Starting Your Week Off Right

I’m going to be totally honest here, which is sometimes really hard.  I feel guilty and hate feeling bad when people think so differently of me. Ok, so here it is. I haven’t been to church in about 8 months. I know as a Christian this doesn’t sound very good but I really want to be better about going. I had a baby 8 months ago and found myself not going because I didn’t want to take my newborn preemie to church and I also just didn’t want to get up and go.

I finally got up yesterday with my two older boys and headed to church. I knew it was going to be good. It’s always so good and timely. I felt like I was where I was supposed to be. Praise and worship always moves me. The music rings in my heart and soul. I’m always in tears by the time it ends. Yesterday was just the same.

This morning I’m starting to realize the importance of going to church. It’s not only good for me and my relationship with Christ but it’s good for my family too. I started the day with a more positive attitude and a new perspective.

Lately I’ve been really kind of sad and feel lonely being a stay at home mom and going to church made me realize my worth in Christ. He reminded me that he has plans for me and I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing at this time in my life. It might not be bringing in money but it’s sharing time with my baby and I won’t get this time back.

It’s never easy getting ready for church. Satan makes sure you find every reason to stay home and not go but I promise you will feel better when you go. I know sometimes you feel little and unworthy but God doesn’t think that way about you. You are so much more to him.

When Sunday comes again next week guess where I’ll be going? How about you?

10 FREE & Fun Rainy Day Activities

1. Play in the rain. If the rain is warm and it's safe put on some rain boots and grab an umbrella.  

2. Have a car race. Take some cars and have races around the kitchen floor or down the hallway. Winner gets to choose dinner, free day of chores or something special.

3. Camp indoors. Put up a small tent or make your own with blankets and chairs. Get sleeping bags or make a big pallet on the floor. Sing campfire songs and tell stories.

4. Make silly faces. Take magazines and cut out noses, mouths, ears and eyes. Glue them on a piece of paper and make a funny face.

5. Make play dough. Kids love cooking and they love play dough. Make a batch together. There are quite a few recipes out there. Some you can even eat.

6. Watch a movie together.  Make it a great family movie with popcorn and candy. Find a movie at Redbox for free using one of these codes. DVDONME or BREAKROOM.

7. Draw pictures of each other. Sit down and have each person sit still for a little while and draw each other. Don't draw very well. Use stick figures and magazines. 

8. Do a puzzle together. Find one that is going to be just the right challenge for your family.  Make your own puzzle by finding a picture in a magazine and gluing it onto a piece of card stock. Cut out pieces and put it together again.

9. Measure the rain. Take two cups that are the same. Put one in the front yard and one in the backyard. Which one will get more rain? Take guesses on which yard gets more rain and how many cups will fall.

10. Have a talent show. Each person in the family gets to stand up and show a talent they have. Can you put your leg over your head, make shapes with your tongue, play spoons or something else interesting. Show your talent.

Book Review and Giveaway: Bibles for Every Age

 

Busy Family Bible NIV

This Bible is really great. I love so many things about it. First it’s one of the only kinds out there on the market. Second it’s a way to bring the family together.

The NIV Busy Family Bible is filled with 52 devotions, discussion questions, family activities and options to go deeper into the Bible.

It’s a leather bond bible so it will last long and not to bulky so that is can travel with you.

One of my favorite things is the Study Guide. It helps when you’re just looking for a specific topic to discuss like forgiving, compassion and strength.

2:52 Boys Bible NIV

The 2:52 line has been my favorite line of boys books for many years. I’ve been reading books to my oldest son since he was about 6 years old. We have learned so much from them.

This bible is more than a bible it’s a fun and cool way to learn about God’s word and apply to your life as a boy.

Filled with biblical stories and people, interesting and funny facts, gross and gory stuff and applying the bible to your everyday life.

Here’s just one example of what you will find.

“God made sea monsters and some people believe they could still be alive. In 1977, a Japanese fishing ship netted what looked like a dead plesiosaur – an ocean dinosaur thought to be extinct. The creature was 32 foot long and weighed 4,000 pounds.”

The Faithgirlz Bible NIV

Another favorite line but this one is for girls.

This bible is more than a bible as well. It’s a great for young girls looking for something more interesting than just your normal everyday bible. I remember as a young girl being bored sometimes when reading the bible and this bible would have been great when I was young.

It includes book introductions, quizzes, ways to find out what you have in common with other girls in the bible, ways to share and guided journaling spaces.

