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Cute Inexpensive Gifts from the Dollar Tree

Cute Inexpensive Gifts from the Dollar Tree

by | Dec 19, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

It’s the last week before Christmas and you forgot about your child’s gymnastics teacher, a co-worker or a new friend you met at a mom’s group. You want to show them you appreciate them but already used up most of your Christmas budget. Don’t give up hope yet and keep reading, because I will share below, 5 last minute quick ideas you can use to let them know you are thinking of them and appreciate the in put they give in to your child’s life, the help they provide at work, or the thoughtful friendship they provide.

5 Last Minute Quick Ideas

The best part is all of these items can be found at the dollar tree!

1. Dollar Tree Notebook
2. Calligraphy Art
3. Glass or Mug design
4. Make cookies or fudge
5. Epsom Salt

Dollar Tree Notebook

This year they have a notebook that looks like leather.  It’s plain paper which is wonderful for the creative person.   They can use it as a calendar, note taking, sketch book, or whatever they enjoy!   If you have access to metal stamps or an engraver you can emboss their name or cute phrase.  For extra you can add pens or sharpies wrapped with a festive ribbon or twine.

Calligraphy

They have lots of paper options at the Dollar Tree and you can choose a size you like best and grab a Crayola Marker and go to town.  Your markers or pens do not have to be anything fancy.  You just have to remember that every down stroke you make it thicker.   Whether that means you do it as you are writing or you have to go back, add a line and color it in.  Both can look great.  Write their favorite Christmas phrase, like “let it snow”, song like “Joy to the World” or poem “Twas the night before Christmas…”.   If you want you can even add a little frame.  They have some cute gold ones currently!

Glass or Mug Design

This is by far the easiest activity.    Head to the dinnerware aisle and pick out a mug or glass.   The Dollar Tree sells adhesive sticker’s that are durable to go through the dishwasher and still stick and keep it’s picture.  We got a pack of three very cute options over the summer and I put them on my daughters’ water bottles and they have lasted through many times in the dishwasher.   All you do is peel the sticker off and place it on the cup and voila!

Make cookies or fudge.

Buy a quick mix and a cute container, everyone enjoys a yummy cookie during the holiday!  If you’re not a baker you can purchase their favorite candy bar/snack and then add nice note of appreciation.  Thoughtful words carry a lot of weight.

Epsom Salt

The Dollar Tree also has very cute glass jars with nice lids!!  You could get the lavender scented one or just the plain and add your own essential oil at home.  You’ll probably end up with extra from the bag so don’t forget to use some tonight after stressing about these last minute gifts!

 

I hope these ideas were helpful and can help you not be so stressed about last minute gifts.  Remember it’s not about the gift you give but the meaning behind it.   You could forgo all of these ideas and write out a very meaningful and thoughtful note to this person and I have no doubt it would go a long way. 

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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.

NICU Mom’s Share Moments with Nurses

NICU Mom’s Share Moments with Nurses

by | Nov 21, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

**Trigger Warning** Below are real life experiences from a traumatic birth and NICU life. If you are still processing your experience and want to chat with someone, please reach out to me. I would love to connect with you.

Birth Plan

That’s what they tell you to have before you go in to labor. With my first child, I had a plan. I was ready. I had taken the classes, I had practiced the moves and the breathing techniques. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I also heard that you should be open if things don’t go to plan. While my first child didn’t go exactly to plan, it did go pretty smoothly. She came on her due date and came out with rolls.

My second…well, they say no two pregnancy’s are the same and with mine, that was the truth. She came 3 months early at 27 weeks and we spent 100 days in the NICU. It was a whirlwind of a roller-coaster ride.

NICU

If you ever spent any time in the ICU whether as a patient or visiting a loved one you have met an amazing nurse. In the NICU there are so many amazing humans. Below I want to share special moments from 3 Momma’s who have been blessed by NICU nurses.

Blessed

First, I, Julia would like to share my experience with how I am one blessed Momma because of the interactions I have received from NICU nurses. When placed in a very scary and traumatic birth experience, a NICU nurse is usually your first interaction in the NICU. You are filled with all of the emotions, happiness to meet your baby, scared to touch your baby and guilty you couldn’t keep her in longer. The first time I met the nurse, Michele who chose to stand by my child’s side throughout her journey (and still to this day) visited me in my postpartum room. I was crying from the guilt that I couldn’t keep her in, my belly wasn’t big and I had to try and start producing milk but my body was only 27 weeks pregnant.

Momento’s

Michele came into my room and gave me a picture of my little baby. Along with a hat that she wore for me to smell and a paper with her very tiny foot prints. By giving me these items she made me an important part of my baby’s journey and gave me a sense of motherhood. I had yet to feel. This journey looked a lot different than my first. It didn’t feel the same. It wasn’t a joyful delivery, it was scary. She didn’t get to do skin to skin like my first or go straight to nursing, she was given breaths and almost intubated. I was grieving the loss of my birth plan.

