Taking it Slow at Christmas
SLOW. Not usually a word we think of during the Christmas season. Everything is “fast.” Everything is “do it all.”
But what if this season we focus slow and small? What if we “make a list and check it twice” of what really matters at Christmas. Maybe that is going to every party you are invited to and showing up with handmade gifts wrapped to a “T.” Or, maybe that means focusing on Christ and family. Whatever you value at Christmas, that should come first, and maybe come ONLY.
If you are feeling stressed this holiday season, take a step back and look at your calendar. Look at your days. How many of these things that are stressing you out are really important? Can you cut back anywhere?
Sometimes, sitting with your kids and watching Christmas movies or baking cookies can be just as important as going to all the events in town with all your different friends and family.
This season, let’s keep CHRIST THE LORD first, family second, and gratitude and giving third.
Everything else can fit in as needed.
What do you think about taking it slow at Christmas?
What could you give up that is causing you stress?
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The Gift of TIME
I was reminded this weekend that kids spell LOVE………TIME!!! Spending time with children is one of the very best gifts you can give. I had the privilege of babysitting my 3 grand daughters this weekend. They love to talk about their lives and engage in conversation. They have so much to share and often times are competitive as we are talking and interacting (all because they have SO MUCH TO TELL!) They love to be silly! The best thing I have observed as they are growing up is that my time is NEVER wasted on them. They value the time I spend with them. They love the attention and they love having me be a part of their lives.
I make it a priority to listen attentively, ask open ended questions and try to challenge them to work out their differences rather than solve their problems for them. I see them practicing the things we talk about regarding kindness and sharing and showing true love to others by serving and caring. Time is one of my most precious commodities and I will never pass up an opportunity to be an influencer in the lives of my grand children if I am invited to spend time with them.
Children are like little sponges. They listen and usually try to obey..(even when they act like they haven’t heard you when you ask them to stop playing and get ready for school or bed). I try to find out their newest passions and always ask what they are learning in school or in their friendships, clubs or at church. When I invest time intentionally listening to them with out judgment or correction, they are eager to tell me what they are thinking and what they are learning. There is a time for correction …
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from the entire Growing Weisser Family.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:23-26
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Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
We LOVE cinnamon rolls in our family!!! This recipe is a show-stopper!!! We had a blast letting Sophie and Garrett (both 2 years old) help make the cinnamon rolls. We made three pans full so that each family could take a batch home to bake for Thanksgiving morning.
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
½ cup warm water (100-110 degrees)
2 ½ teaspoons yeast (1 packet)
½ cup butter
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 beaten eggs
5 cups whole wheat flour or Kodiak Cakes baking mix (@kodiakcakes)
Filling
1/3 cup melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 cup milk
Dissolve yeast in warm water. (I add 1 teaspoon honey to help yeast start rising)
Set aside.
Beat 2 eggs in a small bowl.
Place 1 cup of cooked sweet potatoes into mixer and mix until smooth. Add salt.
Heat almond milk on medium heat until just bubbling. Remove from heat and add butter and honey.
Pour milk, butter and honey mixture into sweet potatoes in mixer bowl and beat slowly until combined.
Add eggs and mix thoroughly.
Add whole wheat flour or Kodiak Cakes baking mix. Mix until blended and then knead by hand or on medium speed for 5-10 minutes. Dough is very sticky. Cover bowl of dough for 2 hours so it can rise.
While dough is rising, make filling by mixing butter, sugar and cinnamon.
Divide dough into ½ and roll each piece into a large rectangle. Spread each rectangle with half the filling. Roll up and cut into 12 cinnamon rolls. Repeat to make a total of 24 rolls.
We were baking with Sophie and Garrett who wanted to help roll the cinnamon rolls so we took small …
Read MoreHabits of Thankfulness
I love that November is a time of year to really focus on what we can be grateful for. Although we make an effort to bring THANKFULNESS into our everyday lives throughout the year, November is a time I can step back and focus less on the busyness of motherhood and life and remember all that I have to be thankful for! This year, I have implemented two new traditions that I hope to continue on in the coming years.
The 30 Days of Giving Thanks cards have been a really fun thing to do every morning. It is made to do for a one-time 30 day project. But, because my littles are young, I wanted to continue doing it for the next few years. Each morning, we read the verse and talk about what we are thankful for. I have been asking my 2 1/2 year old, Sophie, what she is thankful for so there have been some pretty funny responses. I write them each down with the year and will continue this for years to come when her brother can join in, too! And, as the kids get older, we can work on memorizing the verses on the cards (and laugh about their responses from younger ages 😀 )!
Last week at MOPS, we heard someone talk about gratitude. She encouraged us to text ONE PERSON about THREE things we are THANKFUL for everyday for 14 DAYS. She said that science shows that this formula will increase happiness for 6 months! I would say that is worth it so, lets go through what you need to do…
- Pick your person
- Tell them what you are planning to do (and see if they want to join!)
- Put a reminder in your phone with an alert because life is busy
Our Rookie of the Year is ONE!
We love to CELEBRATE! People, things, events…you name it, we like to celebrate it! Especially if there’s a theme and costumes 🙂 Most recently, we celebrated our newest ONE year old of the family, Hezekiah, with a San Francisco Giants theme party.
