Cute Valentine's

I know this is a little late, but I just wanted to share some cute Valentine's that came through my classroom this year. You could definitely tell the moms who have recently became obsessed with Pinterest. They didn't pass out the regular old Valentines from Wal-Mart!

I loved this one which used chewy hearts and pretzels:

This next one definitely took some planning. I don't think I could think this far in advance, or if I did I don't think I would remember it when the time came around for Valentine's Day!

Even I got creative with my own munchkins' Valentines this year. 

For my 4 year old, I bought 4 packs of bubbles and attached notes to them saying "You 'Blow' me away!". For my 10 month old, I had left over Play Dough from a party and I attached notes to them saying "I love to 'play' with you"! Parents loved them because it was one last piece of paper to "file away" (a.k.a. throw away) and they gave the kids something to do when they got home.






My 7 year old wouldn't let me do something Pinteresty for her and opted for the boring Wal-Mart cards. Of course, once she saw how cool these turned out she wanted to change her mind. Alas, it was too late. Just another example of how her mother will always be right! It would serve her well to learn this lesson now!

Disgusting Yumminess

We tried my first Pinterest recipe tonight! I know, GASP! As addicted as I am to Pinterest, I can't believe this is my first recipe that I have actually tried. And trust me, this mess was so good I will try it over and over and over again.

It is called Crockpot Cubed Steak but I am calling Disgusting Yumminess because it looks so gross, almost like dog food, but it is Oh So Very Good! I am talking lick your plate good...literally had to stop my child from doing this. I did alter the original recipe a little, so here it goes.

Disgusting Yumminess
Cubed Steak (I used a family pack of 6)
2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup (use Fat Free...No one will know!)
1 soup can of milk
1 Envelope of Lipton Onion Soup
Garlic Salt
Seasoning Salt

Place cubed steak in slow cooker. Season with Garlic Salt and Seasoning Salt. Mix 2 cans of soup with 1 can of milk. Pour over steak. Sprinkle Lipton Onion Soup over top, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

After my family of four dug into it, this was all that was left:

I had planned on having left overs, however, that does not seem to be happening. Next time, I will definitely double, and maybe even triple, the recipe.

Failing as a Parent

There are times where I really feel like I am failing as a parent. One of those times would be right now, at this exact moment, as I sit on the couch typing this blog and surfing Pinterest while my girls play Wii instead of being in Sunday School.

We are really not consistent about going to church. Part of the reason is that we have a baby who is in daycare all day long and the thought of leaving her in the nursery for a couple of hours every Sunday instead of spending time with her breaks my heart. Another reason is that it totally messes up her schedule for the day because she doesn't take a morning nap when we go to church.

Another reason is that in the 7 years we have lived here we have yet to find a church home. We have kind of hopped around from church to church trying each one on to see if it fits. Yet, we seem to find fault with each one.

The truth is...perhaps the fault is with us. In fact, there is no PERHAPS to it. The fault definitely is with us. All of our reasons above are just excuses. Excuses for not doing something that should be as natural as breathing. But because it takes a little effort we make excuses for why we shouldn't go to church.

This week's excuse...we lost an hour and got up late. Well, truth be told no one got up late but me. I slept until the new 9 which was the old 8. Even with the sleeping, though, we could have totally made it to church on time.

This is definitely something we must work on! I want my children to love God. I want them to turn to Him in there times of strife and to trust Him. Most importantly I want Him to live in their hearts and to bless them and keep them safe.

Amazingly, despite our failures as parents, they love Him so much. Their prayers are so precious. And they are constantly talking about God living in their hearts. He is GREAT despite our failures as parents.

Even though we fail to go to church on a consistent basis, I do try to help my children grow in Him. We pray every night before bed and on the way to school. When discussing problems we talk about what Jesus would do, and I try to help integrate Bible verses into our daily lives.

I have been wanting for a long time to do a bible verse a week, and help them to memorize it and apply it to their daily lives. Alas, work, home, babies, laundry...basically excuses have gotten in the way. I have not made it a priority. But today when I was Pinning things instead of being at church I came across ABC bible verses.

This mother did what I have been wanting to do for sometime but have not made a priority. She created one memory verse for each week. She also incorporated into the letters of the alphabet. They are free, so go download them at www.icanteachmychild.com These cards can help fill in the gaps where I fail getting my kids to church and Sunday School.

I promise we are going to get better about going to church. Even though there are many things I am Failing as a Parent, going to church should not be one of them. It is our duty to raise Godly children, and it feels OH SO GOOD! Next week for sure....