Together, we came up with what has been the most fun indoor rainy day activity in our home to date just so that he would get to use that sled.

We simply used stuff that we already had around the house to create a “snow hill” for the sled to race down. The result? Hours of laughter and energy-burning fun despite the pouring rain outside!

Indoor Rainy Day Activity for Kids

For our snow hill, we placed two twin mattresses on the stairs and then placed dufflebags full of clothes (my husband had just gotten home from a trip) at the bottom to keep the mattresses from sliding down and to keep the kids from smashing into the wall opposite the stairs. The kids then slid down with and without the sled!

If you don’t have mattresses to put on the stairs, you can always substitute them with something else somewhat sturdy and smooth, such as gym mats or large pieces of cardboard.

People are always giving away free mattresses on Craigslist! Then you can always pass them on to someone else if you don’t have the space to keep them. That may seem like a lot of work just for this activity, but it will be worth it. SO fun!

The kids eventually got so comfortable flying down the mattresses, that they came up with “trick moves” and didn’t even stop for water breaks…

Climbing back up the mattresses every time burns so much energy, and this activity helps develop gross motor skills as well. The kids loved racing each other to see who could get back up to the top first.

Happy, active kids make for a happy momma. I originally thought that I was going to get a ton done around the house while these shenanigans were going on, but I ended up joining in on the fun and had such a good time giggling with them.

Thus, the photo above has a couch full of clean, unfolded laundry in the background… but my kids will remember the fun they had with mom that day rather than the slightly wrinkled clothes now hanging in their closets.

Have you done anything like this with your kids before? Leave a comment below with more rainy day activity ideas, or let us know how things went when you tried ours!

The post The Best Indoor Rainy Day Activity Ever first appeared on True Aim.

We love and understand each other far deeper than we did on our wedding day. The following marriage tips are what I have found to really make a difference in our family.

A lot of marriage advice seems to only teach you how to keep a smile on your face while you put a band-aid on your problems and hope for the best. That is not what I want as a wife or as a Christian woman.

I want my marriage to serve the greater purpose of glorifying God, and all the rest will come more naturally once priorities are in the right order and our eyes are on eternity. I want to really get to the heart of any issues that arise and prevent them in the first place. Here are 10 of my favorite tips that have made a difference in my own marriage.

Advice for Marriages That Will Last a Lifetime

Keep Jesus First and at the Center

Keep Jesus First and at the Center – This is more than the occasional prayer together before meals or bed. This means having an accountability to each other to be spending quality time with the Lord both together and separately. My husband and I especially love to worship together.

All problems (marriage or otherwise) seem smaller when placed in His capable hands. This intimacy with God helps marriage on so many levels. We are more humble, kind, forgiving, understanding, etc. with each other. When you are at peace and less stressed or worried about life’s problems, you are going to be more patient and less critical of your spouse. We are better spouses when we are walking closely with the Lord.

Maintain Your Original Friendship

One thing that most people love about the dating phase is having fun getting to know each other and becoming each other’s best friend. Well, don’t stop!

It is important to keep celebrating one another and laughing together. Here’s a fun fact – It is (nearly) impossible to be stressed and really laugh at the same time! I have found that when my husband and I laugh and have fun together, I appreciate and enjoy him so much more.

Don’t Serve Leftovers

I’m not talking about food here. I’m talking about you and your energy and attention. How do you feel when you can tell you are last on someone’s priority list? Not good. So, don’t give everyone and everything else your best only to offer your family what is left over.

A surefire way to grow apart from someone is to spend NO quality time together. Make sure you offer your best to your family. Part of this is learning to say no and live at a slower pace.

Steer Clear of Unrealistic Expectations

You need to protect your heart against unrealistic expectations. Remain mindful and cautious when reading romance novels or watching romantic movies. Love is not always romantic like that, especially after kids come along. It should still be at times, but that is not the purpose of marriage, nor should it be all that fulfills you.

Here is a great quote from Joy Forney – “Real romance is finding that one spot in the crook of his arm to snuggle into, that shared look over the dinner table when the kids are acting crazy, and the way he fixes the leaky sink when he is dog-tired after work.”

My husband stole my heart again when he got in the tub last week to give our newest baby her first bath. That’s real love from a real man.

