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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.

Preparing to be the Mom of Two, 2 and Under

Preparing to be the Mom of Two, 2 and Under

by | Sep 12, 2022 | Guest, One Blessed Momma

Happy fall to all of you wonderful Mommas!

I’m so honored to be able to come back again and write a little about how I’m preparing and feeling about adding another baby to our little family!

As you read this I am about 5 weeks away from my October due date with our baby GIRL! Whoo hoo! I am so excited to dress this sweet little girl up in all of the cozy fall and winter clothes and spend so much time snuggling with her and my 2 year old through the colder months! I know, I know, it won’t all be fun times, snuggles, and hot chocolate. That is what everyone is very quick to remind me; it’s going to be so hard, you won’t get any sleep, etc
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect this to be a cake walk. I’ve had a newborn in the middle of a pandemic, with a $0 balance in my account, and the list goes on. I know it’s not easy, and 2 babies are going to be a challenge that I haven’t faced yet. But, I am so excited to have this little girl and get to have a little redemption from the last time I had a newborn and really had to miss out on so many of the things I was looking forward to; due to the crazy world climate around us at that time.

Not what I expected..

In February 2020 I had a beautiful home birth with my son, it couldn’t have gone much more perfectly, and I felt like everything else would end up falling into line that same way with my postpartum. My pregnancy had been full of depression and anxiety (that I didn’t realize at the time was a prenatal mood disorder, I just thought I was being an awful Mom to be struggling with these feelings when I was expecting my first baby). Things didn’t just fall into place, as you know from my last post, I had a huge breast milk supply issue. My son kept losing weight in the first couple of weeks and having to feed him primarily formula made me feel like a failure. All of that anxiety and depression came flooding right back, then the pandemic hit and made my postpartum period anything but what I had dreamed it would be.

This time God has blessed me with a pregnancy that has been full of joy and clarity of mind. I am looking forward to getting to do this all over again with a much healthier state of mind!

As I’ve been thinking about giving birth to this new little addition to our family, “Baby Peach” as we like to call her, I have had such a mix of feelings. I am so excited to have another baby, to get the chance at postpartum redemption, to have a baby girl, see my son be a big brother, see my Husband as a girl Dad for the first time (that one makes me a little emotional!) and the list goes on! I have also been feeling a small sense of loss thinking that this one little boy that I’m snuggling and carrying around will not be my only little one in just a short time. In about 5 weeks I’ll have 2 babies, which is amazing.  It’s what we wanted and I am still counting down the weeks until we meet our little Peach. Simultaneously, I hope these next few weeks slow down a bit. Just a little

Being 35 weeks pregnant my body is starting to ache and get quite uncomfortable, but I know that once she is here our family will be 100% different forever. I am so happy to become a Mommy to 2 little ones. I am happy to wait for her! She is such a blessing to our family but I still feel a little sad about sharing my lap with 2 babies. Did any of you ever feel this way? Were you excited, grateful, and happy to have another baby but at the same time a little sad to see your family change so much?

Enjoying every moment

I have determined to savor these last few weeks of being a family of 3, to give my husband and son as much time and attention as I can give them, and to make as many amazing memories having as many fun experiences as possible! About a month ago we took a trip to the Texas coast; Corpus Christi and South Padre Island. This was Benaiah’s (my son) first time to see the ocean, an aquarium, ocean animals, or the beach! He had more fun than I could have imagined! I had so much fun just watching him discover all of these new things like seeing sharks and big fish at the aquarium, running through the waves of the ocean, building a sandcastle and all of new scenery we drove through on our 2,500 mile road trip! He hardly quit smiling the whole week! This is my new favorite part of being a parent, just watching him get so excited about all the new things in this world that he has never seen before!
I am so looking forward to making those same types of memories with Peach too and watching her big brother show her the ropes will be such a fun thing to witness. I have many dreams about how these next few weeks, months and years will go with our 2 little ones! For tonight, I will rock my not so little guy to sleep and hold him just a little bit tighter. I am excited for the future, but savoring the present.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path known.”
Psalms 119:105 “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

Meet Mikayla!

I am Mikayla. Mommy to my adorable 2 year old baby boy and soon to be born daughter, wife to my incredible firefighter hubby, birth worker and aspiring doula. I love my saviour and my family and am very passionate about helping women to feel empowered during their pregnancy, birth and postpartum. My goal is to be an encouragement to the mommas in my life through sharing my experiences and offering a loving and supportive place for them to share their stories and be heard. God bless you in this season of life and may His perfect peace rule your hearts.

