I know this is a homemaking/organization blog, but I enjoy sharing other facets of my life with you. As you know, I am a Christian who loves the Lord and desires greatly to live my life serving Him and growing in Him. One of my biggest visions for my children is to have a strong solid Biblical foundation in their lives (Deut 6). In order to do this, we use Scripture in our daily lives. My friend, Holly, told me about a great resource called Parenting with Scripture.
It is a book that looks at nearly every topic of parenting issues (life issues) that will inevitably come up and gives a list of Scriptures that relate to that topic as well as questions to ask, practical application, and a prayer. I love this!!! It is great not just for parents, but for anyone who wants to know what God's Word says about _________. I intend to use it to give me a quick reference of Scripture when I can't think of one (or need more than I can think of). I would recommend using it as more as a reference pointing you to the Scriptures in the Bible and going to the Bible to read from so that kids see you reading (or they read) straight from God's Word.
I hope this helps!
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2012
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Delegating to Children
I know that I have posted on this topic before but I cannot express enough how important it is for children to help out in a household. Kids need to have a role in a family and chores is another way of giving them that. I think it gives them a great feeling when they serve others. Maybe Luke is different but he actually likes helping out. He feels part of the team.
At 5 years old he:
1) Makes his bed daily. We probably started having him make his own bed around 3 1/2 to 4 years old. WARNING: When you start having your kids make their bed, it won't look great the first time, or even for months, but eventually they will do it better and better. Don't go behind and fix it or it will squash their feeling of independence and helping out.
2) Removes his sheets and brings them to the laundry room to be laundered once a week. He doesn't put the fitted sheet or pillow case on yet because he can't seem to get it to work, but he does put his comforter back on his bed.
3) Puts all dirty clothes in his hamper daily and brings the hamper to the laundry room to be laundered once or twice a week. He can fold some clothes. He takes the clean clothes and distributes them in his dresser and closet.
4) Cleans the sinks in their bathroom. I give him a Lysol wipe and he scrubs the sinks and counters.
5) Cleans up all toys. He started cleaning up toys around 18 months. I absolutely refuse to clean up toys.
6) Sets the table. He climbs up on his stool and gets the dishes, paper towels, and utensils. He sets the place settings. He also helps take over other things as I need (ie condiments, food that is ready).
7) Clears the table. He brings over the dirty dishes to me so that I can wash them and load the dishwasher.
8) Wipes down the table and chairs. I give him a clean washcloth and he wipes everything down.
9) Sweeps up the crumbs. He has a little dustpan and brush and he goes around getting up the crumbs. This is one of my favorite things that he helps with.
10) Dusts. I give him a Swiffer duster and he goes to town.
I think it is great teaching our kids in phases to help out. A it gives me less to have to do and more time to spend playing with them. B it gives them a sense of responsibility and teaches service and hospitality.
What do you have your kids do?
At 5 years old he:
1) Makes his bed daily. We probably started having him make his own bed around 3 1/2 to 4 years old. WARNING: When you start having your kids make their bed, it won't look great the first time, or even for months, but eventually they will do it better and better. Don't go behind and fix it or it will squash their feeling of independence and helping out.
2) Removes his sheets and brings them to the laundry room to be laundered once a week. He doesn't put the fitted sheet or pillow case on yet because he can't seem to get it to work, but he does put his comforter back on his bed.
3) Puts all dirty clothes in his hamper daily and brings the hamper to the laundry room to be laundered once or twice a week. He can fold some clothes. He takes the clean clothes and distributes them in his dresser and closet.
4) Cleans the sinks in their bathroom. I give him a Lysol wipe and he scrubs the sinks and counters.
5) Cleans up all toys. He started cleaning up toys around 18 months. I absolutely refuse to clean up toys.
6) Sets the table. He climbs up on his stool and gets the dishes, paper towels, and utensils. He sets the place settings. He also helps take over other things as I need (ie condiments, food that is ready).
7) Clears the table. He brings over the dirty dishes to me so that I can wash them and load the dishwasher.
8) Wipes down the table and chairs. I give him a clean washcloth and he wipes everything down.
