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4 Ways to Combat Anxiety and Nerves When Sending Your Child Back to School.

4 Ways to Combat Anxiety and Nerves When Sending Your Child Back to School.

by | Aug 15, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

Prayer:

Nothing is stronger than prayer. God tells us,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Phil 4:6

“When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.” Psalms 34:17

We can cover our children in prayer before school starts and daily throughout the year. We can pray for their interactions, for their hearts, souls and minds, for their safety, or for them not to forget to eat lunch. Not only can we pray for all the things we consider bad not to happen but we can ask for all the good things to happen, like making great friendships, a teacher who sees who they are and listens to them, happy bus rides to and from school. We know that there will be adjustments to be made but we can pray for them to take all that comes at them in stride.

Bracelet:

I got this for my daughter when she started Pre-K. She was very nervous. It would be the first time that she was away from me in the hands of people I barely knew. This year she wants to give me the bracelet for the first day of Kindergarten. So that I can remember she loves me. She has another bracelet that just has a heart on it. She said she will wear that one and remember how much her mom, dad and sister love her.
Link to bracelet- click here

Kissing Hand:

This book is a great book to read to your child before school starts. It talks about a child and its mom preparing to leave for school. The mom kisses the child’s hand/paw and folds it up so they can hold on to it when at school.
Kissing Hand Book- click here if you don’t want to buy the book you can get it from the library or listen to it being read to you: Kissing Hand Book-YouTube

Memory Verses:

One great way to combat anxiety is to memorize scripture and repeat it when those stressful moments arise. When we state the scripture it doesn’t allow the lies that fear tells us to take over but reminds us of the truth and safety we have with him.

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.” Psalms 94:19

 

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” Proverbs 12:24

 

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

 

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

 

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

 

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25

 

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

 

“So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’ ” Hebrews 13:6

 

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.” Phil 4:13-14

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” Jeremiah 29:11

Download Free

Lunch Box Note

Printables

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Fun Summer Crafts

Fun Summer Crafts

by | Jul 25, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

We have hit the middle of summer. Things are either starting to slow down or feel like you’re trying to squeeze everything in before the school year starts.

I know for myself I want to create some memories of all of us together before my oldest starts Kindergarten and my youngest starts preschool. So I gathered together some activities we have planned to do as a family to create those connections and memories that will last.

Sometimes doing crafts with children can be frustrating. I hope that is not the case for you. Therefore, I have a few suggestions to help things run smoother so you can focus on the your children and not the things you have to do or the things going wrong.

Gather:

Gather your materials ahead of time. If you have to go to the store make sure to bring your list, create a Drive Up/Curbside list from the store app or have them shipped directly to your house.
Make sure you have the instructions easily accessible and read through them ahead of time.

Preparation:

Prepare your materials ahead of time and that includes any part of the directions that it is not safe for the children can’t be a part of.

Have fun:

Remember that your goal is not to have it turn out perfectly. Your goal is to have fun with your children and create those long lasting memories of togetherness. So, enjoy the ride.

Hope you enjoy the following Fun Summer Craft ideas below:

 

Popsicle Stick Bracelets:

These are so cute. I am very excited for my girls to wear their bracelet to school and remember the fun memories we made creating them together. I want to also write a little note or bible verse on the inside of the bracelet that they can peak at if they feel lonely or miss our family. STICK BRACELET LINK

Paper Airplanes:

The next two we plan on making it pizza and competition night: who can fly their airplane the farthest or shoot their pom pom the farthest. We may even take it to the grandparents’ balcony and fly them out into the field! PAPER AIRPLANE BOOST LINK

Toilet Paper Pom Pom Shooter:

This one is fun. One tip we suggest is tying the skinny part of the balloon first and then just cutting the tip of the balloon off first to make sure it would fit tightly.   Regular toilet paper or paper towel rolls work just fine but if you have a sturdier one that would work even better. POM POM SHOOTER LINK

**Just remember to make sure you don’t leave the balloon or any small pieces around a mouthy baby/toddler. This could be a choking hazard.

Bird Kites:

These we save for a slightly windy day, but how cute and easy this looks! I am excited to make these bird kites with just paper and string. SIMPLE BIRD KITE LINK

Penny Spinners:

What a perfect way to work on fine motor skills and art while spending time together.   This allows creativity to shine and then the games to begin.  Who’s can spin the longest? PENNY SPINNER LINK

Fizzy Ice Cubes:

This is always a winner! Baking soda mix with food color dye and water, then frozen.   Pour vinegar on them and watch the ice melt and the colors fizz!  FIZZY ICE CUBE LINK

Rock Painting:

Go for a walk at the park and everyone gets to pick a rock they like.  Write a fun encouraging word or phrase and place it around your community for others to find.  ROCK PAINTING IDEAS LINK

Download your free printable

Weekly Schedule to help you plan out your crafts you want to create together.

