Getting my 4 sweet and sometimes loud, age 10 and under, children to sit still in church has been quite the challenge at times.  Our church offers nursery but it’s only through age 4 and really, I’d rather have my kids with me soaking up the word.  It has definitely had it’s ups and downs.  All in all, I think our kids have been much better than I would have expected.  Practice does make perfect!

Here are the top 10 tips for introducing your child to worship, sent to me by the author of Rufus and Ryan Go To Church, Kathleen Long Bostrom.

1. Attend a child-friendly church.
A church that invites children to attend worship, that has a children’s time during worship or a service in which children are included, will not mind the noise and commotion that comes with having young children in worship.

2. Bring your child to church on a day other than Sunday morning.
Call the church office and make an appointment with a pastor, Christian education director, or church school teacher. Go on a tour of the church facility, and locate the Sunday school rooms and bathrooms as well as the sanctuary. Let your child explore the sanctuary, see how it feels to sit in the pew, and leaf through the Bibles and hymnbooks. Look behind the pulpit, Communion table, and baptismal font, and explain the use of these.

3. Take home a worship bulletin and go through the service at home.
Show your child that there are times to sit, to stand (and in some places, to kneel), to sing, to pray, and to listen. If the Lord’s Prayer is used, write down the words and let your child practice at home. Prepare offering envelopes and let your child put money in the envelope, and explain why the offering is important.

4. Play “Let’s go to church” at home.
Practicing the worship service at home will help your child feel more comfortable with what happens in worship.

5. Read the Bible and pray at home.
Purchase an age-appropriate Bible for your child and read the stories. Let your child handle the Bible and encourage questions. You can explain that the Bible is where we learn God’s story, and how we are part of that story. If you let prayer be a part of your everyday life, not just something you do at church, your child will understand its importance.

6. Sit near an aisle or in a place where you can make an exit if needed.
If your child needs to go to the bathroom, or is feeling overly stimulated or having a disruptive day, don’t be embarrassed. Walk your child out of the sanctuary until she can work off a little energy, and then come back in. This is much easier if you don’t have to crawl across a row of other people in the pew!

7. Be prepared with a worship notebook or bag.
Many churches provide materials for children to use during worship, but if not, bring your own supplies. Colored pencils can be used to mark the parts of worship in the bulletin as you go through them one by one. Get to church a few minutes in advance and use a bookmark to mark the hymns that will be sung that day. Have some coloring pages from a Bible coloring book for your child to color, or some blank pages for doodling. This is not disrespectful, and can help your child listen more attentively. Have the words of the Lord’s Prayer printed on a page for the child to follow, if he or she is of reading age. Let your child draw a picture of the anthem or hymns being sung, or the sermon, and give this to the choir director or pastor afterwards.

8. Teach basic church etiquette.
Speak to people before and after worship, and teach your child how to shake hands and greet others. If your child is shy, don’t force it, but practice at home and let your child see you greeting others. Let the child put the hymnbook and Bible away after use, and be sure to take your bulletin with you, rather than leaving it in the pew. Meeting other people and taking care of the church facility helps a child feel that “This is my church!”

9. Get to know the pastor.
Pastors of child-friendly churches love to get to know the children of the church. Introduce your child to the pastor after worship, and participate in other church activities so that the pastor becomes a friend and not a scary adult.

10. Don’t give up!
It may take awhile for your child to become comfortable in worship, and to learn how to sit quietly. The best way for this to happen is to attend worship on a regular basis. There may be days when it doesn’t go well, but don’t let this stop you from coming the following week. Practice makes perfect!

What tips do you have to help your children sit still?

We had the fun of reviewing Makit – Make a Plate.  It was a ton of fun!  We were sent the papers to color and then when we mailed our papers back in, we received the plates!

Here are our finished papers ready to mail back for turning into plates.

It was an easy and much quicker process than I expected, and they turned out great.  My kids were super excited to see their new plates and were trying to figure out how it was done.  They are using them daily now and love it!

My readers save 30% on their Prepaid Art Plate Kit (that’s a savings of over $5!) – USE PROMO CODE: USFAMILY at http://www.makit.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductCode=K1100PP

Yay! There are now FREE printables to go along with Disney’s Frozen movie!  I can’t wait to see this!  Here are the activities that you can do:

• Build a Snowman
• Find Olaf Maze
• Help Anna Maze
• Help Sven find Olaf Maze

Presenting my super heroes and the names they came up with… Pink Bomb Girl, Ice Girl, Fire Baby, and Fire Boy.

This is another guest post by my friend Alexia.  Alexia is a Disney Vacation Specialist with Destinations in Florida.   Click here to contact her and she’ll help you find the best rates for your magical vacation!  

