I love this day and age with its technology that allows us to watch General Conference over the internet. I remember growing up going to the church to watch Conference in the dark chapel each session. It was good but a different experience. Now we can sit at home with our family, not worrying if the kids are bothering someone else who is trying to listen. It is just much more relaxing and I get so much more out of it.
I also love that we have started some traditions to make it a special time. We usually have some special Bingo games or a color packet for the kids to start working on the first session on Saturday morning. Then Sunday morning we make monkey bread to enjoy for breakfast. Not only is it good to eat but it is so much fun for us to make together – there is something for everyone to do!
Here is our favorite recipe for monkey bread. We’ve tried others with cream cheese frosting, butterscotch pudding, etc. but we really can’t handle that much sweetness in the morning. This recipe is perfect for us. And as you can tell from the end results – we are quickly getting to the point that we eat the whole thing!
4 tubes (7 1/2 oz. each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. melted butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
Cut each biscuit into four pieces; shape into balls. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll each ball in cinnamon-sugar. Arrange evenly in a greased 10†fluted tube pan. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar.
Combine butter and brown sugar; pour over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before inverting bread onto a serving platter.
The last thing that has become a tradition for me is that I have to have a project to keep my hands busy. So, this weekend I decided to make file folder games. We have a number of these that I made a long time ago for the kids to use during Sacrament meeting. Last Sunday a mom in our branch asked me if I could help her get supplies together to make some for her children. I made copies this week and decided since I needed to keep my hands busy I would just go ahead and make some of them for her. I had forgotten how fun they are to put together – especially when they are already colored! I found these here.
What are your General Conference traditions?
We usually have orange pull-aparts and hot chocolate for breakfast for conference. We have struggled to figure out what to do with the kids, do we make the watch and how much? While they are watching, do they get to play? Then in this month’s friend they had a little suggestion. Lily and I decided that we would have them do that. There was a little listening chart that we copied. On it there were six topics or phrases that they would listen for. If they heard one of those words in a talk then they got to eat the previously designated treat (ie for the words Jesus Christ you eat a piece of popcorn). This kept them listen very attentively and also very quiet because they had to hear the word themselves to earn the treat. I think that we found a winner.
momma kuch’s spicy tomato drink. it’s like a kicked up V-8 with tiny shrimp and a celery stick to dip. mmmm…. as for kid traditions … now that we have an almost 4 year old, we’re just trying to figure it out. keep in mind i didn’t realize there was a saturday general conference until i went to college. growing up, our family general conference tradition was driving down to julian in san diego (about an hour away) and getting hot apple cider and apple pie. so, we’re making our own traditions now for this weekend. … was your internet connection as bad as mine? …. and lastly, i’ve been looking for some file folders to put together. thank you!
Wasn’t Conference great! We always have Cinnamon rolls for breakfast. This year we tried something new though and made our own Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Chocolate dipped Caramel apples!! Whew what a mouthful! Have you ever tried them? They are dipped in caramel, of course, but then dipped in white chocolate, and while the white chocolate is still wet, you sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar! Wow! We were so excited we could recreate a fun treat we LOVE, but don’t get very often. (I might mention, that these were NOT for breakfast!)
Taylor just turned 3 and he was completely bored during conference! I had just ordered a few of the magnetic creat-a-scene folder play sets. He absolutely loved them and they did help for a while. I defninately need to come up with something else for April’s conference. I have been thinking about making some file folder games. I’ll have to give it a try.
It’s funny that conference is at noon, since it’s at 9 for us. I’ll have to start a special food tradition. Ths monkey bread looks yummy!
Now that we don’t have to go to the Chapel to see conference, and we have the luxury of having Dish Network and can watch it on BYU-TV, there is no one home to make a special “conference snack” for. In Illinois, it started at 11:00 and during the “break” hymn, I ran upstairs and heated up soup in the microwave for lunch!
The monkey bread DOES look good – – – –