Friday Funny – Biting Angels

Little Hannah had never spent a night in the country before, and she was nervous about the sounds of the crickets, frogs, and insects outside the door of their vacation cabin. Her little voice whined in the darkness, “Mummy, everything buzzes, and I’m afraid.”

“Don’t be afraid,” said her mother. “Remember the angels are right here watching over you.”

A few minutes later, the air was pierced with an “Aough!”

“What is it now, Hannah?” asked her weary mother.

“I don’t know,” said Hannah, voice trembling. “But I think one of the angels just bit me.”

Have a great weekend!

Smiles, Jay

 

Friday Funny – From the mouths of babes…

I took Boo and our Little Mister for a walk to the park a few weeks ago now. It was late in the afternoon after a really hot day and it had become quite windy as the cool change started to drift in. We were walking across the local football oval and Boo’s hair was blowing into her eyes as we walked. The following is the conversation we were having at the time. Hope it makes you smile as much as it did me.

B: (Hands on hips and stomping her foot) “I don’t know why God needed to make wind for!”

M: “Well one reason might be to help cool us down when it’s been so hot.”

B: “Well why can’t He just turn the air – conditioning on?”

Have a great weekend!

Smiles,

Jay

 

Ways to Praise a Child

It’s so easy to concentrate on fixing our kids negative behaviour that often we forget to recognise the positive behaviour that they display. Here’s a quick reference list of 100 ways you can praise your children everyday!

I love you * You’re special * Excellent * Well done * I knew you could do it * Great * I’m so proud of you * You’re a great kid * Good job * Nice work * You’re the best * I need a hug from you * You’re gorgeous * You make me happy * I like the way you share * WOW * Terrific * Good for you * You are lots of fun * Awesome * You’re fantastic * I can’t believe how brave you are * What a good listener * You’re a legend * Thanks for coming with me * What story would you like? * You’re a good friend * You deserve a big hug * I missed you so much * You made my day * Marvelous * A big kiss * You make me laugh * I trust you * You’re wonderful * You’re perfect * Fantastic work * You’re a star * What do you think? * You’re a champion * You amaze me * I like the way you work * I like playing with you * I enjoy your company * I love you lots * You are so good at that* God loves you so much*

Remember: A hug is worth 1000 words!

 

Learning For Life – Glorious Goop!

This one was a winner when I took it along to playgroup a few weeks ago. The children spent ages scooping it up in cups, pouring it, and of course dipping their hands in. It was so easy to make and such a fun way to let the children explore. If you wanted to take it a step further you could get your child to watch you make it and then talk to them about the changes that took place in the morning. All of a sudden a fun play activity becomes your very own science lesson!

Ingredients:

1 Pkt of LUX Soap Flakes

1 bucket of boiling water

Food Colouring

Method:

Mix all ingredients together and let stand over night.

Hint:

I made mine up in an old nappy bucket and added 9 ltrs of boiling water to make up the bucket.

Have Fun!

Jay

 

Ten ways to do him good. – Proverbs 31:12

A few weeks ago now, the girls over at GirlTalk looked at the proverbs 31 woman and talked about how we wives can really aim to bless our husbands by “doing him good, not harm all the days of her life.” With their permission I have included the list here for you to see and I also would like to incourage you to pop over and visit them where you can download an inspiring message which goes with this list.

10 Ways to Do Your Husband Good (Proverbs 31:12)

* Write him a love note and place it in his sock drawer.
* Take an entire evening to enjoy his favorite hobby with him.
* Show up at work with a special drink or take him to lunch.
* Encourage him for demonstrating a specific godly trait.

* Arrange a datenight at his favorite restaurant.
* Pray for him today and tell him you are doing so.
* Surprise him with his favorite dessert after dinner.
* Greet him in an extra-special way when he comes home from work.
* Lead the children in a time of honoring him.
* Ask him: “What is one way I can be a better wife?” Then do it!

Have fun working through some of these suggestions and if you are game why not leave a comment and add some of your own ideas too!

Smiles,

Jay

 

YUMMY YUMMY CHEESECAKE!

In keeping with the party theme this week I have decided to post my favorite cheese cake recipe in the place of my usual ‘Learning for Life’ Monday post. Of course making the cake with your children would be a great learning experience as you teach them about measurement, change and following directions. Boo just loves cooking and I enjoy doing it with her too. The cake always tastes extra special when its made together! There is lots of washing up to do after this one but trust me its all worth it in the end!

