As Seen on the Web & a giveaway!

Leave a comment on this post to be entered to win a copy of Generous Kids by Colleen O'Donnell and Lyn Baker.

Amazon says: "This simple book will help parents make giving a fun and fulfilling part of their children's lives through learning the habit of giving. It's an easy-to-read book full of entertaining and practical suggestions, amazing true stories, simple examples, and plenty of "We can do that too!" take-aways for busy moms and dads."

Today on Tip Junkie they featured a post with creative ideas to be greatful. You can read the complete post by clicking here. Thanksgiving is just a week from tomorrow and many of these ideas can be used during the entire month of November if you like.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Thankful Bucket by The Idea Room...I absolutely love this one. The idea is to drop slips of paper into the bucket and then after Thanksgiving dinner, everyone gathers to listen as the slips are read. I think this is a tradition we might have to start this year!

A Thanksgiving Tree Craft from Crafts by Amanda...very simple idea using the handprints of our little ones....you could even use handprints of everyone in your family if you wanted to include grown ups as well.

A Gratitude Advent by Craft Critters....this one offers thanks for the little things we have, as well as the big. Each day has an activity you can do that is very simple and fun. Great ideas to give thanks each day!
Changable Frame from Flamingo Toes...love the idea that you can wipe off and make a new list each day. Instead of embroidery you could also use scrapbook paper like Connie's craft activity we did at our meeting for Halloween.
Life at 7000 Feet gives us a Thankful Turkey Centerpiece. Easy idea that even the youngest members of the family can participate in. The young ones can dictate to mom or dad what they are thankful for and parents can write on the feathers for them.
Now...don't forget to leave a comment to be entered for a copy of the book!

Mommy and Me Monday

Hi, MOPS moms! My name is Laura Lambert. I LOVE MOPS! I was one of the moms who started Grace UMC MOPS in 2005. At that time my youngest son, Sam, was only a few months old. Last week he started kindergarten! Time flies when you are raising little ones, doesn’t it?

I am planning to write a weekly post for the MOPS website called, “Mommy and Me Monday.” In it I will share simple ideas of things you can do with your children. While it’s important for us to do little things to enrich the lives of our children, I feel that it’s equally important for us to go easy on ourselves and be realistic about what we can reasonably accomplish as moms. In no way do I want anyone to read my posts and feel bad if they don’t have time to do the project or activity. I certainly don’t do daily or even weekly projects with my two boys. But I do enjoy surfing the internet late at night and finding fun ideas.

I tend to go in spurts where I may do many activities with my children over the course of a few weeks and then many weeks may pass before we do something “planned” together. I know I’m rambling, but I really did want to emphasize the importance of just relishing the time you have with your children and not feeling badly if time constraints don’t allow you to do all the things I post about. If it helps, just remember that I am probably not even doing all the ideas even though I’m the one writing about them!

To give you a little background on me............I am a Glenwood-ite born and raised. I lived in Iowa City for 14 years before moving back to Glenwood in 2001. I am a teacher and am just starting my 20th year as a professional educator. I am currently the director and head teacher of Holy Rosary Montessori Preschool here in Glenwood. I have two sons. One is almost 9 and has just started third grade at West Elementary and my youngest is 5. He just started kindergarten at Northeast Elementary. I have been married for 17 years. My husband is an Assistant Professor in the Exercise Science department at Creighton University in Omaha. I enjoy reading, scrapbooking, blogging, and being with my family. I write two blogs. One is about our family life. For the past two years I have planned special activities to do with the boys during Advent. Those ideas are posted on the personal blog if you are interested. My other blog is about my Montessori classroom. I post pretty much every activity that I place on my classroom shelves. Many, if not all, of these activities could be adapted for use with your young children at home. The links for these blogs are: http://www.adayofwonders.blogspot.com and http://www.mymontessorijourney.typepad.com I would love to have you stop over and visit.

OK.......enough about me! Today’s activity idea is super simple. It is called “Card Puzzles.” To do this project just find some greeting cards with images you like. You may have a stash of cards already. Otherwise, the dollar stores are a great resource. Cut off the front of the card. This will be the base for your puzzle. Then cut the card into several pieces either with scissors or a scrapbooking trimmer. Voila! Now your child has a puzzle to put together. For very young children, cut only 3 or 4 pieces. Older children, of course, could handle more pieces. Kally’s General Store here in Glenwood (on the square) has some adorable teeny tiny cards. I think they were only 79 cents each. This would be a great way to find another purpose for cards your child receives for their birthday or leftover Christmas cards. Amber and I both tried to get photos to post but weren't able to and wanted to get this posted. So.........hopefully we'll have better luck with the next Mommy and Me post as far as photos go.

