And a Child Shall Lead Them

Months later and here we are busy as ever preparing for the most wonderful time of the year. The Gracie girl has one of the leads in the play at the CUMC, Hotel Bethlehem. As a stable girl at the Hotel Bethlehem, Grace sings about miracles and encourages Joseph to "never forget there is hope." She invites the hotel owner and the Samaritan visitor to offer the Christ child their heart and love as gifts to welcome the Savior. I am thrilled that Grace has an opportunity to shine and share the love of Jesus with others through this children's play. I'm so proud of her and praying for God to use her little...her big voice to point the way from the manger to the cross.

No One Should Go Hungry

This has been a week of helping. The Great Chicago Food Depository put out a call for help to harvest a field of squash donated by a Morengo farmer.  This is a cause near and dear to our hearts so we volunteered. About 30 people picked over 33,000 pounds of squash in about 4 hours. This provided over 100,000 servings of delicious and healthy squash to Chicagoland families. What is not to love about THAT? Here are a few pics from our Grace FULL Day:


happy helper

baby squash
 

Grace is learning to use the clippers

Soaking

I recently read that we have only 18 summers with our kids. That's not very many summers when you really think about it. Not many at all. While we LOVE the summer theater camp, it really eats up a big bunch of our summer days. Sadly, the school calendar says summer is over and we have not yet been to the beach!! Got to get there! What in the world is school doing when we still have so much summer to live out? Now we must squeeze in summer where we can - while we can. In the three short weeks since school began, we have visited three new beaches including our first Michigan beach adventure. There's not much time. We have to soak up these summer days!

Learning Cursive

Gracie hopped in the car today all excited! "Guess what! We started learning cursive today in school! Finally!" Wow - she is really thrilled to do this "grown up" writing. In fact, we stopped in to get my time sheet signed by my boss and all it took was one question about how school was going. Gracie laid it all out how she is learning to write all cursive swirly. My boss, the Special Ed Coordinator, was thrilled right along with her.

Interestingly, a colleague posted an article from Psychology Today about the benefits of writing in cursive including the integration of sensation, motor movement and thinking. In fact, one of those benefits are likened to the those of learning to play a musical instrument. That is music to my ears! Studies show kids "wrote more words, faster, and expressed more ideas when writing essays by hand versus with a keyboard." Fact is, cursive writing makes kids smarter and I like the sound of that. See the link here for the full blown article.

We love to sing. It runs in the family. This is one of my favorite kid songs. In fact, when someone asks me "What is today?", I might say the day with my mouth, but in my head I'm singing this bright song. All you hungry children, come and eat it up!

Details

God is into details💗

Making Playdough - the BEST Recipe

Best. Playdough. Ever. 

I've been making playdough a very long time. Long before I was a mom, I was a therapist. Before that, I was an early learning center director.  We made our own playdough - every single time. It was tons cheaper, lasted lots longer, smelled great, and you know how I feel about cooking with kids, right? All that math, science, reading, and sensory goodness...Yes, we made it. 

I still make it. I have a favorite recipe after trying quite a few.  The BEST EVER PLAYDOUGH is a made with Kool-Aid or some other unsweetened powered drink mix. That stuff was made to dissolve in water and that's the trick that so many people miss. Dissolve that color in the water BEFORE you mix it in the dry ingredients. Viola~ no color on the hands. EVER. Oh, the fruity fresh aroma of Kool-Aid playdough. What kid would NOT love it? In fact, I've held workshops with adults - parents, teachers, administrators, and such that can't keep their hands off the playdough.  Yes, I just give them some to take home and we are all happy. 

Enough chatter, here's the recipe:

1 cup flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup salt

2 TBS cream of tartar

2 TBS vegetable oil    

2 pkg unsweetened Kool-Aid 

Put water in pan on low heat. Stir in Kool-Aid and dissolve. Add oil, then add dry ingredients.  Mix well and keep stirring until the mixture forms a ball of dough in the center of the pan.  This usually takes about 2-3 minutes, but you will know it when the playdough pulls away from the sides of the pan and makes a ball in the center. Remove from heat and dump out onto a clean, smooth surface.  Begin to knead the dough as soon as it is cool enough to touch.  Don't be a wimp. This is the therapeutic part - kneading that warm smelly playdough. Work it out. It's like a reverse massage. Ok, maybe not so much.

