Like a little child...

Have you ever listened to little children when they pray?  I mean REALLY listened?  I encourage you to try it some time.  I have no doubt that you will be humbled (as I was!!) with their sincerity and THOROUGHNESS in prayer.  Also, I think you will find that their selfless attitudes in prayer are something we would do well to imitate in our lives.  How often do we pray for ourselves and things we want or need?  I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that!  God WANTS us to pray for those things. But, in contrast, how often do we pray for OTHERS instead?  Think about that long and hard, as I have this week...  you might not like what you see.  :/

Another thing about kids' prayers is that you can find out a ton of stuff about their lives...especially if your children are like mine and are in public school.  Often, they don't want to re-hash their days with Mommy and Daddy, but if we listen to their prayers, we can find out so much about them and the struggles they face.  Here are just a few I overheard the past few weeks in my home:

"Dear God, please help my friend ______________ not to be sad while his daddy is in jail.  Help him to be happy to be with his friends at school and to forget about what's going on at home for a few hours."  (From my 1st grader!)

"Dear God, please help my friend ___________ in my class, as her house burned down yesterday and her whole family lost everything."  (This was yesterday from my 3rd grader).

"Dear God, help me not to be disappointed that my favorite teacher was absent today and our sub wasn't very nice to me or my friends."

"Father, please Lord, help _____________ not to bully my friends anymore and help me to tell him nicely that he is hurting their feelings."

"Dear God, help me to be brave and to do what I should even though it's not what I want to do."

"Thank you that I have a sister who will snuggle with me when I am scared."

"God, I am so scared to go to school and be away from home.  Help me remember that you are always there and I can pray to you when I am scared."

"Help me, Lord, to help _______________ not feel left out, as no one is nice to her except me."

"Dear God, help my teachers to want to come to our meeting so they can learn about God and go to heaven."

"Lord, please help me teach my teacher about not using instruments in worship.  He asked me about it and I want to show Him what the Bible says, but I don't know enough.  Help me to learn about it and teach Your word."

"Dear God, thank you that Mommy told my teachers I can't go to the in-school dance, and thank you that they won't make me."  (Side note:  This whole thing just aggravates me to no end, but at least the teachers and administration allow us to not participate...)

All of these things led us to some great family discussions we wouldn't have had if I hadn't been listening to their prayers.  More importantly, though, GOD was listening, and I have no doubt that He is and was blessing my sweet children as a result of their honest and open and vulnerable communication with Him.  May we all be so vulnerable at the feet of our Almighty Creator.

Family Bible Time - Game on!

We have been trying to change up our family Bible time lately, and the kids have had so much fun with it!  I never cease to be amazed by my husband's ability to direct this part of our day.  He is very uncomfortable being the "creative" type, but lately he's been awesome with it!  Here are a few things we have done recently that might encourage you to try something new with family Bible time!

I am very crafty/artsy/creative, but I am NOT talented at coming up with games.  My husband, on the other hand, is amazing at this!   Every Saturday evening our Bible time involves some type of game.  This might be one of his own creation, or it might be a board game with altered rules.   Sometimes we have little prizes (5 minutes of staying up late, a special snack, extra reading time, etc.).  Other times, the "prize" is satisfaction of a job well done.

1.  Hallway race

The kids' favorite game, oddly enough, is standing at one end of our hall and alternately answering Bible questions to see who can get to the other end first.   Randomly, there are "bonus" questions, and the method of getting from one end to the other is never the same.   They LOVE this, and I am always so impressed with little details they remember.  Missed questions result in moving backwards, and they have to listen carefully when they get a question correct, because they might have to bunny hop, snail crawl, crab walk, etc. to move forward.  Whining because a sibling is ahead of you earns a trip back to start.  Last weekend, they had a small toy train and they had to push it forward (difficult on carpet!) with each correct answer.  Another time they could only move backwards.  Still another time, they had to dodge foam balls my husband threw at them as they moved...if they got hit, they had to go back.  The laughter this game brings is priceless.  Sometimes the questions come from our KidSing/Pew Packers cards, and other times they are random Bible questions.  

2.  Cotton Ball Toss

This one is super simple, takes however long you want it to, and can be adapted in many ways.  Simply write out topics on a dry erase board and draw shapes around them.    Have your child toss a cotton ball onto the board and answer a question for the topic their cotton ball lands on after the toss.  When a topic has been exhausted, erase it from the board.  It can then be a "free" space where the kids tell a Bible fact of their choice, or it can be a "lose a turn" space.  You can keep score (or not).  
This came out of desperation one day when the kids just would not be still and focus on Bible study.  We've used it many times and it never gets old to them.

3.  ABCs

We play some variation of this on almost every long car trip.   Starting with A, the first player has to name something in the Bible that starts with A.  The next person answers for B, and so on.  Sometimes we play, "I'm going on a trip through the Bible, and I'm going to read about _______."  Each time we add a new letter, the person whose turn it is has to repeat the whole list.  For instance, if I had "E,"  I would say, "I'm going on a trip through the Bible and I'm going to read about Abraham, Babel, Canaan, David, and Elijah..."  I would repeat what the others came up with for A through D and then add my own "E" word.   We keep playing until someone gets stumped on a letter.  If we make it through the alphabet more than once, we cannot repeat a previously used word.   Another variation is to come up with a word that starts with the last letter of the previous player's choice.  So, if I chose Hannah for mine, the next player might say Herod...and then Dagon, and then Noah...and so on...   Sometimes we do specific categories.  For instance, only use Old Testament characters, or only prophets, etc.   Once we played where our answers had to be in chronological order.  That was hard!  :)

4.  Board games

Frequently, my husband will pull out a "regular" board game and announce "new" rules for it to make it Bible-study compatible.  The past 2 weeks we have been studying about our speech and our tongues.  The kids have recently had trouble being kind...there has been lots of hateful speech and backtalk going on.  So, he took a card game we have (Sleeping Queens...SUCH a fun game!!!) and made rules requiring us to stay nice things about particular family members with each hand of play. One card even required us to say nice things about ourselves!  As the game went on, we had to think hard to not repeat good things about each other.  We also play Bible trivia games, Bible Pictionary, Bible Charades, Bible Scattergories, etc.    At the end of every game, my husband makes application of what we have learned that night.  These "game nights" seem to really help the kids cement the topics in their minds and hearts.

