Monday Meanderings

Bible Study
book of Isaiah

Memory Verse
1 John 3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."

Husband Encouragement
* make him cookies

Train Them Up
* continue working on kids' chores-- start reviewing them in the morning so they'll (hopefully) remember to do them on their own throughout the day
* make cookies. I'm not up for making from scratch this time, so we'll do some ready-to-put-on-the-tray kind so the kids can mostly do it all by themselves! instead of me always telling them no, no, no to one thing or another.
* Bible verse: Luke 6:30-31 "Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Absolutely MUST Do
*Plan MOPS activities and send out postcards.
* Get ornaments for our MOPS exchange.
* Set up van appointment.
* Mail package.
* Put together Christmas photo cards before the FREE deal expires the end of TODAY! We never could get another family photo done so I'm just going with one we've already got.

Zone(s)
1. Bathrooms.
2. Put ALL the laundry away. Ever since I started folding laundry on the guest bed instead of on our bed (because Kevin was sleeping in there for so long during outage), I've gotten into the bad habit of never getting everything putting all away.
3. Suitcases cleaned out and put away from our Thanksgiving weekend home.

Menu - trying for easy stuff as I'm still battling a horrible cold, but also trying to pick things I know Hannah likes because she's been really picky lately!

Monday - we have to run out to pick up Kevin's truck before he leaves for work, and while we're up there we need to get our weekly groceries. We'll probably be walking in the door barely in time for dinner. so I'll just get a couple lunchables for the kids and make a sandwich for myself.
Tuesday - chicken and rice soup (can style)
Wednesday - green eggs and ham, toast, fruit
Thursday - dad's spaghetti, garlic bread
Friday - cheesy spinach and artichoke dip (we have tortilla chips leftover from last week), fruit salad, smokies
Saturday - broccoli and four cheese calzones (finishing the ricotta from last week), peaches
Sunday - frozen pizza

FUN THINGS!
* Put up Christmas decorations! Kevin works nights for 3 days this week and then he has 4 days off over next weekend, so it'll be a perfect time to put up our tree and lights outside!
* Because Kevin's days off are actually over the weekend again, he can come to church with us! It's been months since he's been to our church and seen our friends! I don't know how he can stand it!

Join me with your weekly plans! Have a blessed week!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Today I am especially thankful for family and for living close enough we can spend holidays together now! I am thankful for so many good friends. I am thankful for my bloggy friends, because you too are a very real presence in my life! I am thankful for our church and mostly importantly a life in Christ through salvation! HAPPY THANKSGIVING, FRIENDS!

Be Thankful: Nov. 25

Today I am thankful for my new sister-in-law Holly. It was just this time last year that I first got to meet her, and now she is just a great blessing to our family! Not only is she perfect for my brother Paul, but she's a great friend and wonderful sister! I'm so thankful for how God works in our lives, bringing people together every day!

Be Thankful: Nov. 24

I am thankful for...

* waking up to the smell of coffee
* porch swings
* lazy rainy days
* hot tea
* good novels and snuggly blankets
* waffles smothered in peanut butter and syrup (healthy, I know)
* beautiful golden sunsets

What are you thankful for??

Thanksgiving Craft

Eli actually did this a couple weeks ago as the kids' craft at MOPS. He glued it together but didn't really color it. So we finished it at home and mailed it off to Grandma to enjoy! I got the craft idea HERE. Isn't it cute?
The same day at MOPS I had the kids make this thankful tree (with leaves I'd already made and used for an activity the previous month). I wrote on each leaf something a toddler would be thankful for, put all the leaves inside a wrapped shoe box (wrapped so the lid and bottom are wrapped separately), and each child got to pull out a leaf and stick it to the tree. I hear the kids really enjoyed this activity, and since I'm the leader I got to bring it home and it's colorfully decorating our home!

Be Thankful: Nov. 23

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and earth together under one head, even Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:3-14

I've been feeling a little guilty the last few days for all the material things I'm thankful for, like I'm cheating and just giving easy answers. It's easy to be thankful for the good things in life. But this, THIS is what really matters!

God chose us to be holy and blameless in his sight.
He has freely given us grace.
I am blessed to have heard the Gospel.
He has redeemed us and forgiven us and saved us from an eternity in hell.
We are guaranteed eternal life with Jesus.

What more can we be thankful for?

Kids' Responsibility Chart

Instead of going back to the kids' chore chart we used quite awhile ago, with tasks on it that all still required my assistance, last week I decided to revise it. I picked five things I think Eli can and should do all by himself throughout the day and [key] without me asking. The 5 tasks I put on his list:

1. Sippy cup - put it in the fridge when he's done with it
2. Shoes - take them off and put them on our shoe shelf as soon as we come inside from something
3. Bed - at least attempt to make bed (we're still practicing how to do this)
4. Dishes - take plate/bowl to kitchen sink after meals
5. Laundry - put clothes down the laundry shoot after we get dressed for the day

At the end of the day I evaluate how he did throughout the day with each task. If several times I had to remind him to do it but he did do it, then he gets just a regular sticker. If he did it most times on his own, then he gets a gold star. And if he didn't do it at all, then he obviously gets no sticker for that task. At the end of the week we count up his gold stars, and he gets a small treat based on how many stars he got. I originally was shooting for 10, (as it is in the picture above), but I think I'm going to change that to just getting a treat equivalent to what he earned. Today he got one M&M for the 10 stars he earned last week. (and we only started on Wednesday) Closer to 15 stars would be something a little bit bigger like maybe a tootsie roll. ALL stars would be fantastic like an ice cream for goodness sakes! That would be amazing! But anyway, you get the idea.