Of course, you can change it up. Instead of Kool-Aid, how about powdered cinnamon or ground coffee? That gives it more of a rough texture. You could leave it white, add glitter and there you have sparkly snow playdough.  We've added peppermint oil for a holiday flair.  Be creative. Be sensory. It's great. It's playdough. 

Don't forget to throw in a few kitchen gadgets or cookie cutters for play, but not right away. Let them just use their  hands and fingers for awhile. It's just plain fun.  If you have a little one that is texture shy, sit their favorite little toy on top. Let them rescue it from from the awful Playdough.  Then push it down a bit into the dough.  Then farther into the playdough and before long they are touching that stuff to uncover their beloved toy! Hide something tiny so they must use their little fingers to dig around. Oh, they joy!

For the mess sensitive parent out there and simply for the fact that boundaries are good for us, use a vinyl placement for your playdough play. Every time. Keep the playdough on your mat. Every time. Boundaries are good. Routine is a good companion.  

This mixture will keep for months if you seal it up in a ziplock bag immediately after play.  Play. Clean up. Zip it up. Of course, you might not want to keep it for months because little hands have big germs and kids do like to put things in their mouth.  Again, even   adults want to taste this yummy good playdough. It's from your cupboard except for the germs. So, keep it as long as you are comfortable.   

My Sunshine

 

♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭You are my sunshine, my Gracie Sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. I thank God for Gracie today. ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭  You are such a lovely girl, Grace.  I was watching you sleep before the sun was even awake today.  I know mornings come too early some days; most days.  I just couldn't help but sing over you that sweet little tune my mama sang to me.  You make my heart sing, sweet girl.  It runs in the family.  Zephaniah 3:17 says "The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."  I wonder what song He sings. I wonder what His voice must sound like. Is it like the ocean waves, or a babbling brook, or maybe a great and glorious waterfall? Is it simple, like the song of a bird or that of a child? I can only guess for now, but maybe He's singing something like this sweet song, "You are my sunshine ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭ You make me happy ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭ You'll never know, dear, how much I love you ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭"   I love you, Gracie Girl, and I'm so glad God gave me a gift so great as you. His heart is full of love for His children and I know how that feels. ♪ ♫ ♩ ♬ ♭

Amazing Grace

I Spy

   

I Spy, by Keith Parris: 

Remember the game I Spy?  The leader would find a color in the room and say, "I spy something black" or whatever color the object happened to be.  Then every one takes turns trying to guess what the leader was seeing.  Sometimes, if it was really difficult to find, the leader would give hints by saying "You're getting warm."  

I was thinking how the closer we get to God, the more things we see about ourselves that need to change. Sometimes things are very clear and the truth is hard to handle about ourselves. It's easier to walk away and try to forget that we ever seen ourselves in that light. So we walk away and forget. But walking away won't change me. I have to humble myself before God and others so the thing can be removed. James describes it this way, "But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it." James 1: 22-25 NLT

Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."

Counting Gifts

61. A journey ended and new beginning.  It is official. I am a licensed Speech Language Pathologist.
62. Contentment in a job well done.  Anything worth doing is worth doing with excellence. It may not always be recognized by the eyes we want, but it never goes unnoticed by those who matter, especially our Maker above.
63. Trusting God in His amazing work with loose ends. Think tapestry and the ugly mess of the underbelly of something lovely and grand.
64.  Strengthening our core at Oasis.
65.  A bit of fun with lots of  hugs from our Summer Theater Camp mini reunion.
66.  A time of fasting, purging and drawing close to God. Make us new. Revive us and set us focused with purpose.
67. Blessings that spill over; cups that run full and free. Thank you, Lord.  Your provision is ever faithful.
68.  Time to refresh, replenish, and sometimes that means sitting and sleeping. Thank you for a place to do both and safety in getting to that place.
69. God, you see every tear - you catch it and bottle it with tender, loving care. Psalm 56:8 says so:  You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.  
70.  In fact, not only do you see each tear - You said this in your word, which really relates to 61-63 above:
“My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.   
This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what he has promised;
yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
What can mere mortals do to me?”
71.  Time with treasured friends - laughing, reminiscing, pledging to forget, and loving. LOVING.
72.  I'm thankful for the giggles of our children that ring delightful from the next room.
73.  Sister gifts.  She filled me up with all sorts of ME blessings. She knows what I love. =)
74.  The generosity of St. Nicholas, who by sharing his gifts, bestowed on us the spirit of Christmas - For God so loved the world, He gave...
75.  Together time while waiting for the bus. We take a moment to gather ourselves and pray before Grace goes to school. I love that. I'm thankful for those moments to launch her into her sphere of influence with the covering of prayer to learn and shine her little light.  I heart that girl and take great comfort know that God loves her even more.  She is destined for great things in His kingdom.
76.  A deeper meaning of the word favor. Mary was highly favored among men, but it began with "Do not be afraid" and went on to an anguished heart at the foot of a cross where her son lay down His life for all mankind. Favor is not without pain as we yield ourselves to the glory of God.

