(My living room – after a tidy up)

Do you think it’s possible to get the house picked up quickly with your children, in a way that is fun, silly, and simple?

Today I’m going to share my super-secret technique for tidying up with kids, without complaint (mostly).

(So, this tip is not actually super-secret, since I have shared it on my facebook page before.)

This is what we do when we need (or want) the house picked up fast:

1. Pick a song or group of songs that are upbeat.

2. Pick a room, or area, to tidy up.

3. Tell the children that the goal is to tidy up the room or area, putting everything in its place, before the song ends.

4. Turn the song on and run around putting things away as quickly as possible.

5. Once the song is over, move on to the next area or room and repeat.

We often like to use the same song a few times because we know when it is getting close to the end. This adds some extra excitement as the closing lyrics are sung and ratchets the cleaning wildness up a notch.

This is a great way to have some fun while getting the house tidied up. We usually laugh, squeal, and run while doing this. It’s a great way to build memories and bond with my kids, while accomplishing some cleaning.

I can see them laughing as adults while saying, “Remember when we would run around cleaning the house like lunatics?”

So, yes, it is possible to get the house tidy quickly while being silly and having fun. This method may be a little off-the-wall, but it works!

What fun methods do you use to get the house picked up and in order?

If you like this idea, you might also enjoy our ridiculous (but effective) laundry game.

(My son balancing on his sister’s bed)

Boys . . .

Rambunctious.

Busy.

Lively.

Funny.

I love having a son. Although I must admit, I have no idea what I am doing half the time! I grew up with a sister and have had to learn a lot about boys while raising one.

One thing I do know is that most boys are not designed to sit at a desk for long periods of time.

(Okay, some boys can sit at a desk for long periods of time. It depends on the boy.)

Embracing the spirit and energy of a son and channeling in into productive activity in which he can learn and thrive, brings peace and joy.

Peace and joy for you as you watch him grow.

Peace and joy for him as he feels accomplished and works in line with the way he was made.

Today the High Five Moms are sharing hands-on learning activities for boys. I’m going to list my ideas below. I’d love to hear yours!

Hands-on Learning Ideas for Boys

An internship – with dad or another trusted male.
Being taken along and involved in work is one of the best ways to learn.

Provide boyish handwork activities like leather work, wood work, and so on. Home Depot has some great free workshops.

Don’t discount cooking. Lots of boys love to get in the kitchen and it’s a great place to learn practical math skills.

Practice math sums while throwing a ball back and forth. You ask the question and throw. He catches the ball and answers it, then throws the ball back. Or, take turns saying the math sums aloud with each throw.

Make sit down lessons short. And use interesting books. Dry textbooks are painful!

Make books together - Have them write and illustrate books on subjects they are interested in (or you would like them to learn about). Work on it a little at a time. I’ve found this to be a great way for kids to learn.

Do you have any hands-on learning tips to share? I’d love to hear your ideas!

See what ideas the other High Five Moms are sharing:
(Some may not have their posts up until later today)

Kerimae @ A Happy Home
Brandy @ The Marathon Mom
Jasmine @ Ponder the Path
Andie @ Happy Andersons

Imparting the truths of God’s word is one of the most important things I can do for my children.

I want the word to be alive for them and the learning of it to be interesting and wonderful, not dry and forced.

Here are four quick tips for teaching God’s word to our kids:

Let them see you

I have been working my way through the Bible in 90 Days reading plan (I’m behind, just so you know) and the kids have been watching me read. They are excited to know which book I am up to and if I’m on track to finish or not. It’s helping them feel excited about Bible reading.

Sometimes Moms (including me) read the Bible in the early hours of the morning (which is a great way to start the day). The problem is that children may not ever see or know that you read the word every day. We need to model this for them.

I remember my Grandmother-in-law at the kitchen table reading her Bible every. single. morning. It made a huge impact on me and inspired me to do the same.

It can be hard, but it’s worth finding a way to read at some point in the day when the children can see you. Or, talk to them about what you read that morning.

Our example will encourage them to read the Bible for themselves. (Much more than telling them they should read the Bible for themselves.)

Read to them

Reading God’s word to children is one of the best ways for them to hear the word and make a connection with it. We have read some great Bible Story books over the years and are now reading straight from the Bible more often.

I do like Bible story books, but I am often wary about their accuracy. If they are too interpretive, then I may not use them. Of course, it’s good to talk about any inaccuracies you find with the kids.

Image Credit

Act it out

Acting out Bible stories is an excellent way to teach children so they actually remember! Plus, it’s just plain fun.

