Its an Olympic Summer!

 The Olympics this summer have been providing a great sense of direction for the kids and I over the last two weeks.  Sometimes I get to the middle of the summer, and I think, "Yikes!  What are we going to do now???"  Maybe its the age of my kids this summer, and how much more capable Roscoe is or something, but I've hardly thought that!  We've been going to the beach a lot, and had family visiting, and so much more.  All the same, I love working within a theme, my kids love having a craft to look forward to every couple of days, and the honest truth?  I just need an excuse to start another Pinterest board (check out my Olympics Kid Fun Pinterest board)!!!

 So, last week we did a great painting activity using toilet paper tubes to paint the Olympic rings.  Have to say, pretty low mess, and easy clean up (I threw the tubes away... no washing brushes!).

 As we painted I talked to the kids about how everything always points back to Jesus' love for us: nature, the seasons, the Olympic rings...

BLACK reminds us of our sin, all the bad stuff we do, say or think.

RED is for the incredible LOVE that Jesus has for us, and because he loves us, he died for us, shedding his blood and taking our punishment, 

that we deserve for our sins.  

He loves us that much!

WHITE is for forgiveness.  For saying that we're sorry to God and others for our bad choices, and having our sins cleaned off us, forever!

GREEN is for new life, for the new, fresh start we get to have 

because of being forgiven: freedom!

YELLOW is the hope that we have of spending the rest of our lives 

with our true best friend, Jesus, every day.

BLUE is for telling others about Jesus and his love.  

One way we can do this is through baptism, 

as well as through our kind words, kind hands (actions) and kind thoughts.

 On another day we were watching tennis with the kids, and thanks to my Pinterest board, I had organized several crafts ahead of time for us to do, and pulled out this beauty!

 Little Tennis Puppets!  Aren't they cute?  We used supplies that I had around the house: pompoms, googly eyes, and feathers.  The kids had fun picking out the colours and then I glue-gunned them on to the balls.  

The puppets are great for storing treasure in too!

We've also built different models of boats to test which ones float the best, but were too busy having fun to take pictures!  Here are some of the ideas we used from other blogs:

Celebrating Easter 2012

 I feel as though we've had a lot happening the past three weeks!  

I haven't been as organized as I'd like to be in planning family activities to draw attention to the week leading into Easter, but we did manage a few crafts and activities to help the kids understand and celebrate Christ's death and resurrection!

For Palm Sunday, the kids and I colored some pictures of Jesus' triumphal entry, and then we traced our hands on different colors of green paper, glued them to a popsicle stick and used stickers to spell Hosanna.  Then we found some great songs, both new and old, on YouTube and Vimeo to dance to and sing Hosanna!

Our Palm Sunday palm

Then we spent some time decorating hard-boiled eggs.  

I thought it would be fun to try this idea for Volcano Eggs, but it was a bit of a bust.  

The kids enjoyed it, but the eggs turned out quite pale, and the fizzing of the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda was anti-climactic.  Jeremy did try reducing the amount of water in the dye & baking soda paste, which resulted in a more vibrant color, but it was more difficult to paint with...  

 We had a family dinner at my parent's on Friday... and then again on Monday!  

On Friday Grandpa had hidden some eggs around the first couple of rows 

of trees at the tree farm, and the kids had fun trying to find them.  

I admit, I did raid their candies and ate all the chocolate and almond eggs (super yum!).

On Sunday, Jer and I hid some eggs for the kids to find.  They weren't filled with chocolate.  Instead we used this Easter Egg Hunt idea that has a printable coloring book to go along with the eggs that the kids find.  I loved how it talks about Jesus from Christmas all the way through his life to Easter.  It was a great way to talk with our kids about the importance of Easter and why we celebrate it the way we do.  Aria has been busting out some really thought-provoking questions lately about God, and I have to remind myself that she's only looking for a simple answer, cuz she's only five!  Well, almost six.  While we were driving home during spring break she asked how we know that God is real (because kids at school were saying that He's not).  Its really neat to see the wheels turning in her head and heart as she is owning her faith!

