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Around 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 …
Summertime, Outdoors, and Trying New Things
Summer is the perfect time to explore, try new things, get outdoors, and discover the world around you! What have you been putting off all year that you can try later? Have you been wondering what that new store is, where that new trail leads, or what that fun event entails? Take some time to plan out one or two new things a week to try on your own, try with your kids, try with your spouse. It can’t be that hard to plan one new thing a week right? Set a goal for yourself, grab a calendar, and start creating a plan.
My husband is off for the summer so I have been trying to think of one fun and new thing to try a week that we can do with our curious little boy. Some of the ideas we have thought of are zoo, train, new gym class, swim class, get new bubbles. He isn’t walking yet so it is a little limiting because he loves exploring but can’t crawl around everywhere we go.
More extensive list of things to try
- zoo
- train
- new park
- splash pad
- slip and slide
- sprinkler party
- homemade ice cream or popsicles
- hike
- boat ride
- read new book
- listen to new music
- build forts
- museum
- start a playgroup
- invite people over for popsicles and water
- water balloons
- beach
- bake with your kids
- design t-shirts
- take a trip just for fun
- find fun things at the dollar store
- give your kids $5 a month to spend at target
- make an activity jar for when your kids are “bored”
- paint rocks
- go berry or fruit picking
- concert in the park
- movie in the park
- geocaching
- farmers market
Just get outside! And don’t forget the sunscreen
Do you have any ideas to add? Please share!
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Read MoreCreative Ways to Memorize Scripture
It’s summer! Kids are out of school! That means 3 months of no learning, right?? Hate to break it to you kids, but not exactly! Summer is a great time to focus on some of the things that may get put on the back burner during the craziness of the school year, like memorizing Bible verses! Even if there is an emphasis in your house to do this all year round, use the summer months to try some more creative ways to get those verses ingrained in your kids! It is so important to communicate to your children the importance of memorizing Scripture, hiding it in your heart and filling your mind with God’s Word! Make it fun, and make it a family activity! Set goals of when to learn each verse and spend time at meals or when you are getting ready for bed to practice each part of the verse you have learned that week!
1. MUSIC
- Seeds of Character by Seeds Family Worship – Word-for-Word Scripture songs
- Hidden in My Heart: A Lullaby Journey Through Scripture – soothing, sleepy music based on Scripture
- Meet the Rizers – upbeat and very current, your kids will love them!
- Bear Hug Band – focuses more on character development, but has some Scripture in their songs
- Scripture Songs by Grace Evangelical Church
- Fighter Verses Songs – Word-for-Word Bible verses set to music specifically chosen to help believers to fight the fight of faith
- Steve Green: Hide ‘Em In Your Heart Vol 1 & 2 – throwing it back with Steve Green (We listened to him when we were young) but still a classic with straight Scripture put to song; Great for kids!
- GT and the Halo Express – Another that we listened to as kids – learn 100s of straight Scripture
Tips For Moms: Taking Care of YOU
I know as moms we often come last. Ok, in reality, we ALWAYS come last. But it is so important to take time for you! Taking time for you and putting parts of yourself first make you a better mom!
This is going to look different for everyone, so come up with a few priorities.
Health, for our family, is a non-negotiable. If you aren’t taking care of your health it will make all the other parts of yourself difficult to manage. Our family has always been healthy, but in the past 2.5 years we have taken steps to take our healthy living to the next level. By fueling our bodies with nutrient dense shakes, phytonutrient greens and fruits, and adaptogens to help our bodies manage stress – combined with a vitamin and mineral rich system to help our body rid itself of toxins. This has truly changed our health in so many ways. We have access to convenient meals, snacks, and drinks on the go. Fueling our bodies better has helped us to have the energy to truly enjoy every moment of life as a mom (both the good and bad). We are so passionate about helping moms in all stages of motherhood fuel their bodies better and gain energy so they can feel their best and be the best version of themselves for their family!
Once you have your health in order you will find that you have the mental clarity to prioritize other parts of your life that need extra attention.
If connection is important to you, make play dates, mom’s nights, and date night a priority in your schedule.
If you value exercise, find the right place that you can combine your love of fitness with your family and childcare needs. I have loved …
Read MoreMeals of Love
Have you ever received a meal from someone at just the right time? Often people will bring you meals when you are sick, have a baby, experience a loss, go through a trial, etc. Being blessed with meals is an incredible thing! I am now three months out from having a baby, and those first few weeks were bliss when I had meals coming every couple days. That is why I love being able to take meals to other new mamas!
Meals of Love Ideas
- BBQ chicken salad
- BBQ chicken corn bread and potatoes
- Enchiladas
- Stuffed Peppers
- Ground Turkey Mediterranean Rice Bowl
- BBQ chicken sandwiches
- Fish salad and bread
- Build your own taco salad
- Tacos
- Chipotle
- Mexican Restaurant Pick up
- Beef Brisket Rice and Edamame
- Soups
- Pasta Bakes
- Any takeout!
Meals of Love Websites
What do you like to take to friends or family when you are taking them a meal?
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Read MoreThe Importance of a Mom-Squad
Becoming a mom is SO exciting. More than exciting–LIFE CHANGING!
A lot of that time is such a blur. The long nights, early mornings, so many questions about how to do this “mom thing.” But what I do remember is the community of other moms that got me through. I literally would not be the mom I am today without them.
There is nothing more important than finding your community. The other moms who hold your hand through the hard days and jump and celebrate the good days. Who laugh at the crazy stuff that happens (literally you cannot make this mom stuff up) and encourage you to when it seems like the rough seasons and stages are NEVER going to end!