If you spend a lot of time at hanging out at your Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you will probably be spending the majority of that time at the pool.  Please keep in mind that Disney has a strict policy where you cannot swim at a pool if you are not staying at that resort (so no pool hopping!).  Here are the top ten Walt Disney World Resort pools:

1. Stormalong Bay:  This pool at Disney’s Beach Club Resort tops most people’s lists.  A mini-water park in its own right, Stormalong Bay is made up of three-acres of a lazy river, beaches, slides, whirlpools, spas, and play areas.  An enormous shipwreck features a 150-foot water.  The main pool itself features Disney’s only sand bottom floor.  A kiddie pool area, complete with a pint-sized slide, is perfect for little ones.  Adults can lounge in one of the several spas located throughout the complex.

2. The Big Blue Pool:  Located at Disney’s newest resort, Art of Animation, The enormous Big Blue Pool is Finding Nemo themed and holds 398,000 gallons of water.  Swimmers can listen to underwater music as well as snippets of conversation from some of their Nemo favorites.   There is also a little kids’ splash pad area and a playground featuring Squirt the sea turtle.

3. Ol’ Man Island:  Ol’ Man Island at Port Orleans Riverside is an oasis of sorts. It has quiet paths, towering trees, a playground for the kids, a bonfire area, a bar (The Muddy Rivers Pool Bar), and a catch and release Fishin’ Hole. Centered on the island is a wonderfully themed pool with water fountains, leaking buckets, a spouting geyser and a fun water slide. Add in a great little wading pool and an 8-person spa and the package is complete.

4. Old Port Royale:  The pirate pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort is usually a kid favorite.  With an 82-foot slide, water cannons, tipping buckets, and spraying showers, the Fuentes del Morro pool, themed after an old Spanish Fortress, offers plenty of action.  There is also a kids’ water playground built to look like a pirate shipwreck complete with its own spray features and water slide.

5. Uzima Springs:  Uzima Springs at Animal Kingdom Lodge’s Jambo House is one of the largest on Disney property (11,000 square feet!) and features both a 67-foot pool slide and a zero-entry.  Sometimes you can even see animals from the pool!

6. Nanea Volcano:  Swim in the shadow of an erupting volcano which also serves as a slide at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.   The pool itself has some fantastic features including in-pool seating, water jets and a zero-entry from its lagoon side along a waterfall.  There’s also a children’s water jet play area for fun for the little ones.   At night, guests can see Wishes over the Magic Kingdom and the Electrical Water Pageant right from the pool.

7. Luna Park Pool:  This fun carnival and circus themed pool at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn features an awesome slide called Keister Coaster.  This pool is another kid favorite due to its fun theme.

8. Silver Creek Falls:  Located at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Silver Creek Falls has one of the best natural locations on the Disney property.  Relax in the dazzling heated main pool surrounded by pine trees and boulders or zip down the exciting 67-foot waterslide built into the rocks.

9. Dig Site:  This sprawling pool complex boasts a Mayan ruins theme.  The Lost City of Cibola main pool features a 50-foot pyramid centerpiece with water streaming down its stone steps.  The 123-foot-long waterslide features a spitting Jaguar.  Located next to the pool is a playground compete with a modern archaeological dig.  Dig Site is also home to the largest hot tub on Walt Disney World Resort property, large enough for 22 people.

10. Beach Pool: This 111,261-gallon pool at Disney’s Grand Floridan Resort and Spa overlooks Seven Seas Lagoon.  Beach Pool features a 181-foot-long waterslide amid a serene natural springs themed setting, complete with cascading waterfalls and zero-entry.  Nearby, little ones will surely want to splash it up in the adjacent Mad Hatter’s Tea Party themed aquatic play area.  Teapots, teacups, and the Mad Hatter’s famous hat dump water on little ones.  Two mini water-slides and several sprinklers provide unlimited fun.

Do you have a favorite resort pool on the Disney property?

This past weekend, we got a bunch of green peppers in our Bountiful Basket.  My husband was wanting stuffed peppers but with as busy as it is around here sometimes, I didn’t have the time to make it!  I found a couple recipes on pinterest, but none of them caught my eye, so I decided to make my own recipe.  It’s super simple, the way I like it!  Just pull out your crock pot and throw the ingredients in!

This recipe turned out so great, the kids and hubby are begging me to make it again already!  Good thing I have some extra peppers!  On the kids bowls, to make it fun, I even added some goldfish.

There were no complaints, only seconds and thirds requested!  Even my pickiest eater cleared his bowl, twice!

Note, I use this 7 Quart Crock-Pot.

The bathroom: a room that requires constant cleaning if you want it to smell and look nice as well as be sanitary. Unfortunately, this often means a lot of heavy chemical cleaners that are not only bad for you, but bad for your wallet as well.

It doesn’t have to be this way! You can clean your bathroom to sparkling beauty with frugal means, with stuff you may already have at your house. Let’s look at some of the troublesome areas and how you can do just that!

