musician and I teach my children piano and string instruments. What a gift that is in our home!

We spent some time yesterday writing to grandparents that are on missions as well. Of course by the time we got to that it was starting to get dark- so we used candlelight! What a fun tradition in our home that is!

I hope your Sabbath was as wonderful as mine!

Love, Molly

1. Music and my gift of teaching it.
2. Wonderful children.
3. Umbrellas (it was raining today! How blessed are we for umbrellas to keep us dry as we walked!)

Ahh! Sleeping in!

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man (or woman) healthy, wealthy and wise!

Dear Posterity,
Peter and I were able to have a wonderful date last night. As is our Friday night tradition (and we've never missed a Friday!) we went to the Temple together. We started off with some yummy food from the cafeteria and then did back to back sessions. Fridays we don't get home until about 10:00 pm and last night I didn't get in bed until almost 11:00 pm! That is SUPER late for me. I'm generally up and getting started on my day by 4:30 at the very latest, but today I slept in until 5:00 am! I feel like I'm running way behind today because of that.

I'm the Relief Society President in our ward and on Tuesday we lost a super great sister in our ward. She returned home to her Heavenly Father and the arms of her loving eternal companion. I'm sad to lose her- but I'm so super happy for her at the same time! I'm in charge of the funeral this morning at 11am and I've been working with her children to coordinate it. She was such a spiritual giant that I assumed she had at least 13 children, imagine my surprise when I found out that she only had seven! Oh well, we all have our trials, hers must have been lack of faith in her abilities as a mother.

I just finished all my reminder calls to the sisters who need to bring food (you know- to give them time to cook it if they haven't started it already) and I'm about to finish up the center pieces for the tables for the luncheon after the burial.

I've been looking at some blogs out there and have noticed that some people put things they're grateful for at the bottom. What a great idea!

Love, Molly

1. Faith in my abilities as a mother
2. A husband who is righteous enough to make good money so I can stay home and raise our children.
3. Ophir who is just the sweetest little baby boy ever!

Meet the Children

Dear Posterity,
When Peter and I decided to get married we discussed having a family and both decided that we'd welcome as many children into our home as the Lord would see fit to bless us with. Our children are truly a joy to us and although not everyone in the church sees fit to follow this council from the Prophet (and thus from the Lord) we are humbled by how this has blessed our lives. If you are as righteous as us and practice family 'unplanning' (which is really planning through the Lord) then you too will be as blessed as we are spiritually, physically and financially.

On a side note- I've decided after counseling with Peter (who is the Priesthood leader in our home and receives revelation concerning our family) not to share pictures of our children on this site- since we're already pretty recognizable. I will however share their names and ages!

The 15 children of Peter and Molly-
Adam age 14
Bethany age 13 (birthday in January)
Caleb and Deborah age 13 (birthday in October)
Elijah age 12
Felix age 11
Gideon age 10
Hannah, Isaac and Julia age 9
Kenan age 6 (we prayed and prayed for Kenan- we were worried that we were infertile!)
Leah age 5
Matthew age 4
Nephi age 2
Ophir age 4 months

Did you see the unique connections their names share!

We've been so blessed with our children who are all in good health and who I had fabulous pregnancies with all of them. I've been blessed to be able to birth them all at home in our bathtub and then to breastfeed them all until they're at least two! Luckily my fertility returns quickly even if I am breastfeeding and I've had the unique experience of tandem breastfeeding all of my children. Heavenly Father has blessed me with patience every time I pray for it, and has truly strengthened me to be a mother in Zion.

As we homeschool we are able to raise our children in righteousness and avoid as many influences of the outside world as possible. I'm hoping that this blog will not only be for my posterity, but also a tool for missionary work throughout the world, as well as a way to share my unique talents.

Love, Molly