Last Minute Easter Activity for Kids

It's easy to become busy during Easter with the holiday meal planning, shopping and cooking, church activities and services, egg hunts, buying goodies for the kids, etc.

So it's understandable that if or when you have time to slow down you forget something. Unfortunately, it's easy to forget the main reason we even celebrate Easter...the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Here are two easy and quick activities to do with the kiddos to help remember Christ this Easter.

Resurrection Rolls

We've made this a tradition the past few years in our house but as I share this with friends I find there are many variations. This recipe is simple and works for us though.

You Will Need:

1 can of crescent rolls

8 regular marshmallows

cinnamon

Just unroll the dough and separate following the perforation marks. Sprinkle cinnamon on it to represent Christ's body being prepared with spices for burial. Place the marshmallow on top, which is Jesus' body and then roll the dough around the marshmallow just as the stone was rolled in front of his tomb. Make sure you seal all edges to prevent any oozing.

Bake the rolls according to the instructions on the package.

Eat and enjoy and notice that just as Jesus' tomb, they are EMPTY!

Some of the marshmallows ooze out sometimes despite your sealing efforts but if you bake on a Silpat sheet (any silicone baking sheet is okay) or parchment paper you should be fine.

Plant Seeds

Planting is always a good way to tie in your faith and show that just as God creates new life from that seed, we are also a new creation in Christ. It was a rather warm day when we did this Friday so the kids enjoyed getting outside and of course getting dirty. Yep, they're all boy!

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter!

Developing a Personal Mission Statement

It's Monday again and I have been trying to make it a habit to partake in Multitude Mondays at A Holy Experience. Multitude Mondays encourages us, as women and children of the King, to thank God for all the gifts He gives us.

I also like to partake in Project Mondays over At the Well and they are challenging their readers to create a personal mission statement.

So as I was contemplating today's post, I thought about how these two blog link ups are intertwined.

I thank God for the roles He has given me as David's wife and companion, as Eian and Elias' mom, keeper of this household, keeper of this one physical body I have, my roles as daughter, sister, friend, etc.

If I believe God is ALL powerful, ALL knowing, ALL loving, and ALWAYS in control then I must believe that the people in my life are put here for a reason. They are here for a purpose and for an opportunity to let the light of Christ shine through me and into them.

My ultimate goal and purpose for this site is to walk along side all of you reading and encourage you to fill YOUR roles more passionately and intentionally and allow this desire to truly SIMPLIFY your life.

When we focus on what God has designed us to do, and purpose ourselves by aligning our desires appropriately, then that's when we find real fulfillment. This has been my experience anyway.

Believe me though, I am by no means saying I have it all together or that I have even had a day recently where I have really felt completely fulfilled. And we may not really ever feel this until the day the Lord calls us home but I do know that feeling like I've missed the mark on impacting the lives of those I love in a positive way, on a regular basis is NOT what God wants.

I am simply admitting I recognize this truth. So how can this knowledge be implemented? How can I give thanks to God for these roles? How can He be ultimately glorified?

God has been slowly revealing to me (or maybe I've just been slow to catch on) that all these desires to fill my roles more purposefully need to be outlined somehow to keep me on track. I think we all suffer from mild cases of ADHD, or at least I do, and it's so easy for me to get distracted.

I was ecstatic to see that the Project over At the Well was developing a personal mission statement.

I honestly had just asked David last night what he felt were some important tasks needing finished. God bless him but he wasn't much help! He couldn't really think of anything other than working with Eian to finish his diorama for school. I was looking for guidance and direction because I have really been feeling like my wheels are spinning lately.

It dawned on me, as I was washing dishes last night (my daydreaming time) that while I think it's important to include your spouse, the best way to find guidance in prioritizing and finding purpose is asking God. I admit I do not do this nearly as often as I should. So with my arms wrist deep in dish water, I did just that.

Today seems a little more clear thanks to the Lord and I do not think it was just a "coincidence" that today's At the Well project is Developing a Personal Misson Statement.

I will be prayerfully contemplating, organizing, and implementing mine. Won't you join me? What areas of your life are you feeling unproductive in? What are some practical ways you can fulfill your roles more effectively?

Is it making yourself removed from that never ending to do list and purposefully spend a chunk of time with your kids, is it purposefully planning to spend an hour alone with your husband tonight by getting the kiddos to bed early and staying OFF the computer, is it purposefully getting to bed on time so you can rise before the kids and make time for God, is it purposefully planning to make healthier food choices...? So I guess you can see these are a few of mine but I want to hear from YOU!

What can you do in your life NOW to give thanks to God by living more purposefully in the roles He has given YOU?

5 Tips for Leaving the House on Time

Is the front door your enemy like it is mine? Okay well not the front door but the task of getting OUT of it?

I've really been enjoying my time at home and having the sole position of SAHM. I have days where, other than taking Eian to and picking up from school, I don't go anywhere. I never thought I would become a homebody but it's true I could probably be a hermit if I was allowed!

