Creation Story: Day 3

Creation Story: Day 3

Today's tot lesson was about Day 3 of the Creation Story.... “And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.” -Genesis 1: 9-13

Where God made flowers, plants and trees's and the snack we enjoyed... We planted seeds and decorated our number 3 with flowers, plants, and trees. *Apologies I forgot to take all the pictures.

Creation Story : Day 2

Creation Story; Day 2


Today at tot school was Day 2 of Creation : Sky "And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault "sky." And there was evening and there was morning -- the second day." Genesis 1:6-8.


We first reviewed day 1 with the marshmallows being the light and the raisins being the darkness.

We reviewed our Number 2 and colored it blue for the water/sky and added clouds. Our other craft was a sheet of blue construction paper with water waves colored with blue Rice Krispies and cotton for the 

Our snacks for today are popcorn (clouds) and water

and blue jello "water" and cool white "clouds". 

The Creation Story: Day 1

"The Creation Story"
Day 1

Since today I was thankful for homeschool here is some of what we did in tot school ... Today our lesson was "The Creation Story" Day 1. 

We took a shoe box and painted it with black paint on the inside.  Next we put two hole in the side with one on each end but not parallel. When they first looked in the box it was black and then we placed the flashlight on the other end.  When they looked this time there was light.  They truly enjoyed this activity. * Sorry I forgot to take a picture

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning - the first day."  

Lastly, for our snack today we enjoyed Oreos which when closed they represented the darkness. However; when we opened them to reveal the cream in the middle the day or light was represented. 

I truly enjoyed the lesson today and the fact that since we are homeschooling our children are able to learn about it in a learning environment. I would love to hear any ideas that my fellow home school parents have to share. 

The Un- Pepperoni Pizza

Toddlers are very picky eaters.... mine's included. She loves pepperoni pizza without the pepperoni. Yes, we have tried plain cheese pizza but nope its not Pepperoni Mom.  So, when I stumbled across this recipe for pepperoni pizza in a bundt pan; I had to give it a try.

Ingredients:  

2 Cans of Grands Jr. Biscuits
3.5 ounce package of Pepperoni 
16 ounce package of Mozzarella cheese 
1/2 t Italian seasoning 

1 T Parmesan cheese 

Directions

You will cut the biscuits into 4 pieces and layer them in the bottom of the pan.  Next slice the pepperoni's in half and that will be your second layer. Sprinkle your mozzarella cheese on and that will be your 3rd layer. Finally you will sprinkle Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning as your 4th layer. This process will be repeated 3 times until the Grands are gone. 

Preheat oven to 350.  Make sure that you grease the bundt pan or use a nonstick pan. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. I hope your family enjoyed it as much as mine's did.  We enjoy dipping ours in marinara sauce. My toddler even asked for seconds... Yay Mom! .

My First Attempt at Verse Mapping 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Let's keep in mind that there is no right or wrong way to verse map. In some instances teh verses will lend themselves to some very deep verse mapping, while others will be more simplistic.  My friends, do no overlook the simple. More often than not we get caught in the rut of thinking that  we have learned all there is to learn. Something so familiar becomes something we don’t give a second thought to, but just let the words roll off our tongues. This verse is way to important to become mundane and something we just repeat without truly meditating on and continually having a new hunger build inside of us. Let’s break down this very familiar, and probably one of the most memorized verses, John 3:16.

The first way I verse map is to look at the verse and see if there is anywhere I can replace pronouns with proper names. Most are God of course, but sometimes the verse is speaking to or about me. This verse is no exception.

For God so loved Kangelia that God gave His one and only Son, so that, Kangelia, who believes in God, shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Put your name in place of mine. The verse still fits and is still relevant. God loves every single one of us, and He knows each of us by our name! You can personalize that verse specific to you! I love that.

Next, I pick out words that really stand out to me and look them up in a dictionary and thesaurus. Loved, believes, perish, and eternal stand out. Let’s break them down.

