Nurture Mama

Spreading love in February

Nurture Mama — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:17:54 +0000

This little mailbox is a new addition to our family’s annual February festivities. When I found it in the dollar aisle at Target I picked it up without hesitation. The mailbox is our “love box”: anyone who would like to can leave message inside for another family member. The girls get pretty excited when they notice the raised flag and know that there is a message inside. In the picture you can see some of the messages that have been sent (and received).

Writing a note just takes a minute, but it is a nice way that we are showing love in our family. I was also inspired by the idea of a 14 Acts of Love countdown to Valentine’s Day, shared at Make and Takes. We haven’t been able to do it every day, but it has helped us to have a more service/other oriented mindset.

I have found so many great ideas online this year for Valentine’s Day. Thank you, Pinterest, for keeping it all organized for me! You can view the ideas that have sparked my interest on my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board. I also have a great set of links that I shared last year.

Activities for Groundhog Day

Nurture Mama — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:44:37 +0000

Every year Groundhog Day sneaks up on me, but this year we are actually doing something to recognize it! I hosted the Sweet Bee’s preschool group today and we had some groundhog themed fun.

After our usual introductory stuff (some free-play time, welcome song, talk about the calendar and the weather) we read Animals in Winter.The book details, briefly, what various animals do to survive the winter: migrate, hibernate, or adapt. I previously found images online of each animal mentioned in the book, and as we read the book we added the animal picture to the appropriate poster. This book was a really great way to bring a little science into our lesson, and the activity as we went along kept the attention of the children.

Then it was time to focus in on the groundhog (aka the woodchuck). The children colored a groundhog and decorated a cave (toilet paper roll) for it to pop out of. Snack time: Edible Groundhogs!I originally found the idea for this groundhog here and I thought it was so cute. I modified the instructions slightly based on the amount of supplies I was willing to purchase (I left out the cookie frosting and just used chocolate pudding to stick it all together). Here is the breakdown:

-chocolate pudding for the body

-vanilla wafer for the head

-edible eyeballs (I found some at Walmart in the cake decorating aisle–the kids thought they were the coolest thing ever!)

-butterscotch chip for the nose (or you could use a chocolate chip)

-mini marshmallow for the teeth

-vanilla wafer broken into pieces for the ears and the front paws

The children were very enthralled with this little edible critter!

To conclude our day we ended with a few songs and a game.

(sung to the tune of 10 Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little groundhogs.
Four little, five little, six little groundhogs.
Seven little, eight little, nine little groundhogs.
Sleeping down under the ground.

(sung to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little groundhog, furry and brown.
When winter comes, I sleep underground.
I’m curled up, as cozy as can be.
When it’s spring please wake me up!

I brought out my laundry basket and the children took turns laying inside, with a blanket thrown over their heads. I would sing the song and the child would pop up when I said “wake me up!” The kids loved it and wanted multiple turns, so I sang a lot! A simple game, but perfect for the 4-year-olds (and the the almost 2-year-old) in our group.

If I have time tomorrow, I plan to make this footprint groundhog with my children.Image courtesy of The Educator’s Spin On It

Here are the other books we are reading in honor of the furry little groundhog:

Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather by Bruce Koscielniak

Gregory’s Shadow by Don Freeman

Happy Groundhog Day!

What lessons are you teaching?

Nurture Mama — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:05 +0000

Yesterday I attended a stake conference meeting. It was one of the satellite broadcast meetings from Salt Lake City. I spent most of the meeting dealing with my almost-two-year-old son, so I unfortunately didn’t hear too much of the meeting. But what I did hear was this:

“The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”

The quote was given in a talk by Sister Esplin of the Primary General Presidency. The words stuck with me, and I know that is the lesson I needed to hear right now. I came home from church and did a little digging to find the original source of the quote. The words are from President Monson, and you can view a short video of his address discussing the importance of Family Home Evening here. The text is below. So the question I am pondering, and what I invite you to consider, is “What lessons are you teaching your children?“

“I begin with family home evening. We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program. It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere. The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest. As President Gordon B. Hinckley and his predecessors have stated, “The home is the basis of a righteous life, and no other instrumentality can take its place nor fulfill its essential functions.”²

“Dr. Glenn J. Doman, noted author and medical authority, wrote: “The newborn child is almost an exact duplicate of an empty … computer, although superior to such a computer in almost every way. … What is placed in the child’s [mind] during the first eight years of life is probably there to stay. … If you put misinformation into his [mind] during [this period], it is extremely difficult to erase it.” Dr. Doman added that the most receptive age in human life is that of two or three years.³

“I like this thought: “Your mind is a cupboard, and you stock the shelves.” Let us make certain that our cupboard shelves, and those of our family members, are stocked with the things which will provide safety to our souls and enable us to return to our Father in Heaven. Such shelves could well be stocked with gospel scholarship, faith, prayer, love, service, obedience, example, and kindness.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Constant Truths for Changing Times”, Ensign, May 2005.