Our ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
I made their shirts using my Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Heat Transfers.
Sophie’s Shirt: “The Greats”
KRUK & KUIP…WILLIE & WILLIE…BUM & BUSTER…HEZI & SOPHIE
<– We had a last minute purchase (one of my favorite things from the party) and had buttons made with Hezi on them (You can see them in the picture to the left). We used MPix.com for the first time and were very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pins and some photos that we got!
Costco is another great place to get pictures printed – no shipping costs when you pick them up at your local warehouse and can usually be printed in one day!
We used as many Giants puns and sayings as we could think of that would go with our party! We rounded up all of our paraphernalia and game promo items for our decor! The wall decals were made with Silhouette Vinyl. I have started the tradition of putting out a “Birthday Book” for party guests to write a message in and am hoping to continue this to give them after their 18th birthday.
The baseball field veggie tray (made by Mom – “the implementer”; I’m more of the idea person and then she makes it a reality 😀 including all of the items with fabric – garland, table runner, high chair skirt, Hezi’s pants and Sophie’s skirt, fabric gates) turned out amazing and made the food table so fun! We used ramekins filled with hummus for the bases, veggies …
Read MoreThe Halloween Switch Witch
This was our family’s first time doing the switch witch so I wanted to share our experience with you. While trick or treating friends told us the story of the Switch Witch. That she needs candy to build her house so she will come to your home (if you invite her) to take your candy and leave a toy in its place.
If you like to get really into the magic of storytelling there is a cute book and gift set I found on Amazon here.
We like to do things a little more low key, and we also decided to do this pretty last minute so we did not read the book. We stayed out trick-or-treating late and did not do the switch on Halloween night. As my wonderful, smart friend told her kids, “The Switch Witch can’t come on Halloween night because then the late trick-or-treaters would see her!!” LOVE!! So in our house we are going to stick with the tradition that the Switch Witch visits on November 1st. (Mom win!)
So the day after Halloween we decided that each of us would keep 10 pieces of candy. (Oh yes, Mom and Dad get to keep some too!!). The idea is the more candy you give the better toy you get. If you want or need to do that. My girls didn’t need to be persuaded. They were excited!
I would like to say that through this whole process the kids were completely on board with this idea. This is a voluntary thing. I didn’t make the kids give up their candy or put any limit on how much trick-or-treating they could do. I completely understand this won’t work for every kid or every family. This is our experience.
Next you have to leave the Switch …
Read MoreOur Pumpkin Favorites
Christmas decorations have started to appear and the holiday cups are out at Starbucks…but I for one am still holding on to the flavors of Fall. If you aren’t ready to trade in your PSL for Peppermint Mocha quite yet and want some food to go with, I’ve linked our FAVORITE Growing Weisser pumpkin recipes below!
Happy Baking and Making.
Breakfast
Snacks
Dessert
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
What will you try?
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How to Motivate this Generation (JT Ayers Guest Post)
How to Motivate this Generation
By JT Ayers on 10/29/2018
Talking with coaches and teachers that have been at it for a while you will quickly hear “I just don’t understand this generation.”
Today’s athlete is different from years past. My generation (1980-1999) has moved through college and is in the world. The present generation is different. Instead of forcing this generation to be motivated the way we were, what does the research say?
These Young People Are Easily Bored, Are Socially Connected To Their Peers, Proficient In Technology, And Desire To Be Challenged By Their Teachers.
I recently read an article on Motivating the Modern Athlete by Dr. Marty Durden. This article can be found by Clicking Here. His findings are worth sharing.
Coaches generally agree that athletes’ perceptions of authority have changed in past decades. Years ago the coach was viewed as an authoritarian figure akin to a military leader. Many still try to motivate in this way. Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bobby Knight were able to achieve a high level of success based upon strict discipline and demanding leadership. Are you trying to motivate in this way?
The modern athlete seems averse to this style of coaching. This generation’s athlete desire much less direction from coaches and have access to the answers online. The culture of athletics continues to change and influences the perceptions that modern athletes have toward competitive athletics, teammates and coaches.
In this modern sport climate, the concept of servant-leader coaching remains a relevant model for the contemporary coach.
Evidence supports the notion that ethical core values have a significant positive effect on player motivation. Coaches still possess unique standing in our society and are widely viewed with respect. Parents tell me on occasion “Can you help me? My son/daughter wont listen to me. …
Read MoreHappy Halloween-No Tricks…Only Treats…Dressing up is FUN!
Happy Halloween. Our family LOVES to dress up so Halloween is a really fun time for all the families to be creative. This year many of the kids decided to be characters from books or movies they love.
Emperor’s New Grove
Here is Harry Potter
Here is Jinora from The Legend of Kora
Here is Rae, BB8 and an Ewok all Star Wars characters
Here is Princess Black
We have Harry Potter, Rae, and 2 incredibly cute Beavers
The older Beaver 
Harry Potter with his wand
The younger Beaver
The monster and Princess Black
The monster, Jinora and Princess Black
Rae
How we love our grandkids!!!!!
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