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 …
Happy 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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Mom-Must Haves: Learning DVDs
There are SO many options when it comes to fun learning shows. Personally, it can be quite overwhelming! One of my favorite ways to navigate all the choices is to ask trusted friends. I want to be that trusted friend for you and share a two of our MUST HAVE learning DVDs that are worth the investment.
Signing Time is one of our family favorites. I took my first daughter to signing classes at the library when she was a baby and instantly fell in love. I started borrowing Signing Time DVDs from the library to try them out and they were a hit. I loved how Signing Time Rachel used different teaching methods to teach the signs: I do, you do, and songs. It really helped the signs stick, and we still sing the songs to this day!
We loved it so much we own all the Baby Signing Times, Signing Time 1 and 2 series, PLUS since my girls are a little older now we got the Treeschool program too!
Our other favorite DVD series is Preschool Prep.
We love to watch the sight word videos, colors, numbers, and letters. These videos really sink in. My 5 year old knows most of the sight words, my 4 year old knows a lot, and even my 2 year old can recognize a few! We have some sight word books that go along with the videos and the older girls were able to read them on their own just by learning the basic sight words!
What about YOU? What are your favorite learning programs that you have tried?
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Mom’s working it out or walking it out
The life of a mom can be crazy! But that doesn’t mean mom has to cut out everything she likes to do just because of the chaotic plans. There are ways to squeeze it in, make it work, or make a routine. For some moms it may be reading, a craft, a bath, sitting down to eat. But I would encourage all you moms, move your body somehow, some way, its good for you! For me, I enjoy the time I get to workout. Some days its short, other days I have more time. Some days I am interrupted by a short nap, other days I actually get a shower. But whatever it is, for me, its good for me to be able to get in some sort of active movement. So whatever it is for you, a walk, yoga, HIIT, Strength training, its good for us mamas to get moving!
What are the benefits of exercise
- Heart healthy
- Boosts seratonin
- Gets your body moving
- Can get you outside
- alleviate anxiety
- sharpen memory
- Actually get more energy
- Sleep better
- Increases strength and flexibility
- Increase self confidence
- Reduce sickness
- Discipline
- Creativity
Benefits for a mom exercising
- Sets example for kiddos to be active
- Get some YOU time
- Kids see that mom is important too
- Relieves stress of kids
- End up having more energy for your family
- Meet people, make new friends at a class
Exercise while pregnant
- Lower blood pressure
- Easier recovery post delivery
- Helps with strength during delivery
- Fights fatigue
- Ease soreness
- Good for babies brains
Don’t have a gym? Get outside.
Don’t like to do things on your own? Call a freind to take a walk. Find a Fit4mom class.
Kids are busy and want to play? Make the park your workout. Do squats while making some food.
It’s …
Read MoreMust Have Products for New Mamas
This week, we are continuing to celebrate Moms – Woohoo!! Being a mom can be overwhelming and hard, and finding the “BEST” products can be even more overwhelming and hard! Today, I am going to share with you a few of my Must Have Products that I have loved as a new mom! These are products that I would call more of an investment – a few items that we spent the most money on, but also the products that we used the most, and probably more than we ever thought imaginable.
4MOMS PLAYARD
We have used our 4MOMS Playard more than I ever thought we would. When my daughter was first born, the playard is what she napped in and played in when we weren’t holding her so that we could easily see her while we worked around the house. Having her out in the living room also helped her to get acclimated to noise. In the last year, we have traveled with this to friends’ and grandparents’ houses, hotels and more – we never had to worry about where Sophie would sleep or the hassle of a long setup when we were away from home.
Here is what I love most about the 4MOMS Playard…
- It packs up really nicely and is light enough for me to carry on my own.
2. It is SO EASY and QUICK to assemble and breakdown! (Probably our FAVORITE part)
Click the link to see my demo that shows the base being assembled in less than 7 seconds!!
3. Sophie loved it!!
The top mattress bassinet allowed me to use it when she was little. As she grew, I simply took the top piece off to use the bottom mattress. She spent a lot of time in this and …
Read MoreThe 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 …
Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Hey, Mama.
Share this post with your husband and family, then sit back and let them plan something special just for you!
Mother’s Day Gift Giving Guide
Day of gift ideas
Breakfast in bed
Do the chores – grocery shopping, meal planning, laundry, get kids ready for bed
A day without cooking
A day without dishes
Cook or order her favorite food. DON’T FORGET DESSERT!!!