Good Friday Fun, Easter 2012

Ahh!  Its Easter already!  The past couple weeks I've been so busy thinking about planning Aria's birthday party, that Easter has snuck up on me, and I really wanted to make the most of this incredible holiday we celebrate to help my kids understand what Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection!

So, tomorrow, being Good Friday, we're going for a little walk with the young adults from our church in the morning to a hill that overlooks the city.  We're planning on spending some time worshiping and praying for the city there.

Source: breadbaking.about.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

Then, I was thinking it might be fun to try making some hot cross buns this year (I'm not a bake your own bread kind of gal, unless using the bread machine counts!).  So, I've got my recipe written out, and I think we'll work on that when we get back from the hike.  Oh!  I could make the dough before we leave, and then it could rise for two hours while we're out!  Brilliant.

And we'll do some egg-dying too.  I boiled the eggs tonight so they're all ready for tomorrow!

Source: modernhostess.net via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

I thought these look like fun, but I don't know that I really love the idea of dying the actual egg I'm eating, or having peeled eggs hanging out in my fridge until we get around to eating them!  So we'll probably do the marble swirled eggs that we did two years ago.

And then we'll head to my parents for a family dinner!  I'm looking forward to a family day, where we can talk about Jesus' love for us, and his perfect love sacrifice that he made so that we could experience freedom and joy and forgiveness!

Happy Good Friday!

Ways to Celebrate Palm Sunday with Young Children

1.  Colour a picture

Source: sermons4kids.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

2.  Make your own Palm Fronds

Source: impressyourkids.org via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

3.  Use your hands and feet to celebrate

Source: catholicicing.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

I was going to tackle this one with my kids today, but figured I'd wait until Dad was home to help control the inevitable mess!

4.  Decorate a large silk leaf

Source: mustardseeds.typepad.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

I thought this was so cute!  It could also make a great decoration for your door.

 
5.  Start planting a Hill of Calvary garden

Source: mustardseeds.typepad.com via Carmen Kinniburgh on Pinterest

Last year we tried making one of these (see tutorial about Hill of Calvary), 

but the soil dried out, 

and I was trying to use regular grass seed... 

So this year, we're going to try again with cat grass (fingers are crossed!)

6.  Listen to Great Music and Dance!

 Hosanna Rock by Yancy

Hosanna by The Donut Man

Use the palm fronds that you make to jump and dance around!

7.  Watch a movie about Jesus life

One of my absolute favorites is The Miracle Maker.

We also like the Veggie Tales "Twas the Night Before Easter".

8.  Read some books

I have a couple on my to read list.  

And I'm planning on putting one in the kids Easter basket this year.  

But a definite favorite from last year was The Parable of the Lily by Liz Curtis Higgs.

9.  Make a Pinterest Board

Its my favorite way to put all our ideas in one spot.  And my Easter Pinterest Board is a great tool for helping my kids decide which project they'd like to try each day!

St. Patrick's Day Stamping - 3 Ways

I've seen a tonne of great St. Patrick's Day crafts on Pinterest lately, and since the kids were looking for a craft to do on Saturday, we decided to try a trio of stamping techniques.

First we mixed up some green paint.

 Then I found a TOILET PAPER ROLL and folded it.

Cut up a RED PEPPER.

And lastly, cut a POTATO in half, and then using a knife (or a cookie cutter) shaped the centre into a heart.

And away the kids went, happily stamping!

  After a while they asked for the GLITTER...  

what art project isn't made complete with a little glitter??

Voila!

End of November Already? E-book review of "Truth in the Tinsel"

It was my birthday on Wednesday, and one of the things I love about having a birthday at the end of November is that as soon as its done, I feel as though I have permission to start celebrating the Christmas season!  Now, I'm not a fake tree person, so I always wait a bit before I set up the tree and decorate it (otherwise it would be drier than the Okanagan in August by the time Christmas day actually comes around), but I do like to bust out the Christmas music, the Christmas baking and the Christmas boxes full of Christmas decor.  

