Family

Reading-A Fun Summer Activity, A Lifelong Gift

By Kerry Weisser | June 6, 2017

A Book by Edgar Guest

“Now” – said a good book unto me –
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.

“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care –
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come – here are my jewels, make them yours!

“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.

“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak –
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”

Books are friends. The earlier you introduce books to your kids the more likely your kids will learn to love books. Memories are made as we lead our children into the world of imagination found in books. There are so many benefits to developing a child’s imagination. In reading, a child gets to create their own reality of what the characters look like and what the scenery looks like. Building their own strong character occurs as children identify with the heroes they meet in books. Security is transferred to a child who sits still on our lap while we read to them. Love and …

Tortilla Stew – The Perfect Survival Meal for the Busy Mom

By Bekah Banihashemi | May 31, 2017

Taking a meal or groceries to a new mom is one of the greatest stress relievers. Thinking of what food to prepare for meals, let alone choosing what to eat day to day, was very difficult for me when I first became a mom. There are so many things at play – sleep deprivation, having to take the baby out to get groceries, not having the time to prepare a meal – so to have someone simply say that they will bring over dinner is such a relief! This is one of my favorite meals to make with a busy toddler and not always having the time I would like to prepare dinner. It is a “Throw everything thing in the crockpot, turn it on, and leave it kind of a meal” and it is delicious, making it a perfect meal for your own family in your busy life or to make for a new mom in need!

Ingredients:

1 Can of Tomato Sauce

1 Can of Stewed Tomatoes

2-4 Chicken Breasts (depending on how big they are)

1 Cup of Salsa

2 Cans of Kidney Beans (or Black Beans), drained

1 Can of Corn, drained

On the Side:

Shredded Cheese

Spinach

Cilantro

Whole Wheat Tortillas (I’ve really been liking the Whole Wheat Corn & Flour Tortillas from TJs)

Chips

Salsa

Veggies: Carrots, Cucumbers, Bell Peppers

Optional: Add another can of Stewed Tomatoes, Add more beans or a variety of beans, Tapatio Sauce (my hubby likes to add this to his stew for more of a kick)

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot in the order specified above.
Cook on Low for 8 hours. Stir every few hours. In the last hour, shred the chicken and stir.
Serve in bowls with side options to sprinkle on top (cheese,

Remodeling My Heart

By Kerry Weisser | May 30, 2017

Remodeling my heart….
Many of you know that we have been in a renovation/remodeling process for over 6 months. What started as an innocent pool of water in front of our refrigerator in November, has been a time of waiting, wondering, planning, decision making, waiting some more and waiting some more. Now that we are into the renovation process, full swing, a friend asked me how I have been remodeling my heart and my life? So I started to ponder……and one of the things I realized was that I am uncomfortable with uncertainty. Give me a task to do and I am on it! Give me a challenge and I am not afraid to take risks to conquer the hard stuff. Give me a problem to solve and I not only like the end result of solving the problem…I love the process…(probably why I am someone who loves math)….but fill my life with the unknown, time frames that are indefinite and general day to day uncertainty and I go a little nuts! I like to make leadership decisions and I love responsibility but I do not like it when I do not have enough information to make good decisions. I also do not like having too many options to choose from. I usually know what I do not like but sometimes narrowing down the things I DO like to make one final decision is difficult. Part of the problem is that things and stuff do not matter that much to me. I am passionate about people NOT possessions. I love having a home to open up to share with people but the actual stuff in my house is not that important to me. So all of these discoveries have come upon me because of all the uncertainty in a renovation/remodeling …

What If…Every Mom/Grandma Had a Support Community?

By Kerry Weisser | May 23, 2017

How would your life change as a mom or grandma if you had a community of women with whom you could share your life-your hopes and dreams, your joys and sorrows, your struggles and triumphs? These women could provide encouragement and support as well as accountability. They could be your hands and feet when you grow weary, your shoulder to cry on when you are sad, your boost of encouragement when you are down, your compass when you stray off course. Think of all the times you feel alone as you go about your day to day life. How wonderful would it be to have a small group of women who truly cared about your heart and soul? Women who actually wanted to listen, yearned to know about the latest activities you have been involved in, how you have hung in there through a hard trial…..All of these desires for community can be accomplished when we are willing to commit to a small group of some sort with women who have common interests or common goals. It takes authenticity and surrender and vulnerability and TIME!!!! But the benefits are worth the risk! So my encouragement to each one of you is find a group of women where you feel safe and can share your heart and make your commitment to that group a priority! It will change your life!