Know Where Your Worth Comes From

Find your worth and security in the Lord. He is what gives us meaning, not our significant other. Finding your worth and fulfillment in another human being will only result in disappointment, not to mention the unfair pressure that it places on your spouse.

Don’t Compare

Do not compare your husband to other husbands. That is a pitfall that will only lead to self-pity, anger, criticism, envy, etc. Besides, you have no idea what another husband may be like behind closed doors, so in addition to it being wrong and detrimental, it is impossible to do accurately, which only hurts the situation further. We should be trying to better our own flaws rather than shining a light on our spouse’s anyway.

Love in Their Language

Ask the right questions to make sure you know how to best serve, love, and support your spouse. What means a lot to you may mean nothing to them, so make sure you are serving in their love language rather than your own. It is important to keep asking the right questions because the answers may change as your relationship grows.

Don’t Do Marriage Alone

You should have some form of accountability outside of your marriage. This can be an older Christian couple whom you respect or separate individuals (a woman for the wife and a man for the husband) whom you can share with and remain accountable to with struggles that may arise. However, this is not a free for all pass to complain about your spouse.

Always Speak Positively about Your Spouse

As tempting as it may be sometimes, never throw your spouse under the bus. It does no good to complain or speak negatively about your significant other to other people, especially in front of them. It is disrespectful and only feeds any problems you are having. Above all, this includes your children! Never undermine your husband or wife in front of your kids.

PRAYER

The most important and impactful thing you can do for your marriage and your spouse is pray for them! This is not meant to be a self-serving prayer checklist, but rather placing your spouse, their heart and mind, and their struggles at the Lord’s feet. Wives, check out the prayer section of a post I wrote on Encouraging Your Husband to get ideas and ways in which you can pray for your husband.

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the purpose of marriage is to be happy or to feel fulfilled or complete. I desire to be happy and make my husband happy, but that comes naturally once our Biblical priorities are in order. If we are living how God wants us to, then marriage can be one of life’s greatest blessings!

Please comment below with some of your favorite marriage tips!

The post No Longer Newlyweds: Marriage Advice That Works! first appeared on True Aim.

He has two younger sisters as well, but they do not have the same larger-than-life personality. People say, “You must be exhausted!” The truth is, there are some days when bedtime cannot come soon enough. However, I have learned what works and what doesn’t with him. Every child is different, but these tips have allowed me to embrace his energy without becoming overwhelmed and exhausted myself.

I don’t want my son to lose his energy and enthusiasm for life as he grows up. He might lose exactly that if all I ever do is tell him to stop, be quiet, sit still, etc. I don’t want him to be a crazy lunatic, of course, but he’s not usually being bad, just energetic. Discipline is obviously necessary and a crucial part of parenting, but constantly nagging him to quit this or that would crush his spirit and steal his enthusiasm over time.

Most of the time, he really just wants me to share that enthusiasm with him! So, instead of selfishly quashing that joy, I use these tips to help direct his energy in a way that allows him to be himself without completely draining my own energy supply. I need to conserve what I have left, especially with a newborn in the house right now!

Tips for Raising Very Active Children

Remember, your energetic child is not necessarily being bad, just energetic! The trick is to channel that energy and get them to burn as much as possible in positive, productive ways. My son was a bit rambunctious when he was littler, but I see his energy and big personality becoming more and more of a blessing as he grows, develops, and matures.

Exercise

Incorporate exercise time into each day. Whether it be actual exercise activities or simply active games, exercise is so important for them. It helps all of us to release stress and burn energy. Not to mention, it is an important health habit to form early in life. HERE are some great, unique ideas for burning energy inside the house when weather does not permit the kids to go outdoors.

Age-appropriate responsibilities

This could be a post all on its own, but people often rise to the challenge of the standards and expectations placed on them! Show your young child that you trust them with little responsibilities (such as taking care of garden plants or helping with the family pets), and odds are that they will be excited about those “jobs,” feel like an important part of the family, and beam with confidence when you express that you are proud of them. They will burn energy, and your house will be cleaner!

Natural consequences teach great lessons as well, especially if they are ever NOT successful with a responsibility (i.e. a plant dies if it is not watered regularly), so either way, they are better for it. Of course, the key is to make sure that they are supervised and given age-appropriate tasks. This is the time to allow consequences to do the teaching while you can control them, and they are not life-threatening!