Loved:  an intense feeling of deep affection

Believes: accept as true

Perish: suffer death, typically in a violent, sudden, or untimely way

Eternal: lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning

Wow! God had such an intense feeling of deep affection for me, that as long as I accept that as truth, I won’t suffer death, but rather I will last forever! When we make this personal it has such a more heartfelt meaning when it’s all written out in that way!

For God had such an intense feeling of deep affection for Kangelia, that God sent His one and only Son. As long as Kangelia accepts this as truth, Kangelia  will not die, but rather exist forever in God’s presence!

Verse mapping in the simplest of way for the deepest of meaning.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life”.

* I would like to thank Angela Marks over at http://www.intentionallygrmazing.blogspot.com/ for first introducing me to verse mapping. Please be sure to head over and check her blog out. 

Let's Revive: Sunday Dinner

One of my favorite childhood family traditions growing up was Sunday Dinner.  I loved having all of my family gathered around the table and sharing a home cooked meal. What meant the most to me were the stories shared, the laughs, and the memories created. Since I enjoy meal planning and love to cook we are restoring a valued family tradition of Sunday family dinners.  We always ask two questions: "What was the best part of your day?" and "What was the hardest part of your day?" We avoid the word worst because it infers defeat and our main goal here is to get our children talking.  


Some of you call it Sunday supper, some dinner, but whichever you call it, it was considered the main meal of the day on Sunday, most often served earlier than the usual weeknight dinner, usually between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. 

Even in the south though, it appears that Sunday dinner has taken the back seat to the busyness of life, but I am praying for a revival.  Even in the age of modern technology, we all need to unplug and reconnect with other human beings, face to face.... not on Facebook, email or texting but real live conversation.  We recently went out to dinner and I was astonished at the number of people whose phones were right under their nose, so that they could read and respond to every text or Facebook post.
Seriously why are these parents not engaging in conversations with their children? More importantly, what are they teaching their children?  If you can't be away from technology long enough to sit down and enjoy each other's company and your meal, then, well you might just be addicted. So my challenge to each of you is to put all technology away for an hour or so, and enjoy each other's company.  Let's revive not only Sunday dinners but our families as well.

What are some of your favorite memories of your family Sunday dinners? Do you have a favorite Sunday dinner meal?

Book Review : I Love My Hair!

Title: I Love My Hair

Author: Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

Illustrator: E.B. Lewis

Every night before she goes to bed, Keyana sits down between her mother's knees to have her hair combed. But no matter how gently Mama pulls, it still hurts sometimes! Keyana doesn't feel lucky to have such a head of hair, but Mama says she is because she can wear it any way she chooses. "I can spin your hair into a fine, soft yarn, just like our grandmothers did at their spinning wheels," she tells her. "Or I can part your hair into strait lines and plant rows of braids along your scalp, the way we plant seeds in our garden." Soon Keyana, too, finds reasons to love her hair, and she wears it any way she chooses with pride.

In my opinion, this book "I Love My Hair" truly brought back so many memories of my Mama and Big Mama doing my hair.   I remember those Saturdays sitting in the kitchen with that dreaded hot comb.  I was so tender headed and literally cried for hours and begged Mama to stop.   It never failed that no matter how hard I tried to keep from getting burned each week it was either my neck or my ear.  About five years ago I made the decision to embrace my natural hair in an effort to inspire my daughter Kourtney to do the same. But this book really focuses on loving yourself. Loving your hair, loving your style and your heritage. We are all beautiful in our own way.  I highly recommend this book for the ages 4-8.  As a parent it was important for my daughter to have some books with characters with features similar to her. 

I absolutely loved this book and have added it to my daughter's personal library.  It currently is her favorite book at bedtime.  Here is a picture of her embracing her natural hair... 

Servant of Peace

As we made our decision to homeschool I discovered very quickly that our home left something to be desired in the areas of being peaceful and comfortable. So, I begin to pray. My first inclination was to pray that the Lord would change my children into children who loved each other and change my husband into a "more godly" man who will listen to my way of doing things more readily. I also thought about praying for a house since we had made the decision to homeschool now and be at home all day....