Here is a list of ideas of things you might want to try (some of them are exclusive to our area but might give you some ideas of groups to look for where you live…..

Mom’s in Prayer
MOPS (Mother’s of Preschool)
Mother’s Together
If Gathering (If Table)
Hiking group
Fun Day Field trip buddies
Adventure Club
Gogo Grandmothers
Any organization where you can serve together-soup kitchen, prison ministry, women’s shelter..…

Lessons I’ve Learned as a Mom…

By Bekah Banihashemi | May 17, 2017

No one can ever tell you exactly what it will be like to become a Mom. I became a first-time Mom just over a year ago and it has been quite the ride. I’m not going to lie and say I have loved every minute of it; it is a challenging job, but the moments of growth and joy that I get to see in my daughter make those tough moments/days/weeks/months so worth it! Here are a few lessons that I have learned along the way…

I am Not in Control

The meaning to this is two-fold. I have had to learn that I have been blessed with this child and ultimately she is God’s daughter. He has entrusted me with her for the days He has numbered for her and in that time I need to continue learning how to not hold on too tightly. He has specific plans for her life and I hope that I can guide her along the way to always be looking for His leading. The other meaning which has been much more of day-to-day experiences has been the control I have in feeding and sleeping. I knew that I always wanted to breastfeed because I was taught that that would be best for my child, and its FREE. So, that was our plan. However, when we went in for her 4 month appointment and found out that she was in the 2nd percentile in weight even though I was feeding her 8-10 times a day, the plan had to change. We still aren’t sure if my supply decreased in the stress of our move or I just have not been blessed with a steady flow; either way, I had to accept that this was something that I could not control. I tried my …

20 Things I have Learned as a Mom/Gammie

By Kerry Weisser | May 16, 2017 |

In honor of Mother’s Day I sat down and brainstormed some of the important things I have learned as a mom-to 4 beautiful daughters and 4 awesome SIL and aka Gammie to 9 incredibly awesome grandkids…….the list could go on and on but I decided to just let my heart lead and share some of what popped into my mind…..

1. Find your significance in God alone, not in how your children behave, how your husband treats you or how clean and tidy your house stays day to day.
2. Have a servant’s heart and model servant leadership in your family.
3. Be approachable and full of lovingkindness.
4. Know your purpose and help your kids learn theirs.
5. Be an active listener and DO NOT solve all your kids problems for them.
6. Teach them to use their minds and hearts to solve problems.
7. Model the fruits of the spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
8. Set goals that are always growing and changing.
9. Have dreams and strive for them.
10. Be a forever learner and READ, READ, READ to them, with them and together as a family.
11. Be a balcony person-stand in the balcony of each one of your children’s lives and cheer-encourage your kids to be the best they can be.
12. Pursue your passions and challenge your kids to figure out what they are passionate about.
13. Find some time each day to take care of your own physical, emotional and spiritual needs-get some exercise, have a quiet time, talk to a friend.
14. Serve together-find a soup kitchen, an orphanage or a local women’s shelter and go as a family to serve there-the opportunities to help the poor and needy in our backyards as well as overseas …

Mom-Must Haves: Learning DVDs

By Rachel Spoelhof | May 12, 2017

There are SO many options when it comes to fun learning shows. Personally, it can be quite overwhelming! One of my favorite ways to navigate all the choices is to ask trusted friends. I want to be that trusted friend for you and share a two of our MUST HAVE learning DVDs that are worth the investment.

Signing Time

Signing Time is one of our family favorites. I took my first daughter to signing classes at the library when she was a baby and instantly fell in love. I started borrowing Signing Time DVDs from the library to try them out and they were a hit. I loved how Signing Time Rachel used different teaching methods to teach the signs: I do, you do, and songs. It really helped the signs stick, and we still sing the songs to this day!

We loved it so much we own all the Baby Signing Times, Signing Time 1 and 2 series, PLUS since my girls are a little older now we got the Treeschool program too!

