Posts by Kerry Weisser
Making Summer Meals Fun
I LOVE to cook and during the summer months I like to try new recipes and use the barbecue. I LOVE to eat outside and to have friends over for homemade ice cream and spend long summer afternoons and evenings hanging out by the pool. BUT, this summer has been a different story……You may be wondering what these pictures have to do with making fun summer meals……well, the reality is that this summer, I am attempting to make fun summer meals from my 60 square ft. laundry room. My creativity and patience have been put to a test for the past 7 1.2 months as we have waited and watched our kitchen restoration/floor repair/remodel take place after a refrigerator leak last November. Since Thanksgiving, I have been cooking out of my laundry room. With much anticipation and hope, I thought my situation would be different than it is today. With most of our family coming for the 4th of July holiday, I was certain I would finally be able to entertain and cook for my family out of my new kitchen, but alas…….it does not look like that will be a reality for us this holiday season. So this past weekend, my sweet husband and a few dear friends and my brother worked tirelessly to get the rest of the house as ready as possible for the arrival of our long awaited visitors.
This is the result of being able to at least unpack some of my bins full of kitchen items.
This is where most of the contents of our home have been stored during this process. We are frantically trying to get this room ready for the grandchildren coming in a few days.
Here is a number of boxes that still need to be sorted through.
Here is …
Couples Improve Communication by Sharing a Passion
Communication is key in relationships. Growing together in marriage takes time, focused attention and a decision to always be a student of your spouse-their likes and dislikes, their hopes and dreams, their struggles and their concerns. As we mature, we see the reality of the commitment and hard work that is needed to keep the love in marriage fresh and exciting. Marriage is not 50-50…yes there will be compromise and some give and take but unless each one of you are willing to give 100% there will be heartache. Marriages can become stagnant, spouses can get too busy with the children’s activities and all the time it takes to raise the kids. Marriage partners can drift apart as each one pursues their own passions and goals. There are no perfect marriages because there are no perfect people. Most marriages have problems with unrealistic expectations and unspoken expectations.
So, how do we carve out time in our busy lives to stay connected? How do we create non-threatening opportunities to discuss our feelings, talk about things we as couples need to work on and learn ways we can serve our spouses better? When is it appropriate to have conversations about our hopes and dreams without making our spouse feel like we are dissatisfied?
One of our favorite things to do together is to go up into the mountains and hike. When we were younger, we went backpacking almost every summer. There is something marvelous about getting out on the trail. Fresh air, beautiful mountains and trees, blue sky and God’s creation all around. For us, the mountains simply “restore our souls”. As we hike together, we reconnect. Sometimes we have serious conversations. Sometimes we solve problems. Sometimes we just walk in silence side by side and enjoy the beauty-the exquisite uniqueness in …
Read MoreAround the Table-Communicating with our Children
This week we will be sharing about the importance of developing good communication with the members of your family. Summer time schedules are more relaxed and there is less urgency in the daily routine. This is a perfect time to start some new fun traditions around the table. It can be at breakfast when the children are beginning their day or at dinnertime when dad is home and everyone is settling in after a fun summer day full of activities. Some families have a table full of talkative children while others struggle to get their kids to answer questions with more than one word answers.
We raised girls, so talking around the table was not a difficult thing to accomplish. They all seemed eager to share their thoughts and discuss the newest activities they were involved in each night. We occasionally had to referee who needed to take a break and let another sister have a turn, but for the most part we had a lively dinner conversation each night. When our daughters had friends over we usually had to warn the visitors about the topics that might come up at dinner since my husband is a Pediatrician. He would never share anything confidential but he would tell some of the funny things he talks about with the kids.
But for some of my friends, it was a different story. Some moms would complain that they never knew what was going on because their kids just didn’t talk much. So whether you have talkers or non-talkers, it is important to create a safe and healthy environment with your children regarding communication. Children should feel understood and be allowed to ask questions and talk freely with you about any subject. They should feel very secure knowing that if they ask you …
Reading-A Fun Summer Activity, A Lifelong Gift
A Book by Edgar Guest
“Now” – said a good book unto me –
“Open my pages and you shall see
Jewels of wisdom and treasures fine,
Gold and silver in every line,
And you may claim them if you but will
Open my pages and take your fill.
“Open my pages and run them o’er,
Take what you choose of my golden store.
Be you greedy, I shall not care –
All that you seize I shall gladly spare;
There is never a lock on my treasure doors,
Come – here are my jewels, make them yours!