5. Bean bag toss

We have this game: http://www.discoverytoys.com/PUBLICSTORE/stores/homeoffice/product/Flip-Flop-Faces-Emotions-In-Motion,632.aspx#sthash.Xncb6j5K.dpbs, and it has served us well as a Bible story review game.  We color code questions and ask them according to the color bowl the kids flip over.   It is a good way for my high-energy son to get some movement into his Bible study.

6.  20 Questions

This is another popular car game.  Someone thinks of a topic from the Bible and everyone else must try to guess within 20 "yes/no" questions.  Whoever guesses correctly gets to choose the next topic.  As the kids get older, this gets harder and harder, because they don't get stumped very often!

Feel free to comment if you have other ideas for Bible games!  These aren't all the ones we play, but hopefully it will encourage you to add a little "fun" to Family Bible time and learn a lot in the process!

Big girls DO cry...Happy Mommy tears!

So last night was our kids' school musical.  For my daughter, this is THE REASON for going to school.  She lives for this night.  She practices for hours for her 10 minutes on stage, and she diligently memorizes every part in case someone is absent on the day of the show.  She bravely and unquestioningly auditions for speaking parts or solos, and it just makes her year if she is chosen for one.   She adores her music teacher and can't wait for this night every fall.  While on stage, she is fully tuned in to every move made by her teacher as she conducts them.  She gives it her all and thrives on being in the spotlight and using her dramatic talents.  When it is over, she laments that the best motivation in the world for going to school has passed her by for another year.

This year's musical was about different nations in the world, and it ended with a short segment about how many cultures have come together to make America the great nation that it is.  Each grade represented a different culture, and our daughter's was Africa.  One of the songs chosen for her class to sing was Kumbaya, in demonstration of the African influence on spirtuals. When our daughter found out that her class would be singing Kumbaya, she immediately went to her teacher (before we knew anything about it!) and told her she probably wouldn't be performing that song, and that she would need to think about how to handle it. Her teacher was surprised, as she knows Kaitlyn's love for the musical, but she was loving and supportive.  Scripture teaches us to worship without the use of musical instruments when singing to God.  Also, praise songs are not to be used for our personal entertainment, as they are to be directed reverently to God.  Worship is not about us, but about the mighty God we serve, and we strive diligently to follow His wishes for how we approach Him.  Our daughter (who is only 8!) asked her teacher what she should do, and her teacher said she would support whatever she chose to do.  She came and asked us, and we told her that she could either stay on stage and just not sing or she could step off stage.  We assumed she would stay on stage to be a part of things, but she said that she would feel hypocritical staying on stage when she knew that the song was not being sung in an appropriate context.  So, last night, in front of a packed audience in the elementary school gym, my brave little girl let her light shine so brightly and walked right off that stage before that song.   I had teared up a few minutes earlier when she belted out her solo part, but it was nothing like the happy tears in my heart when I saw her march confidently backstage while her class performed Kumbaya.   Sometimes we wonder if things are "getting through" to our children, but when I see her do something like that ON HER OWN, without complaining and without drama, I am encouraged by the power of the gospel to work on even stubborn little souls who want everything "my way."   I was reminded of how I need to be bold in standing up for our amazing God.

A few days before the performance, we overheard our son talking to his big sister (he is 6).  He said, "Sissy, I wish I was in your class."  She asked why, and he said, "I hate to think of you standing off stage all by yourself, so I want you to know that I'd be standing right there beside you if I could!"  Sweet kids.  Happy Mommy.  Tears of joy and thankfulness.

Digging with Moses

The ladies at our congregation met last night for our monthly group discussion about the Digging Deep Bible study for women found here:  http://thecolleyhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Unto-Thee-O-Lord.pdf   This study is put out by a faithful Christian woman in order to help her sisters in Christ grow closer to God.  This year the focus is on prayer, which, personally, is exactly what I need!  For the record, anything in colored font below comes directly from Mrs. Colley's study notes found at the link above.  

Here are some notes from our class last night.  I am not on facebook, so I cannot post on or read posts from the group there, so I'll put some here!  :)  I was the facilitator for our group last night, but by no means the ones with all the answers, and these notes are not all my original thoughts and notes. :)  I am so thankful for the older women (I think I was the youngest last night!!) who were in the study with me last night, from whom I can and do learn so much!

We were asked to read and study prayers at the beginning and end of Moses' service to God and to notice what kind of (if any!) growth Moses had in his desire to lead and intercede for God's people.  Here are some questions we discussed.

