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Don’t let General Conference sneak up on you! Prepare for it. While preparing yourself spiritually is the most important thing you can do, there are some practical things you can do to help you enjoy General Conference more as a family. No need for it cause extra stress. You’ve got this.

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Cross off that Homework and those Events

School, sports, and General Conference don’t have to be competitors. While there are some things that you really can’t do much about, there are other things that can you knock out with some extra planning. For example, you can help your teen see that there is that big project due just after Conference and to get it done before the weekend comes. Or you can clear Friday’s schedule to get as much done as possible so you don’t have to scramble on Saturday. You may be pleasantly surprised how flexible your teacher is when you actually talk to them ahead of time (not just the Friday before).

Even if you end up missing a session of General Conference, we live in a world where you can still show your family that you value General Conference. The ability to rewatch the sessions is available immediately! Summaries of talks are available so quickly. If you have to miss Saturday morning’s session, what will you do instead? Listen to one talk a day for scripture study? Binge watch Conference that afternoon? Listen to a talk in the car each day to seminary? Get creative!

The important thing is that you show your family that General Conference is important and a priority.

Knock out those Chores including grocery shopping

Let’s do some Conference math. If Conference starts at 10 AM that means you want to be in your seat ready to go by 9:59 AM. Therefore you want to eat breakfast when and you want to have all your chores done by? Take a few minutes and figure it all out. You can still go grocery shopping on Saturday morning, just know when you want to be back.

The weekend is far more enjoyable when you don’t have to worry about chores and shopping in between all the breaks though. Skip the Conference math and knock out those Saturday chores and errands on Friday or throughout the week. It just takes a little intentional planning to remember!

And remember! You can always hit rewind on Conference so even if your math isn’t perfect, it’s okay.

Writing Tools that Inspire

There was one year when I could not find a working pen or pencil! Mine ran out of ink in the middle of writing and by the time I found a new one, I had forgotten what I wanted to write down. It was so annoying and totally unnecessary. Finding the right writing utensil can actually make things more fun for everyone. Here are some of my favorites for adults and kids:

Felt tips pens remain my favorite to this day. I love how they write, the colors, and I can color the images on my notepages without having to switch to a marker. Amazon Basics felt tip pens win for me with the price point and fine tip. However, I have also enjoyed my Sunacme pens even though the tip is thicker than I like.
Scented markers always help get the excitement going again with my kids. I enjoy this Crayola Silly Scents pack. Root beer is definitely my favorite scent while the fresh air one just makes you wonder why. LOL.
I'm also loyal to the Uni-ball pens. I like the color variety pack because it just makes things more fun and you can use a color system for your notes.

Really, anything fun and different can offer a new excitement. Try our pencils with fun eraser tops or our stackable crayons.

Pick a night and test out all your favorite tools. Go crazy and grab the largest piece of paper you can find and have some fun with it (we recommend playing Gospel Pictionary). Then gather all your favorite tools in a jar or bin so it’s easy for everyone to grab one when they need it.

Make a friend- get to know the speakers

Actually recognizing someone on the screen can make a big difference to how well you pay attention. Think about it: would you rather listen to a friend or complete stranger? Get to know the apostles and other leaders of the Church before Conference. We have several fun activities to help:

Plus you can check out the General Church Leadership page to get to know all the organization’s current leaders.

Check that food storage & Emergency Prep

General Conference is also a perfect time to check on your food storage and emergency preparedness. What needs rotating? How about those 72-hour kits- do they still have diapers even though everyone is a teenager? Check it out, add to it, and feel good knowing you are better prepared than you were before.

It’s usually a good time to start checking for deals too on things like a generator or crank radio as Conference is always surrounded by holidays.

Need to put more in your emergency fund? Use the week of Conference as a challenge to use only the food in your house- no buying anything that week. Then put what you normally would have spent into your emergency fund.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep all week

You know Conference is exhausting. Set yourself up for the best situation possible by getting a good night’s rest all week. It takes several days to recover from a bad night’s sleep. Set an alarm (to go to bed), follow some of those best sleeping practices, and get a good night’s sleep all week long. You can go crazy next week.

What else would you add to your practical General Conference prep? We’ve got what you need to help make this next General Conference the best one yet. Check out our notebooks, games, and coloring to help your family listen and focus.

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