Posts by Bekah Banihashemi
Pumpkin Decorating instead of Carving
We tried a new pumpkin craft this year in place of carving. With a 3 year old, 2 year old, a 2 month old and a home that is still not fully moved into, the mess of pumpkin carving was not appealing. But I wanted to do something fun and pumpkin-y with the kids to celebrate the season.
And, target for the win!!!
I found pumpkin decorating kits for $3 that were so simple and so cute! One was a llama and the other a unicorn! Each kit came with all the supplies which consisted of sticky paper and foam that you just put straight onto the pumpkin. We had small white pumpkins already from a previous project so they ended up being a little small for what the kit called for, but we were still able to make it work! Sophie LOVED it, we were really able to have her take more of the reigns than if carving and she was so proud of how it turned out!
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Sharing Joy with Painted Rocks
Another check off our bucket list!!
The last time we were at Gammie and Poppa’s house, Sophie LOVED getting to decorate rocks with paint and glitter.
Today, we decided to go on an adventure walk and leave the rocks different places around our route for others to enjoy!
In all honesty, the adventure did not fully go as planned (#momlife) – kids continuing to pick the rocks up after they chose a spot, not being great listeners…However, I decided to look at and focus on the positives.
It was a beautiful, sunny day that we got to enjoy on our walk
I let the kids run free instead of sitting in the stroller which they loved and they were very obedient staying on the sidewalk
I was able to talk to the kids about sharing joy with others even if they didn’t fully understand it
Selah slept in the carrier
We achieved our goal of placing the rocks around our block and hope that others love seeing them on their walks!
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Matching Outfits
Matching outfits bring joy to my life- I just think it’s so fun, probably because it has been ingrained in me since birth!
Our mom was always putting us four girls in matching outfits, usually ones that she made herself! I don’t make my kids matching outfits but I sure love to find them or find the fabric to have my mom make something (Thanks Gammie :D)! I always think it looks so cute but I also always remember hearing Rachel say years ago,
“ It makes it easier to find your kids when you’re only looking for one outfit!” (GENIUS!)
Sophie LOVES matching with her siblings and cousins too! And it just makes the holiday seasons more fun!
So, this holiday season, wear matching outfits, make new holiday traditions, and allow simple things to bring you joy!
Reading
✨Reading ✨
I have always loved to read but in the last few years it has definitely been put on the back burner.
This month, I am making it a priority to READ- for fun and for some (lots of) new parenting tips…because two and three year olds are hard 😬
I had found a lot of these books a while ago and was dragging my feet to start them. Sometimes, starting new books or opening yourself up to new ideas and methods can be overwhelming…but I decided the time is NOW!
I’ve been rereading the Traveling Pants series for fun, light reading.
And the books in my parenting stack include 1-2-3 Magic by Thomas W. Phelan, Parenting Scripts: When What You’re Saying Isn’t Working, Say Something New by Amber Lia and Wendy Speake, Triggers: Exchanging Parents’ Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses by Amber Lia and Wendy Speake, You Can’t Make Me But I Can Be Persuaded: Strategies for Bringing Out the Best in Your Strong Willed Child by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias and Grace-based Discipline by Karis Kimmel Murray
*I found some of these on thriftbooks.com for great prices!*
I found the rest on Amazon and at Focus on the Family
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Try a New Fall Craft- Coloring Pumpkins
When I saw the idea for coloring pumpkins, I thought we must incorporate this into one of our preschool days for our color theme that we have been working on the last couple of weeks. It was very simple- only needing white pumpkins, crayons (old, broken ones worked well for the smaller pumpkins), and a blow dryer- but the end result was so unique!
At first, we were a little discouraged because the crayons kept blowing off of the pumpkins. But, we stuck with it and realized that the crayons needed to melt a little to get grounded into the pumpkin to start dripping down to make the melted colored strips. It did take longer than we expected for the crayons to melt so the little ones did lose interest after the first pumpkin, but they loved seeing how the colors mixed together and melted down the pumpkin.
Another check off our Bucket List! 🙂
Check out our instagram @growingweisser to see a Time-lapse video of the process!
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Truth Unchanging Devotional Review
I was gifted the devotional book, Truth Unchanging: Hearing God Daily in the Midst of Motherhood by Becky Thompson by my sister, Bethany, for my birthday.
Although I’m only a few days into reading it, I wanted to give a recommendation for what I think about it already! First of all, I love the tone of Becky’s writing. I have also read her book, Hope Unfolding: Grace-Filled Truth for the Momma’s Heart and, in each book, it is as if you are sitting across from a friend in a coffee shop. Although bold in Truth, she is gentle and understanding of what motherhood entails. She says…
“As moms know, even when there isn’t noise around us, there is usually noise within us. The constant to-do lists that spin in our minds, the worry and wonder if we are doing a good job, and the need to stay two steps ahead of our families when we feel two steps behind keep our minds routinely restless. So when quiet time with God isn’t so quiet, and alone time is nearly nonexistent, how does a modern-day momma tune in the voice of the Lord?
With Truth Unchanging, you don’t have to wait until you’re alone to talk with Jesus. Designed to be read in five minutes or less, each powerful, hope-filled devotion will…
-REFOCUS your heart on the Word of God
-REFRESH your mind with God’s Truth for your life
-REVIVE your spirit as you realize God is speaking to you personally
Truth Unchanging is not just a devotional. It’s an opportunity to begin daily conversations with Jesus, the One who has everything we need for the days ahead, the One who wants to speak to you right now. Tune in to His voice today.”
