Went Back

If you are following my blog here please know that I went back to blogger. Why? Because I couldn’t post my giveaway without paying money to make it all work and I’m just not ready to do that yet. I loved many many things about wordpress and I will be back at some time in the future as soon as my blog grows enough that it’s worth spending the money on it. So please follow me via Facebook or sign up via email over on Blogger to get your updates on what is going on in my life!

Valentine’s Long Distance Hugs!

Since we have moved away from my parents I have started looking for fun ways to include them in our lives even from a distance. Today we made these long distance hug Valentine gifts to mail to them. My plan was to make them Monday and get them in the mail but since we were in Colorado on an unplanned trip we had to make them a little later. But they are in the mailbox waiting to get picked up.

Supplies:

• Construction Paper
• Glue
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Markers
• Art Supplies

We started with tracing hands and cutting them out. Then we moved on to coloring, glitter gluing and adding pompoms. After that we made a little Valentine note and added it to the middle of the ribbon. We glued both hands onto the end of the ribbon and let it all dry. (I added tape for extra measure on the hands.

Once they were dry we put them in an envelope and put them in the mailbox. I’m sure Grandma and Popa will love them when they arrive! If it’s not spoiled by them reading this first 😉

Don’t forget to stop by and enter my GIVEAWAY!

Step Gently Out: A Children’s Book Review

Monkey loves bugs and everything that has to do with nature. When we lived in Colorado we would spend days at the Butterfly Pavilion learning about new bugs and creatures. He also loves spending time outside looking at bugs on our new property and where we are renting trying to find new bugs that he’s never seen before. The boy can’t get enough nature. Of course that encourages Goose to be involved too. He wants to see every bug that Monkey discovers and he will actually join in the search as well.

Step Gently Out by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder has breathtaking photos of bugs close up so they are easy to examine and the gentle story that goes along creates a calm about nature.

This was one of my favorite books to read to the boys before bedtime because it set a very peaceful tone which is always helpful when you are putting two boys to bed in the evening.

I would recommend this book to anyone that has children but especially the ones that have children that love bugs. I plan to add this to our permanent collection in the near future.

Building Confidence In A World That Tears It Down

Building confidence in a child is not easy task in a world that tears it down. Pride is honored. Putting others down is consider to be ok. So when you have a child that is on the other end of the spectrum and is the one that prideful children are hurting and putting them down how do you build confidence?

I’ve struggle with this for Monkey. He has a very tender and kind heart. He almost always puts others first. He wants to be with others on a regular basis even after he is repeatedly heartbroken from them. He loves unconditionally. He cares so deeply. God has given him a very compassionate heart. Because of that he is hurt often.

Before we moved he was taking teakwondo. It was great to watch his confidence grow. Both his physical and emotional confidence made leaps and bounds. He felt stronger. He was challenged and saw himself overcome struggles. But teakwondo is expensive and with our move to another state it wasn’t something that we could continue while living so far from the city. So now I’m seeking ways to instill this confidence at home.

At home I strive to…

• speak encouraging words as often as possible
• give lots of hugs and kisses
• encourage stepping out of our comfort zones
• allowing for mistakes to be made
• talking through feelings
• encouraging kind attitudes towards all people
• teaching how to handle brokenhearted emotions
• talking through others words and actions
• talking through other ways to handle situations if they come up again
• taking breaks from people that are causing broken hearts if necessary

How do you teach confidence in your home? I’d love to hear some suggestions. I’m always looking for new ways to build up my family!