This year I'm most excited about celebrating the advent season with my family.  I have very vivid and fond memories of exploring the season of advent with my family.  My mom, especially, always tried to help us stay focused on the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, rather than on the presents and festivities and programs.  One of the best resources my mom used to guide our times in exploring the true story of Christmas was a book from Focus on the Family (I'll include the title of this later, if I can figure it out!).

Buy Truth in the Tinsel here!

This year I'm really excited to use a resource that's brand new, an e-book by a bloggy friend from Atlanta, Amanda White called "Truth in the Tinsel".  First of all, can I say how much I love the title and design of the book?!!  I've never, ever read an e-book before, let alone reviewed one on my blog, and I can't be more thrilled than to share this book with you!  

In Amanda's own words, "This is an adventure for families to learn the story together. It’s an experience with the greatest story every written and the greatest gift ever given—God’s own Son, Jesus the Christ!"  This e-book guides families with preschool through early elementary aged children through the use of a "traditional" advent calendar.   

BUT... instead of getting a chocolate everyday (as if my kids need more candy!), they receive a clue,  

which leads them to the Bible, 

which leads them to creating a craft that highlights a truth about Christmas, 

which leads them to discovering the miracle of 

Jesus being born as a baby,  

which leads them to hearing about 

just how much  

God loves them! 

 

In the e-book Amanda lays everything out in a simple and accessible way from supply lists (based on supplies that most families already have laying around their homes), to abbreviated plans for busy families, to templates, discussion guides, extra activities and step by step instructions on how to create each ornament.  And I have to say, in looking through each day and what ornaments Amanda has suggested doing, I am super excited about some of them, as they are projects that were on my to-craft list for my kids and I!

Best of all, "Truth in the Tinsel" is only $4.99! 

Less than you'd spend on a grande white peppermint mocha, or a box of Christmas oranges!

Plus, if you purchase it on November 25, its only $2.99.

The little Baby is no longer in the manger but alive and sitting on a throne—waiting to have a relationship with you and your children. Help your children get to know Him this Christmas!  Amanda White, Truth in the Tinsel

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December ADVENTure

So, I've been trying to work through Truth in the Tinsel with my kids this month, and I have come to the conclusion, that I am not able to do a craft everyday with both my children.  I really wanted to do each craft with both kids, but with Aria being in school for most of the day, by the time she's home, it is definitely NOT optimal crafting time for Roscoe.  So that's been a challenge.  But what we have done, we've loved.  And I'm okay with not doing each day, even though I'd love to.  

 I do see this becoming something that we do every year though.  So we've set aside a specific little tree to fill with our advent ornaments, and I've been putting together a "calendar" of the supplies needed, so that when we do manage to sit down to do a craft, its already there, waiting to be used!

I used the graphics that were provided in the Truth and the Tinsel e-book, and just drew them on the front of some large manila envelopes, one for each day.  Then I whole punched the envelopes, and connected them with a circle clip (not sure what their "official" name is!).

  Then in each envelope I stuffed in the supplies needed for that particular ornament; enough for two kids.  Well, actually, I've been including enough for four, so that next year when I pull it out, it'll be already prepped!  Aren't I clever?  Or rather, I know that we might actually do more of them next year, if I don't have to think about prepping them!

This has been a great way for us to spend time throughout our week reflecting on the truth of Christmas.  Its been especially great for my three-year old as we've been talking a lot about baby Jesus, and helping him grow in relationship and familiarity with Jesus.

And to add to the craziness that is my Christmas season as a mother, pastor's wife, and children's ministry director (among other things) I've decided to throw a Birthday Party for Jesus on Friday at our house as a fun way to get some friends together for a play date and a Christmas party.  My kids are super excited and I've been having lots of fun building a Pinterest board full of ideas!  I know a lot of people throw a similar-themed party this time of year to draw the focus back to Jesus for their kids, and its become a beloved tradition.  So I'm looking forward to that.

Merry Christmas!

