Cheesy Ragu ideas and freebie

Ok, if you haven’t discovered Cheesy Ragu (Double Cheedar) sauce, it’s awesome!  Not only can you toss your pasta shells or shaghetti noodles with it, but you can also use it instead of a block of Velveeta (and in my opinion, it’s way better).  The Ragu Cheese Sauce doesn’t get hard when it cools down like the block of Velveeta.  You can mix in a can of Chili or a Jar of Salsa and you have an instant and delicious dip.  I made the chili version the other night for our homeschool parent meeting and it was yummy!

I also mixed some of it with a little Garlic Salt and made cheesy garlic dip for soft pretzels.

Now, on to the freebie…

You can get a free Five-Minute Devotion eBook from Currclick at the link below:

http://www.currclick.com/product/72115/Five-Minute-Devotion-Rotten-Words

Here’s the description:

Five-Minute Devotions are instant devotions that you can print and execute immediately.

They can be easily done before school during breakfast.

Each lesson includes: Find It, Read It, Study It, & Apply It activities

There are printables included that help to enhance and reinforce the lesson. 

Five minutes is all that it takes to start the day off right – in God’s Word.

Also, I have just released another Virtual Fieldtrip.  This time we traveled to The Alamo.  Check it out here:

http://www.currclick.com/product/72135/Virtual-Fieldtrip—The-Alamo

Please help me spread the word…selling curricula through Currclick is my only source of income…it’s my “linen garments” (Proverbs 31:24).

 

 

Virtual Fieldtrips

I have been busy at work these days creating Virtual Fieldtrips all over our great country.  I would LOVE for you to take a look!  Also, please help me promote these.  They are on sale for only $1 each right now!

So far, there are Virtual Fieldtrips to:

• The Statue of Liberty
• Mammoth Cave
• Mount Rushmore
• Niagara Falls
• Yellowstone National Park
• Kennedy Space Center
• The Grand Canyon

FYI…I’m working on The Redwood Forest as we speak!

Please visit this link to purchase or to share this link: http://www.currclick.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=322

Virtual Fieldtrip Statue of Liberty Description:

Climb aboard the virtual homeschool bus as we travel to New York City.  Our destination…the Statue of Liberty.

Just like a real fieldtrip, you will need to set aside one school day to complete this virtual fieldtrip.

Purchase a folder with three brads for the notebooking pages.

Complete the activities in any order, but we suggest beginning with a formal learning time as you go over the Background Information and then gathering around the computer for the Off We Go, Virtual Tour.  Next, visit the Museum and read the Fun Facts.  Complete the Notebooking Pages and then have a Lunch Break.  Complete the Activities and Crafts after lunch.

At the end of this fieldtrip we hope that you feel like you’ve actually visited to the Statue of Liberty!

 Buckle up!

Good Morning Girls Bible Study-Wednesday Share

I am getting major Spring fever!  Each Spring, I get this renewed burst of energy and want to just do some Spring cleaning.  I have the kids go through their toy boxes, getting rid of the old, un-played with toys.  I go through closets deciding what fits and what doesn’t and donate or consign the old.  We then store away the long sleeves and shop for cooler attire to put on.

The verses for this week are Ephesians 4:17-32.  They have been all about “out with the old…and in with the new.”

These verses made me think that it just also may be time for some spiritual Spring Cleaning.  Paul gives us a very clear list of what we, as Christians, need to “put off.”  Some of these things are basic ten commandments, but maybe Paul knew we would need a little reminding.

• Do not lie. (vs. 25) That includes more than telling direct falsehoods.  It also includes exaggerations and fabrications of something that is true; making foolish promises; betraying a confidence; and making false excuses. (Anybody ever answered the phone and when the telemarketer asked for you…told them you weren’t home?)

• While it’s okay to be angry-do not sin.  Do not let the sun go down on your wrath…it gives place to the devil (vs. 26)  The Bibles actually says, “Be angry…” (vs. 26)  It’s okay to be angry.  In fact, we should be angry at injustice, immorality, ungodliness, and every other sin.  When anger is unselfish and based on love for God and others, it is okay and in fact commanded.  Jesus expressed this righteous anger..remember when He cleaned house in the temple?  Have you even been around kids that say the h- word is a bad word?  They are referring to hate.  I tell my kids that it’s okay to use that word in the right context.  We don’t hate people, but we most certainly hate the devil and sin!  However, even righteous anger should be set aside by the end of the day so it doesn’t lead to bitterness.
• Do not steal. (vs. 28)
• Don’t use foul language.  Instead, even when you are being corrective, do it in a way that is instructive, encouraging, uplifting.  Remember to impart grace because we are given it! (vs. 29) My brother-in-law said this about grace in a recent sermon he preached, “Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.”  I definitely need to clean out the clutter in my life in this area, especially when it comes to how I “correct” my husband for the many, many, many things he does wrong (just kidding).   What would happen if we were instructive, encouraging, and uplifting-even when correcting??
• Put away bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking..with all malice. (vs. 31)
• Be kind, tenderhearted, forgiving-even as God in Christ forgave you. (vs. 32)

Okay, so it’s time for some major Spring Cleaning…in my home and in my life!