1.      WHAT EXCUSES DID MOSES MAKE IN HIS COMMUNICATION WITH GOD?  WHAT EXCUSES DO WE STILL MAKE TODAY?  WHAT HOLDS US BACK FROM LISTENING TO GOD?  I don't know enough, I don't have time, I am afraid.  It is interesting that Moses never expressed fear of Pharaoh as a reason for his reluctance.  Would we not be terrified if sent before a powerful leader to discuss God's word??

2.      WHAT GROWTH DO YOU SEE IN MOSES? Humility because of who God was, rather than as an excuse for his inability to serve.  

3.      WHAT CAUSED THIS GROWTH?  (SERVICE TO GOD; EXPERIENCING GOD’S POWER AND GOODNESS)   

4.      HOW DOES OUR SERVICE TO GOD HELP US TO GROW CLOSER TO HIM?

5.      WHAT ARE SOME WAYS THAT WE, AS WOMEN, CAN LEAD AND SERVE SO THAT WE CAN GROW CLOSER TO GOD?   support our husbands (especially as elders and/or deacons), raise faithful children, teach Bible class, prepare meals for those in need, visit, conduct Bible studies, write cards, etc.   One of our ladies mentioned that there is never an enemy of Jesus listed in Scripture who was a woman.  Interesting!  we discussed many powerful/influential/encouraging women in Scripture, such as Deborah, Ruth, Esther, the women who aided Jesus and the apostles, etc.  Women have powerful roles in God's kingdom, and we should never feel inferior or unappreciated!  

6.      LOOK BACK TO WHEN YOU STARTED COMMUNICATING WITH GOD AS A CHRISTIAN.  HAS YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SERVE HIM GROWN SINCE THEN?  IF NOT, WHY NOT?  HOW CAN WE CHANGE THAT? 

Then we start a discussion comparing Moses as Israel’s intercessor and our own Intercessor…why?   Deut 18:15-19 & Acts 3:22  ²² For Moses truly said to the fathers, 'The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you

What made Moses a good choice for Israel’s intercessor? - He had been on both the Egyptian and the Israelite side of things.  Can you imagine going back to confront the people in the very household where you had grown up?  Here we digressed into a discussion of what it is like for newly converted Christians to "go back" to their family of origin and talk to them about error in their lives.  

Who was the intercessor sent later who WAS perfectly willing to intercede for and free a people?    JESUS! 

INTERCESSOR/INTERCESSION  “to deal” - these are some definitions we found.  I especially like the one about reconciling.  It makes a good "word picture" for me.

·         a person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer.

·         1.an act or instance of interceding.

·         2. an interposing or pleading on behalf of another person.

·         3.a prayer to God on behalf of another.

·        to attempt to reconcile differences between two people or groups;mediate.  (Heb 12:24

ROMANS 8:34 ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

HEBREWS 7:25 ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

ISAIAH 53:12 ¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors

Read Philippians 2:1-12.   Sometimes, as women, we grumble about the tasks we are given to do within our roles in the church because we feel that they do not get as much recognition as the tasks given to the men.  I have heard women say (and I have felt!) that our roles are “not as glorious,” or are “inferior,” or “unappreciated” in comparison to the roles men hold.   However, if we are going to have a heart like that of Jesus, we need to remember that He gave up ALL glory to empty himself to become one of us!  Do I have the willingness to engage in that which “makes me nothing” in the sight of others??  Who are we trying to please? 

While we know He was willing, find his prayer that showed that this submission, in the end, was difficult for the human side of our Intercessor.

Matthew 26:36ff; Mark 14, etc.

Notice also that God identified Himself, the sender in Exodus 3. What was that identifying name? I AM (Exodus 3: 5-6)  Interesting side note:  THE GOD is plural in the original language, emphasizing the Godhead.  J

The “sent”  wore that name when the Great Intercessor came. Find the New Testament passage that gives that label of identification to our Intercessor. 

John 8:58 ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

When Jesus said “I AM,” He wasn’t using the same word as the name of God in the Old Testament; however, with all of His I AM statements (also found in John), He was claiming attributes of divinity, and thus signifying His place as part of the Godhead.  The Jews would likely have recognized all of these as ways in which Jesus was claiming equality with God.

“I AM” statements in which Jesus claimed attributes of God

·         I AM the living bread which came down from heaven. John 6:51

o   GOD who sent manna from heaven Exodus 16:31

·         I AM the Light of the World John 8:12 

o   Psalm 27:1 – David identifies God as Light

·         I AM from above. John 8:23

o   James 1:17; Php 2:9 – He has name above all names

·         I AM the Door.  John 10:9

o   A Shepherd would lie down between sheep and open field to protect them.  He would be the “door” to the pasture.

·         I AM the Good Shepherd.  John 10:11

o   Psalm 23 – the LORD is my Shepherd

·         I AM  the Son of God. John 10:36

·         I AM the resurrection and the life.  John 11:25

o   Genesis 1 – it was God who breathed life into all things; He is the beginning of life

·         I AM the way, the truth, and the life.  John 14:6

o   Psalm 31:5 – God is the God of truth

·         I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  John 15:1

·         I AM Alpha and Omega/First and Last. Rev 1:8,17

o   Isaiah 44:6 Redeemer = First and Last

·         Mark 2:5-7 – sins are forgiven

o   Daniel 9:9 – forgiveness belongs to the Lord

·         Matt 25:31-32 – Judgment

o   Psalm 9:7-8 – the Lord shall judge  also see: Joel 3:12

·         John 17:5 – claims glory together with the Father

o   Isaiah 42:8; 48:11 – the LORD will not give His glory to another

Acts 9:5 “Who are you, Lord?”  “I AM JESUS…”

Read Exodus 5-7 giving emphasis to 5:22,23. This intercessor used prayer to complain

²² So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all."