Acting out stories can be as complicated or simple as you like. Make costumes and find props, or just pretend they are there.

For younger ones (and sometimes older ones too), tell them what to say so they are learning the story correctly. Just give a sentence at a time, or even a few words, if they need it.

Get Others Involved

I am very blessed to have a Mother-in-law who helps my children learn a lot of Bible stories and Bible truths. Having kids hear God’s word from others makes a big impact. It helps them know it is not just Mom and Dad who believe these things!

These are just a few tips for teaching God’s word to children, I’m sure you can think of lots more.

The other High Five Moms are sharing on this topic today too. Check out what they have to say:
(Some may not have their posts up yet)

One of my secret weapons for teaching and preparing my children is role playing.

It’s not just an effective way to instruct, it’s fun! Much more fun than say, a lecture.

I’m sharing all the details at Live Renewed.

Read the post by clicking here.

{Top image credit}

I recently mentioned on our facebook page that we were sorting M & M’s to make a Rainbow cake (and how amazing it was that there were so few brown M & M’s these days). The cake is so simple I probably don’t need to write instructions!

Children as young as three could make a Rainbow Cake with help; older kids won’t need any help at all.

My son is six years old and this was the perfect cake decorating project for him! He had fun making it and was very pleased with the results.

How to Make a Rainbow Cake

Items needed:

• Green food coloring
• Blue food coloring
• Cake
• Frosting
• Knife
• M & M’s (one large bag)

Before any of these steps, it is best to read the story of Noah! Talk to your children about what the rainbow represents and why God put it in the sky.

Step One: Bake your favorite cake! We made ours in a 9 by 13 inch dish because it was easier, but a double layer round cake would work well too. Cake must be completely cool before frosting.

Step Two: Sort M & M’s into colors. Decide which colors you will use. A rainbow has: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet (you will need to leave some out).

Step Three: Prepare frosting. We made Maple Cream Cheese Frosting because it is seriously delicious and not overly sweet. Most any white frosting should work just fine.

Step Four: Divide the frosting in half and place into two separate bowls. Add a few drops of green food coloring to one half and blue food coloring to the other. Mix until you are satisfied with the colors. We are aiming for blue sky and green grass (our grass is a little light, but I tried not to take over the entire project!).

Step Five: Spread the blue frosting over half of the cake (or 1/3 . . . it’s really up to you). Then spread the green frosting over the remainder of the cake. You could get fancy and make some hills if you like. But I wouldn’t do too much since we want the rainbow to be the focus.

Step Six: With a knife, draw the top bow of the rainbow. This really helps little ones keep the M & M’s on track and not create a wonky rainbow.

Step Seven: Complete this step fairly close to serving time (we did this 3 hours before and kept the cake in the fridge and everything was fine (I’d be afraid to prepare the cake any earlier than that). You want to avoid adding the M & M’s too far in advance as the color bleeds and doesn’t look very pretty).

Start placing M & M’s along the line you drew. Place the side with the “M” down.

Repeat with each color until the rainbow is complete. No need to draw another line with the knife though. Just line the M & M’s up underneath the previous band.

Refrigerate until serving time.

God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

– Genesis 9:12-17

Servant Daddy

My children enjoy playing Servant Daddy so much we use it for rewards and gifts. In fact, this past Valentine’s Day both kids received Servant Daddy coupons and they were thrilled.

Best of all, this game provides an excellent opportunity for family bonding and memory making (and it’s free).

Now I’ve built this up, here are the ever so uncomplicated instructions so you can play Servant Daddy (or Servant Mommy) too:

1. Decide on a set amount of time (we usually choose 20 minutes).

2. Have kids tell Daddy what to do for the allocated amount of time.

3. Daddy does what he is told for allocated amount of time.
(Of course you will have to decide for yourself what limits there are. It might be helpful to communicate any rules ahead of time.)

Typing the instructions like this makes it seem a little scary. Will the kids be bouncing off the walls? Hanging their Dad by his toe nails?

Honestly, this has never happened. More than telling Daddy what to do, its a chance for the kids to tell him what game they would like to play.

Usually my kids have their Daddy play school. Sometimes he is the teacher, others the student. It is very amusing to hear him ask how to spell cat and be reminded to raise his hand.

Another bonus  is that while the kids are playing Servant Daddy, I have a few minutes of precious time alone! The kids are completely consumed with their game and I am free to do whatever I want (and you know how infrequently that happens). I can relax because I know they are safe and having a great time.

