Hurray! mittonmusings.com has been online for a full year now! We launched in February 2018 and are celebrating our first birthday! How exciting! Thank you, dear readers, for being a huge part of the adventure! After all, what’s a blog without followers?!
Come join me on this adventure! (Photo: Pexels)
What a year it has been… we have learned so much about the big, bad world of blogging and all that the great internet highway has to offer. We have navigated the social media world and connected with the techno wizards. It has been a fun (and yes, sometimes frustrating) experience as we learned editing, media building and even launched an email course!
We’ve met some friends. We have shared some posts as guest bloggers to others and others have shared with us. We’ve narrowed our niche and shared our faith journeys. And just as any other one year old, we have learned and grown!
This past week was Random Acts of Kindness day, and what better way to celebrate your anniversary than sharing with others… so we are happy to announce that mittonmusings.com will be launching another exciting e-course!! But before that… we will be opening up for asecond round of 30 days of Blessings!!
If you missed this e-course the first time through, then be sure to sign up this time!! Or maybe you enjoyed it so much the first time, you are ready to do it again!! It’s the perfect way to feel blessed and bless others! 30 days of daily email prompts to help you do just that! And it is our absolutely free gift to you! Simply sign up at the 30 days of blessings page and await your first email! (We launch Monday… so sign up today!)
Thank you again for being a part of our blog-a-versary!! Enjoy our gift to you!!
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a fun and easy gift for an encouraging Valentine’s Day!
I was preparing to work in a kindergarten class not too long ago when I discovered a fabulous tool for positive reinforcement and encouragement! I was all set up and meandering around the room, waiting for the students to arrive. This moment is like the calm before the storm for educators. All is serene and peaceful and you think you can handle anything the day will bring. Then the bell rings and they descend upon you in a pile of puffy snowsuits and rosy cheeks, all demanding you help find their lost, frozen mitten that they just flung across the coat room two seconds previous. Nothing like thirty, five-year-olds to make you sleep real well at night! But I digress… back in the classroom, I noticed a large display of “brag tags” hanging from a bulletin board brightly displayed under the same name. They hung on small chains… one for each member of the class. Upon closer examination, I discovered each one contained a few tags for various accomplishments: “I can tie my shoes”, “I can print my name”, “I was a good listener”, etc.
What a brilliant idea, I thought! Such a creative teacher! Such incentive for positive behaviours, self learning and motivation! Upon further research, I discovered that it is not a new concept among teachers… there are a great many teacher/schooling sites that have all kinds of “brag tag” ideas and places to buy your own or edit and print. This teacher was not alone in her ideas! There is a whole classroom incentive entity out there about these fab tabs or spirit sticks (as they are sometimes called)! There was even one teacher who decided teachers themselves should have their own brag tags! A little tongue in cheek, I suppose, but fun! A human resource project for your next motivational meeting perhaps? 🙂 If you are an educator and have come looking for more brag tag ideas, please check out my Pinterest boards for lots of fabulous resources posted there!
Now… even though I work with children and have my own beloveds at home, I will be the first to admit I am not very encouraging. I try. I really do. But more often than not, my task oriented, in the box, do it this way brain takes over, and I am more apt to focus on what you should do instead of what you are doing great already!! It is so much easier to correct then to encourage, isn’t it? The Bible is full of verses about encouragement. Jesus had a time and place for correction, no doubts about it, but usually, He teaches us to be gently encouraging — even in our corrections.
Our family brag tags!
Which brings me to my Valentine’s Day project. My kids are older now… far beyond their kindergarten years… but no matter what the age, we are are always in need of some encouragement, aren’t we?! So I made each of my family members some brag tags… even the hubby! I gave them 5 different ones each, and included some things I love about each of them. Things I want them to know that I have noticed they are doing, and doing wonderfully! Things they have accomplished or are working diligently on. Some of the tags were ready made ones in my gift wrapping collection. Others I punched or cut out and wrote on. Each were ringed on some old shower rings we had hanging around. Simple, but meaningful. I don’t expect them to wear them around their necks the way a five year old might. It’s a small token. But one I hope they treasure. I’m not a good encourager with my spoken word. I have a hard time saying those things I should. This is one way I can make my thoughts tangible to the people I love. Maybe you are not a good verbal encourager either… so, go ahead, steal my idea… I encourage you to ! Make your own “brag tags” for your crew… and let me know how they turn out!!
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If you have been following along since we started the new year, you will know that I am trying to simplify and be a bit greener in 2019. (If you haven’t been following along? Why not?! Sign up for a weekly musing right in your inbox!! Share too!! ) Recently, I convinced the kids to help me make some homemade apple sauce. They love the packaged stuff — even the ones with hidden veggies! And although the little plastic cups are recyclable (or re-useable as paint pots, planters, etc. etc.) I wanted to see if the kids would enjoy the homemade stuff just as well as the pre-packaged, store bought apple sauce.
It’s not even apple season — but I bought a big bag of “naturally imperfect” fruit (ha! there’s a thought for ya!) and enlisted the youngest two to assist in the process. (I read somewhere that if you get them involved, then children are more likely to try whatever you are making… not so much in our house… but hey! Keep learning, right?)
We divided and conquered: one of the kids peeled the apples, one sliced, and I got to go behind and clean up all the messes! Very quickly we had a nice selection of apples to make our small batch of apple sauce with. Here is the recipe we used:
8 or so medium sized apples (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
about 1 cup of water (use more or less depending on how thick you like your applesauce
2 cinnamon sticks
That’s it! I was tempted to throw in a carrot or two, but since the beloveds were helping me, I didn’t want to scare them off just yet! I have made applesauce in the crock pot as well, but I wanted it a little faster this time, so we boiled the above ingredients in a big pot until the apples were soft enough to blend up with the hand blender. Don’t forget to take the cinnamon sticks out! We didn’t add any sugar to our applesauce, as the cinnamon sticks and natural fruit sweetness make it just fine without added sugar! It smelled WONDERFUL!
I have saved a bunch of these little jars with lids, so once the applesauce was done, we filled up the jars and voila! Homemade apple snacks! The big test?! How did it compare? Well… it is yummy… but the crew decided it was best eaten warm and fresh. I have also discovered it tastes great with yogurt for breakfast! One downside to not having preservatives… our homemade applesauce must be kept in the fridge, so it is just not as convenient to grab and go as the pre-packaged, quick snacks we buy. It might taste better, and be better for us… so we will continue to use it often, but convenience may rule out the effort this time. At least it is not on my shopping list for this particular week!
It’s the way it goes sometimes, isn’t it?! We may know that homemade is better, but despite the benefits, we sometimes opt for the easier choice. I’m reminded of the rich man in Matthew 19. He wants to do right, follow Jesus and do good by following the commands, and yet, he struggles with giving up his wealth, his conveniences, his easy-go-lucky life full of riches. I’m discovering that the “simple” things I am choosing to pursue this year are not always the easier options. It takes time to make healthier meals and map out my shopping lists. It takes time to grow deeper in our relationships; it takes effort to study and plan and better ourselves. It is hard to say “no” to some things in order to prioritize others. I, like the rich man, have done many things well, but I struggle to let go of other things. So be encouraged, with me, that our faith journeys are just that: journeys. We follow a winding path and sometimes take a few steps back before moving forward again. The goal is to keep moving forward. Jesus goes on in the story of the rich man, to remind us that with God, all things are possible, and that our rewards will be waiting for us in Heaven one day, if we chose to follow Him. I bet He will even have homemade applesauce warmed up and ready to share!
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