{Since that time I learned that God has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. What I have is what I need at this time. Philippians 4:19 It's all in how you look at your "needs" and your "wants" }

I was impressed to pray instead for God to change me.  So I prayed that He would change me into the wife my husband needed, that He would change me into the mother who could model good and kind behavior for her children and discipline them in love. I prayed most earnestly for a peaceful, holy, happy home.  And something began to happen right away. It's not the peace of the soul that I am speaking of here, but the peace of order, quiet, congeniality and kindness.  These traits in the members of a family can encourage the peace of our souls which only Christ can bring. 
Here are a few ways to create the servant of peace in your home:  

I personally cannot pursue a wise management of my home apart from my relationship with the Lord.  I need to cry out to Him daily for the ability to faithfully complete the task He has called me to do.  Even if I can just take a few moments to pray, pick a verse to meditate on throughout the day, I am strengthened to complete my homemaking responsibilities with a joyful countenance. May the Joy of the Lord be your strength. Nehemiah 8:9-12  Starting each day with prayer, asking the Lord to give you a peaceful spirit and servant’s heart will go a long way in promoting peace in your home.
Keeping a clean home is one of the ways that I am creating a peaceful atmosphere in my home.  Decreasing my stress level in this manner allows me to have a better attitude, which in turns allows others in my home to be more content as well.  I am currently participating in the 31 Day Purge at A Bowl Full of Lemon's Blog  which is greatly assisting me in no longer organizing clutter but instead actually purging it.  I am sure you are wondering how I plan to maintain the cleaning part of a peaceful home. I am currently a Flybaby with Flylady.net because it has greatly assisted me in developing a consistent routine to maintain my home on a daily basis.

Next, seriously consider clearing your calendar. Most of us are way too busy and having a overly-hectic schedule does nothing but adds stress to everyone in the family.   We have to learn to prioritize our time, balance our priorities and cut out things that are non essential to making our home peaceful. Whether it’s meal planning or choosing what to wear the next day, planning ahead and preparing for the future will assist you in avoiding feeling frazzled and keep you from making last minute decisions. Not only will this benefit you, but your entire household.

Finally establish house rules and keep them out in the open so that your entire family can refer to them to assist in promoting peace.   As our homes become a place of tranquility and rest, they will naturally become a haven to those who are weary and overwhelmed.  May we strive to allow the Peace Giver to rule, rest and abide in our homes each and every day.

Are you being a servant of peace in your home?  How can you promote peace in you home? 

A Servant's Heart

Homemaking consists of more than having a clean home.   It is my desire to create a home that is a haven for my family and friends.  Dictionary.com defines a haven as a “place of shelter or safety” and a refuge. In my life's journey of becoming a successful homemaker, I have realized that there must be a change of heart before there can be a adjustment in our actions. 

This will be the beginning of a series and despite the fact that many often wrestle with cultivating a servant's heart when it comes to their home and family.  I believe the Lord is teaching me how to go beyond the call of duty as a wife and mother. Which means that I am doing those little things for my family that I know will be a blessing to them because I love them and they are worthy of my love and attention.  Wouldn't you go beyond your way for the Lord Himself? Why not for your own family?

I am currently studying the book of Proverbs focusing on Proverbs 31 as my prayer is that God would allow my husband and children to arise up, and call me blessed. I struggle as a wife, mother and homemaker not to eat the bread of idleness; however, I believe that God will bless me to look well to the ways of my household.

As homemakers, it is our privilege to be the thermostat, so to speak, for our homes. The condition of our hearts and souls determines—or at the very least, influences—the temperature of our home. If we are overwhelmed or have a negative attitude toward our role, then we will struggle in this area.

We must realize that we can worship the Lord through our housework, and recognize our high calling as homemakers, while acknowledging the fact that having a servant’s heart is a command in Scripture.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  -Philippians 2:5-8

As Christian homemakers and godly women the ultimate example of humility from the life (and death) of our Savior should be reflected in our hearts. 