Can you think of others who complained while communicating with God?  (Ex:  Job. Elijah, Jonah)

What do we complain about? 

Do we complain in prayer to make excuses??  What holds us back from serving the Lord with our whole hearts?

What SHOULD we pray for??

Did our Intercessor ever complain about the job He was doing on our behalf?

NO

Look at John 17, Matthew 26, etc. 

Monthly Focus:  For this month (October), let’s focus on the intercession of Jesus on our behalf. Spend fifteen minutes in prayer as you close this study, praising Him for the Intercessor who purchased our freedom from bondage; for His willingness and for the fact that He was uniquely qualified to intercede for us.

What makes Jesus the perfect Intercessor for us??

            He knows both sides!  (Divine and Human!!)  What comfort we should have in knowing that, if we love and obey Christ, He will intercede for us!  What a privilege we have to even approach our Father in Heaven with Christ at our side.  

 

Halloween on our eating plan...

We are still on our "real food" eating plan, working our way through month #10.  It has definitely become more second-nature now, although it does still require reading labels faithfully and watching for changes in ingredients.   We have survived holidays, teachers who weren't "sold" on our plan, vacations, etc.  We have no intentions of ever going back to our old way of eating.  However, looming in the distance is...Halloween!  How in the world do you let your kids go trick-or-treating for something they can't even eat?  It seemed kind of cruel to us, so we started brainstorming  Here is what we have decided to do, and the kids are both on board!

We are going to let the kids trick or treat as normal, getting candy and other goodies as they knock on neighbors' doors and hold out their  plastic pumpkins.  When we are finished for the evening, they can each pick one piece of candy of their choice.   ANYTHING, even if it's not on plan (provided, of course, that it looks safely wrapped!).  Then, my husband and I are going to "buy back"any non-plan candy from them.  We haven't decided yet if it will be per piece or as a whole group.  Next, the kids can use that money to buy themselves one type of candy or treat that they CAN have from the local health food store.  Any remaining money will be used to purchase goods for our church pantry.   The kids were excited about shopping for the pantry, so they are completely on board with this idea. Some of the candy we "buy back" will be saved for our annual gingerbread houses in December.  We are hopeful that, in addition to making sure we stay on plan, it will help the kids learn to think of others and to learn to use their money in ways that is helpful to others as well.   I'll be sure you let you know how it goes!

Scrapbook pages for Kindergarten Bible CLass

We make a scrapbook in my kindergarten Bible class to send home at the end of the year.  My purpose behind it is twofold:  1.  To help the kids retain what we have studied and be happy to share it with family, and 2. To have a visual reminder of how much the kiddos have progressed and grown during kindergarten.   It has been a work in progress for a couple of years, gradually getting more complete and more useful.  We work on them throughout the year and send them home during the last few weeks of class before promotion.  Today is promotion Sunday for our congregation, so I am trying to get ahead for my new kiddos.  I want to do a better job with the scrapbook this year and make it very intentional, so I'm starting this post with links to the scrapbook pages to keep me accountable.  Feel free to use anything that is useful to you!

I have also linked to the Parent Review Cards that I send home each week to help the kiddos and parents review what we have studied.  Periodically I also send home a list of ALL review questions up to that point or for that particular unit.  At the end of the year I put a comprehensive list of what we have covered in their scrapbooks to take home.    You can view it here:  Cumulative Review


Lesson 1 - God Made Me Special
               
Lesson 2 - What is the Bible?  (King Josiah) - they draw a picture from the story or trace and decorate a crown
        Parent Review Card Lesson 2      

Lesson 3 - Respect God's Word (Ezra) - use paper scraps to make a beautiful mosaic heart, just like Ezra's heart was beautiful and loved God!
         Parent Review Card Lesson 3

Lesson 4 - Basic Bible facts  page 1    page 2  - cut out the words in the boxes and glue in the appropriate places on the other page.

My Dad is cooler than your Dad! :)

Remember when we were little and we'd stand around on the playground comparing whose Dad was bigger or stronger or cooler or funnier?  Well, I think I win this time!!  ;)

Last week my dad asked if he could borrow my van for a Mother's Day surprise while my mom was out of town visiting my sister.  Thinking he meant a gift for HER, I gladly loaned him my van after offering the truck instead.  He insisted it had to be the van, which stumped me, but we traded cars for a day.   That evening he was on his way to bring it back and he told me he had a gift for ME but if I didn't like it, he couldn't take it back, so to just pretend like I liked it.   I was admittedly quite nervous!  I assured him that, as long as it wasn't a dog, we were good.  He showed up at my house that night and told me to go look in the van.  Nervously, I opened the door and stepped back, kind of afraid what might jump out at me.  To my delight and surprise and astonishment, he had CLEANED MY VAN until it sparkled!   The floors and seats were vacuumed and shampooed (I didn't know they were that color!!!!), all the stains from kiddos' drinks and such were gone, no crumbs or trash or anything was to be seen!!!  The dashboard dust was gone, the sticky stuff under the seats was gone, it was SPOTLESS!!  Even an old ceiling stain from when my in-laws owned the van was gone.  I can't explain my astonishment.  If you have ever seen my van, you understand what an undertaking this was.   It was gross.  Embarrassingly gross.  Disgustingly gross!   "Acts of Service" is totally my "love language" (if you haven't read the books by Gary Chapman about love languages, I highly recommend them), so I was thrilled! What a special gift!  I have always been (and will always be!) a Daddy's girl, so it made it even more special!!  Wow!  It's the gift that keeps on giving, and every time I get in the van I smile and remember someone loves me!  Thanks, Dad!!!!

