Mom Essentials: For Women of All Seasons

Mom Essentials: For Women of All Seasons

Posted on by Mama

ReviewDisclaimer
2420533The church ladies and I recently finished our latest Wednesday night Bible study via the Mom Essentials, 10 Words Successful Mothers Live By by Kasey Johnson. When I received the book as a member of Beacon Hill Press’ Off the Shelf Bloggers, I suggested it as a group study and the gals, while not all moms, jumped on board. Of course, since it was my suggestion I was elected to facilitate the 11-session study and the fun began.

There were about six to 10 of us that took part in the study each week and, as I said, not everyone was a mom. We had grandmothers, great-grandmothers, single moms, married moms and even one lady whom had never had children; but this wonderful mix of Christians had one big thing in common — we were all women. It quickly became clear that while this study was specifically directed to moms, it also spoke to the heart of women in varied seasons of life.

In this study,  Kasey emphasizes the need for balance in our lives and to support this balance she addresses how we can learn to be “Put Together,” “Shaped Up,” and “Equipped” through Christ to face the challenges of motherhood and life. In the first session, Kasey writes, “During this time of caring for our family, we need to remember we are investing in something bigger than ourselves and God is working everything together to help us enjoy this season while preparing for seasons to come.” Throughout the study Kasey addresses fears, weaknesses, preparation and perspective among other aspects of a woman’s life. She touches on the need to prioritize our time, shape our own identity, beef up our discipline, create a support system and even unplug from time to time.

There are so many great lessons in this study, that I would recommend it to any women’s group looking for a new venture. My only criticism of the Mom Essentials is that the lessons were a bit disjointed. Each session, standing on its own, contained great Biblical truths, wonderful points and valuable insight, but they didn’t all seem to complement the whole in a fluid manner. Of course In my book, if that’s the only problem, it’s pretty much a winner.

As facilitator, I found the supporting opening and closing videos and leader’s guide to be wonderful resources. They can be downloaded free of charge by clicking here. It was quick and easy to prepare for each lesson and I had ample material to engage the group and generate discussion. There is at-home work to be done between each session, but the length of said “homework” is easily manageable, even for a busy mom.

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the study was the personal prayers at the end of each chapter. Kasey is definitely grounded in scripture and has a way with words and insight into a mother’s heart. As a group, the church ladies agreed this was a worthwhile study for women of almost any season and we enjoyed the opportunity to really get to know one another in ways some previous Bible studies have not allowed. On a more personal basis and as a mother, I appreciated the opportunity to take a closer look at my life, put away some of the mommy guilt and strengthen my walk with God (of course, that super easy-to-use leader’s guide made me look like one of those moms that has it all together, which wasn’t half bad either).

“Hate” is a Four-Year-Old Letter Word

Posted on by Mama

Every now and then I catch a glimpse of unexpected assurance that our four-year-old son is actually soaking up a few of our better parenting moments. It’s usually when we least expect it and often when he doesn’t know we’re watching, but when it happens it’s gotta make a parent proud.

The other night there was just nothing on TV for the family to watch, so I switched over to Netflix (no, this is not the fine parenting moment of which I speak). I started searching for a family-friendly Disney movie that was not animated, because frankly there are times my husband and I deserve to watch “real” people doing real things during our son’s waking hours. I settled on The Rocketeer, and although I hadn’t seen it in many years I remembered it being a fun wholesome movie. Perhaps I should get my memory checked (showing an unscreened movie to my preschooler — still not my finest parenting moment, but stay with me here).

The first 10 minutes included a rolling gun battle, death, robbery and the D-A-M-N word at least four times. We finally decided to find something else to watch (which probably ended up being Bubble Guppies or Umizoomi after all), but our son was already riveted to the screen. He just couldn’t understand why we nixed the movie, so we told him that the people in it weren’t being very nice and they were saying bad words. Immediately he asked, “What did they say? What did they say?” Of course when we weren’t forthcoming with the actual term, he was left to ponder what he had heard. A few seconds later he came up with the answer.

“Oh, I know what they said. They said ‘hate’ and that’s not nice.”

I smiled and said, “Yes, baby, they said hate.”

Now this may not seem like much to most, but inside I wanted to take a victory lap or do a whole-hearted chest-bump with my equally triumphant husband. Still lost? Well let me interpret:  Thankfully our son hasn’t had enough exposure to the d-word to know it’s connotation and we’ve never heard him say it. On the other hand, he does know and use the h-word. As of late, we have been trying to instill the dislike of hate into his pretty little head, so you just have to understand that it’s a complete proud parent moment when your little one suddenly assumes that “hate” is a four-letter word.

Seed Cake Recipe for the Birds

Seed Cake Recipe for the Birds

Posted on by Mama

When the flurries are flyin’ and you’re stuck inside, why not bring a few birds to your window with these homemade birdseed cakes. I had my doubts when I first tried this recipe, but they really are easy to make and the birds love them.

BirdSeedCake

Birdseed Cakes
This one is for the birds -- homemade seed cakes
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Ingredients
  1. 3/4 c all-purpose flour
  2. 1/2 c water
  3. 1 envelope unflavored Knox gelatin
  4. 4 c birdseed
  5. nonstick cooking spray
  6. cookie cutters
  7. wax paper
  8. drinking straws
  9. ribbon or string
Instructions
  1. Combine the flour, water and gelatin in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
  2. Add the birdseed to the mixture and stir until well coated.
  3. Coat the inside of large cookie cutters with the nonstick cooking spray and place the cutters on a sheet of waxed paper.
  4. Completely fill each of the cutters with the seed mixture, making sure to press it into all the little nooks and crannies.
  5. Cut a piece of straw for each cookie cutter and carefully insert it into each shape (not too close to the edge) and leave it in place. This will make a hole from which to hang the seed cake.
  6. Let the filled cutters set for two hours,
  7. Carefully push the dried seed mixture out of the cutters and onto the wax paper, and remove the straw pieces.
  8. Allow the shapes to dry overnight.
  9. Insert a piece of ribbon or string through the holes in your seed cakes, tie them off and hang them from the nearest tree.
Notes
  1. This is a great kid-friendly project and also makes wonderful gifts.
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