Scripture Reading: Seeking the Good and Living the Abundant Life

Nurture Mama — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:00:38 +0000

Just a few scriptures that I have been thinking about recently…they help me to remember to find joy in the daily moments of being a mother.

Happy Living and Seeking the Good

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily…” Colossians 3:23

“And we lived after the manner of happiness” 2 Nephi 5:27

“…men are that they might have joy” 2 Nephi 2:25

Winter arts and crafts (and books to read in January)

Nurture Mama — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:45:31 +0000

The theme of January at our house is always winter and snow. We have yet to have any snow flurries land on our doorstep in Florida, so we have to make our own fun with snow. Now presenting: our collections of snowy projects undertaken in January!Our winter art wall!

These three snowman scenes were inspired by the paper tube stamped snowman shared at Make and Takes. We started with toilet paper rolls and white paint and made circles, then we each added our own embellishments.

These little cuties were made by painting one of Little Boy Z’s fingers. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but they are pretty miniature. I added the details with colored marker after the paint was dry. (Inspiration found here).

Salty snowflakes: Draw a simple snowflake shape, outline with glue, then shake some salt on top. (Sorry! I can’t remember where I saw this idea to give them credit)

The ever popular cottonball snowman.

And the equally popular marshmallow snowman–because marshmallows are perfect imitations of snowballs, and are as much fun for children to craft with as they are to eat!

Since the marshmallows were already in the house, we of course had to do some building and designing with toothpicks.

The Ant Bug pulled out her Model Magic one afternoon and shaped this snowman. If you haven’t tried Model Magic material before it is a nice variation along the theme of playdough.

As is my habit, we are also reading winter books!

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft & Richard G. Van Gelder

It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing! Winter Poems by Jack Prelutsky

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch

Stella: Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

For more wintery and snowy ideas, be sure to check out my winter board on Pinterest.

A few quotes about priorities

Nurture Mama — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:00:09 +0000

“Some uses of individual and family time are better, and others are best. We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families.”

Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best, ” October 2007 General Conference.

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities.”

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Great Commandment–Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988.

“Time is one of our most valuable possessions. Use it wisely. Remind yourselves often that things that matter most should not be left to the mercy of things that matter the least.”

O. Leslie Stone, “Making Your Marriage Successful,” Ensign, May 1978.

Keeping resolutions is a daily task

Nurture Mama — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:00:23 +0000

“Asking for and receiving daily bread at God’s hand plays a vital part in learning to trust Him and in enduring life’s challenges. We also need a daily portion of divine bread to become what we must become. To repent, improve, and eventually reach “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13) is a step-by-step process. Incorporating new and wholesome habits into our character or overcoming bad habits or addictions often means an effort today followed by another tomorrow and then another, perhaps for many days, even months and years, until we achieve victory. But we can do it because we can appeal to God for our daily bread, for the help we need each day.

President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently taught that consistency in simple daily practices such as family prayer, scripture study, and home evening is crucial in building successful families. “Our consistency in doing seemingly small things,” he said, “can lead to significant spiritual results.”

D. Todd Christofferson, “Recognizing God’s Hand in our Daily Blessings”, Ensign, January 2012.

Setting goals

Nurture Mama — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:35 +0000

“I believe you can train yourself to become a positive thinker, but you must cultivate a desire to develop the skill of setting personal worthy and realistic goals. I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When you learn to master the principle of setting a goal, you will then be able to make a great difference in the results you attain in this life.”

“I would suggest that if you want to have success in the goal-setting process, you learn to write your goals down. I would even put them in a prominent place—on your mirror or on the refrigerator door.”

“Set clear and specific goals. When you set a goal and commit yourself to the necessary self-discipline to reach that goal, you will eliminate most of the problems in your life. Spend your energies doing those things that will make a difference. Then you can become what you think about. If you just have the simple faith that God is in His heaven and He is your Heavenly Father and He does know that you are here and He does love you—and that Jesus is the Christ, that He is your Savior, that He is your Redeemer, and that you love Him with all your heart and are going to do all you can to keep His commandments—then peace comes.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Go for it!” New Era, March 2004.

Merry Christmas!

Nurture Mama — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 03:15:31 +0000

This post comes a little after the fact, but that is because I am enjoying the holiday season with my family. I hope you are doing the same! So…Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all the best to you in 2012!

Christmas Quotes: A gift and blessing to the world

Nurture Mama — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:00:24 +0000

“He whose birth we commemorate this season is more than the symbol of a holiday. He is the Son of God, the Creator of the earth, the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the fulfillment of the Law of Moses, the Redeemer of mankind the King of Kings, the Prince of Peace….

“’And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“’For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“’That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.’ (D&C 76:22-24)

“This is our testimony to all mankind. It is our gift and blessing to the world. He is our joy and our salvation, and we will find Christmas of greater meaning in our own lives as we share these truths with others.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley, “What Shall I Do Then with Jesus Which is Called Christ”, Ensign, December 1983. 5)