Kid's Feature at the Studio Movie Grill

In case you're interested, this months feature for kids at the Studio Movie Grill is Friendship and Adventures: My Little Pony and Chuck and Friends. It's every Saturday in January at 11:00 am and admission is $2 a pop. I couldn't find any reviews and we have not seen it, so I can't recommend it or not. But, if your kiddos love My Little Pony or Chuck and Friends, this would probably be a real treat. 

A New System

Do to our "lax" schedule over the Christmas holiday, I've found myself less motivated and inspired as a parent.  I've also found that the girls just want to play, play, play.  Don't get me wrong, playing is fabulous, but I want to be sure we're intentional about some of it. So, I'm implementing a sort of new system around here.  It's nothing fancy, but just something to help us get back on track in training our whole-selves. And, the girls always love new things (at least for a while).

Each day, we are going to engage in heart time, head time, hand time and health time. The rest of our time will be free time that the girls can do whatever the wish (within reason of course). Here are my initial ideas on each of these:

Heart time:

I love to engage my girls in scripture memory. We are not hard core about it, but I do post a verse on this chalk board that hangs in our kitchen.  We see it every day and have many opportunities to discuss. It makes it easy for them to memorize and apply the scripture (which I think is the most important).  Heart time may also include reading Bible stories, discussing things that glorify God (or don't) and role playing scenarios in which we can choose to honor the Lord and bless those around us. Obviously, this is not just dedicated to a certain time throughout the day - hopefully it is woven through each day - but I want to be sure I'm teaching them the discipline of time with the Lord, even at their young ages. 

Head time:

This will be a bit more studious. It will be reading books that are more challenging, working on phonograms, numbers, early-readers, puzzles, patterns, etc.  Again, nothing fancy. I'm just hoping this prepares them for homework which is coming sooner than later. 

Hand time:

This is simply craft time. We have a closet full of crafts and we do a lot of them. But, there are also a lot that have been untouched for some time. This is going to nurture their artistic sides, as well as help with fine motor skills, etc. 

Health time (I couldn't take picture of our hokey pokey lesson today since I was the leader):  In other words, exercise. Anything from dance parties, the hokey pokey, running laps around our house, trips to the park, "Simon says", etc. I want to be sure they learn the value of taking care of their bodies. I've been a very poor example the past 7 1/2 months, so they've seen a lot more lounging around than moving around. 

I'm hoping these things will teach them the value of discipline, help keep us from getting in a rut and add a little excitement to things around here.  I'm thinking about a game of some sort that will determine when we do the various "H times." It may be as simple as tossing a bean bag onto different note cards labeled "heart," "head," "hand," and "heath."  We'll see.  If you're in a rut, maybe this will help you too!

Free Thank You Note Download

If the fingerprint thank you notes aren't up your alley, or if you just want something darling, free and already done for you, here it is! This would also make a sweet Valentine's Day note to someone you love and appreciate - even just to thank for being them.

Finger Print Thank You Notes

I'll start by saying that I think thank you notes are so, so, so, so important and seem to be a lost art. It is a huge goal of mine to teach my children to express their appreciation for a gift received in person, but also to follow up with a note. To me, taking the time to write a note shows fare more effort than a spoken "thank you."

The only catch is that my children can write letters and a few words, but an entire note would be quite a stretch. I write the note for them and they just sign there names. That is exactly what I did this year.  I wish the below idea had come to me sooner to make the note even more personal.....have them make the stationery. It would be so easy - get some blank fold over notes and add whatever combination finger print pictures you want and the result is something precious and personal.

 Here are a few simple ideas I found online....

I know there are thousands of little creatures you can make from finger prints; you just have to do a little hunting around for ideas.  The possibilities are endless....

Post Christmas Blues

I have to admit, this is one of my least favorite times of the year. Our Christmas decorations are down, the lights around town are coming down, the parties are over, the gifts have been opened and the general mood of festivity is gone.  One word comes to mind (and it's how I have felt over the past few days)...blah.