Mom's Got Talent

Calling all moms!!! Do you have talent you would like to share with our MOPS group?


We currently have blog writers on fitness, fun with kids, make up tips....do you have something that you would like to write a feature on?


Do you have a talent you would like to like to share with a mini-class? Some examples would be knitting, quilting, cake decorating, photography, painting, woodworking, creating a family blog, scrapbooking, ceramics, crafts, gardening etc!


Email Amberloo22@aol.com if you have an idea for us!

Operation Organization

Operation Organization - taken from Moms of Faith

Can you barely find your kitchen counter under the stack of bills and magazines that pour in through the mail every day? If this sounds familiar than it is time to set up operation organize. Being organized is key to my sanity. As a single mom who takes care of all the cleaning, bills, grocery shopping and finances, I found early on that being organized would not only make my life easier, it would give me more time to spend with my daughter and do the things that matter most. Here are a few essential organizing tips.

Kitchen Organizing
Keep the kitchen tidy by not allowing mail to build up on counters. Purchase a basket or a three bin organizer you can hang on the wall. Label each bin. For example, label the first bin bills, the second, coupons, the third in could be appointments or to do lists, this could include permission slips, invitations, announcements, etc. A cork board is also a great way to post important reminders for the day. Don’t forget to hang your keys somewhere that you won’t forget them

The space under the sink can get messy if you keep cleaning products there. Find some inexpensive organizing bins. I found long oval tin containers at my local drug store for about $1.00-$1.50 and they hold my cleaning supplies, sponges, and trash bags perfectly.

Living Room Organizing
If the living room is your family’s gathering space it is most likely the most cluttered room of the house. If you read magazines or books, and watch movies there, make sure you have an appropriate place to put everything once your family is finished using it. Make sure you have enough magazine and bookshelves. A big basket or CD holder works great for DVDs.

Mudroom or Entry Organizing
You know the drill, the coats get thrown on the floor, the shoes are piled up, and wet umbrellas are lying around. Your entryway sets the tone for your home, it should be welcoming and clean. If you don’t have a hall closet, hang a rack that you could hang coats and hats on or purchase a coat rack. Get an old rain boot and put your umbrellas in it. A bench that opens up is another great way to utilize storage space.

Bedroom Organizing
If your closet is filled with shoes and your drawers are overflowing then it is time to take inventory and rearrange. First sort through your clothes, give away anything you aren’t going to wear. Then sort into seasons, get all your winter clothes and place them in plastic containers or even suitcases and store them in the attic, basement, or anywhere you have room. Don’t forget to label them by season. A shoe rack can be an inexpensive investment that you can either hang in your closet or on your door.

A laundry hamper for each person’s bedroom will also help to eliminate clothes all over the floor. Then make each family member responsible for bringing their own hamper to the laundry room on laundry day.

Linen Closet Organizing
A great space saver for towels is rolling and stacking them. I use wicker baskets to store my hair dryer, brushes, combs, etc. If I have extra lotions, perfume, or toothpaste, I place them in plastic storage containers that are the size of a shoebox and stack them.

Office Organizing
It is essential to keep your finances in order. When bills are scattered you are in danger of missing or making a late payment. In the current economic climate it is important that we stay on top of our finances. I suggest placing your bills in a binder with various folders. Label the folders according to your bills, for example, credit cards, donations, utilities, taxes, mortgage, car payments, education, credit reports, etc.

You can also have two separate bins, one for bills that you have to pay immediately, or that you want to pay within the next week or two, and the other bin for bills you don’t have to pay until later. Get in the habit of opening your mail on the day it arrives and filing it in the appropriate place.

There are so many ways to simplify your life. The idea is to find creative ways to organize that fit your lifestyle. So get those creative juices flowing and get organized. Become the captain of your ship and get everyone aboard.

Copyright © Chere Williams, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved

Ideas to Make & Do

Water Balloon Yo-Yo
1 small balloon
1 large rubber band

Directions: Cut the rubber band in half. Tie a loop securely on one end of the rubber band. It should be big enough to fit around your finger. Use a garden hose or water faucet to fill the balloon ¼ of the way with water. Blow air into the balloon until it is the size of a tennis ball. Tie the balloon shut. Securely tie the rubber band around theknot on the balloon. Place the rubber band loop around your middle finger and gently throw the balloon toward the ground. When the balloon springs back toward your hand, try to grab it.

Super Sidewalk Paint
¼ cup cornstarch
¼ cup cold water
6-8 drops of food coloring

Directions: Mix cornstarch and cold water together in a small plastic bowl. Add food coloring and stir. Repeat this process to creat different colors of Super Sidewalk Paint. Super Sidewalk Paint can easily be washed away with water