9) Sweeps up the crumbs. He has a little dustpan and brush and he goes around getting up the crumbs. This is one of my favorite things that he helps with.
10) Dusts. I give him a Swiffer duster and he goes to town.
I think it is great teaching our kids in phases to help out. A it gives me less to have to do and more time to spend playing with them. B it gives them a sense of responsibility and teaches service and hospitality.
What do you have your kids do?
Friday, November 18, 2011
Preparing My Heart for CHRISTmas
I know that we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving and this post is not to jump over Thanksgiving. I LOVE THANKSGIVING as I said in my previous post. It seems like the hustle and bustle of CHRISTmas seems to start November 1st. We prepare our CHRISTmas present list (whether it be for presents we will be buying or ones that we desire for ourselves), cards we need to send, foods we are going to make. We fill in our calendar with what seems like a never ending list of activities. We get our homes all decorated. As we prepare our lists, our calendars, and our homes for CHRISTmas, let's not forget to prepare our hearts.
What in the world am I talking about? Well, CHRISTmas is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and remember that the little baby in the manger was/is the Savior of the world. He is also the 33 year old man who lived a sinless life and died an unfair, unjust, unmerciful death on the cross to take away the sins of those who would believe in Him. He is also the King of Kings who sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. And He is the Lord of Lords who is coming again. We think back on the past, are thankful for the present, and are hopeful for the future we have in Christ Jesus.
I will share a few things that we do in our home/family in case anyone is interested and I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU DO IN YOURS.
#1 - We celebrate Advent for the 25 days of CHRISTmas. We use a very cute program called The Advent Event - http://theadventevent.com/index.php. *I did not get paid to endorse this program.* Each day you read a story working your way through the Bible and the kids color an ornament. Last year we just taped them across the wall in sequential order. It is a great way to show how Jesus is prevalent throughout the whole Bible. In the Old Testament people were waiting for Him and in the New Testament He arrives. We finish by talking about how we are waiting for Him to return again.
#2 - We get an Angel Tree child and shop for him/her. Before the twins were born we would just pick a child, but now we get one the age Alexis would have been and do it in memory of her. It is a sweet way to remember her and bless another child.
#3 - We go CHRISTmas caroling with our church. It is so fun to go with a big group and sing CHRISTmas songs and bless people. It is so much fun.
#4 - We go to our church's CHRISTmas musical.
#5 - We do a countdown to Santa. We draw a Santa and put the numbers on his beard. Then we glue a cotton ball each day to show how many days until he will be here.
#6 - This year we will write a letter to Santa since Luke knows how to write better.
#7 - We make homemade ornaments. The last 2 years we made dough ones and baked them and Luke painted them. It is really fun because he gets to make the dough and cookie cut and paint.
#8 - We make homemade cookies. I love to get Luke in the kitchen and bake batches of cookies. We have so much fun and make a mess but turn out some yummy cookies.
#9 - We make a gingerbread house. We use a kit and it is really easy and fun. You can find these on major sale after CHRISTmas.
#10 - We watch CHRISTmas movies and eat popcorn.
My goal this year is to have an activity to do every day until CHRISTmas. I am still coming up with more ideas.
I would love to hear things you do.
What in the world am I talking about? Well, CHRISTmas is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and remember that the little baby in the manger was/is the Savior of the world. He is also the 33 year old man who lived a sinless life and died an unfair, unjust, unmerciful death on the cross to take away the sins of those who would believe in Him. He is also the King of Kings who sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. And He is the Lord of Lords who is coming again. We think back on the past, are thankful for the present, and are hopeful for the future we have in Christ Jesus.
I will share a few things that we do in our home/family in case anyone is interested and I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU DO IN YOURS.
#1 - We celebrate Advent for the 25 days of CHRISTmas. We use a very cute program called The Advent Event - http://theadventevent.com/index.php. *I did not get paid to endorse this program.* Each day you read a story working your way through the Bible and the kids color an ornament. Last year we just taped them across the wall in sequential order. It is a great way to show how Jesus is prevalent throughout the whole Bible. In the Old Testament people were waiting for Him and in the New Testament He arrives. We finish by talking about how we are waiting for Him to return again.