Affirm

DAY 6: AFFIRM

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

- Psalm 139:14 {ESV}

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Affirm: To validate, to assert as valid or confirmed, or to express dedication to.
This earthly world does a good job of robbing us of the affirmation our hearts instinctively crave. The affirmation God has created each of us uniquely and wonderfully. The truth and affirmation that we need to hide in our hearts (and share liberally with our children) is that God loves us for who we are and for who he has created us to be. Although the world does a good job of distracting us and trying to convince us otherwise, we must be vigilant to remember God’s affirmation of us and we must affirm and dedicate our hearts to Him.
Sweet Heavenly Father, you knit each of us together. You knit each of our children together. Your amazing love of each one of us is beyond my understanding but I am so thankful. And I am thankful too for the opportunity you have given me in parenting my child. Please, I pray, help us to share this truth with our children. The truth that each one is a unique and special creation designed especially by You. Help each of us to affirm that truth to their hearts today.   By: Katie Howard Clemens

 ~ Resource of the Day ~  Grace Based Parenting

From Family Matters - 31 Days of Prayer for Your Children

 

Purpose

 

Day 5:  Purpose

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"- Micah 6:8 {ESV}

To know one’s purpose is to have a life direction – a target at which to aim. Having purpose is different than knowing what we want “to do” someday. It’s more about knowing “how to do” life. God’s word makes it clear that we must walk humbly with Him, but how does that look in real life? It is doing life in an unpretentious way, or as Webster would say, “to destroy the power or prestige of”….which sounds a whole lot like doing life God’s way not my way. Being humble is being unassuming. When we walk closely with God we can allow Him to direct and guide us without us assuming we’ll take over when we think He’s not doing it right. We can trust Him.

Let’s pray that we, as parents and care-takers to our loved ones, will be the example our children need to see, and the ones they want to emulate because we’ve listened carefully to our Creator to fulfill the purpose He had for us.  By: Joe and Cindi Ferrini

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 ~ Resource of the Day ~ Grace Based Parenting
 From Family Matters - 31 Days of Prayer for Your Children

Affection

Day 4:  Affection  

“And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”- Mark 9:36-37 {ESV}

There are some beautiful pictures in the Bible.  Profound moments etched in my mind when Jesus spoke love tangibly.  Although He could have simply stated His wisdom and love, He often chose to reveal it through His actions.  Jesus not only touched to heal, He touched out of pure and simple love as well.
Mark 9:36-37 shares the sweetest scene of Jesus tenderly taking a child onto His lap as He addresses the disciples’ argument about who was the greatest.  Their disagreement might have caused another to be angry or frustrated, but instead Jesus lovingly draws a child into their midst to remind them of His desire for us to approach Him as children and to serve even the least.  Jesus affectionately deals with the disciples and the child.

He loves us all – big and small! When we recognize God’s great love for us, we are better equipped to show affection to our children.  When we rest in that love, we can offer affection – deserved or not.
Lord, please use us to love our children – display Your love and affection through not only our words, but our actions.  And Father, thank you that you love us as passionately and purposefully as you love our children.  By:  Sue Birdseye

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 ~ Resource of the Day ~ Grace Based Parenting

31 Days of Prayer for Your Children

I Samuel 1:27-28

I prayed for this child, and God gave me what I asked for. And now I have dedicated him (her) to God. She’s dedicated to God for life.  Then and there, they worshiped God.