The righteous are as bold as a lion

A few years ago I started making handprint canvases of each kindergarten Bible class we teach.  We hang them in our classroom for decoration, and the kids love them.  I will try to post the previous ones when I remember to take pictures!  Here is our latest addition!  It turned out so cute!

Play Ball!

One of our favorite family traditions is to have an "opening day" party when baseball season starts.  Of course, we have to make sure to have the "essentials" while we watch the opening day game!

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks...

Of course, we also had hot dogs and ice cream (in little baseball helmets!).  Such a fun day!

We kept up the baseball theme for my birthday last week.  Check out the cute cake my kiddos (and husband) made...with all natural ingredients!  Except the shortening in the icing. :)

King Hezekiah

This lesson just did NOT want to come together for me!  I struggled and struggled with it!  Not sure why, but it just wasn't working.   It ended up going well, though, and here is what I finally came up with, for what it's worth!

When the kids came in, they decorated a crown and put it on a craft stick.

When we were finished with that, I told the story of King Hezekiah.  I used laminated coloring pages to represent parts of the story.   Crown = Our story is about a good king named Hezekiah.   statues = idols he took down/destroyed.  Soldier w/helmet = Assyrian leader   Praying hands = Hezekiah prayed for Lord to help   Army = God made it so other army left    Sick face = Hezekiah got sick and was going to die   2nd praying hands = He prayed for God to heal him   Ear = God heard his prayer and extended his life    Sundial = God gave him the sign of sundial going back

Every time I said his name, the kiddos had to hold the crown up on their heads.  This produced more than a few giggles, but it also meant that they listened VERY WELL so that they could try to be the first to get the crown on their heads!  We talked about how he loved God and prayed before making decisions as well as when he was told his life would end.  When we talked about the sundial moving back 10 degrees, we made these.

I just made a "clock face" in Microsoft word and used clip art to help the kiddos retell that part of the story. They glued this to a cheap paper plate.   The first picture (at "1:00/2:00") shows a sickly Hezekiah.   "4:00/5:00" shows him praying.  "7:00/8:00" shows that God heard his prayer.   "10:00/11:00" shows a sundial.  Then, I cut out triangles of stiff paper (actually, a file folder that was not being used!), folded over the bottom, and attached it to the sundial.  with a brad.  As they told the story, they could turn the sundial to the correct picture.  I let each one who wanted to retell the story to the class.  They did great with this.  I was quite pleased!  We also had a review activity, but it wasn't fancy.  Just answering questions by raising their crowns.

Easter Recipe Roundup

Oh...holidays.  They seem to revolve totally around food...which means I get to break out some new recipes!  Here are our most recent additions to our recipes.  Enjoy!

Homemade "Peeps" - the honey flavor in this was WAY too strong, even for me.  The consistency was great, the "Peeps" were fun to make, the kids had a blast, but the taste just wasn't right.  Next time we'll try a recipe that uses something besides honey.  "Natural" marshmallows are hard to find, which is why we tried to make our own.

Homemade "Cadbury" Chocolates  - OH....YUM.  Cadbury eggs are my all-time favorite candy.  Ever.  They mocked me from the checkout everywhere I went this month, so I had to tackle this recipe!  We made them in mini muffin pans because I could not find an egg mold ANYWHERE.  They were AMAZING.  I didn't bother with the yellow "yolk" part since they were muffin shaped anyway.  Everyone loved them.  Even my husband, who doesn't like Cadbury eggs, said they were "pretty good."

Banana Muffins - I made these last night so we'd have a quick and easy breakfast this morning, and they were great!  Hearty, filling, and just enough sweet.  Both kids scarfed them down.  :) I paired it with some natural cheese for protein.  The author of this recipe originally used it as banana bread, but it worked great as muffins, too!

All natural homemade mac and cheese - finally!  A recipe that gets my husband's approval!!   It only took about 47 attempts to find the right one! The amounts will vary depending on how much mac and cheese you are making and how cheesy you want it!  But, use 2 parts all natural white american cheese (I use Boar's Head from Ingles deli) to one part natural sharp cheddar cheese.  Add to cooked pasta along with pat of butter and about 1 - 2 TBSP milk and stir on low until cheese is melted and gooey and delicious.   The final consensus was that "it's not quite like Velveeta, but it's delicious."  :) It is a little pricey to make with this cheese, but, to be able to have a FAVORITE food occasionally, it is totally worth it to us.

Pancakes  We have played around with pancake recipes for a long time, as well.  This is our go-to recipe now.  The kids call it "Daddy's secret pancakes" because he was the first to try them.  We do use white whole wheat flour instead of regular all purpose, and they turn out delicious every time.   Here is the Easter version we had over the weekend. :)  "Bunny cakes!"   The tail is an all-natural marshmallow and the paw prints are raisins.

Bunny Bread - Our Keepers girls made these cute rolls last week and they were yummy!  I didn't have all the spices, so I substituted Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb.

Summary of our food choices

I keep getting requests for a summary of our new food choices, how we started, where we are now, etc.  So, this is an email I sent to a friend.  It is super long and some of it I've already written about, but maybe it will be helpful to post all in one place.  Let me know what ?'s you have!  Also, any brands I mention are just because we like them and use them.  I am not compensated in any way for mentioning them! :)

We have taken a pretty drastic approach to eating natural at our house.  Everyone wouldn't need to be this drastic.  So, I'll tell you what we do, and you can take it from there, but please don't think that I would think you aren't doing a good job if you don't do what we do!  I think every step taken to cut out unnatural stuff is fabulous.  I'd like to eventually move towards even fewer processed foods, but with the kids in school, right now I'm taking it one step at a time.  

