Credits:

DesignedbyLara.com

Friday, March 21, 2008

Mother's Day Flowers Craft


Mother's Day Flowers Craft

Make use of colored cupcake liners to make beautiful and attractive paper flowers for Mom on this mother's day. Method:
Take a container of colored paper cupcake liners and a few green construction papers.

Cut out from the construction paper some stems and leaves.
Choose one liner per flower to be the blossom of the flower.
Remember to keep the liner standing upright and do not compress it.
Paste a cotton ball in the center of the cupcake holder to symbolize the inside of the flower.
Attach the entire flower bloom to the top of the stem with glue.
Now, allow the flower to dry.
Write lovely messages on the stem or leaves wishing Mom a happy Mother's Day and also what she means to you.

Guidelines:
Make several such colored flowers to create a bouquet.
Paste a flower on the front of a card as a cheerful decoration.
Pasting a photo of mother and child in the center of the flower would make it more beautiful.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Working Mothers

Working Mothers

A working mother is a superwoman with the extraordinary flair for balancing her family responsibilities and her responsibilities as an employee. As the saying goes, she has to have her cake and also eat it. With a motto to balance work and life---a working woman is striving to excel in both. The exponentially rising number of working women force in organizations is a proof of that.

The toughest part of the story is to strike the right balance so that the family members do not feel neglected on account of her career and at the same time she should not be left far behind when it comes to fulfilling her job responsibilities. Instead of looking for sympathy and consideration from her employee and colleagues, she should try and succeed in not giving anybody a chance to differentiate her from her full-time devoted women co-workers without family responsibilities.

A working woman and a mother, that too a single working mother, the role is tough and challenging. Being the sole guardian angel to her child and also the sole breadwinner of the family with an immense responsibility to raise her children all by herself, her role undoubtedly calls for a woman with plenty of emotional strength and a steely determination.

The successful, role model, single mothers have proved that the idea of working mother and impact on child is not that scary anymore. The fact that, even single mothers can set excellent standards and above par examples when it comes to raising children, is now a proven fact. The society is now more considerate, supportive and receptive to this new genre of working mothers abounding in almost every field

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Christian Quote of the Day.

Topic for Today: Promises of God

They are a foundation of our faith, and we have them as such; and also of our hope. On these we are to build all our expectations from God; and in all temptations and trials we have them to rest our souls upon.
Henry, Matthew

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Mess Free Easter Egg Decorating


Mess Free Easter Egg Decorating

Dipping plain white eggs into a bowl and watching them turn a different color is almost magical for children, but may be a bit intimidating for parents seeking to avoid a mess. Here are a few tips for mess free egg decorating:

1. Stick with Stickers
If you (or your children) are not attached to the traditional dying of eggs, this may be a way to minimize the muss and fuss of egg decorating. Stickers make easy decorations. There's nothing to clean up afterwards. To try this easy technique, simply purchase ordinary Easter stickers and stick them onto the eggs. You may be pleasantly surprised by the colorful results.

2. Dye Your Eggs at the Stove
Avoid the mess that comes with giving your children their own dye cups. Mix the dye ingredients in a five quart stock pot or Dutch oven. Let the child take the dried boiled eggs and place them in the pot of dye solution on the stove. When the eggs are ready, use a slotted spoon to lift the dyed eggs out of the pan. This type of spoon leaves less liquid on the spoon which means less liquid to make a mess. Carefully spoon the eggs back into the carton.

3. Work on the Kitchen Floor
The closer you are to the ground, the shorter the distance an egg has to fall. Spread an old plastic tablecloth or tarp on the floor. Give each child an apron and a pair of latex exam gloves. These gloves allow the children to easily dip the eggs with their hands instead of struggling with a spoon.

4. Buy a Ready to Use Easter Egg Kit.
PAAS® has been making egg decorating materials for years, and constantly come up with new ways to make the egg decorating process easier and faster. Their egg wrapping kits use only boiling water and make no mess at all. They also offer egg cups complete with dye and dipper so you don’t need spoons at all. You can purchase PAAS® products wherever decorating items are sold.
Egg decorating is great for everyone, but no one likes to clean up at the end. Make it easier on yourself this year, and use our tips for some good clean fun.
Atricle Source: Faithful Grannies and Wahm Choices
Marcia Chumbley is a work at home mom and grandmother in Minnesota. She is the owner of a Christian Work From Home Moms and Grandparents web site at http://www.faithfulgrannies.com/ and WAHM Choices-Work at Home Moms Choices http://www.wahmchoices.com Bringing generations of Christian Work From Home Moms, Grandmothers, Parents, Boomers and Families together while providing resources, inspiration and affordable advertising while balancing the work at home experience.

Monday, March 10, 2008

The Egg Hunt


The Egg Hunt


The
egg hunt is a longstanding Easter tradition for many families. Whether you attend an old fashioned community egg hunt, or have a simple affair in your own back yard, take time to make the egg hunt an enjoyable part of Easter.

For young children, hiding real or plastic eggs is a rite of passage at Easter. If you choose to use real eggs, limit the number that you hide. Always keep your boiled Easter eggs refrigerated until shortly before the start of the hunt. Otherwise, long periods at room temperature combined with being hidden outside where its warm could spoil the eggs. Save the cartons as you color eggs, and after the hunt, give each child a big enough section of the egg carton to hold their eggs. Award prizes to the top three egg finders, to make the contest even more enjoyable.

Older children probably won’t be as interested in an old-fashioned
Easter egg hunt, and may need you to spice it up and make things a little more challenging. Hide plastic eggs instead of real ones. Plastic eggs can be filled with coins, candy, small toys, and dollar bills. Older children will find this particular type of egg hunt fun, and will enjoy looking for the unique prizes.