The quizzes are really neat because based on the answer you give you are sent to a scripture to find out why your answer is good or bad and what the bible says about it.

The Adventure Bible NIV

This is the #1 Bible for Kids. This one has been around forever it seems. I’m sure some of you even owned one yourself.

This bible includes articles and illustrations of what life was link in the ancient days, verses to memorize, interesting facts, close looks at the people of the bibles, hands-on activities, games and other bible fun. Plus a colorful map section and dictionary.

Each bible is offered from Zondervan. You can learn more at their website. Zondervan.com. 

Giveaway Instructions
This contest is over. 

Leave a comment below with the title of the book you would like to win.

For extra entries. (leave a comment to let me know you signed up)

“Like” Creative Parenting on Facebook.

Follow me on Twitter. 

“Like” Zonderkidz on Facebook.
Leave a comment on my Facebook page. 

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends Wednesday, April 18 at 9am (CST). Winners will be randomly selected. Winners will be notifies by email.

Only one entry per person. Creative Parenting is not responsible for lost or misplaced prizes.

Recipe: Tuna Sandwiches and Deviled Eggs

Easter is over and you probably have a ton of those hard-boiled eggs left over. I decided I would try to find some ways to use mine instead of throwing them away. Here are some ways to use them up.

Tuna Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 can of tuna

¾ cup mayo or salad dressing

2 tablespoons of dill relish

2 hard-boiled eggs chopped

Directions;

Mix all ingredients in a bowl together. Spread on bread. Makes 4 sandwiches.

Extras:

You can add tomato, avocado slices, mustard or bacon to the sandwich as well.

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 Hard-boiled eggs

¼ cup mayo or salad dressing

¼ cup mustard

2 tablespoons sugar

paprika

Directions:

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Take yoke out and add into a boil.

Use a fork and mash the yokes up. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix it together. (may need to add more to your liking) You can use a blender to make it smooth.

Spoon the mixture into the eggs.

Sprinkle with paprika. Top with sliced olives if you like.

Here are some other ways to enjoy your eggs. Add them to your salad or eat them with a little salt and pepper.

25 Plastic Eggs Projects

1. Make your own play dough or silly putty and use the egg store it.

2. Read “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Use a gold or yellow egg and hide it for the child to find at the end of the story.

3. Use them for a dinosaur birthday party. Put dinosaurs inside them and hide them outside for the kids to go on a dinosaur hunt.

4. Use them for a magic trick. Take three halves and put a small object under one of them. Make a friend watch as you move the eggs around. Have them guess which egg the object is under.

5. Make aliens out of them with pipe cleaners, googly eyes and markers.

6. Make musical instruments. Add a tablespoon of rice, beans, oatmeal, salt or anything else that would make noise. Tape the egg shut and decorate it. Shake it to make music. Let little ones play with them with supervision.

7. Take the eggs apart and mix them up the eggs in a bucket. Have your preschooler match the bottoms and tops together and name the color of the eggs.

8. Paint with them. Cover the holes on one side and put a little paint inside. Tape it shut and shake it on a piece of paper to make a masterpiece.

9. Make silly faces. Take permanent marker and make eyes on one half and mouths on the other. Do this to several eggs and mix and match.

10. Decorate the eggs with glitter, stickers, markers and rhinestones.

11. Have egg races. Instead of using real eggs use the plastic eggs and balance them on a spoon and race with them.

12. Decoupage an egg with modge podge and stripes of colored paper or fabric.

13. Take 6 eggs and separate them, hide small matching objects under them. Mix them up and play a matching game.

14. Store fruit snacks or goldfish them and add them to your child’s lunch or for on the go.

15. Save the green eggs for Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Read “Green Eggs and Ham” and hide eggs with treats in places that are mentioned in the book.

16. Print out pictures of animals that lay eggs and put them inside the eggs. Let your child discover the different animals and talk about them. Add plastic animals if you have them.

17. Make caterpillars. Use 9 eggs. Take the eggs apart. Use a pipe cleaner and thread it through one of the holes in the egg. Tie the pipe cleaner in a knot. Next add each piece of egg. When done adding pieces use the last egg and put the pipe cleaner through it and tie it off. Add the other part of the egg. Add another piece of pipe cleaner for antenna’s. Add eyes and mouths.

18. Make animal noses. Take one piece of the egg and measure one piece of yarn to fit around a child’s head. Thread the yarn through the holes at the end of the egg and tie them off. Use a piece of paper to make circles. Draw different animal noses on the circles. Tape or glue on the egg end.