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Summer School

Summer School

by | Jun 20, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

Are you looking for fun activities to do with your children to encourage continued learning throughout the summer?

Look no further!

Below are 10 simple activities that will encourage your child to continue learning throughout the summer without them even realizing they are learning.

ABC

1. Puzzles: Start with hiding 4 letters in a sensory bin or around the room then have your child search for the letters missing and place them in the correct order.  Have fun with it and don’t be afraid to be silly.

2. Get Outside: Go to a park and lay the letters on the ground and have them hop, skip, or jump to each letter

3. Nature: Line sticks or leaves in the shape of letters or sight words.

4. Whack a Letter/Sight Word: This is one of my favorite games. Lay about 6 or 8 letters or sight words on the floor or on a coffee table. Have one person read letter/sight word and the other person has to whack (either with their hand or a fly swatter- the dollar tree has fun ones with flowers glued on).

5. Matching: Upper to Lowercase letters. The other day I wrote all the uppercase and lowercase letters with a highlighter and had the kindergartner trace them. We then cut the letters out so she could match the upper and lowercase letters and put them in ABC order.

Literacy

6. Make your own book: Allow for this to be an encouraging process. Have your child draw pictures first, remind them to add details to their pictures. Then when writing the story make sure to add details to their story. Don’t worry about punctuation or spelling in their first DIY book. We want to encourage imagination and completion. If they continue to write more books you can encourage the next steps of grammar.

7. Pen-Pals: Have a relative or friend send cards in the mail to your children and have your children respond. It can be as simple as a drawing with a parent writing the note or a whole page written by your child. What a great way to stay connected too!

123

8. Nature: Count seashells or make them into Patterns.

9. Gross Motor: Kick or bounce a ball back in forth while counting by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, etc.

10. DIY: Make you’re own board game.

Media

EPIC: Reads books to them or allows them to read a wide variety of books.

ABC MOUSE: Helps kids learn ABC’s, sight words, sounds, etc.

Khan Academy Kids: Songs, ABC’s, 123’s

Freebies

I hope you enjoyed the ideas above and maybe sparked a new idea or reminded you of an old one.  Do you have a favorite school activity that makes learning fun?  Share them with us in the comment section below!

Also, do not forget to download the freebies too, a total of 9 pages!  They are a packet of sight words to make it easy to use wherever needed.  To use while waiting in the car, for whack a word, chalk work, hop scotch sight words, etc.  Be as creative as your mind will let you.  Let us know how you plan to use them and let us share ideas with other Momma’s!

 

Thanks for stopping by.

Download your Free Printable

 

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.

Summer Fun

Summer Fun

by | May 16, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

Summer Time

Many have ended the school year, some are just about done and some still have young ones that are not in school, where the only separation or change to summer is the clothing options we now provide our children.

Winter time can be hard. We had to get creative some days to challenge our brains, emotional, educational, sensory, and spiritual growth.

 

Now, that it is getting warmer and more activities can be held outdoors, it has been helpful to get out and about. When my children’s “buckets” (Have you read this book?) are full of outdoor exploring and creating and catching then there’s no time for arguing with each other. Also, when children can get out and enjoy nature and each other there is so much growth and development that occurs.

Celebrate!

We feel like we can accomplish so much this summer but I know, that if I do not plan out what activities we want to do this summer, then we will get stuck in our little routine and miss out on all the fun we could have had. Therefore, I created a bucket list. I will attach it at the bottom as well if you want to join in the fun but otherwise, feel free to make your own (also attached). Let us know what you added and maybe we can add it to our list too.

Don’t forget that summer is also about letting go of some of the pressure and structure you had throughout this school year. Celebrating all you have accomplished this past year through all the back and forth of literally everything.

Bucket List

So, as you’re brainstorming some ideas you want to do with your family, I will share with you a few of ours:

Butterfly cycle Have you ever done this at home? It is one of the most amazing things you get to witness. This kit sends you caterpillars and a net to allow you to observe their metamorphosis into the chrysalis, rest, and release as a butterfly. This kit has everything you need to teach your little ones about the life cycle, observing, being still and quiet and the purpose of rest, and how change can be beautiful. Any other thoughts on what you would share with your children while observing please let us know in the comments.