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Milk Carton Blocks Tutorial

When I was a kid, I can remember my mom buying milk in glass bottles, in bags, and then in cartons.  It wasn't until I was older that she switched to buying jugs of milk, probably because my brothers and I LOVED drinking milk.  I still love it.  Now that I have my own family, we also enjoy drinking milk, and usually go through two 4L jugs in a week and a half (is that average??).  On occasion though, we do buy milk products (like cream, buttermilk, whipping cream, eggnog...) in cartons.  But what to do with those lovely cartons when you've emptied them?  They're not really recyclable, unfortunately.  

We make BLOCKS.  

My mom did this when I was a kid, and we used them for absolutely EVERYTHING!  They could be food for our kitchen, we could use them to build towers or houses, do bowling with them, make birdhouses...

Here's a quick how-to on making your own milk carton blocks.

 After you've finished using your carton, rinse it thoroughly and stash it somewhere until you have enough to make a couple blocks.  Each block requires TWO cartons.

Then open up the tops...

 Cut off the tops... you won't need them.

 Then take two cartons that are the same size.  Squish one slightly to insert it into the other, and PUSH until they form a block!

 Voila!  Your own milk carton blocks!  They are super durable for both indoor and outdoor play (although my dog has chewed them apart on occasion!)

Enjoy!

For more great ideas on what to do with leftover milk cartons check out Frugal Family Fun Blog

Blessing Bags

I stumbled upon the Kids with a Vision blog somehow... probably through a link off of Pinterest, as that seems to be where I like to spend time lately... But it is chalk-full of FABULOUS ideas to help change you and your children's perspectives of the people around them. I was so blessed and challenged as I read what this group of moms and a grandma are doing to change the hearts and minds of little ones to see others through the eyes of Jesus and to step outside of themselves and SERVE others in practical and loving ways. YES! Children can serve others! I can't wait to do some of these things with my kids... in fact, I may run to the dollar store today so that we can build some of our own blessing bags!

Photo: KWAV

Check out the link below...

KWAVs: Blessing Bags How To: Have you ever come across a homeless individual and felt totally uncomfortable? You see them and you know they are in need, but you are no...

When the Husband's Away, the Mom gets CREATIVE

My husband was away with work last week, so it was me ALONE with my children for three and a half days!  Yikes!  Not only that but it was HOT and we were all a tad bit grumpy... to say the least.

So, I put my thinking cap on to come up with some outdoor activities (inspired by one of my most FAVORITE blogs, Frugal Family Fun Blog) that involved WATER (because my kids decided they were tired of their pool - in 30 degree weather - whatever!) and SHADE to help fill our days and chase the grumpies away!

So, I mixed up a bunch of water in different containers with different food colouring in each container.  Dug out some old infant medicine droppers that I had kept, and away the kids went!  They MIXED and BLENDED and EXPERIMENTED with colours to their hearts content.  And the CLEAN-UP (once the colours had all been mixed to make a lovely murky black-brown colour?) involved dumping the water over the side of the deck onto the grass below!

 

 After the novelty had worn off from mixing colours, onto the next activity!  While the kids were busy, I quickly looked up instructions for folding paper boats, made some sails with toothpicks and construction paper and down to the pool we went for some SAILING races!

 YES!  It even enticed them into the water!

 Next was supper.  Aria wanted spaghetti, and I remembered something that I saw on Pinterest.  

Source: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lao5cpVVlY1qbc1rpo1_500.jpgHotdog Spaghetti via Carmen on Pinterest

I thought it looked disgusting, but I knew the kids would LOVE it, and they would be able to help make it.  All that's required for this child-pleasing recipe is dry spaghetti and hotdogs.

 Simply poke the noodles through the chopped up, uncooked hotdogs (be careful, the noodles do break quite easily).

 BEFORE: kind of looks like porcupines...

 AFTER: looks more like a limp spider or jellyfish!

Needless to say, I made my own spaghetti (sans hotdogs) but the kids really enjoyed making their own supper, and thought it was great fun to eat!