There's at least one day a week though that I have to go out to get groceries, run other errands and such. Those days prove tough for me when I have to constantly pick up toys, spills, change diapers, do the coupon thing and check my websites, get out the door before naptime hits, ooh let me check my email one more time and the list goes on!

I am finally fed up with not getting out the door until late afternoon and then having to rush to get Eian picked up from school. You all know I'm a major list maker so I've made a check list and thought I would share with you. ! Yay! Oh come on you know you're excited :)

1. Make a time line list of all the things I know I have to do BEFORE I LEAVE.

This really helps me because I am a chronic under estimator of time. The more I have the more I try to get done and then I'm frazzled trying to leave.

Making a list of even the mundane, routine things like breakfast is helpful for me. I have also had to learn I can't do everything in one day. Making pancakes and eggs probably wouldn't be the best when I want to leave the house by eight!

2. Maximize time away from home-Plan your trip

Okay so I know this isn't like revolutionary but it really does help to have a list of places I need to visit. I also put a number next to each one in the order I will go there. This not only maximizes your time by not back-tracking but it also saves in gas.

3. Do any prep for my errands/groceries the night before.

I'm now thinking through my days' errands the night before which really helps. I now plan my grocery trip by going through the sale ads and clipping the coupons before I go to bed.

I have also been putting little snack bags together and a small cooler if I know Elias and I will be out long or around lunch time. This really helps me stick to my weekly spending money and can't use the excuse, "I was in a rush to leave and didn't have time to grab something." This also makes for a happy little guy!

4. Leave first thing in the morning.

I know this may not be for everyone but since I take Eian to school anyway, running my errands immediately after dropping him off is best for us.

I find that the more we stay in the house before leaving the more messes we make and that leaves me in a constant state of running circles. So my new motto is Get Out While I can and FAST!

5. Pack the vehicle while kids are eating.

This is my most dreaded part of leaving. I never look forward to taking my purse (or some may call it a suitcase), my coupon organizer box, my bag of store ad inserts, a diaper bag, a lunch cooler if approriate...oh and the kids, out to the car and usually haivng to make multiple trips! Doing this with a toddler who follows me EVERYWHERE proves very trying. He has also discovered the playground across the street and can run a lot faster than me!

I am much more motivated to leave when I can set Eian and Elias up for breakfast and I can "sneak" out while they are occupied.

Well there you have it and now I have it for all the world to see and so I can stay on task! I know actually making a list for this seems trivial but it has really helped me.

So what do you do to make getting out the door a little easier?

God's gift to parents

So David, Eian and I we were driving to church today. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the morning. David had the Sunday morning radio program on we usually listen to and I, as always, was running behind and so therefore putting my makeup on in the van. Don't worry, David was driving!

Halfway through our route I heard a faint murmur coming from the backseat. I turned around to see my son with his Bible open, his hands folded and laying in the Bible, his head was bowed, and I could see his little lips moving. I gently nudged David for him to peak in the rear view mirror. It was the sweetest sight that my eyes instantly welled up with tears of joy. Neither David or I made a big fuss or drilled him about what he was praying for.

It wasn't until this evening when Eian and I were alone that he told me what he prayed for. He admitted that he had been questioning his salvation for awhile and wondered if he really knew what he was praying for back when he was four and claimed to have been saved. The intent and sincere look on his face told me this was a big deal to him, which just touched my heart even more. So he was asking the Lord for forgiveness again and re-committing himself to live for the Lord, just in case he didn't really mean it when he was four. Too sweet!

It provided a wonderful opportunity for to discuss ways in which we can demonstrate our love and devotion to Christ in gratitude for dieing on the cross. We both shared practical ways in which we can live for the Lord every day. It was one of the most precious conversations I believe I've ever had with my son. God's so smart too because while I'm training my child in the way he should go (Eph 6:4) the Lord's teaching me as well!

Hockey Game

I wanted to post these sooner but just haven't gotten around to it. I have pictures from a hockey game we went to this past Saturday night. Eian was really looking forward to it since it was just the three of us. We all love having my niece live with us but have come to value one another more. Our time seems a little more limited to spend with just Eian since a busy toddler has come into our lives!
I wasn't sure how I would like hockey but I have to say it was quite entertaining. I was very thankful for the seats we had. We had a perfect view... not too far away BUT not too close to the action and have little ears hear colorful language! There were a few heated confrontations to say the least. It was funny when Eian asked where they were making the two guys who just fought go. David explained it was a penalty box. That was my opportunity to say, " See bud, even grown men have time outs!" My son then preceded to say, "Mooom, they're not full grown. They're probably only like 16 so it's okay for them to have time outs. They're technically still kids." Little does Eian know that in just a few (too short) years he will claim and protest that he IS fully grown at 16! Oh, David and I laughed our head's off later on that one!
We had a great time and are so grateful for the free tickets our friend gave us. Thanks Aaron!