If you’d like to find out more about the Good Morning Girls Bible Study, click here.

Super cheap kid’s birthday gift

I don’t know about in your neck of the woods, but it seems like everyone around here was born around this time of year.  The kids have been bombarded with birthday invitations.  Buying gifts can get pricey, so here’s a great little gift idea that is sure to be a hit and won’t break the bank.

Purchase a puzzle and puzzle glue.  This glow in the dark Star Wars 48 piece puzzle came from Dollar Tree.  The puzzle glue was from Wal-mart, as was the gift bag.

Viola!  You have a super cheap kid’s birthday gift.  If you have a little extra money, maybe add a pack of pencils.  At this time in the school year, they are usually needed and welcomed!

The best part is, you can stock up on these items and have them on hand for those unexpected birthdays that pop up throughout the year.  You can purchase puzzles in most of the popular themes such as Disney Princess, Littlest Pet Shop, etc.

The puzzle glue makes it extra special since the recipient can create a work of art and hang it up when finished. You may even want to include a Command Poster Hanging Strip.  These don’t damage the wall, so that should keep the moms of your gift recipients happy!  There are 12 in a pack, so you could split the pack up and have plenty for all your gift giving.

Good Morning Girls-Wednesday Share

It’s time for the Good Morning Girls Wednesday Share and Link Up.  Here’s what I shared with my own GMG group this morning.

This week’s verses are Ephesians 4:1-16.

This letter was written by Paul to the church at Ephesus, but some scholars believe that it was meant to be circulated among all the churches in Asia Minor since the name Ephesus is not mentioned in every early manuscript.  Many of the verses this week are about unity in the body of Christ.

I love how Paul compared the body of Christ a human body (vs.15-16).

Christ is the Head of the body.

• The Holy Spirit is the lifeblood.
• The body functions because of the members of the body carrying out their spiritual gifts.

Every part of our body has a job, which causes the body to function and grow.  We each have a work to do in the building up of the body of believers.

These verses remind us to:

Walk with humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance and love (vs. 2)

Be diligent to preserve the unity. (vs. 3)

It’s interesting to see how Paul repeated the number one (vs.4-6)…

1 body

1 Spirit

1 hope

1 Lord

1 faith

1 baptism

1 God

That’s 7 times he used the number 1.  If you have ever studied what the number 7 means in the Bible…it means completion.  Maybe Paul was trying to say that unity bring a completeness or wholeness to the body of Christ.  Without unity, the body of Christ just isn’t complete.

 

I also love the way Paul used an excerpt from Psalm 68 within his own writing.  The excerpt (vs. 8) is from a victory hymn written by David to celebrate God’s conquest of the city of Jebusite of Jerusalem.  (4:8)

After such a triumph, the king would return home and bring home the spoils and the prisoners.

Paul depicts Christ returning from His battle on earth back into the glory of the heavenly city with the trophies of His great victory at Calvary.  Through His crucifixion and resurrection, he conquered Satan and death, and in triumph returned to God those who were once sinners and prisoners of Satan.  He distributes the spoils throughout His kingdom-which are the spiritual gifts empowered by the Spirit.

 

Paul reminds us once again in verse 15 that we need to “grow up” and be spiritually mature.  He actually says “grow up…into Him.”  We need to be “completely yielded and obedient to the Lord’s will, subject to His controlling power and Christlike in all areas of our lives.” (this last quote was taken from MacArthur Study Bible)

 

FYI…

I used the John MacArthur Study Bible while studying this week.

Family Devotion – God at the Center

Each Sunday, our church makes available a Family Devotion to be picked up and completed during the coming week.  The Family Devotion is usually related to the sermon series.  For the month of February, the sermon series is all about the FAMILY.  I am on the team that creates these.  I have pasted the Family Devotion Guide for this week below.:

Theme:  Family – God at the Center

Family Memory Verse: 

Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9, tells us that we should teach our children about the things of God all the time:  when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down, when you get up.