Busy Bags and Crafts

Rather than leaving things to chance and the possibility of idle hands, keep a collection of busy bags, easy crafts, etc. on hand that your child can play with and use their hands to create and build things with.

Sports

Get your child involved in an active, hands-on hobby or sport. I am not advocating a family putting sports first and becoming so busy that they never have dinner together, but these types of activities can burn energy and help with cognitive and physical development in younger children. They oftentimes teach discipline and teamwork as well as an added bonus!

Limit Television

This may seem obvious, but do not allow your child to watch too much television. I have noticed that my son does not obey as well and is more antsy if he watches too much tv, so we keep shows short and to a minimum.

Choices

Give your child choices as often as possible when both choices are appropriate and suit both your needs and the needs of your child. I know that choices really help with my son because he is very independent, and they allow him to feel independent while accepting my parental influence with a cheerful heart.

There are times when choices are not an option, but when those situations arise, his excess energy does not become an enemy that I enter into a combat zone with because he has previously been able to make some small decisions himself. I do not support bribing or manipulating children, but rather setting them up for success.

Get Active Kids Outdoors and Dirty

Get those kids outdoors! Not every kid likes to get dirty, but allow (and even encourage!) them to get messy every once in awhile. Life is too short! Digging in the dirt and exploring are great ways to burn energy and develop physical and cognitive skills.

Of course, your child should ask permission first and probably go outside, but if they don’t, be sure to get the camera out quietly before dealing with the situation! It will be much funnier a few years later…

Even better, get outdoors and be active as a family! It is important to model what we want our children to value once they become adults.

Routine

There is a time for spontaneity, and kids do need to learn to be flexible. However, they thrive when they have routines as well, especially when you are dealing with a ball of energy. We have a bedtime routine that the kids go through once we say that it is bedtime. There is no battle, and they are not allowed to be “crazy” because it is time to calm down and prepare for family prayer time and going to sleep afterward.

Short Bits of School

Again, this could be a post all on its own, but part of the reason why so many children are diagnosed with ADHD today is because of unreasonable expectations. You cannot take an overly energetic young child and expect them to sit still and pay attention for 6+ hours a day almost straight. I can’t imagine having to do that myself!

So for you homeschoolers out there, make sure that you have short spurts of school throughout the day with active activities and play in between. (Routine plays a role in this as well.)

Kinesthetic Learning

This is also a tip for homeschoolers. Whenever possible, incorporate movement and hands-on activities into your lessons. Your child will love it and pay attention for a longer amount of time. He or she will probably retain the information better anyway!

One-on-One Time for an Active Child

I have noticed that when my husband or I make sure to consistently spend quality one-on-one time with our son, his behavior is better on average. He craves it! If he doesn’t get it for some time, his excess energy and behavior seem to get worse. So, date night is important for both your spouse and your child!

Avoid Sugar

Again, this is probably another more obvious one, but avoid feeding your child excess sugar and processed foods. We really are what we eat, and sugar is just empty calories and does not set your child up for success when it comes to their behavior and activity levels.

Consistent Discipline

This goes right along with children knowing what is expected of them. It is important that children, especially a very energetic child, know their limits and what consequences will result from their actions. A child should not be surprised by discipline they receive if their parents have a consistent discipline system in effect in their home.

Visual, Hands-On Reward System

This may not work for everyone, but my son does really well when he can see the fruits of his behavior visually and use his hands to manipulate consequences. Check out Janine’s simple, hands-on reward system HERE! She also describes the popsicle stick reward system that we personally use HERE.

Imaginative Play

Let your energetic child be the superhero who saves your family from the bad guys or the firefighter putting out huge “fires” or the princess dancing for her king. Join in on the fun when you can!

One good thing is that because Superman works so hard, he sleeps hard, too…

An Active Child Can Be a Big Helper

Let them be your big helper, even if what you are doing takes longer. At this age, they want to be just like you! Enjoy it! These memories will be the ones they do not forget, and these times have the same affect on their energy level and behavior as those one-on-one date nights. Plus, they learn how to do whatever you are doing!

My boy is becoming a polite, respectful young man with such a positive, upbeat outlook on life, and I pray that he never loses his energetic enthusiasm. I know and pray that the Lord will use it to further His kingdom!