A lot of the other activities on our bucket list cost little to no money:

– drive with the windows down

– have a picnic (This could be anywhere: a park, backyard, mountain, with friends)

– same with camping (could be anywhere…even inside your house)

– roast marshmallows

– get ice cream

– hike

– swim, etc.

Make the Memories

These are not only about the activities and the excitement about accomplishing them but ultimately it is about making memories as a family. Things that you and your children can look back on and remember the “good ole day”. Take pictures and actually print them out, put them in a little book, and put it on the bookshelf so they can get it off and remember the fun.

One more thing, don’t forget to slow down and enjoy the activities with your family. This is one I’m finally starting to get better at. I would rather prepare everything (towels, snacks, etc) or just sit and watch everyone else having fun.

The other week we opened up our water-slide. My husband was SUPER excited about this and so was my eldest daughter. But when the water starting flowing and sprinkling in the air my daughter got nervous (I and the girls aren’t the biggest fans of getting our faces wet). I realized I had to step up and be the example. I’m sure it wasn’t pretty but I did it.  And you know what? It was fun!

It was great to be reminded to step into the fun and it also helped my daughter feel braver to try it again and again.

I encourage you this summer to create a list, make memories with your family, grow together, and STEP INTO THE FUN.

Freebies

Below you will find FREE Printables for your Summer Adventures.   A prescripted bucket list, one you can fill out yourself, and a weekly schedule to help you stay a little organized this summer either with dinner, activities, or anything you need it to be.   Hope you enjoy it!

Download Free Printable’s

* Bucket List
* Blank Bucket List
* Weekly Schedule

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.

National Park Week

National Park Week

by | Apr 18, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

This week is National Park Week.

To search National Parks near you go to:

Click to search for National Park near me

This week entry fees to certain national parks are waived.

I want to encourage you to visit a National Park near you this week or simply go on a walk outside, on a trail path or to a park with your children.

For some this may be an easy request.  For others it may seem a little estranged.  So, I want to give some ideas on what you can do while out and about in nature and why it is important.

Quality Time

Being outside together you will be spending quality time. The more quiet time allotted allows children to open up. When we are constantly filling our quiet time with music, podcasts, TV, video games it  can make the child feel like there is no time to talk about deep and serious things that may be bothering them in their heart and on their mind.

When we make room for quiet times we open up the conversation for deeper connection.

Maybe there isn’t anything they want to talk about, but still sharing quiet moments staring into God’s amazing creation can also create a deeper connection between you and your children.

Vitamin D

We get vitamin D from the sun which is a vital vitamin for our mental health, bone growth and energy.  Click to learn about about Vitamin D benefits

Concerns?

If you have concerns about bugs and ticks you can go prepared. Here are some Tips and Tricks and links to items we use to give us confidence when heading outdoors.

Clothes: Pull hair back, wear a hat, wear light colored pants/shorts, high socks, and closed toe shoes. If wearing pants, tuck them into your socks.
Bug spray: Natural Bug Repellent
Sunscreen: Badger Sunscreen
Tick Remover:Tick Removal Card

Topics to talk about when outdoors

Need ideas on what to talk about when outdoors? Hear are a few below:

Creation: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” Gen 1:1

Talk about creation and how God created all of things; beautiful things that work so beautifully together. It is so complicated but yet so simplistic.

Continue to talk about the days of creation:

  1. Heaven and earth
  2. Sky and sea
  3. Grass, plants, flowers and trees
  4. Sun, moon and stars
  5. Fish and birds
  6. Animals and man
  7. God rested

See if you can spot all of the things that God created.

Senses:

  • What do you smell?
  • What do you see?
  • What can you touch?
  • What can you hear?
  • What can you taste? (Safely if you know what is edible in the wild- otherwise bring snacks and water or skip)

Songs:

Pray:

Ask everyone what they want to pray for and if they want to say their own prayer?

Thank God for being the same yesterday, today and tomorrow a strong constant.

Pray for their school, their friends, their choices, that they feel the love that surrounds them, etc.

Will you do it?

I hope you are able to get out and enjoy a day in nature this week, even if it’s not a day at a national park. Enjoy the time in God’s creation with your children and marvel at his beautiful creation.

Don’t forget to allow time for pausing in your walk to permit close exploration of their surroundings.   Take your time, enjoy the process and praise the Lord of all creation.

Let us know in the comments where you will be going this week!  We’d also love to see pictures of your adventures.  If you follow us on Instagram don’t forget to tag us! 

Download your free printable

Fruit of the Spirit Necklace

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Meet Julia!

Julia is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two beautiful girls and a follower of Christ.   She loves crafting, teaching and is forever grateful for a God who is in control of all unknowns and thankful we can have a peace that surpasses all understanding.