Family
Food Science – St. Patrick’s Day Themed
This week is Girl Scout Week, where we celebrate the birthday of Girl Scouts by participating in different activities each day. I love being a part of Girl Scouts, and being a leader for my daughters.
One of the activities to choose this week was to do a food science activity.
I found an activity for “Leprechaun Sand” that looked fun, simple, and I had all the ingredients on hand. PLUS, it is holiday themed, so MOM WIN!!!
You can find the original post here along with fun questions to ask the kids during and after the experiment.
Warning: This activity is really messy. And you do use green food coloring, which stains. So I recommend washing hands immediately following your fun with the sand!!
You will need:
baking soda
vinegar
green food coloring
droppers
a baking pan (with sides to keep the liquid in)
aprons or play clothes
First, pour out the baking soda into the pan. We used A LOT and probably could have used more! Add the vinegar to a bowl or cup and add the food coloring. Use the droppers to slowly add vinegar to the baking soda.
(This took a REALLY long time, so eventually I just slowly poured the vinegar over the baking soda). Don’t use too much though, you want the mixture thick enough to play with. That’s what make the “Sand!”
The girls had a lot of fun with this and it was very easy for me to set up!
Mom approved!!
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Sharing the Real Meaning of Easter with your Children and Grandchildren
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The whole Christian faith is based on Easter
Easter is a season when we reflect on the suffering, sacrifice, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is impossible to reflect upon Easter and all of its hardships without letting it reflect in and through us. The beauty of the Lenten season is that it encourages the development of a humble heart. In Lent, we are invited to look deeply inside, identify what is impeding our ability to follow Christ along the path of humility, and ask God to help us begin to make changes.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in
me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)
We have always used the resurrection eggs help our children and grandchildren understand the true meaning of Easter. If you have never used Resurrection eggs to tell the Easter story to your kids, here is the link to purchase a set of eggs or you can make them yourselves. To buy them click here Resurrection Eggs. To make your own, click here DIY Resurrection Eggs.
Here are some other great resources for Moms young and old to use with their kids or grandkids to prepare them for Easter.
http://familylifetoday.com/program/making-preparations-for-easter/
http://familylifetoday.com/program/creative-ideas-for-easter/
This year I thought it would be fun to try something new. I found a wonderful resource called The Easter Story Egg, www.StoryEgg.com is the website. This year I purchased an Easter Story Egg for each of my daughters to use with their children.
Here is the creator’s explanation of this tool….
“The Easter Story Egg™ is a tradition that celebrates the true meaning of …
Read MoreA Grandmother’s Love
I have wrestled for 8 years with the nagging question of “what is so extraordinary about a Grandmother’s Love?” I absolutely loved being a mom and embraced every opportunity to pour into my daughters through encouragement, training, teaching, correcting and sometimes disciplining. But there is some indescribable difference about my role as a grandparent. I look at my role as “Gammie” as a mentorship role model. I am more focused on careful instruction and showing great patience and less focused on commanding obedience and monitoring accomplishments. I have more time to come alongside each of my grandkids and more time to listen to their hearts. I also have more wisdom to discern what really matters in the long run and can focus on developing their character. What that looks like on a daily basis was described by a speaker I heard this weekend who was sharing about her relationship with her grandma. She used this relationship with her grandma as a model of discipleship. There were two simple things her grandma did that had a significant impact on her confidence and her ability to persevere through the hard times.
Grandma would sit and watch her dance…..find out what your kids or grandkids are passionate about and take the time to show them that you are passionate about watching them do what they love to do.
Grandma would walk toward her and meet her everyday right where she was…..encourage your kids or grandkids by meeting them right where they are and giving them the best you can offer.
Loving my grandkids is a joy. Knowing that my love has the power to shape their character, build their confidence and ignite their faith is a privilege that I will embrace until the end of my days.
A few principles I …
Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Happy Valentine’s Day from the Growing Weisser family!
Here are a few of my favorite Valentines……..
So adorable-little Garrett!!!
Rachel, Mikah, Ellie and Hanna fill our hearts with joy!
Adorable Hanna and Mikah …Love and hearts everywhere!
Fun and spunky Sophie who gets the award for #1 BEST big sister to Hezi!!!
Precious Hezi and his new smile!
Jorde having yummy bowl of ice cream!
Zeke making Valentines.
Reese and her new bicycle.
Calvin is always a happy boy.
My sweet husband had these gorgeous flowers on the counter for me this morning. I gathered with some wonderful girlfriends to make homemade bagels that I am giving my sweet husband for his Valentine’s day treat.
The following Valentine is my absolute favorite…
Love is in the air…it’s Valentine’s day!!!
This Valentine is sent to each one of us from God!!!
Read it and believe it..it will change your life!!
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A Sticker Chart for a New Year
My focus for the year is to get more organized. This “organized” is all encompassing, including organizing the things in my home, my scheduling with a better routine, and my mindset as a mom. The “mindset as a mom” is a big one for me as I have often felt recently like I am always catching up instead of being ahead of the kids’ new transitions and phases. As a result, I am wanting to do more intentional parenting this year so that I can feel more on top of what my kids are going through and have a more smooth ride through each phase.