Yes, it is easy to say that we desire to have a servant's heart but putting it into practice proves to be challenging.  Unfortunately, pride and selfish tend to make having a humble heart difficult.  Society says that being a servant in any capacity is "beneath" us - caring for our loved one is not important! Society has their own servants - they pay others to do this work for them. But little do they know they are missing out on the greatest gift of all: truly loving others through our actions! 

Here are the three simple things that will assist you in cultivating a servant's heart: 

• Search Your Heart ~ On a daily basis do a quick heart check.  Make a mental note of your attitude toward your responsibilities and determine if they are pure and pleasing to God.  Keep in mind that having the wrong motives or spirit despite doing the right thing is still sinful.
• Seek the Word Search Your Heart~ Meditating on the Word of God by reading the Scriptures and memorizing Bible verses will help you re-direct your thoughts and keep your attitude in check. Eventually this will become a habit and will help you avoid having a disgruntled heart toward housekeeping and your family.
• Say a Prayer ~ Ask God to give you a heart for your home. Plead for a humble heart and the willingness to put the needs of others (specifically your family) ahead of your own. Draw on the strength that only comes from a relationship with the All-Sufficient One. He is the only one that can change your heart and give you the desire to serve.
  
  
  My prayer is that today we spend some time with you Lord and get rejuvenated so that we are fueled up to serve our families with a sweet spirit and a giving heart. May we be motivated to humble ourselves before the Lord, asking Him to give us a willing spirit to serve. We will truly be able to make our home a haven when our hearts are overflowing with humility. 

  So, how do YOU cultivate a heart for your home?

Making Your Home a Haven

“The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
” ~ Proverbs 14:1

Good morning, I am currently participating in the Making Our Home a Haven Fall Challenge over at Women Living Well Ministries. 

Friends, we don't want to just read God's Word - we want to live out God's Word in our homes first and then outside the home where God has planted us.   So this challenge will be focused on living out the word of God within the four walls of our home. 

Each week we are given one practical tip and one spiritual tip that we can do to create a haven in our home. 

As, Courtney stated, she believes we can create a physical environment, as well as a spiritual environment, that can bring peace, harmony and a sense of calmness to our homes if we are willing to be intentional and I wholeheartedly agree. 

Week 1: October 6th -Go buy an extra large candle and light a candle everyday in your home.

All of last week I started my candle in the morning but you can start yours at dinner time or whenever is convenient for you.  My candle was placed in my kitchen because it is the heart of my home. The purpose of lighting the candle is so that each time the candle catches your eye, you are reminded to say a prayer for peace and patience in your home.

The focus for prayer last week was peace and patience. 

In my opinion there is truly no place like home and it really does not matter if you are in an apartment or a large home because our home is where we establish the foundations of our families. And, as Courtney states, it’s not the things you do or don’t have that make your home a haven–YOU are the key to making your home a haven.  

 I am striving to make my home a haven for my family and friends.  I like this simple gesture, the tangible reminder–the lit candle–telling me that I have control over the mood and feel of my home.  And I’m choosing to make it a warm, welcoming haven for those I love and those in need.

Here is the remaining schedule for the Challenge: 

Week 2: October 13th – Play soft music everyday in your home.

Choose worship, classical, jazz or another form of peaceful music that the family enjoys. Focus on using peaceful words and maintaining peaceful relationships.

Work on gentleness and self-control this week.

Week 3: October 20th – Keep the candle burning, the music playing and plan a Family Fun Night.

Have a pillow party in the family room and get out every blanket and pillow in the house and be cozy with the kids or your hubby! Even if you live alone you can do this. Enjoy a cozy evening of hot cider and caramel corn. Bust out some old fashioned games and take the time to savor these moments with your loved ones.

Work on kindness and joy this week.

Week 4: October 27th – Focus on the kitchen, the heart of the home.

Cook things with pleasant aromas like homemade bread, pies, and cookies. Don’t wait to have a reason to make something special – do it simply to show love to your family. Invite your kids and/or hubby to cook along side of you – make memories in the kitchen – test tasting, being creative, laughing and loving. Remember the importance of dinner time around the table as a family.