#2 - We get an Angel Tree child and shop for him/her. Before the twins were born we would just pick a child, but now we get one the age Alexis would have been and do it in memory of her. It is a sweet way to remember her and bless another child.
#3 - We go CHRISTmas caroling with our church. It is so fun to go with a big group and sing CHRISTmas songs and bless people. It is so much fun.
#4 - We go to our church's CHRISTmas musical.
#5 - We do a countdown to Santa. We draw a Santa and put the numbers on his beard. Then we glue a cotton ball each day to show how many days until he will be here.
#6 - This year we will write a letter to Santa since Luke knows how to write better.
#7 - We make homemade ornaments. The last 2 years we made dough ones and baked them and Luke painted them. It is really fun because he gets to make the dough and cookie cut and paint.
#8 - We make homemade cookies. I love to get Luke in the kitchen and bake batches of cookies. We have so much fun and make a mess but turn out some yummy cookies.
#9 - We make a gingerbread house. We use a kit and it is really easy and fun. You can find these on major sale after CHRISTmas.
#10 - We watch CHRISTmas movies and eat popcorn.
My goal this year is to have an activity to do every day until CHRISTmas. I am still coming up with more ideas.
I would love to hear things you do.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Luke's Chore Chart
This is Luke's new chore chart:
I found the FREE template at:
http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/2010/08/preschool-chore-charts.html
PS I <3 her blog.
I found the FREE template at:
http://homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com/2010/08/preschool-chore-charts.html
PS I <3 her blog.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Dr Seuss Week
I know that a lot of my readers are homeschoolers or are interested in how we homeschool, so I thought that I would share something fun that we are doing.
This week is Dr Seuss Week. Dr Seuss was born on March 2nd. So we are doing a bunch of fun things related to Dr Seuss. We are reading some of our favorite Dr Seuss books - The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham - and doing coloring sheets and crafts and other fun things related to the books.
I will be taking pictures and will share with you guys at the end of the week.
Today we are doing The Cat in the Hat. We read the story, colored his hat, did a "spelling test" with "at" words, are going to do coloring sheets, and are going to play tic-tac-toe with cats and hats.
Other fun things we are going to do:
Hop on Pop - coloring sheet and hop on daddy
Fox in Socks - coloring sheet and tic-tac-toe with foxes and socks
Grinch - coloring sheet, door hanger, Grinch mask, and make ornaments for a tree
Green Eggs and Ham - coloring sheet, tic-tac-toe with eggs and ham, and attempt to make green eggs and ham
I love homeschooling!!!
This week is Dr Seuss Week. Dr Seuss was born on March 2nd. So we are doing a bunch of fun things related to Dr Seuss. We are reading some of our favorite Dr Seuss books - The Cat in the Hat, Hop on Pop, Fox in Socks, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Green Eggs and Ham - and doing coloring sheets and crafts and other fun things related to the books.
I will be taking pictures and will share with you guys at the end of the week.
Today we are doing The Cat in the Hat. We read the story, colored his hat, did a "spelling test" with "at" words, are going to do coloring sheets, and are going to play tic-tac-toe with cats and hats.
Other fun things we are going to do:
Hop on Pop - coloring sheet and hop on daddy
Fox in Socks - coloring sheet and tic-tac-toe with foxes and socks
Grinch - coloring sheet, door hanger, Grinch mask, and make ornaments for a tree
Green Eggs and Ham - coloring sheet, tic-tac-toe with eggs and ham, and attempt to make green eggs and ham
I love homeschooling!!!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
What It's Really All About
I know that a lot of my posts are about cleaning, organizing, couponing, and household management, but that is just a small part of my homemaking.
My biggest goal of homemaking isn't to have the cleanest or most organized home, to save the most money, or to keep everything perfect, it's
CREATING A HOME THAT IS FULL OF LOVE, HAPPINESS, AND AWESOME MEMORIES.
I pray that when my children grow up they will look back on their childhood and remember all the awesome things we did on a daily basis as well as on specific holidays to make great memories. I try to keep my home clean and organized so that when we want to have fun events we can. I try to save money with couponing and other methods so that we have money to do fun things like vacations or spoil them on their birthdays and holidays.