“I am just a book on your mantel shelf,
But I can be part of your living self;
If only you’ll travel my pages through,
Then I will travel the world with you.
As two wines blended make better wine,
Blend your mind with these truths of mine.
“I’ll make you fitter to talk with men,
I’ll touch with silver the lines you pen,
I’ll lead you nearer the truth you seek,
I’ll strengthen you when your faith grows weak –
This place on your shelf is a prison cell,
Let me come into your mind to dwell!”
Books are friends. The earlier you introduce books to your kids the more likely your kids will learn to love books. Memories are made as we lead our children into the world of imagination found in books. There are so many benefits to developing a child’s imagination. In reading, a child gets to create their own reality of what the characters look like and what the scenery looks like. Building their own strong character occurs as children identify with the heroes they meet in books. Security is transferred to a child who sits still on our lap while we read to them. Love and …
Read MoreRemodeling My Heart
Remodeling my heart….
Many of you know that we have been in a renovation/remodeling process for over 6 months. What started as an innocent pool of water in front of our refrigerator in November, has been a time of waiting, wondering, planning, decision making, waiting some more and waiting some more. Now that we are into the renovation process, full swing, a friend asked me how I have been remodeling my heart and my life? So I started to ponder……and one of the things I realized was that I am uncomfortable with uncertainty. Give me a task to do and I am on it! Give me a challenge and I am not afraid to take risks to conquer the hard stuff. Give me a problem to solve and I not only like the end result of solving the problem…I love the process…(probably why I am someone who loves math)….but fill my life with the unknown, time frames that are indefinite and general day to day uncertainty and I go a little nuts! I like to make leadership decisions and I love responsibility but I do not like it when I do not have enough information to make good decisions. I also do not like having too many options to choose from. I usually know what I do not like but sometimes narrowing down the things I DO like to make one final decision is difficult. Part of the problem is that things and stuff do not matter that much to me. I am passionate about people NOT possessions. I love having a home to open up to share with people but the actual stuff in my house is not that important to me. So all of these discoveries have come upon me because of all the uncertainty in a renovation/remodeling …
What If…Every Mom/Grandma Had a Support Community?
How would your life change as a mom or grandma if you had a community of women with whom you could share your life-your hopes and dreams, your joys and sorrows, your struggles and triumphs? These women could provide encouragement and support as well as accountability. They could be your hands and feet when you grow weary, your shoulder to cry on when you are sad, your boost of encouragement when you are down, your compass when you stray off course. Think of all the times you feel alone as you go about your day to day life. How wonderful would it be to have a small group of women who truly cared about your heart and soul? Women who actually wanted to listen, yearned to know about the latest activities you have been involved in, how you have hung in there through a hard trial…..All of these desires for community can be accomplished when we are willing to commit to a small group of some sort with women who have common interests or common goals. It takes authenticity and surrender and vulnerability and TIME!!!! But the benefits are worth the risk! So my encouragement to each one of you is find a group of women where you feel safe and can share your heart and make your commitment to that group a priority! It will change your life!
Here is a list of ideas of things you might want to try (some of them are exclusive to our area but might give you some ideas of groups to look for where you live…..
Mom’s in Prayer
MOPS (Mother’s of Preschool)
Mother’s Together
If Gathering (If Table)
Hiking group
Fun Day Field trip buddies
Adventure Club
Gogo Grandmothers
Any organization where you can serve together-soup kitchen, prison ministry, women’s shelter..…
20 Things I have Learned as a Mom/Gammie
In honor of Mother’s Day I sat down and brainstormed some of the important things I have learned as a mom-to 4 beautiful daughters and 4 awesome SIL and aka Gammie to 9 incredibly awesome grandkids…….the list could go on and on but I decided to just let my heart lead and share some of what popped into my mind…..
1. Find your significance in God alone, not in how your children behave, how your husband treats you or how clean and tidy your house stays day to day.
2. Have a servant’s heart and model servant leadership in your family.
3. Be approachable and full of lovingkindness.
4. Know your purpose and help your kids learn theirs.
5. Be an active listener and DO NOT solve all your kids problems for them.
6. Teach them to use their minds and hearts to solve problems.
7. Model the fruits of the spirit-love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.
8. Set goals that are always growing and changing.
9. Have dreams and strive for them.
10. Be a forever learner and READ, READ, READ to them, with them and together as a family.
11. Be a balcony person-stand in the balcony of each one of your children’s lives and cheer-encourage your kids to be the best they can be.
12. Pursue your passions and challenge your kids to figure out what they are passionate about.
13. Find some time each day to take care of your own physical, emotional and spiritual needs-get some exercise, have a quiet time, talk to a friend.