Confidence

When you’re baby is so tiny that you can’t hold them for three days, you are so scared that if you touch your baby they may break.  You don’t quite feel like a mom.  The nurses there give you confidence that you can change their diaper.  That you can hold your baby against your chest.  Also, that you can touch your baby and not give them sensory overload. They remind you even though you may not know all the medical terms and machines that your baby needs to survive, you are still what your baby needs most. They give their all, to keep your baby alive and all they need to grow with soft talk, gentle touch. The way they position their bodies and their CPAP’s.  Their hold, their assessing, their skipping of meals or bathroom breaks just to stay near.  The staying late to clearly transfer information to the next shift.  The feeding, the arranging of tubes and wires so your baby feels comfortable and mostly how they advocate what is best for your baby during rounds. NICU nurses become the second mom’s for your baby, you connect so much with them because you have to fully trust they love your baby like you do. They truly make it feel like you are a team of mom’s. They are a blessing to this Momma, then and even to this very day. They not only help your baby, they help the whole family.

Kari

Kari is a NICU momma of her first baby, a 28 weeker, Ryland. After having the traumatic experience with Ryland, and then my first “normal“ C-section with Harper, I thought I was ready for my C-section Oliver. I don’t have memory from my experience with Ryland, so I don’t have a lot of triggers that have to do with that. But Oliver needed suctioned and it was bad enough that he need to go up to the NICU briefly.

NICU

I barely got to see him and he was being taken out of the room and I was still being put back together—it was triggering to say the least. But the thing that kept me calm was the fact that Michelle who was Ryland’s Primary NICU nurse, had gone out of her way to be the standby NICU nurse during my C-section, so it was her who took Oliver up. I just kept reassuring myself that he was with her and so he was fine. It was what kept me from full on panic. The bond runs deep with good nurses. It reminds me of how my favorite subjects in school were because there were taught by my favorite teachers—they made it my favorite. Their presence controlled the narrative. And that’s how it is with NICU nurses.

It’s the Little Things That are the Big Things

They brought me calm during a time of whirlwind I wasn’t expecting. They took time to explain things (and then explain them again and again when there was just information overload and I couldn’t always process). They took photos (which are still hanging in my kitchen 5+ years later. They helped me pose Ryland with boxing gloves when I spent my 4th of July in the hospital instead of on our yearly family reunion/vacation. They adjusted the camera so I could see him when I wasn’t there. They matched the bedding to his outfits. They made cute name plates for his isolette and holiday scrap-book-type pages (all of which I still have.) they came in on their day off for his release. They babysat for me the two times we actually went out that first year. They did their job but they also went above and beyond in so many ways. Their job was to take care of him but they took care of me—of all of us.

Ashlee

When asked what a NICU nurse means to me, I’ll admit it’s hard to put into words.  NICU nurses are literal angels on earth.  They are not only the caretakers and advocates of our precious babies when we as parents can’t be there or don’t know how to care for our babies but they are also our caretakers.  Wyatt, 26 weeker, spent nearly 5 months in the NICU and for a lot of that time my husband and I were learning how best to take care of him and I can honestly say had it not been for his nurses I’m not sure we would have had the confidence we did to take care of him.  Wyatt’s nurses were constantly providing us with the best tips on how to take care of him.  I remember one time in particular, Wyatt was unusually while I was holding him and my first inclination was to rock him to soothe him, but Michele reminded me that the rocking may in fact be overstimulating to him and that if I was just still and held him he would probably settle, and in fact he did.

Pays Attention to the Details

I also vividly remember a day I wasn’t feeling my best and couldn’t quite figure out what was going on.  I had a horrible headache and couldn’t focus and felt that I wasn’t giving Wyatt my all.  Michele, knowing that I had blood pressure issues, brought a blood pressure cuff into Wyatt’s room, checked my BP to make sure I was okay and then told me to go home and rest.  She reassured me that Wyatt would be okay and that she would call if anything happened or changed.  Knowing that Wyatt’s nurses weren’t just looking out for him but were also making sure we were okay provided a sense of relief in some ways.

Back to Work

I had gone back to work full time around 7 weeks postpartum and was only able to be at the NICU in the evenings once I went back to work.  I remember one day as I was walking to my car leaving work to head to the hospital getting a call from Bre, Wyatt’s nurse that morning, and being nervous to answer.  She called to ask if I was watching Wyatt’s camera because he was so alert and active and she didn’t want me to miss it.

Family

I could go on and on about how amazing NICU nurses are and what they mean to me.  I’ll never be able to thank Wyatt’s nurses enough for all they did to care for him and us.  They truly became our family and our biggest supporters through the most difficult time in our lives.  I will forever be indebted to them for their kindness and the love they had for Wyatt.  They loved him as if he was their own and being in that situation, that is all I could ask for.

How to Encourage One Another

How to Encourage One Another

by | Oct 17, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

We recently started doing Secret Sisters at our congregation.  This is where we fill out a questionnaire paper with information about ourselves: eg. our favorite verse, hymn, color, etc.

We place it in an envelope and randomly pick a new envelope. The sister in the envelope is now the one we will be investing our hearts, prayers, minds, and little gifts of encouragement to for the next few months. After the holidays we will reveal who has who.
 
It made me start to think about what it actually means to encourage and how to be an encourager.
 