One of my favorite holidays is Valentine's Day. I don't think of it as just a greeting card holiday or a time meant for lovers to have romantic time. I think of it as a special day to focus on how much we love each other: moms and dads, parents and kids, grandparents, friends, etc.
Here are our Valentine's Day traditions:
1) Luke (and the other children down the road) gets a Valentine bag or basket filled with fun little dollar items (candy, toys, pencils, cute little knick knacks).
2) We make homemade Valentine cards and other projects. This year Luke made cards for his cousins and friends and we put his handprints on paper and he wrote Happy Valentine's Day 2001 Love, Luke on them.
3) We make homemade heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them.
4) We have heart-shaped pancakes or waffles for breakfast and any other heart-shaped foods we can during the day.
What are your Valentine's Day traditions? Other holiday/birthday traditions?
My biggest goal of homemaking isn't to have the cleanest or most organized home, to save the most money, or to keep everything perfect, it's
CREATING A HOME THAT IS FULL OF LOVE, HAPPINESS, AND AWESOME MEMORIES.
I pray that when my children grow up they will look back on their childhood and remember all the awesome things we did on a daily basis as well as on specific holidays to make great memories. I try to keep my home clean and organized so that when we want to have fun events we can. I try to save money with couponing and other methods so that we have money to do fun things like vacations or spoil them on their birthdays and holidays.
One of my favorite holidays is Valentine's Day. I don't think of it as just a greeting card holiday or a time meant for lovers to have romantic time. I think of it as a special day to focus on how much we love each other: moms and dads, parents and kids, grandparents, friends, etc.
Here are our Valentine's Day traditions:
1) Luke (and the other children down the road) gets a Valentine bag or basket filled with fun little dollar items (candy, toys, pencils, cute little knick knacks).
2) We make homemade Valentine cards and other projects. This year Luke made cards for his cousins and friends and we put his handprints on paper and he wrote Happy Valentine's Day 2001 Love, Luke on them.
3) We make homemade heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them.
4) We have heart-shaped pancakes or waffles for breakfast and any other heart-shaped foods we can during the day.
What are your Valentine's Day traditions? Other holiday/birthday traditions?
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Diaper Bag
I went for almost 2 years without a diaper bag. To say it was nice doesn't even cover it LOL. Babies need lots of stuff. My awesome mother-in-law lives by the theory that mommies need something nice for themselves each time they have a baby (works for me), so she got me a Vera Bradley diaper bag. I had one with Luke but she thought I needed a new one (again, works for me).
I love Vera Bradley because if you are an organization junkie like me, you will love all of the wonderful pockets. You can put different things in each pocket and feel organized instead of digging through your bags looking for something. This diaper bag has a zipper pouch on the outside, a flip side with three little pouches on the outside, two end pouches, and inside it has three pouches on each side. It also has a matching changing pad. It also has a clasp to hook your keys to.
In my diaper bag, I use one end pouch for my wallet and one for a bottle. I use the zip pouch to put papers. I use the flip side pouches for my keys, cellphone, and hand sanitizer/tissues. I use the inside pouches for diaper cream (which we have never needed PRAISE THE LORD), those mini trash bags for bad diapers (we have needed a few LOL), pacifiers (we don't really use them, but I have them JIC), and nose bulb aspirator and saline drops. If Nathan is sick and needs medicine, I would put that in there as well.
In the main part, I keep a big stack of diapers, a travel pack (or two) of wipes, two extra outfits, two extra onesies, a couple of extra burp clothes, a bottle of water, a formula dispenser with enough formula for 3 bottles, and an extra bottle (sometimes I have more if I am going to be away from the house longer than one or two feedings. I would also put a travel bowl of cereal and a spoon if we would be feeding that while we are out. Sometimes I might have an extra toy or two if I don't want it on his carseat (it's not fun to sleep with toys whacking you in the head).
I always bring the diaper bag in the house after we go somewhere. My rule is: Go through the diaper bag as soon as you get home (or get a chance) and pull out dirty clothes, burp cloths, and bottles. Then replace what needs replacing (clothes, burp cloths, bottles, water, formula) and sit the ready diaper bag by the door. I know you could pack it before you leave to go somewhere, but I find that I am always in a hurry so this makes it easier. Plus if you have an emergency, you are ready to go.