When I re-printed the chart for this week I renamed it "Eli's Responsibility Chart" instead of "chore chart". And while I was at it, I printed one for Hannah too because at the end-of-the day evaluations last week, she'd want to be a part of the stickers and chart too. So for her chart, I took off the "make bed" task but otherwise left it the same as Eli's. She's younger so if she regularly does the tasks at all when I ask her to, she'll earn her stickers at the end of the day. I'm not quite sure what I want my expectations to be for her just yet, so we'll figure it out as we go along.

But so far, it seems to working very well for Eli! He's been awesome at putting his cup in the fridge when he's done, putting his shoes away when we come home, and taking his plate to the kitchen after meals! And it's soooo nice not to have to search for his cup when it's time to get him something to drink, shoes don't become a clutter bug, and he's becoming a regular part of dinner clean-up. He's very good about doing things when we ask him to, so the key to all of this is that he learns to do it on his own and take responsibility for his own clean-up. I think this will be excellent help in preparation for new baby to come, and I'm excited to see how it continues to go, with both children!

What about you? Do you have anything like this with your own children? Any tips or ideas to share?

Monday Meanderings

Bible Study
word study on blessings

Memory Verse
"I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high." Psalm 7:17

Husband Encouragement
* Write a thankful letter to my husband.

Train Them Up
* continue working on kids' chores
* Thanksgiving activities!

Absolutely MUST Do
* Mail out a package
* Return library movie before leaving town this week for the holiday
* Make the first seasonal batch of caramel popcorn so I can bring some home with us this week. (not really a MUST do but something I really want to remember!)

Zone
Playroom. We don't have a LOT of toys to rotate much, but some of the smaller misc toys could definitely get rotated out. So I'm working on that.

Menu -

Monday - chili, pears
Tuesday - enchilada dip, Italian pasta salad, sandwiches
Wednesday - pizza

FUN THINGS!
* We're going HOME for the holidays! Kevin has Thursday - Sunday off, like a normal person for once! And he said he might be able to work longer days on Monday and Tuesday and then not have to go in Wednesday, so that would be extra fun!
* While home we're going to help Kevin's family set up all their Christmas decorations, complete with Christmas music and everything. It's hard for them to get around, so now that we've moved back we try to help out and make it into a fun day for them!

Join me with your weekly plans!

Be Thankful: Nov. 22

One of my favorite hymns, very appropriate for this week and for always...

Count Your Blessings
Johnson Oatman, Jr.

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings - name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your blessings - see what God hath done;
Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your many blessings - see what God hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings ev'ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.

Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your blessings - see what God hath done;
Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your many blessings - see what God hath done.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings - money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your blessings - see what God hath done;
Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your many blessings - see what God hath done.

So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged - God is over all;
Count your many blessings - angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your blessings - see what God hath done;
Count your blessings - name them one by one;
Count your many blessings - see what God hath done.

I am thankful for my two beautiful little blessings that are looking at books side by side right now. I am thankful for my wonderful husband who is hard at work right now. I am thankful that this yucky cold I have this week won't last forever. I am thankful for lego-built car washes, trains made out of folding chairs, and play dough spaghetti. I am thankful for a child calling for Mommy. I am thankful for couch snuggles. I am thankful for happy playtime. I am thankful for warm meals. I am thankful for electricity and computers and Internet. I am thankful for friends. I am thankful for productivity. I am thankful for days I'm in jammies all day. I am thankful for yummy, sweet cappuccino. I am thankful for clean laundry. I am thankful for clothes to wash. I am thankful for safe water to drink and warm water to wash in. I am thankful for music. I am thankful for baby kicks. I am thankful for sunsets. I am thankful for love. I am thankful for salvation. I am thankful that all that matters most in life will last forever.

What are you thankful for today?? Do share!

Be Thankful: Nov. 21

Right this moment...

* I am thankful for new friends.
* I am thankful for church family.
* I am thankful for the movie the kids are watching right now. We've been learning all about elephants this week and reading books about Dumbo, so now they're watching the movie about him. It's just fun to watch them get excited about the things we're learning about!
* I am thankful this yucky cold won't last forever.
* I am thankful for jammie pants.
* I am thankful for yummy smelling perfume.
* I am thankful for my wonderful children. They always surprise me.
* I am thankful for the new life of Nora Katherine who we got to celebrate at a baby shower this morning. She's precious and makes me even more anxious to meet our sweet little boy in 10ish weeks!
* I am thankful for an easy dinner we're having tonight. (omelets)
* I am thankful for creating new habits in my children and hoping it sticks! (more on this next week)
* I am thankful for our friend Craig who has been giving Kevin rides to work and letting him borrow his truck while Kevin's is in the shop.
* I am thankful for my hard-working husband and am anxious for him to get home in an hour.

What are you thankful for right this moment??

"I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 18:1-2