Homemade Advent Calendar

I got this idea from Disney's Family Fun magazine, only they used mini-muffin tins. I couldn't find any in the store the other day and then I realized I wanted to use candies that were larger than the mini-tins. Anyway, this is such a cool advent calendar idea I just had to share. You take the muffin tin and fill each cup with enough candy pieces per child of the family that you are making it for.

I also added strips of paper with Bible verses for the season and fun family activities like "sing a Christmas carol together today" or "Jesus was born in the line of King David: draw a beautiful crown today on paper to remember that Jesus is the King of Kings"... stuff like that. Because I was making these for nieces and nephews and not my own children I typed the Bible verses out (I'd make my kids look them up and read them out loud) and I kept all activities free and easy and requiring no outings (for my own kids I might say to go somewhere or do something that requires adult pre-planning). I slipped one of these strips in each muffin cup along with the candies. Then I used scrapbook Christmas paper, which conveniently came with a sheet of circles with the days of the month on them, to cover each muffin cup. I taped them on individually so they can be removed one at a time.

Although if I had used the mini-muffin tin it all would've fit on one, I still like this project. I stacked up the four finished trays and tied a ribbon around them. I am going to give them to my niece and nephew on Thanksgiving. It is an early-Christmas gift that "gives" all month. It is my little way to remind them of what the season is really about and help them count down the days until Christmas Eve. What is your favorite way to count down to Christmas with your family?

... New Year's Resolutions

Our pastor made a point of talking about the usual unsuccessfulness of New Year's Resolutions this Sunday. That got the kids and I thinking that we'd rather set 2011 "goals", seeing as though there isn't really any stigma attached to those. I was highly impressed by what the boys chose to put down on their goal sheets. "Being a better big brother" and "helping Mama more" were right up there with "get better at hockey" and "learn to play gutiar". What a blessing to see them already making wise choices and striving to make even better ones!

Trusting Him

We have recently made the decision to move from our county haven and downsize to a small house back in the city. It was a difficult decision to make but one we haven't regretted. We are so glad we embarked on the county adventure and may return to it someday in the future but this was what we needed to do for the time-being. Although I miss the county - the IDEA of it mostly, my husband seems so relieved to be back in the city. The demands on him must be less without all the land and yard and outbuildings to worry about. Not to mention the huge cost difference. I am choosing to look forward and ahead to what else the Lord has in store for us. I don't want to look back. I read the story of Lot's wife in the Bible. I don't want to make the same mistake! LOL

Sanctus Real - Lead Me (Slideshow With Lyrics)

Pause the player at the bottom. This one's worth it!





LISTEN!!

NOUNS

I know I haven't posted for quite some time. I have a legitimate alibi - really I do. You see, I have given birth to 6 children in my life. With each pregnancy countless brain cells swell and burst. Followed by the slew of brain cells that abdicate their function during the few months of sleeplessness postpartum. I have finally come to the conclusion that these brain cells are the ones responsible for mastering the use of nouns. My adjectives are slightly malfunctioning, verbs and pronouns seems untouched; but the nouns are, for all rights and purposes, gone. My sentences now go something like this:
"Honey, (this could refer to anyone in earshot) I need you to bring me the ____".

"Why did you let that _____________ get in here?"

"Who dropped the _______________ and left it there?"

"Where is my _____________?"

And countless others just like them.

The kids exasperatedly try to help me construct my words while I attempt to give them direction, rebuke, or praise. It really takes the "oomph" out of a punishment if the child has to fill in the blanks of what they did wrong and give the details of their own sentence."
Mom: "Son, (also a good generic term)I see you left that..."
Child: "toy?"
Mom:"Yes, toy, out. You know you are supposed to put those in the ___________"
Child: "toybox?"
Mom: "Right, the toybox. I think you better go back there (pointing down the hall) and clean the......."
Child: "bathroom?"
Mom: "Sure, yeah, the bathroom. That's good. Uh-oh, the baby's crying. She must've dropped her..."
Child: "bottle, mom, it's her bottle."


I am only able to write this now due to getting a little extra sleep, taking herbal supplements, and playing sudoku in the bathroom. My husband told me he wanted ten children when we first married. Do you thin k by then I will still be able to speak at all? LOL

~Cheers to all! Lovin' the busy Mommy life, even if it leaves me speachless! :-)

Michael Pearl's nogreaterjoy.org a great resource for parents

I just wanted to share that my family has found Michael and Debi Pearl's ministry, No Greater Joy, and their website, www.nogreaterjoy.org, to be a wonderful parenting resource. They have at times been brought into unnecessary controversy over hideous crimes commited by other people. For a hint of truth, read this:
http://www.squidoo.com/Pearls_2Train_Up_A_Child

Hollywood knows abortion is wrong...