I love Vera Bradley because if you are an organization junkie like me, you will love all of the wonderful pockets. You can put different things in each pocket and feel organized instead of digging through your bags looking for something. This diaper bag has a zipper pouch on the outside, a flip side with three little pouches on the outside, two end pouches, and inside it has three pouches on each side. It also has a matching changing pad. It also has a clasp to hook your keys to.
In my diaper bag, I use one end pouch for my wallet and one for a bottle. I use the zip pouch to put papers. I use the flip side pouches for my keys, cellphone, and hand sanitizer/tissues. I use the inside pouches for diaper cream (which we have never needed PRAISE THE LORD), those mini trash bags for bad diapers (we have needed a few LOL), pacifiers (we don't really use them, but I have them JIC), and nose bulb aspirator and saline drops. If Nathan is sick and needs medicine, I would put that in there as well.
In the main part, I keep a big stack of diapers, a travel pack (or two) of wipes, two extra outfits, two extra onesies, a couple of extra burp clothes, a bottle of water, a formula dispenser with enough formula for 3 bottles, and an extra bottle (sometimes I have more if I am going to be away from the house longer than one or two feedings. I would also put a travel bowl of cereal and a spoon if we would be feeding that while we are out. Sometimes I might have an extra toy or two if I don't want it on his carseat (it's not fun to sleep with toys whacking you in the head).
I always bring the diaper bag in the house after we go somewhere. My rule is: Go through the diaper bag as soon as you get home (or get a chance) and pull out dirty clothes, burp cloths, and bottles. Then replace what needs replacing (clothes, burp cloths, bottles, water, formula) and sit the ready diaper bag by the door. I know you could pack it before you leave to go somewhere, but I find that I am always in a hurry so this makes it easier. Plus if you have an emergency, you are ready to go.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Chores for Children
Since I am a full-time homemaker, I do a majority of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry, but Lee and I do think it is good to teach children responsibility and how being a part of a family is about helping each other out. So, we make Luke do chores. Lee and I have talked about chores and allowance a lot and have come up with one conclusion for our family, our kids should help out because they are a part of the family, not just for financial gain. As they get older and understand the concept of money more and can do more (ie mow the grass, wash the car, babysit their younger siblings), we will evaluate giving them an allowance then. But in general, we are going to stick to the "You are a part of this family and that means we all help out."
Luke's chores have changed over the years and will continue to change as he gets older, but I thought that I would share what his chores are right now. He is 5 years old.
Luke's Chores:
1) Make bed each morning - We started teaching him to make his bed and have encouraged him for every attempt. I know some of us tend to be perfectionists and figure if we do it, it will look better. Trust me, if you let them do it enough, it will get better and better. My goal isn't perfection, but progression. As Luke has gotten better, he gets more and more proud of himself.
2) Remove sheets, pillowcase, comforter, and blankets and bring to laundry room once a week and bring them back to your room when mommy is done laundering them (he doesn't put them back on because he hasn't quite learned the motor skills to do the fitted sheet)
3) Bring down hamper and sort into the bins when mommy asks you to - He has a lightweight hamper with handles that he collects his laundry in. A couple times a week I have him bring it to the sorted bins and have him sort them (socks and undies in the "whites" bin, khaki pants in the "khakis" bin, church shirts in the "nice shirts" bin, and the rest in the "Luke" bin). This helps me a lot because I go to one place to get the laundry.
4) Help with laundry - Sometimes I will have him help me with laundry. In addition to collecting his sheets and sorting his clothes into bins, I will give him an empty basket and have him collect a pile of clothes and bring them to the laundry room. Yes, I could do this all by myself, but I think it's good that he pitches in sometimes. He enjoys putting the clothes in the washer and dryer anyways.
5) Clean up toys - I refuse to clean up toys. We taught him very early on (as in 6-9 months old - we would pick up the toys in his hands and put them in the basket) how to do that. My theory is, "If you make the mess, you clean it up." We clean up toys before we leave the house, before nap, and before bed.