While this may seem like a silly game, it is actually an investment in family relationships. Children need our undivided attention. It builds confidence and strengthens their trust in you.

Do you play any goofy family games like this one? What kind of things would your children ask their Daddy to do if they played Servant Daddy?

As you probably guessed, my daughter drew the pictures depicting Servant Daddy! Can you tell she enjoys it?

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at Hiccups In Time about using plants to clean the air in your home, and I’m excited to welcome Beth from In Good Cents to Delighting in the Days:

God has a sense of humor. I’m fairly certain that’s why he gave me, a fashionably-challenged woman, a little girl who believes Fancy Nancy looks a bit plain. While I tend to choose browns and other safe colors, she matches red and pink polka dots with rainbow stripes, then somehow manages to pull it all off adorably.

She was three when one day I had mentioned she was outgrowing her shoes and would need new. With a serious look on her face, she replied, “Yes, and I will need tennis shoes for playing outside, sandals for summer, flip flops for the pool, shiny shoes for dresses, boots for winter, sparkly shoes for when we go places, slippers for bedtime, water shoes for the spray parks…” And she rattled on and on as her list of “must have” shoes grew. That’s when I realized that my frugal budget was not going to mesh with her fabulous visions.

While I may not manage to keep her closet as full as she’d prefer, together we do fill it with flip flops for the summer that never cease to get comments everywhere we go! self! And the best part? She can make them her

What you’ll need…

• A Stylish Little Girl
• A Pair of Plain Flip Flops
• Funky, Fun Yarn
• Scissors

How to save…

• Flip Flops: You can often find flip flops for $1 at Walmart and in the Target Dollar Spot. You can also get them for $1 during Old Navy’s $1 Flip Flop Sale or for around $2.50 when not on sale. You’ll be covering up these flip flops, so it won’t really matter how they look.
• Yarn: I purchased the yarn pictured for $1 at Dollar Tree, but you can often find affordable yarn at any dollar-type store. Also check the clearance section at Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, and JoAnn’s. The funkier the better! One package of yarn will make at least 2 pairs of flip flops, depending on the shoe size.

Final Cost: As low as $1.50 per pair!

How to make them…

1. Tie the yarn tightly on one end of the flip flop’s foot strap. Your child may need help with this, depending on their age. I recommend tying it about 3 times to make sure it is tight and doesn’t wiggle loose during play. Trim the yarn’s tail after tying, if necessary.

2. Now wrap! Simply wrap the thread around the flip flop’s strap in a spiral motion. Your child should be able to do this, but may need help getting started. For my younger daughter, I encourage her to wrap the yarn down the strap, so she can see the spiral. This stops the yarn from getting tangled easily.

3. Every so often, stop and press the spiral of yarn firmly down towards the knot. The tighter you press it down, the more yarn you can fit on the strap and the fuller your final design will be.

4. Continue pressing the yarn together and wrapping until you get to the toe divider.

5. The toe may be tricky for smaller children, so they may need some help. Press the yarn firmly together to make sure you’ve wrapped as closely to the toe divider as possible and the yarn is tightly wrapped around the foot strap. When you’re sure the first side is done, wrap the yarn on the other side of the toe divider and start down the second side continuing to wrap and press the yarn together. Now, you’re pressing the yarn firmly up towards the toe divider.

6. When you have fully covered both sides of the foot strap, tie the yarn off on the flip flop. Again, tie it about 3 times to make sure it’s nice and tight. You may have to help younger children. Cut off any excess yarn. Then, you’re ready to put them on and show off your new trendy footwear.

My daughter gets so many compliments on these simple, but bold flip flops, we often make them as gifts for her friends. They make a very affordable and unique gifts for little girls with frilly fashion taste.

They also are wonderful to donate to hospitals and other causes. Nothing brightens up a hospital gown more than hot pink, fuzzy flip flops for trips across the always cold hospital floor.

You can also personalize flip flops with ribbon, bows, fuzz balls, beads, rhinestones, feathers, cloth scraps, buttons, fringe, glitter, and other fun accessories, along with a hot glue gun. For younger kids, you can find Flip Flop Glue or other sturdy glues to replace the hot glue gun.

Get creative and more importantly, have fun!

After leaving the never-sleeping world of market research, to enter the never-sleeping world of stay-at-home mom, Beth found herself trying to manage on one income and a new very tight budget. She found ways to save, so they could splurge on little luxuries. Now, at In Good Cents, she helps families learn to save money on necessities, so they can enjoy the finer things too. She lives with her husband, three young children, and three huge dogs (yes, she’s a bit nuts) in Indiana.