Lately, Sophie has been as curious as ever and testing more and more with each new day. It is sometimes hard to remember that just as I am learning everyday more of how to be a mom, she is learning how to go about life and how to grow and develop through different stages of life. And with that comes a lot of frustration and days filled with “No”. I was tired of having the same day over and over again and not doing anything to make a change.
Sophie has been very into stickers recently! She loves to make cards with stickers to send to her cousins and she loves to put stickers on her shirt. I decided to take this new interest and match it with something to encourage good behavior- A Sticker Chart! It is so simple to make and, so far, quite effective!
Here’s what I did…
- Choose your categories – Find a few tasks that your child can work on where you know they will be able to have some success. This is important for them to understand the concept of the sticker chart and to feel encouraged to continue
The Names of Jesus: JESUS
“I AM THE GIFT that continuously gives – bounteously, with no strings attached. Unconditional Love is such a radical concept that even My most devoted followers fail to grasp it fully. Absolutely nothing in heaven or on earth can cause Me to stop loving you. You may feel more loved when you are performing according to your expectations. But My Love for you is perfect; therefore it is not subject to variation. What does vary is your awareness of My loving Presence.
When you are dissatisfied with your behavior, you tend to feel unworthy of My Love. You may unconsciously punish yourself by withdrawing from Me and attributing the distance between us to My displeasure. Instead of returning to Me and receiving My Love, you attempt to earn My approval by trying harder. All the while, I am aching to hold you in My everlasting arms, to enfold you in My Love. When you are feeling unworthy or unloved, come to Me. Then ask for receptivity to My unfailing Love.“
-“Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young
Jesus,
Thank you for showing your true love by setting aside your Glory when you came to Earth as a baby for my salvation. Help me to remember this throughout the holiday season. You truly are the reason for the season. You were the ultimate gift, and your love has never wavered since. Allow me to find rest and peace in your unconditional love.
Amen
TRUE LOVE WAS BORN IN A STABLE
What an amazing statement that is sometimes hard to truly grasp in all its immensity! As we strive to keep Christ in Christmas, I want to teach my children, not only the story of Baby Jesus, but also the earthly beginning of the only TRUE LOVE that we can ever really …
Read MoreGratitude Test
“As we near the end of this gratitude challenge, take this little quiz to see where you’re growing and where you still need work. Try answering these questions candidly—not just yes or no, but with supporting details that come to mind:”
Do I often complain about my circumstances, feeling like I deserve better?
Do others hear me voice more complaints and negative comments than words of gratitude about the typical events of daily life?
Would others describe me as a thankful person?
What evidence is there that I have a grateful or an ungrateful spirit?
How often do I begin statements with these words: “I am so thankful that . . .”?
Do I more frequently display a pessimistic, negative outlook or a positive, grateful perspective?
Am I reserved or eager when it comes to expressing appreciation to others?
My most recent expression of gratitude was . . .
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When we say YES!
What happens when we say YES to opportunities in our life? You will never know unless you step out a take a risk. I am so thankful each time I meet a new friend and say YES! Yes to possibilities…YES to trusting…YES to serving together…YES to believing in the potential I see in the heart of others……..
I am so thankful for all my friends, new and old, that God has blessed me with in my lifetime. I am thankful for stepping out and opening my heart and my home to encourage others in their quest for life and fulfilling their passions. When you link arms with friends and work together toward a goal, you never know how much you will be blessed. Today we had our second Gogo Grandmothers Holiday Boutique. A few dear friends and I joined together to share our resources to raise money for a great cause and I came away so full of joy and a vision. Gogo Grandmothers ministry will be so grateful for the proceeds that will go to help purchase maize and fertilizer for the gogos (grandparents in Malawi) as they plant their gardens to provide food for their grandchildren. Check out the new website www.gogograndmothers.com. You too can join in our passion by learning about the ways you can put your love in action during this holiday season. Here are some pictures of our event and the fun we had serving together.
So BLESSED by the YES!!!
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What if every day, all year long…….I remembered to be THANKFUL?????
What if tomorrow’s blessings and joy depended on today’s thankfulness…how much joy would I have tomorrow? This is just a hypothetical question because blessings are not necessarily a direct result of our thankfulness, but it is a great question to ponder. How often do I stop and give thanks for the beauty that surrounds me, the air I breathe, the home we have to give us shelter and security-a place to gather with family and friends. How often am I thankful for those I love the most? It is important to speak encouragement and blessings into the lives of the people we know and doubly important to show our thankfulness by communicating thoughts of life and love into the hearts of those we love the most. It brings me great joy to think of all the things I am thankful for, but I do not want to just remember to do this in November. I want to be a person that acknowledges my gratefulness by speaking words of encouragement and sharing my attitude of gratitude every day, all year long. Just think what my tomorrow would bring!!!!!
What if tomorrow’s blessings and joy depended on today’s thankfulness?
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Gratitude is Contagious
There are so many things to be thankful for in our lives! However, sometimes we get distracted by all the frustrations or difficulties happening around us. But always remember, our kids are watching.
“While teaching and instruction have their place in growing gratitude in our kids, the best teacher of all is our example.“
Gratitude is contagious. And, when are children can see our grateful hearts lived out everyday in us, they will want to have that same heart of thankfulness.
“Gratitude is more effectively caught than taught. How contagious are you, especially at home?”
Gratitude Challenge, Day 14 -Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
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