So, within reason, embrace your child’s energy and allow them to be “that” kid who jumps off fire hydrants, rides a bike wearing a motorcycle helmet, runs around with the goats at your uncle’s farm, and treats the famous FAO Schwarz piano in NYC like a slip and slide while the rest of the kids are playing it normally… One day, you will miss these times!

I hope some of these tips will leave you a little less overwhelmed and help with your energetic little ones. Please comment below with any tips that have helped you that are not mentioned in this list! Let us know how these tips work in your home as well.

The post 16 Tips for Parenting a Very Active Child first appeared on True Aim.

I’ve experimented with different spices and amounts of ingredients, and between that and suggestions from my brother-in-law who also loves to cook, I have come up with a list of ingredients that can be added to almost any ordinary bread recipe to make it extraordinarily delicious!

I have never made a loaf of this bread and had any leftovers. It gets gobbled up in one sitting by our family every time.

All I did was take a regular plain bread recipe that came with my bread machine and add these ingredients to the list. As an added bonus, if you substitute olive oil instead of using butter or margarine like a recipe may call for, you get more moist, flavorful bread!

Just use the same number of tablespoons that the recipe calls for. For example, if it says to add 2 tablespoons of butter, then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead.

The Best Homemade Bread

Here we go! These ingredients will make even the most boring bread recipe absolutely scrumptious, and you will no longer be allowed to bring anything else but your delicious bread to any potluck event ever again. So, unless you are prepared for that, do not let anyone else taste it!

1. Honey

Do not even break out the measuring spoons for this one. Just squeeze that bottle for 5-10 seconds depending on how much you love honey! Honey adds a sweet flavor to the bread, as well as a little more moisture.

2. Garlic

Add 1-4 tablespoons of powdered garlic, depending on how much garlic flavor you want your bread to have.

3. Basil

Add 1 tablespoon of dried basil.

4. Oregano

Add 1 tablespoon of dried oregano.

5. Thyme

Add 1 tablespoon of dried thyme.

Best Bread Maker Bread Recipe

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Add 5 ingredients to any plain bread recipe to make it the Best Ever!

Author: True Aim

Recipe type: Appetiser

Cuisine: American

Serves: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2+ tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1+ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1.25 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• 2 tsp bread machine yeast

Instructions

1. Dump all ingredients in the bread machine and turn it on!

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There you have it! If you are using a bread machine, simply add these ingredients to the mix that you are already putting in the machine and proceed as the original recipe directs.

I hope you enjoy this mix of ingredients as much as we do. Do you have any favorite ingredients for bread at your house? Please leave a comment below! Happy baking!

The post 5 Secret Ingredients for the Best Homemade Bread first appeared on True Aim.

We’ve had good trips, as well as those trips that leave you wanting to crawl into a hole nearby and avoid eye contact with any other adult human being. My children are normally obedient and respectful, but kids are sometimes unpredictable.

With that being said, I have come up with a lot of ways to make life easier, cleaner, and quieter while flying with young children. I hope you find that they are not your typical suggestions. I guarantee that you will be more relaxed and pull fewer hairs out of your head using these tips!

Remember to let go of the stress and have fun, and keep in mind that this trip will only last one day. It is important to be considerate of others, but you should not let your concern with what other people think of you as a parent make you or your children miserable. You should do everything you can to keep the kiddos quiet and civilized and leave your stress and concerns in God’s capable hands.

Flying with Young Kids

1. Have your kids carry their own bags. I know my kids love having little responsibilities and being able to carry/roll a bag just like Mommy and Daddy, so put some toys or snacks in a small bag for them to be responsible for.

2. When in the airport (before your first flight, but especially on a layover), let the kids run around! Don’t let them be obnoxious, of course, but let them burn up all that energy. They will be sitting still for a long time! Play tag in an empty area, go back and forth on those moving walkways, etc.

3. Have the kids use the restroom right before boarding whether or not they say they need to go. They may not feel like they need to right at that second, but 0.17 seconds after boarding or after the captain turns on the seat belt sign, they are sure to feel the urge.

4. If you are traveling with a spouse, it may be beneficial to have one parent board with as many carry-on bags as possible while the other parent walks around with the kids and boards with them last minute. No sense adding 20-30 minutes to the flight time while waiting for passengers to board and get seated.