Below, we will go over the definition, what the bible says, and actions we can take to become an encourager.

The Definition

The google definition for Encourage: give support, confidence, or hope to (someone).

When thinking about the definition, I want you to also ask yourself:

  • “What does the word encourage mean to me?”
  • “Have I seen this take action in front of me before?”
  • “Have I had someone encourage me?”
  • “How did that make me feel?”.

What does the bible say about encouraging?

The verses below I find to be the ultimate definition and example of encouragement. It gives purpose, examples, and specifics. Although these are definitely not all of the encouragement verses you can find in the bible, they are the ones you may think of first when talking about encouragement. I would love for you to share in the comment section, which verses in the bible spurs on your heart to encourage.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
1 Thessalonians 5:14

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:23-25

“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Galatians 6:2

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:29

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”
1 Peter 4:8

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
Proverbs 12:25

What actions can I take to be an encourager?

Just Do.

Many times we are scared. Scared we are going to do or say the wrong thing.

But when we allow our encouragement to be from the Lord through us, it can reach deeper and build up stronger than anything we could do by ourselves.

So, I encourage you with the following suggestions on how to be an encourager, pray for God to guide you in your actions.

Prayer

The best way we can encourage is through prayer.

The best time to pray is right then and there.

Pray for them, with them, and about them.  Pray that your words and actions will be lead to provide encouragement and strength to building them up.

When my youngest was born 3 months early and got VERY sick while in the NICU, we had someone who we didn’t even know, hear our story and want to come to visit our daughter and pray for us and her.

This moment is one that meant so much to our hearts and encouraging our spirit and strength.

When someone prays for me I can feel it. I may not be aware at the time who it is, but I feel encouraged. I thank God for the boost and whoever is praying for me.

Be There

Just your presence can give comfort. You don’t even have to say anything. Being able to provide a listening ear is in many ways a huge encouragement.   Many of us may think of Job and his friends who were with him in silence for 7 days.

Drop Off

Drop something off at their door.   It can be flowers, groceries, a card, handmade gift, coffee, soup, snack, a written prayer, truly anything that lets the person know you are thinking and praying for them.  This can speak volumes.

Conversation

Smile, engage in eye contact, asking questions to sincerely get to know someone, and caring what their answers are.

I know for me, I struggle to make eye contact and staying engage because my eyes lean towards observing my children see if they need my guidance.

But when someone takes the time to have a conversation with us it makes us feel seen, interesting and can spur us to keep making strides.

Music

God tells us to make music in our hearts. It can reach us in deep ways and connect us to Him in worship. Singing or listening to a hymn or prayer has the ability to encourage us again and again.

You could sing on a video for someone or send them their favorite song from YouTube through Facebook or E-mail. I thoroughly enjoy modern calligraphy and have written a couple phrases from someone’s favorite song and placed in a frame. If you aren’t in to writing you can simply type it on the computer and use a fun font. Place some pretty scrapbook paper behind it and you have an encouraging gift that they can look at over and over again.

We would love to hear from you! Let us know in the comments ideas you have on how to encourage one another.

Maybe you are thinking of something that was done for you that meant a lot or maybe something you choose to do to uplift others.

Thank you, for taking the time to stop by OneBlessedMomma and being a part of our community. You being here encourages us and we hope you find encouragement amongst one another.

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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.

The Best Ways to Ask your Child Questions about School

The Best Ways to Ask your Child Questions about School

by | Sep 19, 2022 | Julia, One Blessed Momma

It is the first month of school and when you’re children come home you just want to connect with them and see how their day is, but the only response you get is, “I don’t know”.

They just spent 6ish hours away from home with a lot of new information thrown at them. Their brains are probably needing time to process everything they did that day.

They need time to decompress and process everything that happened. Also, it is hard to go back all the way to the start of the day and remember everything that happened. So, the best way to help your child share about their day is to ask specific questions to open up the conversation and possibly help them remember other things about their day they want to share.

If you need some ideas, feel free to use some of the ones below:

Questions:

Who did you sit with on the bus?
Who did you sit by at lunch?
Who did you play with at recess?
What book did your teacher read today?
What was something funny that happened today?
What was the best part about today?
What did you do in PE, Music, Art, Library today?
Did you bring home any books?
Did people listen to your words?
Was everyone safe today?
Did you use crayons or markers today?
What was the hardest part about today?
Did you like your lunch?
Did you drink your water?

There are a couple of ways to help your child adjust to being home and connecting with you about their day. A few ways are with snacks, activities or going outside.

Snack:

Do it over a yummy snack, something nutritious and fun, or a fun drink.

Need healthy snack ideas? Click Link

Activity:

Choose a fun craft, activity or game. You could play a board game, card game, do play dough, color or make dinner together. After getting in to a groove, making connections, laughing and having fun then you can ask some questions about their day.

Outside:

While connecting outside. More than likely they’ve been inside learning and they need to take a moment outside and reconnect or let out some pent up energy or emotions. It’s great to do an activity together like passing a ball back and forth, encouraging them and asking a question here or there.

Do you have any ideas that have worked for you in your home? Please share in the comments below!

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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.

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

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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

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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.