Work on showing love, goodness and faithfulness to your family this week.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” ~ Galatians 5:22,23

This year the spiritual emphasis is on the fruit of the spirit.  There is no magic in the lighting of a candle, soft music, game nights or comfy food – it is the power of the Holy Spirit working through us that will transform our homes into a haven for everyone who passes through our doors, so the light of Jesus can shine brightly.

I hope you’ll join me on this 5 Week Challenge.  They’re simple tasks that have the potential to create or enhance the positive and peaceful environment of your home. I love that it sets the tone as we head into the busy, but blessed holiday season.

What makes YOUR home a haven?  What do you do to make your home a comfortable place for those you love?

♥ Kangelia

Book Review of "Wife After God"

I first came across Unveiled Wife and her book, Wife After God through Facebook. I placed by order through Amazon and received instant deliver to my Kindle. It is very apparent that the author Jennifer Smith truly sought the Lord regarding this devotional, and genuinely wants to share the beauty of a God centered marriage. I started reading the book that very night in my personal pursuit of drawing closer to God and my wonderful husband.

This devotional is written for both equally and unequally yoked marriages. The primary focus emphasizes how you as a wife can love, encourage and support your husband in his pursuit of becoming the man that God desires for him to be while keeping Christ at the center. While this book is written for all seasons of marriage. I would highly recommend this book for younger wives, newlyweds or babes in Christ.  This heartfelt devotional truly inspires you to be a wife who follows after God. I have gone through the book both on a individual and group setting and thoroughly enjoyed both. Granted the group setting presented a much more in depth study. 
When asked what is this book about Jennifer says it best, "This devotional is designed to walk you through an intense journey of experiencing God, specifically tailored to one of your most important ministry roles -- being a wife!"


Each devotion begins with a few Focus verses, a Thought, where Jennifer has written stories and scriptures to support the Topic of the day. There is also a personal challenge, Journal questions, Prayer and a Twitter status update. I love the challenge ideas and the prayers however the small group study served for better discussion and accountability. Since everything is geared around social media the status update was a great idea. 

Jennifer states that "As a Christian and as a wife there is a responsibility to nurture both your relationship with God and your husband" and I am in total agreement. This book quickly comes to mind as a recommendation for those desiring a more intimate relationship with Christ and their husband. I was highly impressed with this devotional as a group study and was excited to see Wives After God: Encouraging Each Other in Faith & Marriage and would suggest this route for a small group as well. In order to successfully complete this devotional you will need a copy of the book which can be purchased here, a bible and a journal.  If you want to see all the videos related to this series, you can subscribe to the Unveiled Wife YouTube channel .  Completing this devotional definitely had a positive impact on my marriage so I would highly recommend it to others as well.  

Book Details:

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1st edition (June 14, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1481866885
• ISBN-13: 978-1481866880
• Product Dimensions: 0.3 x 5 x 8 inches
• Retail Price: $13.49
• Kindle Edition: $8.49

Disclosure: I purchased this book with my own funds and I was not financially compensated in any way for this post. All opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this devotion. 

Homeschoolin Mama!

We chose to home school our youngest child because God gave her to us alone to raise. We alone are responsible for her. We're responsible for her education, her spiritual state, her moral values and how she views life. If she can't function in this life as a wife, parent, employee or friend the blame falls on us. We see no distinction between teaching her to clean up after herself, love others or read. We want her to love learning and continue to learn throughout life because she curious, not to pass a test. She is not perfect just as we are not perfect. There will be holes in her education just as there was in ours. Our hope is that what she learns from books in our home school will only be a small part of her education. In the end, we are trying to raise an independent, confident, loving member of society while doing it all for the glory of God.   We are having fun in the kitchen today at tot school.... The Letter this week is "C" so we made cupcakes.  We practiced the following: reading the directions, math since we measured our ingredients, counted the eggs, and how many cupcakes we made total. Lastly, she used her motor skills as she frosted each one. #learningisfun