Simmer Pot

Ahhh, I love Fall. And, judging by my candle cabinet, I'm a tad obsessed with Fall scents. I just always wish my house could smell more authentic than some chemically-crafted candle. As I was baking some pumpkin bread the other day, I thought I'd throw some of the spices into some water and boil it to emit the scent. It was heavenly. Every day since I've loaded up my mini crockpot with fruit, spices, and water to give my house the perfectly real scents of the season. Since I peel an apple at least once a day for the kids, I've been saving the skins and core to throw into the pot. My favorite combination so far is apple skin, orange peel, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla. But the combinations are endless. An added bonus - when I pour the contents down the drain each evening, it cleans and freshens the garbage disposal nicely.

Here's the how-to:

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil (on the stovetop or in the microwave). Pour into a crockpot (although you can always just leave it on the stove), add your favorite combination of scents (apple peels, apple juice, oranges, lemons, cloves, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, lavender, etc.), and let simmer all day. Make sure to check it frequently and add water as needed. Yum!

Church bags

My 3-year-old is at the age now when she has things for Sunday school that need to be carried back and forth each week between church and home. She has a backpack that we use often, but we always switch it out with her Leapster and accessories, her Tag reader and books, and her Sunday school things. When we showed up to church with her Tag reader and books sans Bible and Sunday school supplies one Sunday, I knew it was time to get a bag that's solely for Sunday school. Of course her brother had to have one too. I picked up some plain canvas craft bags at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 (and half off!). Then I grabbed a handful of fabric scraps, backed them with Heat-n-Bond, cut out some letters and shapes (I used this tutorial for the flowers on Hannah's bag), and decorated a bag for each of them. Hannah's carries her Bible, her memory verses, and a snack or two. And Parker's holds a couple of diapers, wipes, snacks, and a toy. I already love that they are always packed and ready to grab. And the fact that the whole project was less than $8 for BOTH bags is a win for sure!

Color Finder

There are so very many ideas floating around the blog world for using paint chips from your local paint store. I came across one I had to try, and it's been a huge hit. I just grabbed a rainbow assortment of paint chips, hole-punched one corner for a ring binder clip, and hole-punched the opposite corner of each to use as a see-through hole for color matching. I tossed it into our library book bucket, and the kids have used it to match colors in their library books, magazines and catalogs, and even their toys. It's provided hours of fun and learning in one simple, free project. I'd highly recommend this for your little ones.

A Christmas Tradition to Get Started on Now

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I started a tradition right after I first got married (over 9 years ago!) that has been so much fun. Each year I put up a small, tabletop Christmas tree on a sofa table right in our foyer. I make handmade ornaments (but you could just as easily and with just as much meaning purchase a variety of store-bought ones) to fill the tree. Then, each and every guest that passes through our doors during the Christmas season picks an ornament off the tree to take home. Even the Verizon installers chose one a couple of years back. The two grown men acted like kidsina candy store over homemade ornaments. It just makes people happy! And it, in turn, will bless your heart too.

Need some handmade ornament ideas? Here are some of my favorites:

Paint Stick Ornaments with Free Printables

Altered Canvas Ornaments

Felt Flower Ornament

Rag Fabric Flower Ornament

And many more...

A Solid Foundation of Faith

My kids are now 3 years, 5 months and 17 months old. Neither are in preschool, so the three of us hang out all day every day together. After carefully considering whether or not to send our 3-year-old to preschool this year, we've decided to keep her home instead. I used to teach at a preschool, and my plan was to start to implement that curriculum at home with both kids. But my 3-year-old already knows all of her shapes, colors, numbers, letters, letter sounds, and most letter blends. She's starting to read and write 3-letter words. We have zero structured learning time as-is; she is just a sponge and loves to learn. I do not feel like she needs any supplementing in that area. She's already where she needs to be for Kindergarten, and I have no interest in rushing any more schooling in unless she's ready and seeking.

So my heart really turned more toward a year-long vacation Bible school set-up. I have such a desire to build the foundation of faith here, in my home, prior to sending my kids off to Kindergarten. My problem is not at all a lack of ideas, resources, or time. It's 100% a lack of planning. We are always dreaming up projects. But, after finally gathering everything to complete them, my 3-year-old has typically lost interest. Often our last-minute ideas require trips to the craft store to complete. I really wanted a way to have a loose plan for each week that includes gathering supplies for different projects to have at-the-ready for times when boredom strikes.

I've been working hard for the past week on a new blog chronicling my plans. A Solid Foundation of Faith is my new baby. Each week I'll add a theme based on a Bible story or concept. I'll list activities, recipes, adventures, service ideas, books, songs, and fingerplays that go along with the theme. From then on it's up to each person how to use it. You can go all-out and schedule your week around the activities. Or, like me, you can pick and choose the projects that would work for your family, gather all of the supplies each weekend, and pull them out when you have the opportunity.

I'll use it much like Tiny Tidbits to feature ideas here and there that I've seen online too. And I'll share with you some things that I learned as a chapel leader of kids 18 months old to 2nd grade over the years. But, unlike this site, the activities will all be geared toward the under Kindergarten crowd, specifically shaping their hearts for Christ.

If this is of any interest to you, I hope you'll come visit!

Women's Fitness - A Great Resource

Another fellow mom of an April 2008 child shared her website with me, and I wanted to add it to my sidebar, but not before pointing you all in that direction. Rachel, a practicing physical therapist, mom to two boys, and a woman committed to healthy living and physical fitness, started a website as a way to compile reliable advice for women regarding living a healthy lifestyle. I hope you'll take a minute to browse her site, and I hope you find as much helpful information as I have.

Here's the link: FitMommy

Kids' Table

We always pull our card table out for the kids when we have people over for dinner. I have an inexpensive (and pretty ugly) tablecloth that I usually throw on top, but last time we had dinner guests I grabbed my daughter's roll of butcher paper to cover the surface. I had fun doodling pictures for the kids to color, and it was a hit. We ended up keeping it up overnight, and my daughter did some more coloring the next morning. Simple, inexpensive, and interactive - win-win-win.