Colossians 3:14-15 “And above all these things put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

Let’s Connect

Let’s Connect

by | Sep 6, 2022 | Melinda, One Blessed Momma

In a world where we are constantly “connected” to everyone all the time, we are beginning to see we aren’t really connected to very many of those people.
 

Where are the meaningful connections?

I love Sundays because they are full of connections. Recently I was blessed by much-needed connection with a fellow mom. Sometimes connecting with moms of older children is just the wisdom and encouragement we need to keep encouraging our own children. Sometimes this momma journey is full of joys and sometimes it is full of struggles. Most of the time it is a little of both, but connecting with other mommas helps us keep moving forward and makes it a little easier to be who our children need us to be. This particular conversation reminded me I’m not the only momma dealing with a particular situation and gave me some resources for handling it.

Real Connections

We attend a very friendly church and I never seem to be able to connect to everyone I’d like. One thing I appreciated through the pandemic was a closer connection with the people we attended “home” church with. It’s something I am struggling to bring into “regular” church with me. There are so many more people to connect with.

It’s so easy to slip back into the:
“How are you?”
“Good, how are you?”
“Good. Have a good week.”
“You too.”
And move on to the next person.

However, it’s in those deeper connections that we can follow God’s instructions through Paul’s writings in

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)

It’s difficult to encourage someone and build them up if you don’t know what’s going on in their life. A weekly “good” doesn’t cover it!

Don’t make assumptions, have conversations!

Sunday I was blessed to hug a few necks, and have a few meaningful conversations. I know I left feeling encouraged and built up. Next, we went to lunch with a family we shared “home” church with. We’ve been missing the fellowship we had shared and our kids were missing the playtime they became used to.

I am convinced we need to teach our children to be encouragers and build others up, especially those outside of their circles. I keep being reminded that we need to not make assumptions about others, and just how easy that is to do. Did that person really mean to ignore you? Or are they bogged down with “life” and could use a friend (maybe you) to really be present for them and listen to what is going on in their life.

Don’t make assumptions about how people feel about you or think about you. So many times it is our own insecurities or our own inflated ego that has us thinking nobody likes us or everybody likes us 🙂 Don’t make assumptions, have conversations!

Be an encourager

Here are a few ways to encourage others:

  • Look for the good deeds/actions another person does, and then let them know you noticed.
  • Listen to what someone is sharing with you. Really listen (it’ll help with the other suggestions below). Remember to follow up with them too.
  • Offer scripture references that apply. I have a friend I always reach out to when I’m struggling with something because I can count on her to not only direct me back to scripture but offer at least one verse as a starting point too.
  • Offer to pray with and for them. It may be a little awkward if you aren’t used to praying with a friend, but I can tell you it is an amazing way to build someone up!
  • Cry with them, laugh with them…
  • Be present, don’t look at your phone, don’t be thinking about your “To Do” list, or lunch, just listen so that you are able to do the things above. (I’ve just realized this is very much like #2, maybe that means I really need to hear it, I’ll leave it here in case you need to hear it twice too.)

Practice, practice, practice…

The more we do these things the easier and more second nature it will become. Encouraging does not come easily to me. I am too much of a negative nelly introvert. I thank God for his grace, mercy, and patience!

Invite people to your home, share a cup of coffee, or tea, or a meal, and really get to know them. It is in these deeper connections that we can encourage others, and help ourselves grow. And, just like everything else in life, modeling it for our kids is the best way to teach them and hold ourselves accountable.

In what ways have you beeen encouraged?
How has someone built you up?
What are some of your favorite ways to encourage someone else?
Do you have an “encourager” role model?

Meet Melinda!

Melinda is a Christian, a wife, and a mom of 6. She has a blended family and has spent much time trying to learn how to "mom". She's still not perfect, but it makes her that much more grateful for God's grace and mercy in her life.