6) Set the table - I pull the plates, napkins, and silverware out and he takes it to the table and sets it out. He will also put salt, pepper, butter, and other condiments on the table.
7) Clear the table - He has to at least take his own dishes over, but a lot of the time he will help Lee clear the table while I wash the dishes.
8) Help mommy - Little things come up and when I ask him to do them he is expected to do it cheerfully.
I don't think our children's lives should be boring or excessively chore laden, but I do think they should learn to help out. I think this is a good start.
Please share what chores your children do (include ages) as well as your method of encouraging them to do it. I love hearing other ideas.
Luke's chores have changed over the years and will continue to change as he gets older, but I thought that I would share what his chores are right now. He is 5 years old.
Luke's Chores:
1) Make bed each morning - We started teaching him to make his bed and have encouraged him for every attempt. I know some of us tend to be perfectionists and figure if we do it, it will look better. Trust me, if you let them do it enough, it will get better and better. My goal isn't perfection, but progression. As Luke has gotten better, he gets more and more proud of himself.
2) Remove sheets, pillowcase, comforter, and blankets and bring to laundry room once a week and bring them back to your room when mommy is done laundering them (he doesn't put them back on because he hasn't quite learned the motor skills to do the fitted sheet)
3) Bring down hamper and sort into the bins when mommy asks you to - He has a lightweight hamper with handles that he collects his laundry in. A couple times a week I have him bring it to the sorted bins and have him sort them (socks and undies in the "whites" bin, khaki pants in the "khakis" bin, church shirts in the "nice shirts" bin, and the rest in the "Luke" bin). This helps me a lot because I go to one place to get the laundry.
4) Help with laundry - Sometimes I will have him help me with laundry. In addition to collecting his sheets and sorting his clothes into bins, I will give him an empty basket and have him collect a pile of clothes and bring them to the laundry room. Yes, I could do this all by myself, but I think it's good that he pitches in sometimes. He enjoys putting the clothes in the washer and dryer anyways.
5) Clean up toys - I refuse to clean up toys. We taught him very early on (as in 6-9 months old - we would pick up the toys in his hands and put them in the basket) how to do that. My theory is, "If you make the mess, you clean it up." We clean up toys before we leave the house, before nap, and before bed.
6) Set the table - I pull the plates, napkins, and silverware out and he takes it to the table and sets it out. He will also put salt, pepper, butter, and other condiments on the table.
7) Clear the table - He has to at least take his own dishes over, but a lot of the time he will help Lee clear the table while I wash the dishes.
8) Help mommy - Little things come up and when I ask him to do them he is expected to do it cheerfully.
I don't think our children's lives should be boring or excessively chore laden, but I do think they should learn to help out. I think this is a good start.
Please share what chores your children do (include ages) as well as your method of encouraging them to do it. I love hearing other ideas.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Teaching Our Children About Thank You Notes
I think that thank you notes are so important. When someone gives you a gift or does something nice for you like bring a meal when you have a baby, I think it is so nice to send a thank you note. They don't have to be long drawn out paragraphs, just a couple of sentences. They don't have to be super deep, just something simple to say "Thanks."
I think it is really important to teach our children to write thank you notes. This year since Luke can write, I decided to have him help me. I pulled out some handwriting sheets and had him put the person's (or in this case persons') name(s) at the top and sign his name at the bottom. Then I filled in the message. As he gets older, he will be writing the notes all by himself.
The ironic thing is that our weekly Bible verse is "be thankful" (Colossians 3:15). It was nice to have a tangible way to teach him what thankfulness is and how to show it.
Here is one of the thank you notes we wrote:
I think it is really important to teach our children to write thank you notes. This year since Luke can write, I decided to have him help me. I pulled out some handwriting sheets and had him put the person's (or in this case persons') name(s) at the top and sign his name at the bottom. Then I filled in the message. As he gets older, he will be writing the notes all by himself.
The ironic thing is that our weekly Bible verse is "be thankful" (Colossians 3:15). It was nice to have a tangible way to teach him what thankfulness is and how to show it.
Here is one of the thank you notes we wrote:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
