I Need to Loosen Up

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I'm thinking that perhaps I should just relax a little when it comes to my kids and the craft department.

Maybe stop rationing out craft supplies like we may never find them again. If you were listening in, a conversation on craft supply usage between one of my children and I might go a little something like this:

Child: Mom. Could I have some popsicle sticks.
Me: Sure. But you can only have 5. Five, ok?
Child: But, Mom - I would like to make a life-sized replica of Abe Lincoln's cabin.
Me: Fine (huff). Then you can take 10.

A good indicator of this craft hoarding rationing would be the layer of dust coating one of our many craft boxes, containing somewhere in the vicinity of 482 popsicle sticks.

Dust that was thick enough my children could use it as a craft project of their own.

Alphabet Alley Winner!!

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The winner of the Alphabet Alley Matching game is )and don't you just LOVE my super-technical voting system?)....

Congratulations, Just Mom! I'll be contacting you shortly and putting it in the mail to you soon!

Have You Heard of Jelly Telly?

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I found this site the other night and signed up for a free month of their service. Jelly Telly is a web site created by Phil Visher (you know, the Veggie Tales guy) that produces videos to bring the Bible to life for kids (and offer something more substantial than Nickelodeon or Disney). And the best part is - you can get a FREE MONTH of Jelly Telly to try it out. You can sign up for a free month here, and they don't take any credit card information to register your account. I've been having far too much fun checking the site out myself!

Everyday there is a new episode that includes a Bible story, Kid's Reflections and more using cartoons, puppets and creative ideas to reach kids. On Sundays they show a "movie of the week" (this week it's Hermie and Friends: A Fruitcake Christmas).

There are also some fun games for kids to play and you can go back to watch previous shows too. Once your free month is up, it is only $2.99 a month to subscribe. I'm anxious to try it for a month and see how it goes with our kids!

You can watch the video clip below to find out a little more about the site and sign up for a free month.




If the above video isn't loading properly or is cut off, you can view the full version here.

Being Thankful

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Sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday with all 22 of our family, Rick and I leaned in close to each other and wondered if we were forgetting something.

Because we weren't surrounded by mass chaos. All the food was on the table and not forgotten in the fridge or freezer.

There were no kids hiding, playing under the table, or getting up out of their seats. No food or tantrums thrown by children. Not one of the good dishes or crystal glasses was broken. *grins*

Later that night I felt a huge wave of remorse when I was laying in bed and just thinking about how smoothly the day had gone with all of the family. All week long I had been praying about the upcoming weekend and all that the visit would entail. Praying that it would fun for everyone involved. Praying that things would just flow together easily. That things would be comfortable between both of our families and everyone would feel welcome and at ease.

And God answered each and every one of my prayers. Yet my first thoughts were "What is wrong? What did we forget? Why is it so quiet?"...instead of remembering that God cares about all the little stuff that makes up my day - every little thing that is important to me.

So God and I had a little talk. And I did thank Him (and I'm working on remembering to thank Him for all the little blessings throughout my day).

Because it was a truly wonderful Thanksgiving weekend for us visiting with our families and one that I will cherish for a long time...an amazing blessing to us and an answer to prayer.

Alphabet Alley Giveaway!!

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Alphabet Alley is a company that provides preschool toys for children that are faith-based and provide positive messages. Their toys range from puzzles, to magnet playsets, games, wooden toys and stickers. I recently received several of their toys to review: Noah's Ark Go-Fish and Two by Two Matching Game (and there will be a giveaway of one at the end of this post!!).

Playing matching games is a favorite in our house (and sadly one that my children can beat the pants off of me while playing). The Two by Two Matching Game ($10.99) is based on Noah's Ark and has 24 2x2 sized cards (perfect for little hands). The cards show rainbows on one side and simple animal picture on the other. The cards are amazingly sturdy and thick, much thicker than any of the other memory games we've played in the past. I love this version since there are 12 matches, making it a little simpler for younger players and a much quicker pick-up too when the the game is done!

The Noah's Ark Go Fish game ($5.99) is just like other Go Fish games - but even better! The cards are much sturdier and the have a better "feel" in your hand. Each card has a number, a large picture of a Noah's Ark themed item, and the word describing the picture at the bottom. This game hasn't been played yet in our house because it is now hiding in our Christmas pile downstairs for two little boys in this house - I love it!

Just in time for Christmas, Alphabet Alley is having a sale on any toy that is Christmas related. Their games and toys would make some great stocking stuffers this Christmas!

If you are interested in winning the Two by Two Matching Game and a set of the Noah's Ark Stickers for a little person in your house, leave a comment on this post (be sure that I can get ahold of you if you win!). I will pick a winner on Monday, December 8th.

Don't forget to check out other great WFMW ideas!

The Things We Can't See

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The devotional we're using for the girls has been talking about "the things we can't see". The other night the girls were answering some of the questions at the end of the story and Laurianna's question was "What would you like to ask God to let you see?"

Her responses were really sweet:

1. I'd like to see my heart - not my blood-pumping heart, but my spirit heart. And my faith.


2. I'd like to see how God makes our bodies.


3. I'd like to know how to make pizza.

So deep. So thoughtful.

And then pizza?

For more Tiny Talk Tuesday, head on over to Mary's place at Not Before 7.