Learn more about Melinda and her family

It Won’t Be This Way Forever

It Won’t Be This Way Forever

by | Aug 21, 2022 | Guest, One Blessed Momma

The Beginning

I carefully swaddled my precious little baby for what felt like the thousandth time that night. Tears welled up in my eyes as I wondered if she would ever fall back to sleep, if she would ever stay asleep, and if I would ever figure out how to nurse her. Too many unknowns for me! I placed her back in her bassinet near my bed and held my breath as I listened to her breathe. What if she stopped breathing? What if something happened? What if I wasn’t doing it right? Sleep seemed to never come because I was awash in worry and fear.

My mind raced, filled with all the things that I had read about how to be a mom. It seemed every book said something different. Have a schedule. Don’t have a schedule. Breast feed only. Supplement with a bottle so you can sleep. I was a brand new mom with no baby experience whatsoever. Everything was new and I was desperate for direction. My mom had gone home and it was up to me and my husband to figure it out. Then, he went back to work and I felt really alone. That’s why I tried to read every book I could find and what felt like ALL the articles on the internet. Much to my dismay they all told me something different and I had no direction.

I soothed my mind with the phrase; “It won’t be this way forever.” I knew that my little baby would quickly grow up. I knew that feeding her throughout the night wouldn’t last forever. I knew that the hours of crying would some day stop. (It turns out those unstoppable tears return right around 12 years old but more on that later.)

It won’t be this way forever.

Still, nothing seemed sure and everything seemed hard. I felt wobbly on the foundation of self reliance that I had built. I had talked myself into the idea that I could figure it all out on my own and that I was in control. Then, when I was left alone with my new baby…my fussy baby…my never sleeping baby….it all felt out of control. I couldn’t stand that feeling.

Breathe. It won’t be this way forever.

During one of those restless nights, I realized nothing was truly in my control. I looked at my at-last sleeping baby, so small…so beautiful…all mine, and realized that I wasn’t in control and she actually wasn’t mine. She was given to me by God. He knit her together in my womb. He kept her breathing at night in her crib, not me. Right then I gave my worry and fear to Him. I gave my control to Him. He took my worry and fear in that instant. Suddenly my phrase, “It won’t be this way forever”, took on a whole new meaning. She wouldn’t be this small forever. She wouldn’t need me like this forever. I wouldn’t always feel this close to her. I was able to treasure the hard and the beautiful moments of being a mother in a whole new way by standing on the firm foundation that the God of the universe is in control and not me.

It won’t be this way forever.

Time Goes On

That was twelve years ago and now everything is still constantly changing. Nothing stays the same. We added one more child to our family, both my husband’s parents went to be with the Lord, we moved to a new home, and we changed jobs several times. Now, my little girl is becoming a young woman full of hormones. Can you say emotional roller coaster? Hours of tears! Again?!? And I hate to admit it, but she is just like her mom. Ha! We are on another new adventure and I am sure all the books and articles say different things.

Oh Lord, it won’t be this way forever.

Praise God that He has grown me since then! That one night holding my crying newborn, giving Him control has made all the difference. It has taken years….twelve to be exact…but I can see how He has changed me. I am so thankful for it. I have learned how to rely on Him for peace and patience. I am not perfect by any means! Oh man, I still struggle. But, I have faith that God will continue to grow me to be more like Him so I give myself grace. After all, He gives the ultimate grace. So in this next chapter of being a mom, I will try to give God more control because I have learned that I can’t control it all anyways. I will run to Him in prayer when I don’t know what to do. I will thank him for the wonderful young women my daughter is becoming and the many blessings he surrounds me with.

It won’t be this way forever.

The Perfect and the Permanent

I recently read the book “She Reads Truth” by Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams. Bible really is her maiden name! In their book they talk about how God is the “Perfect and the Permanent”. That phrase really stuck with me and I wasn’t sure why until Mollie asked me to write this blog post. I have spent so much time trying to make my life perfect and unchanging. I wanted to be the perfect wife and the perfect mom. I wanted a schedule that was perfect and never needing to change. I wanted every dinner to taste delicious and every weekend to be filled with fun. I was trying to do it all, reading anything I could get my hands on to make it happen. But it is hopeless in our sinful fallen world. Nothing is perfect and nothing is permanent. Except God. We can hold on to him instead of trying to make ourselves perfect and permanent. He already is. Isaiah 40:28 says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never grows faint or weary; there is no limit to His understanding.”

He will be the same forever.

