Joyfully Weary

Gifts is totally my love language and when it comes to birthdays and Christmas it's tempting for me to overdo it. I want my children to feel loved and blessed but not to become spoiled. This can be a tricky line to walk. In order to give ourselves, well me, some boundaries and to keep the focus on Christ we limit our children's gifts to three items. We base it off of the gifts the Wise Men brought Jesus: frankincense, myrrh, and gold Frankincense is a resin obtained from  Boswellia  trees. The fragrant sap was often burned as incense during worhip services. In Exodus and Leviticus THE LORD commands the Israelites to burn Frankincense when they make certain offerings.  Frankincense is also known for it's healing properties and THE LORD is the the ultimate healer.        "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, th...

I used to be a little sheepish to admit it but my main love language is definitely gifts. I love receiving a well thought out present but, even more, I love giving good gifts and am always on the lookout for exceptional ideas. Therefore, when UncommonGoods contacted me about reviewing one of their products, I was thrilled.  Jeremy and I had a blast looking through their website...they have so many unique products. We finally decided on the Magnetic Wooden Car Set , since Mini Man is currently obsessed with cars and is determined that someday he will be a race car driver. He also has a creative streak and loves to build, so this toy seemed perfect for him. 

This past Christmas the kids made all their grandparents and aunts/uncles decorated wooden spoons. The were a big hit with all our family members and would also make a great Mother's Day gift or an end of year teacher's gift.  I  found the spoons at HomeGoods for around $4 but a similar set can also be found on Amazon . 

I've never been very good at remembering to send out birthday cards, but I'm determined to train my children differently. I want them to develop that habit of celebrating others - to be conscious of the importance of letting others know they are loved.  While working in childcare I had done projects similar to this handprint hug craft for Valentine's day and Mother's day but I thought receiving three birthday hugs in the mail would also be a fun surprise for our long distance relatives. Our supplies: tempera paint, small bowls, foam brushes, white construction paper, scissors, a measuring tape, scotch tape & a roll of vellum paper Step #1: if need be, mix desired paint color we had to mix up some green b/c it's mini man's favorite color and we were all out  Step #2: paint hands Step #3:  press hands onto construction paper Step #4: while handprints are drying use measuring tape to measure arm span. ...