In each devotional, Becky asks great questions …
Read MoreConnecting Through Motherhood – MOPS
This year, I decided to join a MOPS group. MOPS stands for “Mothers of Preschoolers” but it is really for moms of preschool age children and under. MOPS has been such a blessing for me not only to give me a two hour window every other week to remember what it is like to have a conversation without being interrupted by my little ones but also to be encouraged in motherhood with a group of amazing women! By stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new, I was able to meet new friends, talk through motherhood struggles and get ideas for how to get through different stages of child rearing, and hear some amazing teachings from many Christian women.
Here is some of the encouragement I was given from these great teachers…
Maria Goff gave us a CHARGE for our lives in motherhood from Ephesians 4:1
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”
reminding us that we must live each day with NO COMPARISON.
She taught us that HOSPITALITY is not about how you set your table but how people feel about sitting around your table. It is more about the condition of our HEARTS, not the condition of our HOME.
Melanie Dale taught us about what
Mo Isom taught us how to SUFFER WELL, that our worth as a Mom is not in our ability to make life look picture perfect.
She encouraged us to HAVE COURAGE because God has already overcome the world.
“Adversity (in motherhood) is inevitable but is is also used in …
Read MoreCrockpot Chicken – 3 Ways
As a mom of two littles, easy and healthy dinners are a must!
I love using the crockpot and love even more when what is in the crockpot can make a few different meals.
Recently, I made Crockpot Chicken using…
Organic Chicken Stock from Costco
3 packs of Chicken Breast (6 chicken breast total) from Costco
No Salt Chicken Seasoning from Costco
…and put it on Low for 8 hours. It was ready before the 8 hours so I adjusted it down to about 6 hours when the chicken was easily pulled.
The first night, I used it on the *best* homemade pizza recipe from Kerry’s Baby Bear Stew Cookbook!
The next night, I added our favorite BBQ sauce from Trader Joe’s – Organic Kansas Style BBQ Sauce – when reheating the chicken on the stove for BBQ Chicken Salad. It was a very simple meal with the Spring Mix from Costco and cut up veggies like carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers. We also had zucchini and squash on the side.
Since we still had more bbq chicken leftovers, we did BBQ Chicken Quesadillas the next night- Grated cheese, a corn and black bean mix, bell peppers, optional jalapeños and guacamole, and the bbq chicken! I did mine more taco style and used the new TJs Corn & Wheat Tortillas which was delicious!
And, surprisingly, we still have more chicken! 🙂
What are your favorite ways to use crockpot chicken night after night?
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The Transition to Glasses
Last month, I shared that Sophie had to unexpectedly get glasses. When I first found out, I tried to do some research to help make the transition more smooth or to find any advice from other moms who had been through a young child getting glasses. I was very surprised that I could not find any helpful resources across the web. So, I decided to make my own resource for that next mom who needs some help in the toddler glasses transition.
1. Make It Fun
Getting glasses was not an easy transition for our 3 year old. It was hard to explain and reason with her why she had to keep something on her face that had never been there before. So, I had to find ways to make it fun. In the moment, it was not easy so it is important to plan ahead. I had some ideas planned, but I would suggest having back up plans. We had a rough few hours when we first got home – I thought I was going to have to revamp a whole new plan. Luckily, after the first couple of days, she really settled in to having her new accessory.
Here are a few ways I was able to make this change more fun for Sophie: I found a Minnie Mouse shirt with Minnie wearing glasses (I found this on Zulily for cheaper but here is the same shirt on Amazon) and a kitty wearing glasses shirt from Carters. I found a Fancy Nancy book that is all about getting glasses. Her bestie gave her a book called Little Bear Needs Glasses that is so cute – you get to put different glasses stickers on each of the characters in the book!
Some ideas that I didn’t have to use …
Read MoreGrowth in the Unexpected
Have you ever felt paralyzed by the unexpected? Something happens that you weren’t expecting and you aren’t really sure what to do or what to think or where to go from there. Discouraged, unstable, anxious, fear, unknown…all can come with the unknown and unexpected.
These are all things we felt when we first found out that Hezi would be born with a cleft lip. There were so many unknowns, so many uncertainties that the doctors could not clarify for us until he was born.
And now, most recently, Sophie was diagnosed with strabismus, something I had never heard of until we started noticing a strange occurrence with one of her eyes. We took her to the ophthalmologist and found out that because one of her eyes goes inward periodically, she would need to get glasses. When most kids her age brains can adjust to focus on something far to something close, hers has to work twice as hard to do it. So, the glasses should allow her brain to recorrect this in a few years. Although the diagnosis was what we were expecting, the treatment was much different. But, we are hopeful that the glasses will do their job and will fix her eyes for the rest of her life!
SUPER SOPHIE!!
When she first put on the glasses, she said “I’m a Super Hero!”
<–Showing off her Muscles — We told her that wearing her glasses made her muscles bigger 😀
^^^Hezi wanted to join in the fun!
Daddy and I joined in for dinner, too!
But, it can be difficult when it feels like something hits you out of nowhere and it can be easy to get stuck in a rut when the unexpected happens. Although not always a simple task, here are a few ways to find …
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