There is no manual for life as a mom, no map to navigate your way through. That’s why you need moms who have been there, moms who ARE there, and moms who will be there. You need someone who has your back. You need a mom-squad.
Friend-wise, becoming a mom has been the best thing to happen in my life. I cannot even tell you what a blessing my friends are in my life that I’ve met since becoming a mom. They are always there for me, and we are better together. We have so many adventures!
If you are a new mom, or still looking for a community my best advice would be to just GET OUT! Go to the park, join groups, find things you are interested in and go to events, just get out of your comfort zone! It is so worth it. I have made so many incredible friends on this journey of motherhood and I KNOW I could not do this without them.
The BEST part about this is we aren’t just friends …
Read MoreDoing Life Together
We were all created to do life together. But as moms, especially, we need each other. We need each other for support, love, care, carpool, extra wipes, play dates, errand help, and on and on. We need a helping hand, an arm around us, a coffee date. We are all in it together. We may not have the same story or the same struggle, but I guarantee you there is common threads. Motherhood is the real deal. And it isn’t easy. Naps may be isolating. Sleep may be scarce. Showering may be on the bottom of your to do list. But friends and community are a necessity. So let others be in your life and be in others lives.
We all want to be seen, and known. So find those people with whom you can let you hair down, with whom you can cry, with whom you can be in the struggle. Find your tribe. And hold on to those people. Cherish them. Their can be seasons of friendships but hold them in your heart and let them know how special they are. When was the last time someone told you how important you were to them? Have you told someone lately how special they are to you?
What we don’t need as moms is the competition, comparison, the games we play, the negative self talk. So don’t get stuck. Don’t think you are better than or less than someone because you do something different, or have different hobbies, or get less or more done. You are you. And you do you. Be who you are. Be the best version of you. Don’t try to be someone else because I guarantee you you will be a lesser version of them. That is why we were all created unique. So we …
Read MoreBaked Oatmeal Muffins – A Recipe for Connecting
Food has always been something that we use to connect with the people around us- Weisser cookies at every event, other healthy baked goods, or meals to share! I wanted to share with you one of my favorite recipes and one of Sophie’s new favorite breakfasts/snacks! Muffins are a perfect thing to connect with a new community or to share with your tribe at any event! And, these are healthy and a hit with kids 😄Ingredient List:
2 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
2 cups Applesauce
1 Banana, mashed
1/2 cup Honey
5 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 TBS Ground Cinnamon
1 TBS Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
2 3/4 Cups Almond Milk
Additional toppings (Optional): Chopped Apple Slices, Almonds, Blueberries, Raisins, Chocolate Chips, White Chocolate Chips
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana, and honey together in a large bowl.
3. Add the oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Combine well with the wet ingredients.
4. Mix in the milk. (Your batter will look runny — This makes the muffins turn out very moist and yummy!)
5. Place muffin liners in your muffin tin. Use a 1/4 or 1/3 of a cup, depending on how big your muffin tins are, to evenly fill each muffin slot.
6. Add toppings on top of individual muffins. If you want to add toppings into the batter, transfer some of the batter into a smaller bowl and mix in your toppings. You can do this for as many toppings as you would like. Remember, you are not limited to the above list – Add all types of fruits and nuts or try some other dessert options!
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until they are cooked all the way through. (Check with a toothpick)
8. Allow …
Read MoreLessons I’ve Learned… Freedom I’ve Gained
One of the things I have learned as a mom in my 9 months, is to be consistent but not controlling. The picture above doesn’t apply to me yet, but I know it may in the future. So whatever stage you are in, think of where you can let go of a little control, but stay consistent. There are so many things as a pre-mom that you think, oh I would never do that, or I don’t like that, and on and on and on… But you know what,Sometimes you don’t understand until you are in the thick of it. Sometimes things don’t go your way. Sometimes things turn out completely different than you expected. And guess what, that is okay! We are not perfect. We are going to mess up. There are going to be days, hours, minutes, weeks that we don’t think we can get through it. But we can. The little humans we are raising aren’t perfect, but guess what, we aren’t either. And two imperfect people don’t make a perfect person. So there has to be some give, some wiggle room, some space to figure it out. Now that doesn’t mean try something for a day and give up. Choose things, be consistent, but don’t hold on so tightly that you aren’t willing to change. Kids growth and development and stages come in seasons. Seasons can be short, seasons can be long. Don’t necessarily let your kid dictate, but understand the season they may be in. You are still the parent, they are the kid But guide and direct them in love. Don’t just control. Be free to live and learn alongside them.
My kid crawls around naked half the time, pulls things out of every drawer in the kitchen, loves to open and close …
Read MoreHappy Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day from Growing Weisser.
It filled my heart with so much joy to see our social media feeds flooded with pictures of happy moms and families yesterday.
While we celebrated with all of you, we also want to acknowledge those of you who have lost a mother, or are struggling with infertility or loss. We know some of these struggles all too well, and the sadness that comes with it. The heartache when something seems like the right timing, and wondering where God’s plan is in all that. We don’t have the answer, but we do know that God’s plan and His timing are perfect. We know that He has plans for you even when you can’t see in the darkness.
We also know that “mom” can mean so many things. It is so amazing to me that mom can mean step-mom, birth-mom, adoptive-mom, foster-mom, and spiritual mom to name a few. So cheers to ALL the moms, however you define it, whatever your role. We cherish you and thank God for you.
Happy Mother’s Day.
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