5. Ask for some water as soon as you board the plane to mix with powdered formula, fill up the kids’ sippy cups, etc. You cannot take water through security, and the bottled water in an airport costs about the same as bottled water at an amusement park. Airport water fountains freak the germophobe in me out, so this is a good way to get water for free before the flight attendants offer drinks during the flight.

6. Give the window seats to the little ones. There will be so much to look at, especially during ascent and descent.

In Flight

7. This is not the time to be an electronics snob. Bring all the electronics you own that will hold your children’s attention and keep them quiet and busy. Playing computer games or watching shows for one day will not turn their brain to mush.

8. Play simple games that do not require any boards or pieces, such as I Spy.

9. Most Moms already know this, but if you are traveling with a baby, try to feed them during takeoff/landing to prevent ear pain. It may not be time for them to eat, so a pacifier is a good alternative option if they’ll take it.

10. Allow your kids to talk with those around them (under your supervision, of course) during boarding and take off. People are much less likely to get upset by noise or crying or whatever if they have previously been charmed by your adorable child.

11. If you are like me, I imagine airplanes to be covered in grime and germs like a NYC public transportation bus in a bad part of town, so I always wipe down the tray tables, seat belts, armrests, etc. with antibacterial wipes. Even if it does nothing, it gives me peace of mind, and I don’t cringe with disgust at all 39 times that my son puts down his tray table. They also work great for any spills or messes to clean up!

12. Finally, RELAX. Kids feed off of your stress like a horse “smells” a rider’s fear. (I’m not comparing your child to a horse, just making an analogy.) So, relax and have fun with them! It is an exciting day for them that they will possibly remember for the rest of their lives.

Be better prepared for flying with kids, check out 19 more tips.

I hope these tips give you some great ideas and make your next trip less stressful! Please comment below with any additional tips that have helped on your family trips. Or feel free to just tell us a hilarious traveling story that happened with your kids!

The post 30+ Tips for Flying with Kids first appeared on True Aim.

Tips for Flying with Preschoolers and Babies

Before take off, being prepared for the worst is always a good idea. Here are some great tips to help you know what to bring and how to be prepared for your children’s needs.

1. Probably the most important thing you can do in preparation of flying is make sure that your children know their full name, your full name, your cell phone number, your address, what to do if they get separated from you, and who to go to for help. I tell my kids that if they can’t find me, they should ask a woman with children to help them. Odds are that a fellow mom is a safe bet to get the proper help for them and less intimidating for them to approach and talk to.

2. Prepare your kids for what flying on an airplane will be like if it is their first time. Talk with them about the airport, security, seat belts on the airplane, etc. Get excited about the trip together! There are plenty of kids books about flying on an airplane available at the library as well.

3. Book your flights early if possible to ensure that you have seats together as a family! We usually fly on Southwest where seats are not assigned ahead of time, but they are on most airlines.

4. Pick a flight time (if you have options) around your kids’ schedule. This could be difficult with lots of children, but just choose a time that will set them up for success, whether that be flying at night or during nap time in hopes that they fall asleep, flying in the morning when they are adequately rested, etc. Morning flights are less likely to be delayed, so that may influence your decision.

5. Lay out comfy clothes for you and the kids for the day of travel, and be prepared for the weather in both your departure and arrival locations. This may mean layers for everyone that can be taken off or put on depending on the temperature. Remember that for the day, comfort trumps fashion. You will be sitting in a small seat for hours on end! Uncomfortable kids are cranky kids. (And an uncomfortable Momma is a cranky Momma, often with less patience.)

6. Have those comfy clothes include bright colors so that you and the kids are easy for each other to spot in the sea of people at the airport.

7. Pack early instead of packing at the last minute the night before. You can always add to the suitcases if you need to pack something that you use daily or have to do a load of laundry that you want to take with you. This will allow you to get sufficient sleep the night before, and taking care of yourself is important before a possibly stressful day of flying with little ones!

8. Ditch the diaper bag and use a backpack instead. They are much easier to carry, zip completely shut, and leave you with two hands free!

9. Make sure that any electronics you are bringing are fully charged, and don’t forget to bring the chargers with you.

10. Pack a few plastic grocery bags in your carry-on to use for trash. Somehow children manage to accumulate trash at a rate 62.7X faster than the average adult.

