Treasured Possessions

Ok, I have to bring you back to the Happy Home Fairy one more time this week. Why? Because not only does she offer lots of fun crafts, activities, and snack ideas regularly, but she also loves Jesus and really tries to bring their family's faith into every tradition she creates for her kiddos - and St. Patrick's Day is no exception!

Besides the traditional story of St. Patrick (you can read it here), she takes it a step further by incorporating the idea of treasure (like we see all those Leprechauns trying to hide away!) as well. Here's one more fun craft you can do with your kiddos, while teaching them about how special they are to God at the same time!

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And if you missed Pastor Brad's sermon on the same topic recently (minus the Leprechauns), you can watch it here. Don't forget to wear your green to church on Sunday!

St. Patrick's Day Craft Roundups

I hope you got some fun ideas from yesterday's post on St. Patrick's Day themed foods. If you're looking for more inspiration (or you have kiddos on spring break this week and you're desperately trying to fill the hours!), here are some roundups of fun - mostly easy - crafts to try out this week.

Spoonful has a list of fun crafts that might be best-suited for older preschoolers or those spring-breakers around your house:

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iVillage has a group of more preschool-friendly crafties for you:

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SheKnows adds a few more to look through:

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And, of course, my always-favorite Happy Home Fairy is the queen of easy, all-ages-friendly crafts for even the most artistically-challenged momma among us:

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Do you have any favorites to add to this list? 

St. Patrick's Day Food Fun!

St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday! So why not dedicate this week's recipe slot to some fun, colorful kids snacks with a St. Patty's theme? Here are some awesome resources:

Are you as smitten with McDonald's Shamrock Shake as I am? I seriously never eat at Mickey D's, but these shakes are a total weakness of mine! Now, here's a super easy way to make them at home, via Babble:

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Or if something a little healthier is a little more your style (or in my world - one for breakfast, one after dinner!), then try these Lucky Leprechaun Smoothies featured on B-Inspired Mama:

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 The Meaningful Mama has a whole day of St. Patty's-themed meals laid out for you!

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The Happy Home Fairy has a whole roundup of ways to use Lucky Charms in cheerful ways to celebrate:

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And if you don't already have enough ideas to get you started, Cute Food for Kids has a roundup of 51 (!) rainbow-themed food ideas - because St. Patrick isn't all about green, you know!

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Of course, there's always the time-tested green scrambled eggs and milk for breakfast! Does your family have any St. Patrick's Day traditions? Do you make any fun foods at your house? Have any of you tried anything we listed above?

A Moment for Your Monday: Momma Prayers

Some things you know, but you have to relearn then a few times - or a million. One of those things I'm relearning yet again is the power of parents' prayers. Did you know that your prayers as a momma are powerful on behalf of your children? We don't always see results right away. Some of us haven't seen results yet, in fact. But I want to encourage you to persist in your prayers like the neighbor who continuously knocks until he gets an answer (check out Jesus talking about it in Luke 11:5-10).

Stuck on what or how to pray? Here are a few ideas to get you started from a book I read recently, Praying Circles around Your Children, by Mark Batterson.

1. Pray the Promises of God. You probably know a lot of the things God promises to his children: "I will never leave you or forsake you," "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age," "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation," and the list goes on. Start with ones you know, and dig into your Bible for more - try the Psalms as a starting point. Then, pray those things for your children. Ask God to fulfill those promises in their lives. 
2. Make Prayer Lists. As you pray those promises of God, make lists of them. Write down the verses and promises and dreams you are praying over your children. Then, pray through that list over and over again. Some days you will feel like a broken record, but remember the persistent neighbor!
3. Create Prayer Mantras. Your prayers are powerful. Your children hearing those prayers can also be incredibly powerful! Think about the things you most want for your children and most want them to know you want - and pray them out loud! At our house our son hears us pray every night, "We pray that he would grow to be a strong man who loves You with all of his heart, soul, mind, and strength and never goes a day without hearing Your voice." 
4. Form Prayer Circles. Recruit other people to pray with you! Ask close friends, your children's mentors, family members, etc., to both pray what you are praying as well as ask God to reveal things directly to them to pray. We are strengthened in our faith through community, and praying for our children is definitely a marathon - not a sprint! 
5. Pray Through the Bible. The Word of God is living and active! Why not tap into that power and pray the same things God wants for our children? As you read your Bible, ask God to make certain verses stand out to you - things he would love you to pray over your children. Insert their names into those verses and pray them very specifically. You may even want to get a Bible for each of your children. As you read through it, circle the verses you pray and make notes. Someday, this will be a great gift to each of them to show them what you have been praying all this time!

Don't try to implement all of these things all at once, but pick one (or something else not covered in this book!) and try it out. Work it into your routine before trying another one. For some other resources, check out Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most and 31 Days of Prayer: For Our Daughters.

How about you? What have you learned about praying for your kiddos? What other resources would you love to share?