Take the family on a factory tour!

Summer is here!

And I'm sure that you want to do something fun with kids this summer. One of the things that I'll be doing is taking them to different factories. Summer is the perfect time to hop in the car and visit America's most popular factories! If you have boys and they love anything that is on wheels take them to Boeing, Mercedes or Harley Davidson factory. Going to a Dairy Factory should be fun for all. Just finish the visit with a tasting ice cream!!!

You can find a lot of information on all tours and find those closest to you if you visit FactoryToursUSA.com or pick up the book Watch it Made in the USA.

Wishing you and your family a summer filled with fun and unforgettable memories!

Well, this was my homework! I had to do a photo shoot and pick a pose. My husband and I had a lot of fun! Even the kids took a few pictures. I'm really enjoying this new adventure, modeling for a plus size designers in Portland, OR area.

My new Pictures!

Good day to all of you!

It's been busy around our place in the last few weeks. We are just about done with the school year and I'm getting ready for the next year starting September!

FUN!FUN!FUN!

Today I enrolled my kids in Creative Classes through our School District. So we will be doing out Home School and Alternative Classes they picked themselves.
This year will be so much fun! We signed up for some fun classes.

CYT - Christian Youth Theater
Mystery Solvers
Computer Basics
YMCA
Vocal Ensemble
Gymnastics
Martial Arts - Tac Kwen Doe

So in the next few weeks I'll be working on my new Calendar. Please pray for me that the Lord will give me the wisdom to plan my days, so I can bring glory to Him in everything I do.

Thank you, to all of you for your support and prayers!

God bless,
Oksana

Free School Calendar Templates - Download a collection of free school calendar templates for Excel, or quickly print a ready-made academic year calendar.

Family Fun for Everyone

Arts & CraftsFinger-paint.
Draw pictures on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.
Get out the coloring books and crayons, and color.
Build a model car or airplane.
Design a family calendar; record birthdays, anniversaries, and family events.
Make Christmas cards or ornaments.

Family Growth
Have family devotions.
Plan a guy/girl night. Dad: Teach your son how to change the oil. Mom: Teach your daughter how to sew.
Decorate a can and fill it with ideas of fun things to do. Take turns pulling out something new each day.

Food & Meals
Have an ice cream sundae night with special toppings, whipped cream, and candy.
Bake cookies together and take some to your neighbors.
Plan a potluck dinner with friends.
Have a barbeque.
Pack a picnic.
Go to an ice cream shop.
Build a bonfire, roast marshmallows, and make S’mores.

Getting Out of the House
Visit the zoo or a local museum.Pick fruit at a U-Pick.
Take a road trip down a road you’ve never explored.
Plan and go on a scavenger hunt with your kids.
Attend a free community concert.

Hospitality
Adopt a “grandpa” or “grandma” from your church and do something special with that person.
Host a “Cousins Camp” if cousins live nearby.

If It’s Raining
Build a fort with blankets, tables, and chairs.
Make a “home movie.” Let the kids use the camcorder, dress up, and use whatever resources you have on hand to set the scene.
Design a personal collage of “Things I Love” or “The Story of My Life.” Give everyone a large poster board and a stack of magazines. When finished, take turns talking about what the pictures mean.
Give your girls a “makeover.”
Play dress-up or “Cowboys and Indians.”
Play musical chairs.
Sing around the piano.
Write a “progressive story”—each family member adds one sentence—and then illustrate it.
Write encouraging notes to relatives, people in the military, friends, and pastors.
Play board games.
Put together a jigsaw puzzle.

Neighborhood Fun
Host a bike-decorating contest, and let the kids have a parade to show off their bikes.
Plan an art show. Display the neighborhood children’s artwork, and invite their families to attend. Serve refreshments, and elect a judge to award ribbons.
Organize a community cleanup day.
Make sock puppets, write a script, and invite the neighborhood kids to the puppet show.

Sports & Exercise
Play soccer or kickball.
Go on a bike ride.
Play Putt-Putt Golf or visit to the driving range.
Go roller skating or ice skating.
Visit the playground.
Shoot hoops or play H-O-R-S-E with a basketball.
Take a hike and collect rocks and leaves.
Jump rope.
Play “Kick the Can” or “Capture the Flag.”
Have a water fight with the hose, buckets, balloons, or squirt guns.
Fly a kite.
Teach the kids how to play hopscotch or croquet.

