Remembering…
This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. Now we all might not have lost someone in war who is close to us or that we know of that has lost their life. We may not even know anyone that has fought in a war or served our country. But we can celebrate the day. We can still celebrate those lives. We can all share in the pride of our country. We can share in what it feels like to experience freedom. We can share in the gratitude and the respect for the people who have served, the families who have lost loved ones, the sacrifices that have been made.
So this memorial day. Celebrate. Remember. Think of those who have lost loved ones. Think about our country. Think about those that are serving right now. Remember our fallen heroes. Remember the men and women that went to serve. The ones who have won our independence. Don’t take what they have done for granted. Celebrate them. Remember them. And live with the gratitude of living in a free country. People had to make sacrifices. Be thankful for their strength. Be thankful for their endurance. Live thankful.
“Thus, the men and women we honor this Memorial Day are all those who have served this nation from its founding 239 years ago–since the Revolutionary War, we have lost 1,010,485 men and women in combat–as well as all those who defend us now against the threat of global terrorism.” (Dilenschneider, Robert; Huffington Post) As with the motto from September 11, Never Forget. Kids today didn’t live through September 11. They don’t know yet what our country means, what our freedom stands for. Never forget. Never forget by talking about it and remembering it. Talk about our Founding Fathers. Talk about the struggle of war. …
Read MoreTaking a Pause
Sometimes the best thing you can do to create wellness for yourself is taking a break, taking a pause from your busy life to remember what is really important. That’s what I needed yesterday when I decided to read my devotional, Jesus Calling.
I want you to know how safe and secure you are in My Presence. That is a fact, totally independent of your feelings. You are on your way to heaven; nothing can prevent you from reaching that destination. There you will see Me face to Face, and your Joy will be off the charts by any earthly standards. Even now, you are never separated from Me, though you must see Me through eyes of FAITH. I will walk with you till the end of time, and onward into eternity.
Although My Presence is a guaranteed promise, that does not necessarily change your feelings. When you forget I am with you, you may experience loneliness or fear. It is through awareness of My Presence that Peace displaces negative feelings. Practice the discipline of walking consciously with Me through each day.
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
Jesus Calling is one of our all-time favorite devotionals! You can buy it HERE CURRENTLY ON SALE at Lifeway.com. There are also multiple VERSIONS now, including a Women’s Edition and Jesus Calling: Devotions for Kids!
What do you do when you need to Take a Pause from the busyness of life?
Enter to win one of our favorite products for Wellness to …
Read MoreCranberry, Date and Orange Crumbly Bars
Are you looking for a new twist to the typical fruit bar? This recipe is delicious and nutritious and full of fiber. You can take these to your next summer picnic for a tasty dessert or snack or serve them as a breakfast bar for a high energy “running out the door” breakfast. Store them in a tupperware in the refrigerator until ready to use but once you pack them to go they do not need to be refrigerated and they will be gone before you know it!
Ingredients
2 cups chopped dates
1 ½ cups fresh orange juice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
3 cups oats
3 cups flour (I used a combo of whole wheat, white-wheat and almond meal flour)
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups butter (I used 1 cup butter and ½ cup coconut oil
1 Tablespoon water
In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup orange juice and dates and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir often so dates do not stick. Add remaining ½ cup orange juice, ⅔ cup dried cranberries and orange peel. Stir and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix until combined. Cut in butter/coconut oil until a coarse crumbly mixture results. Press ⅔ of the crumbly mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Spread cooled date, orange, cranberry mixture evenly over cookie crumble base. Add remaining ⅓ cup dried cranberries to the oat mixture with 1 Tablespoon of water and mix thoroughly, to make topping. Sprinkle topping over date mixture and press down lightly. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until slightly golden on top. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 24-30 …
Read MoreOh! The Places Your PackIt Can Go
I love my busy, fun, on-the-go life with my girls. Sometime it gets a little crazy, but I find that we work better when we get out of the house every day. This is why I love my PackIt and why it is such an essential part of my every day routine.
Packing lunches for myself and the girls keeps us healthy and nourished throughout our day. I love to fill our PackIt with our cold food and snacks. Our family favorites are cheese, nuts, sandwiches, veggies, salads, scrambled eggs (yep I’ll eat them cold!), and fruit.
I have a small Lunch size PackIt for most days or days i just pack snacks, and my Picnic PackIt is essential for day trips.
We love to fill our PackIt with our favorite snacks and you can join our Wellness Wisdom Campaign to get your free Growing Weisser snack list printable here.