11. If you are traveling with a baby, pack ziplocs and a changing pad of some kind to place over the changing tables in the airport bathrooms and to use on the plane. Some planes to not have changing tables in the bathrooms, so you will need something for the seat or floor or whatever small corner you can find to change your baby with some dignity. The ziplocs come in handy for dirty diapers on the plane.

12. Pack individual servings of snacks in little baggies (or buy individual size snacks). This makes it much easier to grab for your little one, and there is a lesser chance of spilling on the plane. Or, if things do get spilled, it’s not an entire box of crackers.

13. Be sure to include some of your child’s favorite snacks on the menu for the day! It will be sure to put a smile on that cute little face no matter what is going on.

14. Pack lollipops, candies, gum, pacifiers, sippy cups, or whatever your child is allowed to have during takeoff and landing to suck on and keep them swallowing to help prevent their ears from hurting.

15. Pack some of their favorite small toys at least 3-7 days before your trip so that when you pull them out on the plane, they will be thrilled and play with them like they are new again. You could even buy a handful of cheap small toys at the dollar store that would then actually be new to them, too.

16. Here are some of my favorite travel toy ideas to pack in carry-on bags: finger puppets, books, nesting cups, stickers, pipe cleaners, crayons and coloring books, compact mirrors, toy cars, dolls/action figures, and a roll of blue painter’s tape. Tray tables make superb race tracks, stages, and canvases (for painter’s tape, not the crayons). Painter’s tape sticks onto anything but comes right off! Your kids can create some incredible tray table art with it.

17. Pack extra supplies (i.e. food, diapers, formula, etc.) in case of unexpected delays.

18. Pack your wallet, ID, and documents (such as birth certificates for children who are traveling on your lap) in a spot that is very easy to get to. It is a good idea to pack a copy of all of the kids’ birth certificates, just in case. It may also be a good idea to contact the airline to make sure that you have all required documentation.

19. Arrive at the airport with more than enough time to get checked in, through security, and to the gate. It will not help things to be rushing like chickens with your heads cut off in order to not miss your flight. Checking in, getting through security, and walking to the gate take longer with kids, and oftentimes it takes longer than you think it will.

Some of the best behaved children have their moments, especially when they are excited or anxious about flying. I hope that these tips will help you be better prepared to deal with anything that comes up so you can have a more peaceful flying experience!

Please leave a comment with your tip for preparing to fly with kids!

The post 19 Tips for Flying with Kids: Preparing for the Trip first appeared on True Aim.

My children know basic weather terminology, but I wanted to start incorporating weather into our homeschool day because of how much they can learn in the process. Simply by tracking the weather, you can teach descriptive vocabulary, observation skills, graphing, days of the week, past/future grammar, etc. I put together this list of free resources that can help get you started.

This list includes free weather tracking charts and graphs, stickers, vocabulary cards, activity pages for a large range of ages, and more. Enjoy!

Weather Activities for Kids with Free Printables

Weather Tracking Charts and Stickers

Each of these weather tracking charts has great features, so you can pick whichever will work for you and your child best!

Click on the photo to go to the free printable.

Weather Vocabulary Cards and Posters

These free printables are great for a classroom wall or to cut apart and use as teaching materials.

Weather Games and Activity Pages

These free printable activity pages include so many great topics, including basic preschool skills (i.e. numbers, letters, colors, cutting practice), the water cycle, temperature, weather graphing, clouds, and more.

I hope you find these printables and activities useful. I know my kids are having a blast with them so far. That is one of the beautiful things about homeschooling – You have the power to make learning fun and instill in your children a desire to learn that they (Lord-willing) will never outgrow!

I love taking one topic or activity and turning it into a much larger learning opportunity by incorporating so many other skills, all without my kids even realizing it. Do you have any other great weather-related resources to share? Leave a comment below!

The post Free Printable Weather Activities for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

All you need to make this card is a piece of cardstock paper, a paper heart cut-out, tape or a glue stick, a pen or marker, and whatever you choose to decorate it with. Here is how we did it!

Easy Kids Craft: Pop-Up Greeting Card

First, take the piece of cardstock paper and fold it in half widthwise. Be sure to line up the edges and press firmly to create a good crease.

Then, unfold it and fold it in half lengthwise, again pressing firmly.

