Our Morning Offering

My mom always taught us to say our morning offering so that our whole day would be for Jesus. After grace, I would start praying this with Nicholas, then several months ago, he would just say the whole thing on his own. I love listening to it.

"Oh my Jesus, I offer you my every thought, word, and action of my day. Please bless me and help me to be a good boy today. "

Birthday Gifts on a Budget

Everyone has 10 Minutes and $2....

In the time it would take you to run to a store, park, find a gift, stand in line, and travel back home - you can make this UNIQUE and FUN birthday gift for a boy or girl. OR just do it for fun on a rainy or snowy day!


Do You See What I See? Birthday Gift

OR Spruce up candy with fun packaging!

Sweedish Fish: Sweet Treat or Party Favor:

So, I'm not good at saving money by any means - let's just get that out there. BUT...I recently finished an enlightening book, "The Millionaire Next Door" that has at least helped me to become more aware of my expenses.

A sporadic yet consistent expense: BIRTHDAYS! There is usually one every month and it adds up fasts!

I LOVE GIVING GIFTS. My little sister and princess Grace has her birthday on Tuesday. My first reaction was to buy this cute Melissa and Doug jewelry box that you could decorate yourself.

The IDEA....Wouldn't it be fun to send her something different, a fun craft she could do with my mom and be a gift as well!

A version of these were in the little toy store, but I made my own = this one costs maybe $2 because I used what I had from home:

Supplies:

1. Rice

2. Craft Paint

3. Plastic Bags

4. Empty vitamin container (These are the best because the lids are "child proof" and they can't open them).

5. Small random objects from around the house.

6. Ribbons and Tissue (saved from old gifts). It's all about the presentation!!!

Step 1: Put about 2 cups of rice (depending on size of your jar) in a plastic bag and add 2-3 squirts of craft paint. Coat the rice in the paint to make it a fun color for a boy or girl.


Step 2: I found some random objects lying around the house, it's best if they are small, different colors and textures. These were specific for a little girl.

Fun items for a little boy to find.

Step 3: Make a list of the items you put in the jar. If it is for a gift, put the rice and items in separte bags and wrap them in a box with some fun tissue and ribbon.

Or start playing instantly and ask the kids: Do You See What I See? Ask them if they can find some of the objects.

It's a great take-along toy for the car or for church too ; )

VARIATION: Dump them in a shallow dish. The kids (2-4 year olds) can play Treasure Hunt and dig out the hidden treasures in the rice.

Harmonious Moments

Sometimes I will look over and find them playing together or making each other giggle. Then there are the times they take toys away and scream at each other.

This morning, Pudding woke up with a cold (as you can tell with her drowsy eyes) and I told Nicholas she was sick. He decided to make her feel better and read his favorite books to her.

For a brief moment the lion lay down with the lamb and we had harmony in our home...it helped assuage the continuous whining I heard today that comes with most colds, poor thing.

I hope I can rember these most precious moments of their childhood.

Pinch Me

Is she really mine? I pinch her cheeks on the hour every hour. We attempted pigtails and I think she will now wear them everyday for the rest of her childhood. : )

Wintertime Entertainment

Staying indoors is rough on little people. But I stumbled upon two things that have kept BOTH my one year old and three year old occupied for over an HOUR!!


Christiana LOVES taking off lids and putting items in and out of containers, as do many one year olds at this stage. It builds great fine motor skills.

I was busy trying to make dinner one day and gave her this little jar of beef cubes. She sat and emptied them and put them back in the jar for over an hour! They continued to keep her very busy all week!

Beef cubes anyone? It must be the shiny red foil combined with the perfect size cubes and glass jar that makes this an AMAZING TOY.

After a few days, I found her grimacing....she got curious and decided to taste the shiny red squares and got a shot of intense beef flavor in her mouth.

I tried to think of something just as shiny with texture and thought of tinfoil. I rolled little pieces of foil up into balls and she loved it just as much.

Every mom should have a home-made playdough recipe on hand. I remember making playdough several times as a kid. Nicholas is at the age where he loves to help dump and stir in the kitchen. It's so fun seeing the transformation of "soup" into playdough.

Making an Indoor Snowman is my kind of Snowman!!

10 Minute Playdough Recipe:

2 Cups Flour

2 Cups Water

4 Tsps. Cream of Tarter

2 Tsps. Oil

1 Cup Salt

Food Coloring.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift together well. Add water and oil and stir until well combined. Pour mixture into a small saucepan and stir frequently over low heat for about 10 minutes. It will turn from a soupy mixture into what looks like bread dough. Remove from pan and let cool. Mine wasn't sticky, but you can add more tarter if it is. I didn't add food coloring which would be so much more fun, but he still enjoyed playing.