© Revive Our Hearts. Used with permission. http://www.reviveourhearts.com/ Info@ReviveOurHearts.com

Easter Cookies: A Memorable Way to Teach Kids the Resurrection

Sandy Coughlin

Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer

The Easter baskets, gifts, candy, and games have dwindled now as my kids have gotten older. And that is a good thing. Because this means my kids are expecting less hubbub and hoopla as they increasingly understand the true meaning of this holy holiday. It’s all a part of growing up.

But no matter the age, I love to give “hands-on” lessons that kids can relate to, reinforcing the true meaning of Easter. The “Easter Cookie Story” is one particular lesson I shared with my children when they were younger.

Easter Cookie Story

To be made the evening before Easter, or whenever you want to give this lesson. I’ve actually had to open the oven early because of a limited time frame, but over-night gives best results.

You will need:

1c. whole pecans

1 tsp. vinegar

3 egg

whitesa

pinch salt

1c. sugar

zipper baggie

wooden spoon

tape

Bible

1. Preheat oven to 300

2. Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, the Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.

3. Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30.

4. Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.

5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.

6. So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.

7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

8. Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.

9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matt.27:65-66.

10. GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

11. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

I’ve not only tried this with my own kids, but I’ve also pulled this out for one of my “Balcony Girls” lessons.

Not only does this lesson walk you through the Easter story, it focuses on the truth of Jesus’ resurrection and how it gives us hope for the future.
As Easter nears, if you are looking for a fun idea to do with your younger kids -- or even grandkids or neighborhood kids -- give this “recipe” a try. Sharing hospitality means reaching out to those around you!

Sandy Coughlin is a wife and mother of 3. She loves her family and loves blessing other people's lives by entertaining in her home. Sandy’s husband, Paul, (who used to be the reluctant entertainer) has come on board, and they often offer hospitality together. Sandy and Paul co-authored a book called Married but Not Engaged (Bethany House, Aug. 2006). It's written to women who are married to "checked out" or emotionally absent men and who want to create a more satisfying, intimate relationship. This article was adapted from Sandy’s regularly updated blog “4 Reluctant Entertainers,” which you can visit at www.reluctantentertainer.com. Get more information on Married but Not Engaged by clicking here.

WOW! What A Blessing!

It's a blessing to be back home.

I love vacations, but I love comming home as well. We had a very good time, even though we wore sick most of the time the time that we had together was priceless.

I love to see the world through the eyes of my children. I loved to see the way they responded to new things and we had good times explaining a lot of new things to then. Most of all I love to see God in all of it. Every time I saw the sunset it was different and amazing! I love the way our Lord paint His pictures. What a blessing it is to stop from the daily, rushed life and smell the wind and the ocean!

Hope that all of you had a lot of blessings this past week and I will try to write a few things thes week.

Kids in Church

I got these in my e-mail this morning and wanted to share it with all of you!

3-year-old Reese:

"Our Father, Who does art in heaven,

Harold is His name.

Amen."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little boy was overheard praying:

"Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.

I'm having a real good time like I am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the christening of his baby brother in church,

Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.

His father asked him three times what was wrong.

Finally, the boy replied,

"That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home,

and I wanted to stay with you guys."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One particular four-year-old prayed,

"And forgive us our trash baskets

as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service,

"And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"

One bright little girl replied,

"Because people are sleeping."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3.

The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake.

Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson.

"If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,

'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.'

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said,

"Ryan, you be Jesus!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A father was at the beach with his children

when the four-year-old son ran up to him,

grabbed his hand, and led him to the shore

where a seagull lay dead in the sand.

"Daddy, what happened to him?" the son asked.

"He died and went to Heaven," the Dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then asked,

"Why did God throw him back down?"



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A wife invited some people to dinner.

At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said,

"Would you like to say the blessing?"

"I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied.

"Just say what you hear Mommy say," the wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said,

"Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I will be taking a break from posting on Sunday, so I'm wishing all of you a Blessed Sunday! I will see you back on Monday morning.

Blessings to all!

I Corinthians 13

Valentine's Day is a day of love,

For showing that we care,

And if we read the Bible,

God describes love there:

If we speak like celestial angels

From heaven up above,

All our words mean nothing

If we don’t have Christian love.

Love is patient, love is kind;

It doesn’t brag or boast;

Love conquers pride and envy;

It is never self-engrossed.

Love is not rude or angry;

Forgiveness counters wrong;

Love stays away from evil;

It sings a truthful song.

Love is full of trust and hope;

It always perseveres;

Love never fails; It’s faithful;

To the Bible it adheres.

And if you give this kind of love

To your special Valentine,

You’ll be loving right in harmony

With God’s own sweet design.

By Joanna Fuchs

Russian Cartoon.

I loved this one when I was little.

My kids love it now!