I still struggle with worry and fear. My husband travels for work and when he is out of town I really struggle. Sometimes I lay awake in bed at night and before I know it my mind has taken me to a place where I am a widow living in my car with two kids. But then I remind myself, God is in control so I give all that worry to Him and repeat His word in my head over and over until I fall asleep. “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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29: 11-13) My life could completely change and tragedy could strike but I will choose to trust that the God of the universe has a better plan than I do.

He will be the same forever.

He is in Control

When I find myself overly focused on the dust on my baseboards I know I am feeling like I need to control things in my life. It’s usually because there is something happening around me or to me that is outside of my control. Right after my mother-in-law passed away I found myself scrubbing the walls. Really? The walls! The truth is I can try to be queen of the dust bunnies under my bed but I won’t get relief until I give it all to the King of the Universe. He is in control.

He will be the same forever.

The Perfect and Permanent God loves you and He wants you to be free from fear and worry too. He wants you to be free from the sins of our world. So, He sent His son to live life here on Earth. He went through the things you do and He dealt with the fallen world just like you. Except He did it all perfectly. Then, He gave His perfect life, willingly, as a sacrifice to pay for your sins so that you can be made new. When you accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus gives, you are changed. He has made you a new creation and will work in your life to make you more like Him…if you let Him. So, let Him. Give all your fears and worries to Him. Lay them down at His feet and allow Him to be in control. Talk to Him about everything, read His word and hear from Him, accept the grace that He has for you when you are trying to be queen of the dust bunnies. Jesus says in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Remember, you have peace because He is the Perfect and the Permanent and He loves you!

He will be the same forever.

Comfort in Christ

 

Some of my other favorite verses that help me with fear and worry.

Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

2 Timothy 1:7
7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Romans 8:15 (Just read all of Romans 8!)
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Meet Deborah!

Deb Ireland is a follower of Christ, a wife, and a mother to two beautiful kids. Originally from the Denver area, she moved to Durango to attend college and has stayed in the area ever since. She has taught elementary school for 17 years.

She enjoys traveling the country with her family, laughing with her kids, having movie nights at home, hanging out with her three dogs, reading, and sewing. Deb is an encouragement to those around her with her Christ-like attitude and uplifting thoughtfulness.

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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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.

5 Ideas to Help Make Back to School Better

5 Ideas to Help Make Back to School Better

by | Aug 9, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Summer time flies by SO fast!

Some places have already started school and others, like us, have a couple more weeks of summer freedom.

At my house we have mixed emotions about the upcoming start of school. My seven year old CAN”T WAIT to start second grade. While my 8 and 10 year olds feel differently.

No matter how you or your child feel about going back to school (or, for the homeschoolers out there, getting back to school) here are a few ideas to make it a little easier.

 

One

Take an inventory of backpacks, clothes, shoes and school supplies. You might have everything, or close to everything, you need already! I love “shopping” my house first. This year my boys needed shoes (I think they have grown a foot this summer!) and my daughter needed a new backpack. We had pretty much everything else.

TIP: Try checking discount stores for supplies to stay on budget!

Two

Do something special with each of your kids before school starts. This could be as simple as walking to the mailbox and asking one kiddo to walk with you. Ask them questions and truly listen to their answers. Most kids love talking about what is special to them. If time and money avail themselves, you could go out to lunch one-on-one or take your daughter to get her hair shampooed at a salon or a manicure and pedicure. Anything that helps show them you care what they think and are available to them.

Three

Amp up your prayers for them. Life is a spiritual battlefield and kids are under attack constantly! Pray protection around them as they go back to being around many other influences outside your home. I cannot stress this enough!

 

Four

Help them memorize scripture.
The Proverbs are a great place to find short, easy to memorize verses that are packed with practical wisdom. I also like to help my kids (and myself!) memorize scripture about God’s love and faithfulness like Romans 5:8 and 1 John 4:16.

Other ideas: The fruit of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22-23. Loving others- 1 John 4:20. Think on good things- Philippians 4:8. 1 Corinthians 2:5, 1 Corinthians 15:33.

When you help your child equip his mind with the power of God’s word you are helping him fight battles you may never even know about.

Five

Stay involved through the school year. Your kiddos need you-even if they think or act like they don’t. Write them notes to stick in their lunch bags. Make them their favorite meal. Do things that show that you know them and you love them.

I hope some of these ideas will help make your family’s transition back to school a little smoother. I would love to hear your ideas, too!

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Memory verses for kids

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family