For the Home
Cleaning Service (DO THIS ONE. REALLY. You will score lots of points)
Dinner Service/Dinner planning – Blue Apron (ingredients sent to you. $59.94 or $9.99 per plate) Hello Fresh (fresh ingredients sent to you. $69 or $11.50 per meal) Mealime(free option with an app) Purple Carrot (plant-based meal delivery. $68 per week or $11.33 per person) Plated (for the foodie in your life. $48 per week or $12 per plate)
Amazon’s Home Gift Guide (you know you love Amazon!)
TLC for the mom who needs a break
Massage
Mani/Pedi
Girls’ Day
Girls’ Trip
Hair blow out or cut and color
For the active mother
Pay the bib price for an awesome race (visit Active.com to find ones in your area!)
Gift card for workout clothes
Running shoes
Gym membership
Classes at a gym or pilates studio
Fitbit or Apple watch
New yoga mat
For the adventurous mother
Hiking boots or outdoor gear
Plan an outing for the family (but YOU plan it all!!)
Lessons to learn something new!
Check out this awesome list of great gifts for adventure travelers!
Nostalgic Gifts
Unique gifts from SimplyPersonalized
Photo gifts from Snapfish Personalize a gift for mom with pictures of her favorite people!
Celebrate HOME with Hometown inspired gifts from Etsy
Gifts that Keep on Giving
Amazon Prime
Gym Membership
New clothes without …
Read MoreMom’s don’t need to plan Mother’s Day
Almost mom, Super mom “Gammie”, Grammie Rozie “GGR”, New mom
Do you find yourself wondering if your husband, kids, or family Will be planning something for Mother’s Day? Well do not fear, just send this link to your husband and it’s a foolproof way to get him some help with the day and take the work for the mom out of it. So here’s some ideas to get you thinking.
Morning Activity
- Breakfast in Bed
- Coffee that mom doesn’t have to make
- When you run out to get coffee, grab some flowers
- Have the kids have a competition to see who can get ready the quickest for church
- Let mom have some quiet time with coffee all on her own
- Let mom get ready uninterrupted
- Put food in the crockpot for dinner
Afternoon Activity
- Picnic (pick up to go food at your local grocery store or quick restaurant)
- Hike (make sure you have all necessary sunscreen/water bottles/ bags/ shoes)
- Let mom go get a pedicure, nails done, frozen yogurt, coffee, massage a silent outing for an hour
- Scavenger hunt with clues to her favorite places (older kids help out)
- Day trip to a special place, trip down memory lane, creative destination
- Plant something with the kids in the garden
- Let mom go on a girls outing if she wants to
- Clean the house while shes gone
- Take mom shopping with no complaining from kids
- Dad take the pictures to document the day (usually its the mom pulling out the phone and pulling teeth to get everyone together in a selfie)
Night Activity
- Make dinner, pick up dinner out, serve dinner from the crock pot
- Dad Puts the kids to bed
- Let mom take a bath
- Do the dishes
- Get a babysitter and take mom out on a date, movie, dessert,
A Mother’s Day Craft that Will Hand the Moms in Your Life a Smile
It is hard to believe that I will be celebrating my second Mother’s Day already! Although my little one hasn’t started making me homemade crafts – I’ll give her a break, she’s only 14 months 🙂 – I can foresee in my future these being my most treasured gifts! Here is a fun craft that your kids are a part of that will definitely ~hand~ the moms in your life a HUGE smile!
What You Need:
Acrylic Paints
Paint brush
Cardstock or construction paper
Green straws, dowels, tongue depressors
(I used green Starbucks straws…I always grab extras when I go to have them on hand at home…shh don’t tell :p )
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
A Child’s Hand and Foot
What To Do…
- Brush a good coat of paint onto your child’s hands and press on the paper to create the handprint. Apply more paint as needed and make a few handprints on each page. Repeat with other colors of paint – fully cleaning the hand and paintbrush with the previous color of paint. Repeat with one foot – this will serve as your “vase”. If you have multiple kids, put their name on each of their own handprints or do certain colors for each child.
- After they have fully dried, cut around each handprint and footprint.
- Arrange on a 12×12 piece of cardstock to look like a bouquet of flowers.
- Use the hot glue gun to secure the handprints to the straws (or dowels or tongue depressors; or you can even use a green marker to draw the stems) and under the footprint vase. Cut the straws different lengths so you can arrange the handprints more visibly. Secure the “flowers” to the paper with a dot of hot glue behind each one.
- Write a cute message at the bottom
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 …
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