Experience all the places you can go with PackIt by getting your own! BUY A PACKIT.
We want to see where you take your PackIt and how it fits into your life. Post a picture of yourself and your PackIt adventures on social media with #packitandgo and tag us @growingweisser and be sure to add #gwwellnesswisdom anytime you enjoy one of our favorite snacks!
AND Click the link below to be entered to WIN A PACKIT.
Mickey says, “Oh boy. These PackIts sure are swell! Make sure you get one and see ya real soon.”
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Read MoreAthletes PACK-N-GO when you are on the go!
One thing to the next. Always on the go. You barely have enough time to squeeze a run in let alone think about packing a lunch. That is why the pack-it is perfect to throw some easy pack-n-go snacks in an already frozen lunchbag. As an athlete, a fit-mom, a busybody, a gym rat… you always want to have some easy ready things on the go. If you keep moving, you will get hungry. Burning all those calories, you need to refuel. So it’s time to get a system to replenish your body with our pack-n-go snacks. (Which you can get this list by clicking here). One thing I always run into when packing snacks is most things I love, melt, or get hot before I have time to eat them. That is why the Pack-it is perfect. You can throw bars in there, fruit, water, etc. and my snacks do not get hot.
Why healthy snacks? Because taking care of your body matters. What you put in your body gives you energy, affects your mood, your productivity, your stress level, your self confidence, your life span, and the people around you. Eating healthy takes awareness and a little bit of planning. But it is possible. Your just have to think through the combination of different food groups that gets you everything you need in one healthy snack or meal. Eating fruit will give you a quick energy boost, but won’t sustain you. Eating carbs, protein, and fat at the same time in one snack or meal, gives you a balance. If you are on the go and don’t have much time, it is best if you find snacks that you like that have each one of those components. And it is important to fuel your body before you …
Read MoreThe Best Way to Keep Your Pack-N-Go Snacks Cool
Did you all sign up to get our FREE PRINTABLE – “Top 20 Healthy Pack-N-Go Snacks”? If not, check above to sign up or click here ! Once you sign up, you may be thinking…
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Summer is coming which means HOT, HOT, HOT! One of the top challenges in the summer is keeping your snacks cool when the sun is shining. So, what should you do?? We have a solution for you:
PACK-IT Freezer Bags!
Check out Pack-its reasons for Why It’s Great!
Pack-its are our FAVORITE cooler/freezer bag for our
On-the-Go Snacks! We use them for Day Trips, Road Trips, Daily meal packing, and more!
There are so many Shapes & Sizes for any type of occasion to keep your snacks, food, or drinks cool, including Baby Bottles!
Rachel uses her Pack-it in her Smart Planning for Day Trips!
“I LOVE LOVE LOVE my pack-it cooler. It is so easy to just pull it out of the freezer the morning of and “pack it” with my food that needs to stay cold. Because the bag itself is insulated, I don’t have to add bulky ice packs.”
Now that you know how passionate we are about the Pack-it products…..you can purchase one:
And, we have a treat for you! We are giving away one Pack-it Freezer Bag! Enter the giveaway below!!
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Wellness Wisdom Campaign Revealed
Working together as a family on our Growing Weisser Blog has been a dream come true for me. Experiencing the joy of being included in my daughters’ lives is a privilege that I cherish. I love working with my daughters. I love sharing our passions, our hopes, our joys as well as our sorrows and disappointments. Having a vehicle like our Blog to work out the growing pains of life: raising children, adjusting to the newlywed years, developing a consistent faith walk, decorating on a budget, mastering meal planning and deciding what to cook for dinner….has been a refreshing way to share our lives with one another and with you, our followers.
Growing Weisser has decided to add a new dimension to our blog site. We will be starting a new campaign called “WELLNESS WISDOM“.
One of the newest passions in our family is learning about Nutrition, Health and Wellness. Our Cooking Wisdom posts have always tried to offer alternative, healthier ingredient options and we will continue this. As we introduce our “Wellness Wisdom” campaign we will also be providing more information to you in the form of downloadables. The first of our printables will be available this week. Some of our other ideas for the future include printables with lists of anti-inflammatory foods, another with calcium rich foods, maybe some of our favorite smoothie add-ins.
We have also become increasingly interested in some of the newest fitness models. We will be sharing our favorite DVD fitness programs with evaluations and best prices. We will keep you updated to the newest trends in fitness that we try and love and others that we try and are not fond of. We have so many exciting opportunities for health and wellness to share with you we can’t wait to get …
Read MoreREVEAL Your Potential — Be Mentored
I had the opportunity to be mentored recently and it was a truly life changing experience. I wanted to encourage you to seek out your own opportunity to be mentored. It’s really simple: find someone who is successful and do what they do.