My daughter has severe OCD, anxiety, and depression even at such a young age and has been in therapy since she was 3.  We started this plan because of her brother's hyperactive behavior, and it has helped him, but it has completely transformed her.  She is like a completely different child.  Her emotional control is better, her social anxiety has decreased, and even many manifestations of her OCD have diminished. She used to have meltdowns that could last for hours of out of control crying, anger, and screaming, but not anymore.  Now her "tantrums" are much more age appropriate.  She also used to have severe nightmares/night terrors, and those have mostly been eliminated.  Add to that some more personal issues she had, and they, too, have diminished.  She used to be unable to carry on a conversation with other children, but occasionally now she even seeks them out! Her therapist has been shocked by it, as have we!  I had no clue it would make such a difference for her.  I had not planned to be quite so strict/diligent about it, but even she, at 8 years old, can tell the difference it makes.  So...I will sound extreme and over-the-top in how far we have taken it, but it is simply because our life has changed so drastically from it.  

Basically, we have cut out everything artificial. We are also using all whole grains (I use white whole wheat flour from Gold Medal or King Arthur for all my baking now, including our breads because I haven't found a great natural one at the store). I am HOPING to even mill our own flour when/if we can save enough for a mill.  We don't allow any artificial dyes, colors, fragrances (when possible), preservatives, additives, and sweeteners.  So, no yellow #5, red #40, etc.  Annatto coloring & beta carotene are natural and most people don't react to them.  The main preservatives we look for are BHA , BHT, and TBHQ (sometimes listed on packaging, and sometimes not).   We have also cut out caramel color, vanillin/artificial vanilla, and all artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, etc.  I am trying to limit/reduce any high fructose corn syrup as well, but at the moment I am allowing CapriSuns with no dyes or artificial flavors when the kids have events at school.  I am watching for MSG  and nitrites/nitrates (think hot dogs and bacon) as well when I can.  We are essentially following this plan:  http://www.feingold.org/    This plan is an elimination plan used to determine allergies, etc., so we also eliminated some fruits and vegetables initially while we detoxed from artificial stuff, but I don't think that's necessary for everyone.  I do allow a few things not "on their plan" that we do not seem to react to.  We only found one big thing our kids reacted to (apples) in our elimination process. My son can still have them maybe twice a week without ill effects, but my daughter only once in a blue moon.   More than twice in a week and she has extreme reactions to them.  Also, we pretty much went "cold turkey" on this.  We started over Xmas break before the kiddos went back to school.  

Obviously, the best way to eat natural is to stick with fruits, veggies, lean meats, dairy, and grains, nuts, etc. in their most natural state.  HOWEVER, that is often easier said than done!  It is just reality in our day and time that we sometimes need convenience.  So, I have researched that extensively and am learning every day!  Almost all of these natural things are more filling, and thus we eat less. I am hopeful that when school is out and we don't have to send "non-perishable" snacks for them to have in class I can move us to all "real food/whole food" snacks without the convenience products unless we are traveling.

We have switched to full-fat dairy.  I hate it when I put it on my WW points list, but it doesn't have additives like Vitamin A palmitate, which can cause those who are sensitive to chemicals to react.  Also, it's more filling, so we use less.   We use Sargento Natural cheese slices for the most part, but also some cheese sliced in the deli or some store brand shredded cheese if we need to.

I have a complete "approved food" list that I got from the feingold site when I purchased their materials, but it wasn't as helpful as I had hoped because most of the foods listed in it are from stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joes. (Side note:  There is a Whole Foods and Trader Joe's an hour from us which we are going to start using occasionally for stocking up on things).   However, I have been to our local healthier supermarket  a few times with good success.  EVERYTHING there meets our qualifications, unless we are in the middle of an elimination phase.  They are somewhat pricey on produce and freezer foods, but if you sign up for their emails, they have decent coupons and deals on their groceries if you watch for them.   Also, Kroger has a new line of products called "Simple Truth" that is free from 101 artificial ingredients and preservatives.  They are very affordably priced, almost completely in line with "regular" brands.  

There is a brand of snacks called Annie's Homegrown Organics.  They make cheddar bunnies (like goldfish), cheddar snack mixes, honey graham bunnies (like teddy grahams), gummy fruit snacks and others.  They also make macaroni and cheese that is natural, as well as salad dressings.  I THINK they make some cereals, too, but I haven't found them yet.  Ingles has the best selection of Annie's goods that I have found.  Earth Fare has them, but they are pricier.   Whoever makes Cheetos has a new line called "simply" that is free of preservatives.  THey make "simply cheetos," "simply ruffles," etc.  Kettle Brand has lots of "natural" chips.  

My son loves snack bars, and he says the Clif brand bars are really good.  They make a kids' size, some granola bars, and full "meal replacement" sized energy bars.  He has taken them a time or two instead of a sandwich or wrap for lunch.  Original Pringles are also "natural" ingredients (albeit not very healthy!) and come in snack sizes which are convenient for the kids to take to school.  My kids also like Veggie Straws (in the rice cake section at Walmart) that are basically veggie chips.  Trail mixes can be good, too, if you avoid the M&M kind (although some of the health stores have yummy natural M&Ms....my favorite candy!).  