Our other favorite DVD series is Preschool Prep.

We love to watch the sight word videos, colors, numbers, and letters. These videos really sink in. My 5 year old knows most of the sight words, my 4 year old knows a lot, and even my 2 year old can recognize a few! We have some sight word books that go along with the videos and the older girls were able to read them on their own just by learning the basic sight words!

What about YOU? What are your favorite learning programs that you have tried?

…

Must Have Products for New Mamas

By Bekah Banihashemi | May 10, 2017

This week, we are continuing to celebrate Moms – Woohoo!! Being a mom can be overwhelming and hard, and finding the “BEST” products can be even more overwhelming and hard! Today, I am going to share with you a few of my Must Have Products that I have loved as a new mom! These are products that I would call more of an investment – a few items that we spent the most money on, but also the products that we used the most, and probably more than we ever thought imaginable.

4MOMS PLAYARD

We have used our 4MOMS Playard more than I ever thought we would. When my daughter was first born, the playard is what she napped in and played in when we weren’t holding her so that we could easily see her while we worked around the house. Having her out in the living room also helped her to get acclimated to noise. In the last year, we have traveled with this to friends’ and grandparents’ houses, hotels and more – we never had to worry about where Sophie would sleep or the hassle of a long setup when we were away from home.

Here is what I love most about the 4MOMS Playard…

It packs up really nicely and is light enough for me to carry on my own.

2. It is SO EASY and QUICK to assemble and breakdown! (Probably our FAVORITE part)

4MOMS Playard Demo

Click the link to see my demo that shows the base being assembled in less than 7 seconds!!

3. Sophie loved it!!

The top mattress bassinet allowed me to use it when she was little. As she grew, I simply took the top piece off to use the bottom mattress. She spent a lot of time in this and …

The Blessings of Being a Grandmother

By Kerry Weisser | May 9, 2017

In honor of Mother’s Day, coming up this Sunday, I wanted to take a bit of time to reflect on the blessings of being a grandmother, aka Gammie.

One of the biggest blessings of being a grandma is that we have more TIME….time behind us, time at the present moment and time in the future to be a rock solid “balcony person” cheering for our grandkids. As Grandmas we have years of experience and a seasoned ability to understand the heart needs of our children and grandchildren. We have learned how to prioritize the urgent needs and let some of the not so urgent things wait until tomorrow. We can spend more time observing, listening, and guiding with affirmations and encouragement. We can take the time to build up their character by pointing out qualities that we see in our grandchildren’s personality and temperament. Spending time with our grandkids can also help them navigate through their emotions. We can look for ways to teach them the language of emotions so they have tools to express themselves when they are frustrated, angry, lonely, sad or afraid. So often the acting out that turns into a temper tantrum is an emotion that they can not identify or express. I hope and pray the as each one of my grandkids grows up, they will have a strong foundation built on God’s unconditional love for them. I also hope and pray that they will know how much I love and support them and that this will give them the freedom and security to share their hearts with me. As grandmas, we can be committed to teaching by example, loving without limits and serving with a sincere heart.

Things I have learned that will help you encourage your own adult children and their spouses:
Be …

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

By Rachel Spoelhof | May 5, 2017

Hey, Mama.

Share this post with your husband and family, then sit back and let them plan something special just for you!

Mother’s Day Gift Giving Guide

Day of gift ideas

Breakfast in bed

Do the chores – grocery shopping, meal planning, laundry, get kids ready for bed

A day without cooking

A day without dishes

Cook or order her favorite food. DON’T FORGET DESSERT!!!

For the Home

Cleaning Service (DO THIS ONE. REALLY. You will score lots of points)

Dinner Service/Dinner planning – Blue Apron (ingredients sent to you. $59.94 or $9.99 per plate) Hello Fresh (fresh ingredients sent to you. $69 or $11.50 per meal) Mealime(free option with an app) Purple Carrot (plant-based meal delivery. $68 per week or $11.33 per person) Plated (for the foodie in your life. $48 per week or $12 per plate)

Amazon’s Home Gift Guide (you know you love Amazon!)

TLC for the mom who needs a break

Massage

Mani/Pedi

Girls’ Day

Girls’ Trip