Ultimately, the goal is for your children to see God in action in every facet of life — and to live for Him

 Here are ideas for incorporating the things of God into your children’s daily lives:  

• Leave your child an encouraging scripture on the bathroom mirror using a dry erase marker.
• Place a verse that addresses his/her specific needs on his or her pillow.
• Begin each day with a statement of praise, “Look at the beautiful day God made!”
• Voice aloud your praise while you are running errands.  Praise Him for a good parking spot in the rain, strong legs to walk on, and the way He provided for a need.
• Time spent riding in the car can afford great opportunities to talk about the things of God.  Point out the beauty of creation as you drive.
• When you pass an ethnic restaurant, pray for missionaries and the unsaved in that culture.
• When you hear a siren, pray for the workers and those involved in the accident or crime.
• When you pass a school, pray for the teachers and students.
• When hurrying through the drive-thru, remember to bless the food before delving it out.
• Use meal times to encourage spiritual discussions.  Make or purchase dinnertime conversation starter cards.
• Go around the table at mealtimes and have everyone tell one thing they are grateful for each day.
• Have family devotional times together in the evening.
• Pray with and out loud for each of your children before they go to bed each night.
• Incorporate scripture into the décor of your home.  Frame meaningful Bible verses and set them on a table or hang them on the walls.
• Find an old framed piece of art at Goodwill and paint over the picture using chalkboard paint.  Use an attractive ribbon to secure this new “chalkboard” to a wall in your kitchen.  Add Bible verses or encouragement regularly.
• Attend church together.
• Gift each family member a “blessings journal.”
• Guard your home and keep it holy – select very carefully what your children watch or listen to.
• Relate conversation to Bible stories.

Children need to see us in God’s word, in His House, and about His business.

Prayer:  Pray for and with your children each day.  Pray that God would give you wisdom and discernment as you seek to make Him the Center of your family life.

 

Note:  Many of the ideas above came from www.thriving family.com, which I LOVE!  It’s one of my “go-to” sites when planning the Family Devotions.  I also love www.ministry-to-children.com.

“I Made It Myself” Pie

My daughter loves to help me bake things.  She is so proud when we serve whatever it is she helped with.

The other week she informed me that she wanted to make a pie.  It was a super busy week, so while at the grocery store I let her just pick out a Graham Cracker crust and some instant Jello Pudding & Pie Filling.

She came home and made a very yummy Oreo pie – made even more special because she did it all by herself!  She just beamed when she served it after dinner.

She has gone on to make a lemon pie and a chocolate pie with future plans of trying the banana one.  Sure this pie doesn’t have a flaky, homemade crust and fresh ingredients, but it was the best pie I’ve ever eaten because I knew that with each bite I was building my little eight year old’s self confidence and self esteem.

So, if you have a little daughter, maybe it’s time you let her make an “I Made it Myself” Pie.  It’s as simple as purchasing a Graham Cracker crust and a box of Jello Pudding; mixing with milk (pie directions on side of box); pouring the mixture into the ready-made pie shell; and refrigerating.  It’s so easy, she won’t need any assistance.

Check out all of the varieties of Jello Pudding there are.  We may be having “I Made it Myself” Pie for a looong time!    http://www.kraftbrands.com/jello/products/pudding/pudding-desserts/

 

 

Organizing – Kid’s Clothes

I have a motto…if everything has a place, then it might get put back in it (and not left all over the place).   Okay, so it’s not a very catch motto, but I live by it just the same.

As for Kid’s Clothes, we wash clothes on Saturday and they help fold them up and put them away.

We have designated drawers on their dressers.

• The top drawer is for underwear and pajamas.
• The second drawer is for shirts.
• The third drawer is for pants/shorts.

Their closets are for church clothes or nice “town clothes.”

The bars in their closets are LOW…at their level.  You should have seen my husband’s face when I asked him to move them down to his waist level!  But, it has been such a good thing for the kids!  They can hang up their own clothes and can reach the shelf on top too. My daughter stores stuffed animals there.  We’ll just keep raising the bar as they grow up (but I haven’t told my husband that just yet!)

(Notice a couple of other things in here:  I put a large bucket so he can tidy his floor quickly.  I also have a metal trashcan for storing all those Nerf guns and Light Sabers.)

For organizing what the kids will wear each day, these Canvas Shoe Holders work wonders!  My daughter and son both have them.  His is in his closet, as you can see above.  Her organizer is in a corner of the room, as you can see below.

The top shelf is for pajamas (yep, so now they aren’t left laying on the floor).  The other shelves are for their clothes…Monday through Friday.  They know what they will wear each day.  This has been a huge time-saver, especially when we are in a hurry to get somewhere!

These six shelf shoe holders are just $10 at Walmart.

Okay, so I didn’t mention socks anywhere!  And that can be a problem.  But, I’m saving that one until I have time to tell you my organizing system for the family shoes (and socks)!

So there you have it, my organizing solution for Kid’s Clothes.  I’ll try to post something new each week.  We have a space for everything!  Let me know if you have a particular organizing problem and I’ll try to help or at least share here what we do about that area).  info@toddlerbitesonline.com

Kathy:)

Good Morning Girls Bible Study-Wednesday Share

Good Morning Girls!