For cereal, SunBelt bakery makes some preservative free granola that is good.  Kashi is generally natural as well, as is "Mom's best cereals."  My son likes EnviroKidz  because it is "kid friendly."  He likes the Leapin' Lemurs peanut butter and chocolate flavor.  

For lunch meats, bacon, hot dogs, etc., we are looking for those without nitrates and nitrites.  I buy Hormel Natural Choice lunchmeat (Walmart is the cheapest).  Hormel also has uncured pepperoni and bacon, and so does the new Kroger Simple Truth brand.  Oscar Mayer and BallPark both have uncured hot dogs that are good.  

I have been making most of my bread, rolls, etc. from scratch, but I have found a few convenience items that I love to use in a pinch.  Ingles sells a brand of refrigerated crescent rolls and cookie dough called Immaculate Baking that is good.  EarthFare has more options from that brand, but they are pricier. 

I have replaced sugar in almost all of my baked goods with honey. It supposedly is healthier and helps with blood sugar issues (which I have).   I do still allow my kids sugar, though.  As a matter of fact, the first few weeks of this I erred on the side of sweets in order to encourage compliance with our plan, and they actually had more treats than some of their friends!  They have taken it in stride well.  We have explained it to them every step of the way. and they realize they feel better, so they have done well with it. I  won't say they LIKE it, but they have done great, and it is growing on them. 

We have gone so far as to choose natural candies (sounds weird, I know), natural gum, natural sprinkles, and even natural icing and candy colors for birthdays.   For us, it just seems necessary.  

This is sometimes hard to reconcile with weight watchers.  It is hard to focus on both at the same time, but I'm getting back in stride.

I know this is sooo long...but I've tried to be thorough!  Let me know what questions you have!!  I'm not perfect at this and I certainly don't have all the answers, but about 15 weeks into this, I feel like I am gaining momentum.  I believe this has been soooo helpful for us and I think it can be for others as well!

Elijah and Mt Carmel

I almost decided not to post this lesson, as it wasn't all I wanted it to be.  We were wiped out last week with a stomach bug, and Sunday morning on the way out the door it hit my husband, so I was solo with the kiddos, more than a little stressed, and rather chaotic!  Plus, I was recovering from feeling icky, so I wasn't my full teacher-self.  I'll post what we DID do, and then make some notes about what else I had planned.

Our starter activity was for the kids to color (with sharpies!) some laminated storytelling pieces about Elijah's challenge to the prophets of Baal.  (I had cut them out, laminated them, and put small pieces of magnet tape on the back).  This was a good opener while the kids straggled in...AND they got to use permanent markers, which just made their morning.  It lasted a little longer than I had planned because some of our kiddos came in more than a little late.  As they colored, we reviewed previous lessons using our word wall.

When it was time to tell the story, I told the first part of Elijah's ministry by drawing out the story on a white board.  (This ended up being more challenging than it should have, as someone had left the lids off our dry erase markers...)  The kids always enjoy having me draw out things, as my drawing skills leave much to be desired!  We end up with lots of stick people!  When I teach a story this way, I draw pieces of the story as we go.  I do a lot of "questioning" when I teach, such as "What do you think happened next?" or "Why do you think God told us that part of the story?" or "Oooh, how do you think King Ahab felt when Elijah challenged his pretend god, Baal?"  The more invested they can get in the story, the more they pay attention AND the more they remember!

When we got to the part about the contest on Mount Carmel, I passed out their individual pizza pans/cookie sheets that we keep in our classroom.  As I told this part of the story, I added magnetic pieces to MY board and they copied me with theirs.  They always LOVE the part about Elijah mocking the prophets and asking if their "god" is on vacation or asleep.  :)  After we finished the story, they got to retell it piece by piece as a group.  They took turns and did a great job!

Side note:  What I INTENDED to do first for this part was to bring in a large bowl, "build" an altar with 12 stones, dump 12 waterpots (dixie cups) of water over the altar, and try to light it with a grill lighter to show the kiddos that it would be impossible to catch that on fire without God's intervention.  However, when my hubby got sick  10 minutes before time to go, I dropped everything to help him and left it behind.

The next activity was supposed to be a scrapbook page I made with "stones" representing the 12 tribes of Israel to cut out and glue on an altar page.   However, that page got left behind in the chaos of the morning, so we improvised!  I quickly ripped up pieces of brown paper into rough rectangles, had each kid count out 12, and let them glue them onto a backgrouund page.  Then, we tore red, orange, and yellow construction paper to make "flames" to put on the altars.  I didn't get a picture of this and my co-teacher has already taken them home and put them in the kids' scrapbooks, so you'll just have to imagine it...or maybe my son can make another one. :)  Although my planned page was more "professional" looking, I'm not so sure that I didn't like the improv version better!

Afterwards, we had time for a quick review using our "Parent Review Card" that I send home each week.

Last, we played a game to help us work on our current "pew packer" memory card for evening services.  Prior to our evening services, one of the men in our congregation works on memory cards with the kiddos.  When they know the card and can tell an elder, they get trophies.  My class is working on the junior version together, so this week we played a jumping game.  I cut out and laminated the chapter names and subjects for each entry on the card and the kids had to jump from each chapter to the corresponding subject and say it out loud.  My classroom is super small, so there was the added challenge of not knocking each other over.  Ha! Fun times, and they did great!

