More Blessings For Our Family

Reading to your baby is so important--even in the womb.

Our family continues to be blessed! We are expecting another grandchild in Dec. We are so lucky to have three close by that we see very often. (They are the ones that get to do crafts with Grandma and fishing with Papa.) We also have a very adorable little grandson that lives in Virginia but we don't get to see him as often as we would like. (Thank goodness for Facetime!)

Along with all of this happiness we also have just a touch of sadness. Two of my children have their own children but one doesn't. My daughter would make the most wonderful mother and I know her husband would be the best dad. We continue to pray that God will bless them with a baby too.

I can't think of a better job in the whole world than to be a grandparent. I heard it said it's the gift we get for growing old. ☺

I didn't get the chance to know my grandfathers but I have very fond memories of my grandmothers. One of my grandmothers lived with us until she died when I was 8 years old. My other grandmother made the best cookies and I still have her hand-written recipe card. I'm hoping someday my grandchildren will have great memories of our time together. (and lots of photos to remind them!)

Do you have fond memories of your grandparents?

Wordless Wednesday (a little late!)

A Cute Teacher Bookmark

In my last post I showed you our "Teacher Emergency Kits". Included in each kit was a bookmark I had made and laminated. I found these cute bookmarks today and thought they would be really cute to add if you didn't already have some. Go here for the printable.

Teacher Emergency Kit

The grandkids come over every Wednesday morning during the summer. The two oldest especially like to do crafts so I try to find something to work on each week. This week we made Teacher Emergency Kits.

We found white mugs at the Dollar Store. (I think Walmart has them too.) The kids each took a black sharpie and wrote the name of their teacher on their mug. Then they took colored sharpies and decorated the mugs. They thought it was cool to put their name and year on the bottom. ☺

When they were finished I put the mugs on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. The directions I found online said to put the mugs in the oven and then turn on the oven to 350. It said the mugs should heat up slowly. We "baked" them for 30 minutes and let them cool down.

After patiently waiting for the mugs to cool the kids finally got to fill them. They thought their teachers would like some fun pencils, pens, chocolate, mints, lip balm, a highlighter marker and a bookmark. (You could fill these mugs with any number of fun things for a teacher.)

We then added a cute "Teacher Emergency Kit" tag that I found on the Crafting Chicks site. (It's a free printable!) The grandkids are planning on giving these to their teachers on Open House Night next week.

I think it would also be fun to do Birthday Plates or Get Well mugs...what would you make?

Wordless Wednesday

The Only Snakes We Love

At the mere mention of snakes I cringe. Actually I do more than cringe. I am deathly afraid of the creatures! I think it stems from when I was growing up. My family moved to a farm and when we moved in there were snakes sunning themselves all over the sidewalk. Can you imagine yourself as a young child stepping out the front door to that scene? Now you understand my fear and loathing.

So when the grands asked if they could make bubble snakes I had to pause for just a second. But after that second, I said "Sure"! So we did a little Google search and this is what we came up with.

You need:   liquid dish soap (Dawn works best)
                   glycerin or white Karo syrup
                   container for the bubble mixture (we used a dishpan)
                   empty water bottles (we tried different sizes)
                   old socks or fabric (we cut up an old towel)
                    rubber bands

To make the bubble solution Combine two parts regular dishwashing liquid (not the type used for automatic dishwashers though) to one part water. We added about a quarter cup of Karo syrup to our mixture.


To make the snakes find a clean, empty plastic bottle. While a 16 or 20 oz bottle will work the best, feel free to try any size bottle you want. Carefully cut the bottom off of the plastic bottle. Cover the freshly-cut hole with a piece of fabric that is similar to a washcloth or cotton sock. Use a rubber band to keep the fabric in place.  

Dip the fabric-covered end of the bottle into the bowl of bubble solution. Blow into the mouth of the plastic bottle and, before you know it, you'll be creating Bubble Snakes!   

                                                                         Good Clean Fun!

They were making long snakes, piles of bubbles that looked like snow and sometimes large single bubbles appeared in the bubble snake. They had so much fun with this--even the clean up was fun!
Too bad it isn't this easy to get rid of the real ones!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Five Hidden Facebook Features

 

 

I know I spend probably too much time on Facebook but it's such a fun way to keep up with friends and family. I'll admit I am not Facebook savvy and could use help navigating it. So I was pleased to find that Kim Komando wrote an article in her newsletter about Five Hidden Facebook Features that most people aren't aware of.

*Secret Inbox for Profiles
*Sign in with your username
*Bookmark Favorites
*Customize Your Profile
*Export birthdays

For more information on how to manage each one of these go to Kim's article. She walks you through each one of these. If you'd like more computer/technology tips sign up for her newsletter. Great tips and info.

 

Wordless Wednesday

First Day of School Letter

Love, love this First Day of School Letter. Makes me really wish that I still had little ones going to school. sigh.

It's from the Momastery Blog.

 

Hey Baby.

Tomorrow is a big day. Third Grade – wow.

Chase – When I was in third grade, there was a little boy in my class named Adam.

Adam looked a little different and he wore funny clothes and sometimes he even smelled a little bit. Adam didn’t smile. He hung his head low and he never looked at anyone at all. Adam never did his homework. I don’t think his parents reminded him like yours do. The other kids teased Adam a lot. Whenever they did, his head hung lower and lower and lower. I never teased him, but I never told the other kids to stop, either.