I think the problem lies in that I've been so occupied by getting ready for and celebrating Christmas that now there seems to be nothing to look forward to. Granted, my second has a birthday in early February and my third arrives at the end of February and Valentines Day is smack in the middle. So, we have some fun times and big changes ahead. But still, for now, I feel a bit blah.  I don't know why I share that other than it's where I am. It might also have to do with the fact that hubby has been off since the 23rd of December and heads back to work tomorrow....I'm spoiled.

I think the biggest issue is that I've been out of my routine of spending time in God's Word. It's amazing (shocking, really) what a difference that makes in my attitude, my joy and the peace that resides (or doesn't) within me. So, my first goal is to get back in His Word. I have a feeling that after that everything else will fall into place and "blah" will be gone as fast as Christmas was.

Can anyone relate?

Hello Again....

Hello friends. I'm sorry for the long absence and then to return with a post of no real significance. BUT...I wanted to let you know that I will be returning to the blogosphere; I'm just making the most of the time that my hubby has had off work. Life as usual will resume on Tuesday. I have loved the long break, but at the same time I love order, so the thought of a routine again sure sounds good to me.

I hope you each had a wonderful Christmas and that 2011 has gotten off to a great start. I'll be checking back in soon!

Signing Off....

Friends, I'm signing off for Christmas and thought I'd leave you with one of my favorite Christmas songs, Mary Did You Know.  My prayer for you is that your Christmas is full of the wonder of the Christ Child and joy as you enjoy your own children and/or families. Thank you for sharing this year with me.

Merry Christmas!

Stone Soup

Do you have any last minute holiday baking to do?  Are you stressed about it? If so, boy do I have a solution for you.  Check out this free downloadable cookbook where every recipe is five ingredients or less: Stone Soup. The entire cookbook is full of sweets: ice creams, cookies, cakes, tarts and more.  I cannot testify to all of the recipes, but I've tried and few and they were a success. The best part is the ease at which every recipe can be made - five ingredients I tell you. This is going to make my upcoming cookie exchange a breeze.

The Legend of the Candy Cane

It's funny to me how candy canes are such staples at Christmas. When I ask my girls what they want for Christmas, one of their first answers is "a candy cane."  This surprises me because aren't they just the same as peppermints that we can get year-round?

Truth be told, I love candy canes too. I love them because of the message that can accompany them. I confess, I do not know if the Legend of the Candy Cane is true or not, but it's another way to get the real meaning of Christmas in the heads of our children that are so bombarded with what the world thinks of Christmas.  You can bet this little story will be read with each candy cane my girls consume.

The Legend of the Candy Cane Many years ago, a candymaker wanted to make a candy at Christmas time that would serve as a witness to his Christian faith. He wanted to incorporate several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus. He began with a stick of pure white hard candy. The white symbolized the virgin birth and the sinless life of Jesus. He made the candy hard to symbolize the that Jesus is the solid rock and the foundation of the church. The firmness also represents the promises of God. The candy maker made the candy in the form of a "J" to represent the name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. He thought it could also represent the staff of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. The candy maker then added red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could be forgiven and have the promise of eternal life. The flavor of mint is similar to hyssop. In Old Testament times, hyssop was associated with purification and sacrifice. It was also used at the cross as they gave Jesus a drink of vinegar before He gave up the Ghost.

Baby Sock Advent Calendar

I know it's too late to do this for this year, but you can bet I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for some Christmas baby socks on sale after Christmas.  I've been looking for a cute, simple advent calendar. We do our Jesse Tree Devotional and I love it, but my oldest said to me the other day, "Mom, did you know there are calendars with pieces of chocolate in them?"  I played dumb and acted like I didn't know.  Since both of my girls inherited my sweet tooth, I thought it would be fun to surprise them with the "chocolate kind of calendar" next year. These little socks will hold treats that are just the right size for little ones. Check out Martha Stewart for instructions.  

I hope you are all finding the time to sit back, relax and enjoy the provisions of God this Christmas. Even if the material provisions seem lacking, remember that the greatest provision has already come in Christ.  Why is it so easy for me to lose sight of this, even when I try so hard not to? I guess it's because the world is so easily a source of distraction. I'm thankful that God is always waiting for us to return to Him and thank Him. His forgiveness is abundant, His grace is sufficient and His love is without measure.  Thank goodness!