1. Showerheads: Nothing is more annoying than a clogged showerhead. Did you know that you can clean a showerhead with denture tabs and vinegar? It’s simple; just dissolve 1-2 tabs in some water and pour in a plastic bag. Tie the mixture up with a rubber band and leave on overnight. Alternatively, you can use just vinegar in a bag the same way.

2. Soap scum: Mix 3 Tbsp baking soda, ½ cup vinegar and 2 C. warm water together. You will want to add the water in first of you will have a bubbly mess! Rub onto the surface and leave on for a few moments. Rinse off with water and your surfaces will shine like new!

3. Glass shower doors and mirrors: Don’t waste money on paper towels or window cleaner. Simply use vinegar and coffee filters for a streak-free shine. You can also wipe clean with old newspaper, although some people say this can leave behind a film.

4. Prevent soap scum: This is simple. Just keep a spray bottle with vinegar in it near the shower. When you are done, spray the surfaces off after you shower.

5. Plastic tubs: Use this scratch-free cleaner solution: Mix ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, ¼ dishwasher liquid, and ¼ baking soda to form a paste. Use it to clean all your tub’s surfaces. Great for shower walls as well.

6. Vinyl Shower curtains: Keep soap scum from building up by spraying your curtains with vegetable oil. Just a light coat will do. Spray on again about once a month. Don’t do this on cloth shower curtains. To remove already built on soap scum from curtains, try this: mix ½ cup vinegar and ½ cup borax with 2 cups water. Spread on the affected area and allow to sit for a half an hour. Rinse off with warm water.

7. Grout: No one likes scrubbing grout. It can be done easily with a paste of 1 part borax, 1-2 parts water and 2 parts baking soda. Just use this to aid you in your “elbow grease”. When done, rinse with warm water.

8. Hard Water Spots: dissolve 2 cups of salt and 1 gallon of hot water. Apply to the surface and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Wipe off with a clean cloth. If that doesn’t work, try ½ cup vinegar added to 1 gallon hot water.

9. Toilets: You can use mouthwash to clean your toilet and it will make your bowl sparkle! Just grab the cheapest kind you can find and pour in ½ cup. Swish around the bowl and you are done! If you are looking for a way to make your bowl smell nice, just keep a small jar or essential oils in your cabinet. Drop a couple drops in the bowl and in the tank every once in a while.

10. Rust spots: Mix equal parts borax and lemon juice to form a paste. Cover the rust stain and leave to sit for 10 minutes then scrub with an old toothbrush. Rinse off with warm water.

Guest post by my friend Tanya

It is that time of year again! Time to pull out those pumpkin recipes and the scarecrows…and of course carve a bewitching pumpkin! This is something our family looks forward to every year and this year my son is finally old enough to pick out a pattern that he wants!! There are tons of FREE, spooktacular patterns to choose from, anywhere between beginners, kid-friendly, to more difficult pumpkins!

Below is a list of my lucky 13 favorite sites that gave us plenty of inspiration, including the SpiderMan pattern my son HAS to have!

First off, Better Homes and Gardens created a step by step of beginner basics. This site shows you all the tools you will need to do a beginner pumpkin up to tackling that more complex pumpkin! Be sure to browse their website for plenty of FREE templates and ideas.

• Reader’s Digest-this site offers 27 free stencils that are more on a beginner level.
• Pumpkin Pile – This site has EVERYTHING, hundreds of ideas including: classics, sports, superheroes (here is my little guy’s SpiderMan), animals and even celebrities and more!
• Martha Stewart-everyone knows this is the go-to lady for all of your decorating needs—she provides 46 templates and directions and tools needed to complete that pattern.
• Disney-for all my Disney lovers
• Nick Jr-this site literally has all of your Nick Jr. favorites, Dora, Umizoomy, The Backyardigans, Yo Gabba Gabba and much much more!! My son got a little excited when he saw this site!
• Beginners-here are 8 stencils for easy for the beginner or kid (supervision advised)
• Complex Pumpkins-for those experts or brave souls, this site has some pretty difficult ones to try out! (they also have a few easier ones to try)
• 100 free-this site offers 100 free stencils…some seem a little complex but different from other sites!
• Kid friendly-here are some kid friendly stencils…these are some really cute ones to do as a family
• HERSHEY’S-now you can have your chocolate and eat it too!
• 10 Midwest stencils-this has some of your, Midwest needs, lighthouse, barn, maple leaf, deer, etc.
• 28 Cat stencils-for all my cat lovers
• 26 Dog stencils-I did not forget the dog lovers…this site has stencils for your favorite dog breed. And if you are a pit-bull rescuer there is one for you too

For my pumpkin this year, I will be trying the drilling idea…you can create some BOO’tiful designs by drilling holes into the pumpkin, below is an example of what I want!
 

Every-batty have a fang-tastic time and don’t forget, there is no such thing as too much candy!