And I never talked to Adam, not once. I never invited him to sit next to me at lunch, or to play with me at recess. Instead, he sat and played by himself. He must have been very lonely.

I still think about Adam every day. I wonder if Adam remembers me? Probably not. I bet if I’d asked him to play, just once, he’d still remember me.

I think that God puts people in our lives as gifts to us. The children in your class this year, they are some of God’s gifts to you.

So please treat each one like a gift from God. Every single one.

Baby, if you see a child being left out, or hurt, or teased, a little part of your heart will hurt a little. Your daddy and I want you to trust that heart- ache. Your whole life, we want you to notice and trust your heart-ache. That heart ache is called compassion, and it is God’s signal to you to do something. It is God saying, Chase! Wake up! One of my babies is hurting! Do something to help! Whenever you feel compassion – be thrilled! It means God is speaking to you, and that is magic. It means He trusts you and needs you.

Sometimes the magic of compassion will make you step into the middle of a bad situation right away.

Compassion might lead you to tell a teaser to stop it and then ask the teased kid to play. You might invite a left-out kid to sit next to you at lunch. You might choose a kid for your team first who usually gets chosen last. These things will be hard to do, but you can do hard things.

Sometimes you will feel compassion but you won’t step in right away. That’s okay, too. You might choose instead to tell your teacher and then tell us. We are on your team – we are on your whole class’ team. Asking for help for someone who is hurting is not tattling, it is doing the right thing. If someone in your class needs help, please tell me, baby. We will make a plan to help together.

When God speaks to you by making your heart hurt for another, by giving you compassion, just do something. Please do not ignore God whispering to you. I so wish I had not ignored God when He spoke to me about Adam. I remember Him trying, I remember feeling compassion, but I chose fear over compassion. I wish I hadn’t. Adam could have used a friend and I could have, too.

Chase – We do not care if you are the smartest or fastest or coolest or funniest. There will be lots of contests at school, and we don’t care if you win a single one of them. We don’t care if you get straight As. We don’t care if the girls think you’re cute or whether you’re picked first or last for kickball at recess. We don’t care if you are your teacher’s favorite or not. We don’t care if you have the best clothes or most Pokemon cards or coolest gadgets. We just don’t care.

We don’t send you to school to become the best at anything at all. We already love you as much as we possibly could. You do not have to earn our love or pride and you can’t lose it. That’s done.

We send you to school to practice being brave and kind.

Kind people are brave people. Because brave is not a feeling that you should wait for. It is a decision. It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear, than fitting in, than following the crowd.

Trust me, baby, it is. It is more important.

Don’t try to be the best this year, honey.

Just be grateful and kind and brave. That’s all you ever need to be.

Take care of those classmates of yours, and your teacher, too. You Belong to Each Other. You are one lucky boy . . . with all of these new gifts to unwrap this year.

I love you so much that my heart might explode.

Enjoy and cherish your gifts.

And thank you for being my favorite gift of all time.

Love, Mama

 

Actually I wish I had seen this years ago. I would have rewritten it for my students on the first day of school.(and I love the part about taking care of your teacher☺)

10 Blogs You Need to Check Out Now!

I know I spend way too much time on my computer but I can't help it with blogs like these! I have found so many good craft ideas, recipes and fun free printables. You have got to go take a look at these...and you'll be hooked too. (I need to find another hour or two in the day.) These are in no particular order.

1. pintsizedbaker              Lots of really fun recipes and tutorials!





2. Whipperberry      Lots of fun ideas.
     I love her Friday Linky party.

 

 

3. Thetomkatstudio    Tons of party inspiration and free printables.

 

 

4.  Livinglocurto       Free printables, recipes, crafts and party ideas!

5.  HoosierHomemade    Cupcakes, recipes, decorating.


6.  Somethingswanky    Fun DIY blog design tips and recipes.
    Don't these look good?

7.Making Life Whimsical    More free printables and DIY projects. Love her blog name!


8. Amanda's Parties to Go!   Her blog name says it all--lots of party ideas and printables.

 

 

9. Craftaholics Anonymous   Super tutorials and craft ideas.

 

 

10. Cookies and Cups        Fun sweets and giveaways.  

 I'm going to make this for sure!

 

 

Care to share some of your favorite blogs? We won't judge you and the time you spend on your computer. ☺

9 Tips For Blow Drying Your Hair

*Allow plenty of time to blow dry so that you create your dream style. Speed blow drying can cause frizz and other issues to pop up.

*Use a heat protectant product if hair is prone to damage.

*If your hair is prone to frizz, keep your fingers out of your hair until it is 100% dry.

*Finishing a section with a blast of cool/cold air from the blow dryer will help to close the newly created texture or lock in the straightness of the section.

*Always try and use the dryer downwards because using it upwards can cause frizzy hair.

*To control static in your hair, spray hairspray on your hairbrush and brush it through your hair from the roots to the ends.

*Begin styling the hair when the scalp is completely dry and 80% of the hair is dry.

*Get rid of any blow dryer older than five years. The older the blow dryer, the higher the chance that the temperature gauge is damaged.

*Give your hair a break once in awhile and let it just dry naturally.

Do you use a hair dryer in the morning? (With my short hair, I usually don't.)

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