Boy, I had no idea I could get so much out of five little verses!  So far this week, we have read Ephesians 3:14-18.

We started the week with Paul on his knees.  What a great way to start the week or even each day!!  Paul prayed on his knees, not because he had to – but out of “submission, reverence, and intense passion.”  (MacArthur Study Bible)

Some men in the Bible prayed on their knees to: show they were ashamed and truly repentant of sin (Ezra 9:5-6);  humbled before our Maker (Ps. 95:1-6); giving thanks (Daniel 6:10); publicly-as if to show they were not ashamed (Acts 20:36) – this one makes me think about Tim Tebow and how he kneels on the field before his games.

  Source of picture:  http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?articleId=USRTR2W2J4#a=1

Tuesday, we find Paul praying for the spiritual welfare of others – as he so often does.  How often do I?  Verse 17, says that he wants them to be rooted and grounded in love.  That made me think about the Parable of the Sower.  We need to have deep roots like the seed in the good soil!  (Matthew 13:1-23)

Today, Paul is wanting us to realize the width, length, depth, and height of God’s love.  I noticed those are terms for measuring.  I think Paul wanted us to know the “vastness and completeness” of that love.(MacArthur Study Bible)

As Christians, love is granted to us and commanded of us.  (Romans 5:5 and John 13:34-45).  The Bible mentions love so often.  It tells us that of faith, hope and love – the greatest of these is love.  Over and over we hear about how we should show love to others.  In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, we read that without love all the world hears is “noise” (clanging cymbals).  It wasn’t until Paul showed love by staying when he could have escaped, that the jailer was ready to hear what he had to say about Christ.  As a result the jailer and his whole household were saved!  (Acts 16:23-32)  So just how important is it to show God’s love to others??  Yep..pretty important..in fact, it’s vital and remember it’s commanded of us!

Soaking it in,

Kathy:)

The Parable of the Sower Bible Lesson

Below you will find a Sunday School lesson that we will be using this Sunday.

 

Theme:  Jesus Used Parables to Teach—The Parable of the Sower

Prayer: Pray before you begin the lesson.

Find it:    Matthew 13:1-23,  (have everyone find this in their own Bible)

Bible Story: 

Once you get in your room, you can reinforce what they learned during Praise Park with the following ideas:

Display 4 cups of different soil in a place where all the children can see them and tell them what kind of soil resides in each one. (The cups of soil will already be on a table in your room.)

Read (and Recap) Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23.  As each soil is discussed, pick up that cup and use the sun, birds, twigs, or fake flowers (provided in your Ziploc bag of materials) to show what happened to the soil and seed as it began to sprout.  When giving Jesus’ explanation, lift that cup again with the object that caused the problems for the seed to take root.

• Wayside Soil (like the packed down dirt on a pathway) – the birds ate it [represents those who hear the Word but don’t understand and the wicked one snatches it away vs. 19]
• Rocky Soil – sprang up quickly, but with no deep roots, it withered when the sun came out [hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy, but has no root and when trouble comes, he stumbles vs. 20-21]
• Thorny Soil – choked out the plants [hears the Word, but the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful vs. 22]
• Good Soil – grew and multiplied [hears the Word and understands it and bears fruit]

Reinforce the lesson by asking questions.  After each presentation of soil ask the children “What happened to the seed when it tried to take root?” (The birds ate the seed, the rocks got in the way and sun burned it, thorns choked the seed, the seed multiplied over and over again.) What did Jesus say the seed represented? (The seed represented the giving of the salvation message, the Word of truth.)  It is at this time a salvation message should be given.

Lesson Evaluation: Give a list of possible lessons and ask the children to stand up if the statement is true from the teaching in the passage.

1. Birds eat seeds when they are planted in the ground.  False.
2. Thorns cause seeds not to grow.  True.
3. The sun always scorches a plant growing in soil.  False.
4. The seed in good soil usually grows. True.
5. It doesn’t matter what soil you use when you plant a seed.  False.
6. Rocky soil makes it hard for seeds to take root.  True.

Memory Verse:

Matthew 13:24, “…The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

Pass an artificial flower and have children each say one word of the Bible Verse when the flower is passed to them.  Repeat several times and then have each child recite the entire verse with reference when the flower is passed to them.

Activity:

Plant seeds:

Have children put some good planting soil in a cup and show them how deeply to plant the seed in the dirt.  Put a small amount of water in each and encourage the children to care for their seed and watch it grow.  Encourage them to replant it outside in the spring to watch it multiply.

I got a lot of these ideas from  http://ministry-to-children.com/parable-of-the-soils-lesson/.  I LOVE this site and it is one of the first I turn to when I am preparing a lesson.