Visit Life…Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

Today we had a little Welcome Spring afternoon. It included some time outside taking pictures of the first spring flowers and then some fun making art (which I’ll share in another post).

We like to take note of the very first flowers that poke out of the ground each spring. In Colorado it was always crocuses and daffodils. Here is California it’s been sour grass and freesias.

The kids used my camera on the macro setting and had such a good time. I was very impressed with some of the pictures they took.

Here are a few from my 6 year old son:

And some from my 9 year old daughter:

It’s fun to print these out and put them in each child’s Nature Notebook. We also like to try and draw some of the flowers. It can be challenging, but fun to do our best. (The kids always like it when I draw flowers too.)

Today I will be at The Homeschool Village, along with some lovely ladies, sharing about some ways to shake of winter and celebrate spring.

It is so nice to get outside! We are always reminded about God’s marvelous works.

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

- Psalm 19:1-4

A few years ago I discovered what my family deems to be the best peanut butter recipe EVER! It is based on the nut butter recipe from Nourishing Traditions, except I haven’t made the time to soak and dehydrate the peanuts yet (as recommended in the book). In fact, I like them roasted.

The great thing about this recipe is that it calls for coconut oil. Coconut oil hardens below 76 degrees F.

While this might be frustrating for some when storing the homemade nut butter in the fridge, it is perfect for using as a snack for babies and toddlers.

Here’s why…

The coconut oil makes the nut butter solid. This allows it to be broken into little chunks that can be picked up by tiny fingers.

The coconut oil melts in the mouth very quickly too. So kids have no problem eating this. My youngest daughter (15 months) and nephew (18 months) LOVE it. I make it with almonds for my daughter since I suspect a peanut allergy. (A reader also used cashews with great success.)

Just break it up, put in the tray and away they go!

Because the recipe includes a little honey, I wait until babies are over 1 year before I share it with them (the honey could be left out if necessary).

If you thought you had to wait until your babes were a lot older to share delicious nuts with them, think again! And I just love the fact they we don’t have to eat Jif or Skippy! That’s my kind of fun.

This post is participating in the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop and Monday Mania at the Healthy Home Economist. I encourage you to visit.

Some of the links above are affiliate links.

It doesn’t always come naturally to give. Sure, giving out of the overflow is not too hard, but giving when it involves sacrifice, that is not so easy.

I figure the best way to become truly generous is to just keep on giving!

The 30 Day Giving Challenge is underway. Many are joining in to bless others every day during the month of November. My little family is going along for the ride too.

I’m not sure how or what I will blog about during this challenge. It seems a little awkward to tell you about our giving.  But I will share a few thoughts during the month. I am hoping this will make a big impact on my kids and help them to think of others more often.

We started a communal Giving Notebook which is holding all our ideas. The plan is to write about some of our experiences and thoughts throughout the month.

Yesterday I did a little interview with the kids and jotted down their answers in the book. It will be fun to look back on at the end of the challenge!

Here are a few of the questions and answers:

What gifts do you like to receive?

SugarBean(9 years old): Pencils or a notebook. Because I love to draw and keep a journal.

Little Mister (6 years old): Pencils and paper. So I can draw. I love to draw.

What gifts do you like to give?

SugarBean: Cards.

Little Mister: Dolls if they are girls. Scary toys for boys.

Why is it good to give?

SugarBean: Because they will probably think you are nice. And God will be pleased.

Little Mister: God will like you. He will be pleased about you. He will be thankful about you.

What has God given you?

SugarBean: Lots and lots of blessings. A really good Mom and Dad (smile). A nice warm home.

Little Mister: Love. Really good toys that does stuff for babies and kids.

Is Jesus a gift?

SugarBean: Yes!

Little Mister: Yes! Yes! Yes! (while jumping). He has powers and stuff. He’s really nice to people. He is with us. You cannot be afraid to go places. He is there.

How do you feel when you are given a gift?

SugarBean: Happy and thankful.

Little Mister: I would say, “Thank you. I’m really happy you gave this. Did you not really want it or not?”

Ahh, my kids make me smile!

My friend, Andie, had the smart idea to teach her children 2 Corinthian 9:7, “…God loves a cheerful giver.“ I decided to copy her and we are doing that too. After I told them this verse we talked about how to give and I pretended to give them presents grudgingly. They thought that was pretty funny!

It’s not too late to join in! Hop over to the 30 Day Giving Challenge to see what others are doing.

P.S. The pictures were drawn by my daughter.