Mars Bar Cheesecake.

Ingredients;

250g Plain chocolate biscuits

150g butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

20g butter, extra

300ml thickened cream

50g milk chocolate finely chopped

3 tablespoons gelatine

1/4 cup water

2 x 250g packets cream cheese, soften

1/2 cup (110g) castor sugar

2 x 60g Mars bars, chopped finely

Method:

1. Blend or process biscuits until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add butter; process until just combined. Using one hand, press biscuit mixture evenly over base and side of 20cm spring form tin, cover; refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.

2. Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, extra butter and 2 tablespoons of the cream in a small saucepan; stir over low heat, until sugar dissolves, to make butter scotch sauce.

3. Combine chocolate and another 2 tablespoons of the cream in another small saucepan; stir over low heat until the chocolate melts.

4. Sprinkle gelatine over the water in a small heat proof jug; stand jug in saucepan of simmering water. Stir until gelatine dissolves; cool 5 minutes.

5. Beat cheese and caster sugar in medium bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat remaining cream in a small bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir slightly warm gelatine mixture into cheese mixture with Mars bars; fold in cream.

6. Pour half of the cheese mixture into prepared tin; drizzle half the butter scotch and chocolate sauce over the cheese mixture. Pull skewer backwards and forwards through mixture several times to create marbled effect. Repeat process with the remaining cheese mixture and sauces. Cover cheesecake; refrigerate about three hours or until set.

Hint:

Because of the long refrigeration time, this recipe is a good one to prepare a day ahead if you are entertaining. You can also melt the chocolate and cream in a microwave but be careful not to over cook it.

Smiles,

Jay

 

It’s Party Time!!

It’s officially started. The 5minutesformom party is underway and happening people all over the world are groovin’ and movin’ to the sounds of their own little ghetto-blaster.

For those of you visiting here for the first time, welcome. It’s great to have you on board, and I hope that you’ll take the time to comment so that we can get to know each other a little better – that’s what parties are all about after all.

In case you haven’t picked up, my name is Jeanette, the wife of Mark and the mum of two beautiful children. I also live in Melbourne, Australia – which I think is one of the best places to live.

Now, to get further into the party mood, here’s something that you can all sing along to.

Have fun!

Jay.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/ohfvAS1PKU8" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

 

Friday Funny – A great place for the kids!

 

Ten Ways to Love them…

Ever wondered what you can do to show your kids how much they mean to you? I have! Here’s a list of ten ways that you can show your children that they mean the world to you:

1. Encourage them! Tell them how proud you are to be their parent and encourage them for simply trying their best.

2. Write them a note and put it in their lunch box. This can be a simple “I love you” or “I think you are great.” It only takes a few minutes but your children will feel so special when they open their lunch box and find it. Trust me as a teacher I have seen the looks of delight on the children faces when Mum or Dad does this – they might not tell you but the WILL love it.

3. Give an unexpected treat to them. These don’t have to be expensive – Rebekahs favourite doll cost me $2.50! You could even simply bake them a cake.

4. Foster a love of reading – read to them.

5. Ask them what they would like to do with you and then follow it through.

6. Take them on a date night – spend one on one time with just them. Again it doesn’t have to be expensive, at least once a week I try to take Noah for a walk with just the two of us and Rebekah loves it when I take her for a bike ride around the block.

7. Sit and watch their favourite T.V. show with them. Or invite them into your world and let them help in the kitchen or laundry.

8. Don’t exasperate them.

9. Give them unexpected praise – don’t wait until they achieve something great to praise them. Find something everyday that you can praise them for!

And most importantly ……….

10. TELL THEM THAT YOU LOVE THEM EVERY SINGLE DAY!! (Dad’s too!)

Happy Parenting!

Jay

 

The Ultimate Blog Party!

P – A -R -T – Why? Cause I GOTTA!

Yes! The ladies at 5minutesformom.com have invited everyone to the Ultimate Blog Party. I’ll be there and so should you be. Click on this link to find out all the details about how you can meet with other fellow bloggers and website type people from around the world.

March 2 – 9 are the dates for your diary. Who knows who’ll be there?