14. Serve together-find a soup kitchen, an orphanage or a local women’s shelter and go as a family to serve there-the opportunities to help the poor and needy in our backyards as well as overseas …
The Blessings of Being a Grandmother
In honor of Mother’s Day, coming up this Sunday, I wanted to take a bit of time to reflect on the blessings of being a grandmother, aka Gammie.
One of the biggest blessings of being a grandma is that we have more TIME….time behind us, time at the present moment and time in the future to be a rock solid “balcony person” cheering for our grandkids. As Grandmas we have years of experience and a seasoned ability to understand the heart needs of our children and grandchildren. We have learned how to prioritize the urgent needs and let some of the not so urgent things wait until tomorrow. We can spend more time observing, listening, and guiding with affirmations and encouragement. We can take the time to build up their character by pointing out qualities that we see in our grandchildren’s personality and temperament. Spending time with our grandkids can also help them navigate through their emotions. We can look for ways to teach them the language of emotions so they have tools to express themselves when they are frustrated, angry, lonely, sad or afraid. So often the acting out that turns into a temper tantrum is an emotion that they can not identify or express. I hope and pray the as each one of my grandkids grows up, they will have a strong foundation built on God’s unconditional love for them. I also hope and pray that they will know how much I love and support them and that this will give them the freedom and security to share their hearts with me. As grandmas, we can be committed to teaching by example, loving without limits and serving with a sincere heart.
Things I have learned that will help you encourage your own adult children and their spouses:
Be …
The Perfect Mother’s Day Breakfast-Helping your Family Establish Wonderful Traditions
Mother’s Day is one of the BEST days of the year! BUT, it can also be one of the most stressful days of the year for Moms caught in the middle…..balancing celebrating your own mom, your MIL (if you are so blessed to have a MIL), and being the focus of your own family’s celebration. Allowing your immediate family to creatively organize your celebration is vital to “growing up” strong and responsible children. Releasing control of the “meals” for a holiday celebration may be challenging to many moms. So here are some suggestions that might make it easier for you to let go, relax and give your family the opportunity to celebrate you!
Besides hinting that a new plant for your garden might be just the perfect gift…..Here are a few tricks I have tried that make for a fabulous Mother’s Day in the food department. Have many of your favorite foods on hand and already prepared so the “surprise” breakfast in bed can actually include many of YOUR favorite things. (No offense intended towards all those well-meaning husbands and children that prepare their favorite pancakes, waffles, etc. to serve to their moms). I personally love fresh fruit, granola and yogurt, or muffins, scones and coffee (Peet’s of course) or even oatmeal with lots of toppings as my favorite picks for breakfast. I do love a great veggie omelet so if you have a hubby or kids that are so inclined…let them take a stab at that. Of course make sure all your favorite veggies are in the vegetable drawer. Or you can whip up a batch of our family’s favorite Easy Egg Bake and have it all ready made in the refrigerator for the family to cut, heat and serve on your “breakfast in bed” tray.
Here are links …
Read MoreRefresh Your Next Easter Celebration with a Passover Seder
When I was growing up, my family celebrated Passover-led by my wonderful Jewish grandfather. I did not realize the incredible richness and depth of importance in the details of the Seder service until I was in my teens, after I had become a follower of Jesus. Although the Passover celebration is a Jewish festival, it holds deep significance and meaning for believers who call themselves Christians. So this Easter season, our life group from our church decided to have a Seder dinner, and the next night we attended a Seder dinner held at the Messianic Jewish Congregation gathering in a nearby town. Adding the Passover Seder dinner as part of our Easter festivities has enhanced my appreciation of the significance of all the events surrounding the trial, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Every detail is a fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures as I truly believe that Jesus is the true Passover Lamb that came to redeem all people.
Passover (Hebrew word is pesach) occurs in the Spring. The Passover Haggadah (haggadah literally means “the telling”) contains the complete liturgy and instructions for the ceremonial Seder (order of service). Historically, Haggadahs have been written and revised numerous times, but the basic theme of God’s redemption of the nation of Israel from bondage to Egypt remains constant. Most of the ceremonial practices of the modern Seder have been in place since the late Second Temple period (second temple period was 530 BCE to 70 AD).
For thousands of years, even up to the present, the Jewish people have believed that God would again send redemption on Passover. Redemption did arrive on the very day they were looking for it, but it took a surprising shape. For God had engineered a far greater liberation than they had imagined–freedom not just …
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