19. Glue one egg halve onto a golf ball or big bouncing ball for a hat. Draw eyes and a mouth. Add felt feet.

20. Use permanent markers to make eggs into different balls. Orange egg for a basketball or football and white for soccer or baseball.

21. Opposites – Take a permanent marker and write one word on the top half of the egg and the other word on the bottom. Make several eggs and mix them up for the child to make the matches of opposite words.

22. Synonyms - Take a permanent marker and write one word on the top half of the egg and the other word on the bottom. Make several eggs and mix them up for the child to make the matches.

23. Alphabet - Take a permanent marker and write a capital letter on the top half of the egg and a lower case letter on the bottom. Make several eggs and mix them up for the child to make the matches.

24. Numbers - Take a permanent marker and write one number on the top half of the egg and make dots like a dice on the bottom. Make several eggs and mix them up for the child to make the matches.

25. Compound words - Take a permanent marker and write one word on the top half of the egg and one word on the bottom. Make several eggs and mix them up for the child to make the matches.

Babies 1st Feeding Tips

I just recently started feeding my little guy. It’s been a little hard figuring out how to feed him. I’ve had 2 other children and I still need help. I asked a lot of friends and family and here are a couple of tips that I got from them and things I’ve picked up in my own experience. I hope this helps new mommies out there trying to figure it out too.

Things you need:

Rice Cereal

Formula

Soft tip plastic baby spoon

Bowl

Bib

Chair

Wet rag

Mat for under the chair

Camera

1. Pick a time that works best for you and baby. Is the baby usually happy and easy going in the morning, noon or evening?  This doesn’t have to be the same time everyone else is eating but it can be. I found the best time for us is in the morning or afternoon.

2. Find a good chair and use it. I got a high chair and I really like it. I’ve used booster seats before. The kind you put on your regular chair and those work nice too. I decided  this time I would use a chair all the time. My last child I feed on my lap and I was feeding him that way until he was 3. I learned my lesson. It was hard to teach him to sit in his own chair.

3. Try to always feed your baby at the table. I have learned from my other two boys that it pays to eat at the table. This teaches your baby that we only eat at the table and not in the front room, bedroom or anywhere else in the house.

4. Start with rice cereal first and then start introducing new foods. Introduce one food a week to make sure the baby doesn’t have an allergic reaction. 

5. When your child does well with cereal you can start with solids. I feed my child for at least 2 weeks with rice cereal before starting with green beans. When I started the green beans I gave him a little bit of it and some rice too. Put a little bit of food in a bowl from the container. You don’t want the rest of the food to get germs. If you feed from the container you have to throw away the rest of the food.  

6. Take lots of pictures. I promise you’ll be so happy you did. It’s fun to look back and see the reaction to the food and what the experience was like.  

7. Don’t get discouraged if your child doesn’t seem to like it. It’s ok. It’s new and they have to get use to it. It might take a week before they really start to understand what’s going on and enjoy it.

8. It’s ok if the baby gets messy. I found that feeding my baby naked for the first couple of feedings worked best. I didn’t get an outfit dirty and I just had to wipe him down.

9. This experience is hard but so much fun at the same time. Have fun and learn to not worry so much.  If things get tricky call the doctor and ask them for help or someone who has done this before.

This is just my experiences and preferences. Everyone does this differently. There is no right time to start and no right way to go about feeding your baby. You do what is right for you and what works. Every baby is different. Some like cereal and do well and some don’t like it at all and go straight to veggies or fruit. It’s really up to you.

Have fun and enjoy your baby. It’s just the beginning of a great journey.

Coming this week.

Tomorrow is the deadline for the current giveaway. Don't forget to sign up to win. It's a great gift for any child.

This week I'll share crafts to make with all the plastic Easter eggs you will have left over. I'm still working on projects but it's all going to fun.

I will also share how to start feeding your baby. Things you need and my ideas on the best ways I found that work for me. I hope this will be helpful for new mommies.

Plus the April calendar. There are so many holidays this month. It's not just Easter.

I want to personal thank each of you for visiting my blog. It's been great seeing the comments and the sign ups for giveaways. I really appreciate it. It's fun seeing the growth and ways people are sharing the information. Remember you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. I love having new friends. I hope to see you there.

Please continue to come back and see what is going on. I have a bible giveaway coming up next. You don't want to miss that.