If you have middle school age children who still want to participate, turn the egg hunt into a scavenger hunt. To work well, this entire game must be thoroughly planned out from beginning to end. Inside each plastic egg, place handwritten clues. The kids can divide into teams. Each team is given the same clue to start. When one clue is figured out, it will lead them to another egg with another clue inside. The team that finds the prize first, splits it among team members.

Eggs are still hidden and hunted for on Easter, carrying on this unique tradition. A little creativity can make the experience enjoyable for kids of all ages. Happy hunting!

Marcia Chumbley is a
work at home mom and grandmother in Minnesota. She is the owner of a Christian Work From Home Moms and Grandparents web site at http://www.faithfulgrannies.com and Work At Home Divas Online http://www.workathomedivasonline.com Bringing generations of Christian Work From Home Moms, Grandmothers, Parents, Boomers and Families together while providing resources, inspiration and affordable advertising while balancing the work at home experience.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

The History and Observances of Easter

The History and Observances of Easter

Every year, Christians worldwide celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during the Easter season. Contrary to popular belief, however, the celebration of the Easter holiday is not of Christian origin.

The name 'Easter' is derived from the name of the Saxon goddess of Spring, Eastre. According to Pagan beliefs, Eastre's sphere of influence is fertility and renewal. Each year at the Vernal Equinox, a great festival was held to celebrate the coming growing season and the continued fertility of the Earth.

Jews have also celebrated their own springtime festival, Passover, around this time as well. Passover commemorates the end of the Israelite's captivity in Egypt. It is called Passover because when the Angel of Death came for Egypt's first born sons, the Israelites who had lamb's blood on the door were passed over and spared.

Because of the state supported persecution of early Christians, many Christian feasts were celebrated about the same time as Pagan holidays. Easter is no different. While the religious meanings of the different festivals are different, symbols like the egg, rabbit, and the cross are shared.

The egg has always been a symbol of new life and springtime renewal. Children across pre-Christian Europe were given decorated eggs as a symbol of the renewal of springtime. In modern times, children decorate and hide eggs.

The rabbit was the symbol of the goddess Eastre in Pagan Saxony. During the early American period, German settlers brought with them the connection between the Easter holiday and a rabbit. Today, Children believe in the Easter Bunny, who brings candy and gifts on Easter Sunday.

One of the central Christian symbols is the cross. It symbolizes the crucifixion of Christ, but in Pagan Rome, it was a symbol of Roman punishment. Crucifixion was always a favorite method of execution in Roman times, but after the death of Jesus, it became a rallying symbol for early Christians.

The Easter holiday is very old indeed, and it's meaning and symbols have evolved over time. Whether Pagan or Christian, symbols add to the meaning of the holiday, but do not change it.

Marcia Chumbley is a work at home mom and grandmother in Minnesota. She is the owner of a Christian Work From Home Moms website at Faithful Grannies http://www.faithfulgrannies.com bringing generations of Christian Work From Home Moms, Grandmothers, Parents, Boomers and Families together while providing resources, inspiration and affordable advertising while balancing the work at home experience. She holds a degree in Business and is a CMOM.

Article Source: Christian Work At Home Grandparents - CWAHGrandparents.com

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Planning a Children's Easter Party

Planning a Children's Easter Party

If you'd like to do more this year for Easter than a traditional egg hunt, consider planning a party as well. Kids love to have fun, play games, and earn prizes while searching for eggs. Here are some ideas for activities you can do to make your party a hit.

Pin the Chick on the Egg
Draw a large egg on a piece of white poster board. Cut it out, decorate it, and pin or tape it to the wall. Mark the center clearly. Let the children draw chicks on construction paper and cut them out. When they are done, fold a piece of tape and stick it to the back of each chick. Blindfold each child in turn and let them see who can tape their chick closest to the center of the egg.

Word Games
Many Easter word games are available on the internet for free. Search for “Easter word games”, and print out a few to photocopy for your guests. These printable pages have activities like word searches and word scrambles that are grouped by age. Give a prize to the winner of each game.

Duck, Duck, Goose!
Have all the children sit in a circle. One child will walk around the circle behind the others tapping each “duck” on the head until they decide which one of their friends will be the “goose”. The “goose” has to get up and chase the first child. If the first child makes it back to the empty spot without being touched, then the second child becomes the new “duck”.

Easter necklaces.
Cut strips from pastel colored construction paper. Show the children how to make chain links. Fold the paper in a circle, dropping a spot of glue or using a glue stick on one end. Then press the two ends together to form a circle. For each new link, fold the paper in a circle around the previous link so they form a chain. When the chain is long enough to fit over the child's head as a necklace,add one more link to join the two ends of the chain.

Treats
Everyone loves fun food. Serve party snacks like little sandwiches, juice, and a small dessert. For a change, use cookie cutters in the shapes of Easter characters to cut the sandwiches. There many fun recipes on sites like
http://www.foodnetwork.com/

You don’t need too many activities to keep children happy at a party. Remember, there's also the excitement of the egg hunt to keep them entertained. Have fun making this an Easter to remember!


Article Source: http://www.faithfulgrannies.com

Marcia Chumbley is a work at home mom and grandmother in Minnesota. She is the owner of a Christian Work From Home Moms and Grandparents web site at http://www.faithfulgrannies.com Bringing generations of Christian Work From Home Moms, Grandmothers, Parents, Boomers and Families together while providing resources, inspiration and affordable advertising while balancing the work at home experience.