What areas of your life are you looking to improve? Do you want to be better at your job? Find someone in your field or at your place of work and find out what they do. Do you want to be a better spouse, a better parent? Find someone you admire and find out what they do.
What are the benefits of being mentored?
1. You will identify your strengths and weakness. By learning what your strengths and weaknesses are you can learn to celebrate your strengths and focus on improving your areas of weakness.
2. You will build belief in yourself.
3. Create a vision. Know that you can accomplish whatever you want sometimes you just need to know where you are going and how to get there!!
4. Identify distractions. You will learn what is keeping you from your goals and how focus and organization can get you where you want to be. Finding success is simple. Simple steps every day can get us to our goals. But these things are easy to do, and just as easy not to do.
5. Get to your WHY. Your why is what fuels you. A mentor will help you identify what motivates you and that WHY will keep you going when the going gets tough.
6. Get out of your comfort zone. Change and growth isn’t always easy, but it is good for us to see what we are capable of. A mentor can help us identify where we can grow and change as we learn new …
Read MoreMother’s Day DIY
This past weekend at a shower we all hosted, we did a DIY mug activity. It worked out great! We all got to make a mug for the bride (so she could have a set of mugs) and a mug for ourselves. It was so much fun to be able to be creative and make a gift! Here is two examples of what we made:
But what a perfect gift to make for Mother’s Day! You can make them for mom’s, grandma’s, friends that are moms, soon to be moms! You can even have kids help! (Ideas below on our pinterest page) It is a fun way to bless someone, and the gift will actually get used! Everyone uses mugs. Even if you don’t like coffee or tea… maybe ice cream??
What do you need:
- Oil Based Sharpies
- White ceramic mugs (These can be purchased at Dollar Stores)
- A Design
- An Oven
- Optional: Stencils/ Stickers
picture from http://blog.brika.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/brika-sharpie-mugs2.jpg
Directions:
- Think of your design
- Use the sharpies to put the design on the mug
- Bake the mug in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Turn the oven off and let the mug cool in the oven.
- Present your beautiful DIY gift!!
Check out some of our Pinterest Ideas and Mother’s Day Quotes if you want to make your own!
- If you think my hands are full you should see my heart
- To the world you are a mother but to your family you are the world
- You have my whole heart for my whole life
- I know what love is because of you
If you want to make some later here are the supplies on Amazon:
Sharpie Paint Marker Medium Point Oil Based All 15 Color Set
Sharpie Oil-Based Medium Point Paint Markers, 5 Fashion Colored Markers (1770459)
White …
JOANN Fabric Projects + Inspiration – Mother’s Day
Did you know Joann Fabrics has a Projects + Inspiration section on their website? This section currently also includes GREAT and simple projects for Mother’s Day! These projects include the different items you need for each project, time needed, and skill level. Below are a few of my favorite projects from their ideas pages!
Crafting Time: 1-2 hours
Skill Level: No Experience Necessary
2. Flower Pots
Crafting Time: 1-2 Hours
Skill Level: No Experience Necessary
combine this gift with…
3. Seed Box
Crafting Time: 3-5 hours
Skill Level: No Experience Necessary
Crafting Time: 1-2 hours
Skill Level: Some Experience Necessary
5. Buy Mom a Class at any JOANN stores or an online through JOANN’s partnership Craftsy! There are so many options to choose from including Crocheting, Home & Garden, Photography, Sewing, and More! The online classes also include Embroidery, Food & Cooking, Paper Crafts, Weaving, and More!! Check the Class Catalog (here is the current catalog for my local JOANN store; change the location at the top of the Class Catalog link) for availability at a JOANN store near you!
Click the above banner to start your JOANN crafting and shopping!!
See even more Mother’s Day DIY Gifts on JOANN’s Mother’s Day Ideas Pinterest Board!
Want some extra “WEISSER WISDOM”?? Here’s our Tip…
You can use FOUR different coupons all at once at all Joann Fabric stores. (1) Sales Flyers always include at least one, usually multiple, coupons (2) Joann.com Coupons or the Joann app (3) Retailmenot.com has Joann coupons (4) Military Discount
We would love to see the projects you make! Post photos to our Facebook page or tag us on Instagram! @growingweisser
Happy Crafting 🙂
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