DeNial's not a river in Egypt

18 months ago when I joined Weight Watchers, I had nearly instant success.  Those stubborn pounds I'd been holding onto since baby #2 started melting off.   It was so EASY.  And so MOTIVATING.  When the weight loss slowed down, I'd tweak a few things and it would start up again.  30 lbs gone, just like that!  And then, last April, began THE PLATEAU.  After a few weeks of no scale movement, I started asking my leaders for help.   I tried anything and everything they suggested, but no luck.  I'd be up a pound or two, and down those same pounds.  This went on for a LONG time.  As a matter of fact, a year later it's STILL going on.  Only this time, I'm up a pound or two, and then up another pound or two!  There isn't much "down a pound" going on.   I have gained back anywhere from 5-10 of the lbs I lost, depending on the day.   I have tried every "tweak" to the program that I can think of!  I've tried cutting back on my points as far as they will allow.  I've tried the new Simple Start program (which seems to work WONDERS for some!).  I've tried eating a ton of points for a day or two and then cutting back.  I've tried using my weeklies, I've tried not using my weeklies.  And then, the past two weeks, I just haven't tried.   I would track a day or two and then get busy and not track.   Let me tell you...that does NOT work.

So, this weekend was my 35th bday.  18 months ago I committed to being at my goal weight by 35.  My husband has never known me at a healthy weight, and I felt like I owed that to him (and to my family!) so that I can be healthy and be around for them longer.  I started the program for ME, but along the way I added them to my reasons for motivation.  However, as time has gone on, it is easier and easier to let things slip by unnoticed.  A pound or two here or there is easy to ignore, but now I can't ignore it anymore.  DeNial's not a river.  It's a state of mind! 

Last Spring, I bought clothes at my new size, and that's all I've got, so the slide has to stop here and now.  My "fat" clothes are all gone.  I trashed them last year to keep me from going back! I am finally "settled" in our new eating plan of all natural ingredients, so now I can get back to taking care of ME.  I usually don't post things like this, but I need to be held accountable! :)  The biggest "backslide" I have made is not PRE-planning and PRE-tracking.  When I was losing regularly, those were my non-negotiable tools.  So, starting today, I am getting back onto the pre-planning and pre-tracking train.   If any of you want to join me on that, let me know!  We can hold each other accountable!  When I started this, I had reminders and motivation posted all over my house for when my enthusiasm waned.  I am posting those up again this week.  I deserve this.   My family deserves this.   We are worth it! :)  Just keep swimming, only not in DeNial! :) 

Just wait...

I read a post today from a faithful Christian woman who is expecting her first child.  She was frustrated about all the "horror" stories she hears as a pregnant woman from well-meaning friends and family.  She was discouraged by all the "do this now before baby comes," and "Oh, just wait for this bad thing to happen in parenthood..."   I was touched by her vulnerability and honesty, as well as her request for encouraging replies letting her know the GOOD things she could look forward to.  I couldn't help but reply about this wonderful, crazy, yet rewarding thing we call motherhood.  Especially this week, I, too, needed to be reminded that it IS worth it!!  Here is my reply, for what it is worth.

I have always wondered what it is about a pregnant belly that invites so much unsolicited advice and story-sharing, even from total strangers! Also, it always amazed me when total strangers would come up and rub my belly. I always wanted to reach out and rub theirs back to see how they reacted.  I do think, though, that people feel validated and connected by sharing the details of their difficult labors or pregnancies, their sleepless nights, and their poop-covered clothing. Childbirth is simultaneously both the most humbling and empowering event a woman can experience! After I had my first child, I felt like if I could do that, I could conquer the world! (And, that is despite some difficult moments during labor. Who cares about those even a split second after the baby arrives?) While most of the “horror” stories people share are, indeed, reality, even the most “horrible” events in parenting can bring such strength and growth and bonding! Without some bumps along the road, would we truly appreciate the good moments? We have experienced some heart wrenching things with our children, but we learn and grow and change so much by experiencing the rough parts. Will there be sleepless nights? Many. Will there be extra laundry? You betcha. Will there be days you want to sit down in the floor and throw a tantrum to match your overtired toddler? Undoubtedly. Will you sometimes feel like this is just more than you can handle? Yes. But, just wait…

Just wait…til you see that first little real smile (not the gassy kind) directed straight at you.

Just wait…til you hear that first belly laugh. You’ll do the craziest things to bring it back again and again. You might even call the grandparents just to let them listen.

Just wait…til you see your son walking hand in hand with their Daddy and even their gait matches his.

Just wait…til your daughter shows up with “eyeliner” courtsey a purple Sharpie on your way out the door for family pictures.

Just wait…til your child says his first solo prayer and thanks God for the napkins, the chairs, the sticky floor, the dirt, the sky, Grandma, Grandpa, the people next door, my friend down the street, the cat, my blankie, my pillow, my corn, my potatoes, my chicken, and my…”Hey Mom, what IS this?…” and on and on.

Just wait…til your child lets go and takes her first steps while you hold your breath…and your camera…and your video camera…and the iPad while you FaceTime grandparents.

Just wait…til you hear a tiny little voice joining yours in praise to God.

Just wait…til you are teaching the books of the Bible to your little one and they can’t quite say the words right but it doesn’t matter because they are trying!

Just wait…til you can finally understand a tiny little bit of what God must have felt when He sent His only son to earth to suffer and sacrifice and laugh and cry…and save.

Just wait…it’s amazing. And scary. And exhausting. And invigorating. And sad. And happy. And fun. And special. And so much more than you could ever hope or imagine or dream…if you got to sleep, that is! 

Better yet, don’t “just wait.” Enjoy every moment that you have with your baby now while you are always together, later when you bring them into this world, and every moment that God blesses you and your husband with taking care of this precious blessing and this special soul.