Now, draw two lines centered between the edge of the paper and the widthwise crease and have your child cut along the lines. Depending on how large your cut-out heart is, these lines will need to be 1-2″ apart and 1-2″ long. Ours were 1.25″ long and 1.5″ apart.

The cut lines will create a flap. Push that flap toward the inside of the folded paper and crease the edges. Now, fold the paper down widthwise so that the back of the pop-up flap is covered. We taped ours down to make the card a little more sturdy.

Next, we taped a heart onto the pop-up flap, and I chose to write “Happy Valentine’s Day” on the front and “Jesus  You! And so do I” on the inside of our cards because, as I mentioned above, I wanted to use this in a lesson with the kids about showing Christ’s love to others. You could always write “I You” instead. Next, I had my son sign his own name. Grandparents just eat that stuff up.

Finally, it’s time for your little one to embellish their card with whatever they’d like – crayons, markers, glitter glue, etc. My kids opted to decorate their cards with stickers. They are excited to put them in the mailbox next week!

And yes, that is my daughter in a dirty camo shirt – God gave her a down-to-earth country girl heart, just like her mama, and she loves playing outside, getting dirty, and taking bows out of her wild, curly hair. No sense trying to cover that up for the sake of a blog post…

Valentine’s Day always reminds me of this verse: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Janine has used that verse with her kids to create a Valentine’s Day Bible Craft, and she also offers a free printable of hearts with Bible verses about love on them for craft time with your kids as well. Be sure to check those out! You could even use those free printable hearts on the front or back of your pop-up Valentine’s Day cards. They fit perfectly!

I hope this card inspires you to encourage your children to share God’s love with others this Valentine’s Day.  Do you have any more simple ideas for kids or families to spread the love of Christ on this holiday? Please comment below!

The post Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Pop-Up Card for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

This hands-on science activity is a great way to show your kids where the organs they are learning about fit into their own little bodies. My son was thrilled that we made a little “man” version of himself on the back patio and then filled it in with organs that he’d been learning about. I also included variations of this activity and some other free printable resources that may be helpful to you at the bottom of this post.

My son (4) and I did this sidewalk chalk activity alongside Blue Manor’s Anatomy Book Set. These inexpensive ebooks have the best approach I’ve seen to start explaining anatomy and how the human body works to young children. They start with the basics, add more detail with each level, and then move on to separating major organs into functional systems. My kids love it!

Simple Anatomy Learning Activity for Kids

This science activity is so versatile, and you don’t need to be an artist (as you can tell from my own chalk masterpiece) to make it work. First, I traced my son’s outline onto the concrete and then quickly drew in some major organs that we had been learning about with different colors.

I added the awkward nose to the side of the head as an afterthought to show that we were viewing the head from the side and not the front.

From here, I asked my son where each organ was, and he would point to it on his chalk man and then on himself. We would also talk about what job that organ has inside our bodies.

If it is still too cold outside to do this activity where you live, then you could always trace your child’s outline onto paper bags taped together or butcher paper. Here are some other fun variations of this activity:

• Have your child name each organ and its function without prompting
• Make several outlines of your child and draw a different system on each one
• Have your child draw each organ from memory once they are more advanced
• Use printable organs to place on the chalk outline instead of drawing them
  • Free Printable Montessori Anatomy Cards
  • Detailed Life-Sized Free Printable Organs
  • Basic Preschool Anatomy Templates ($1)
• Paint the organs on a white t-shirt (This activity also includes a free printable Body Book for kids to make.)
• Make a lifesize anatomy model by cutting your child’s outline and various organs, bones, etc. out of felt.

I hope this activity inspires you to get outside and have some hands-on science fun with your kids! I also hope that it points your children to see the Creator’s design in how we are made. Feel free to comment below with more great anatomy learning ideas or to let us know how your children benefited from this activity.

You might also like this See Inside Body book from Usborne with over 50 different flaps!

The post Sidewalk Chalk Anatomy Activity for Kids first appeared on True Aim.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God should be, and deserves to be, our #1 priority (Matt. 22:37-38). The Bible also talks about the importance of marriage and the relationship between husband and wife.

So many verses specifically speak to women about the role that a husband should play in their lives (Eph. 5:22-24; 1 Cor. 11:3-9; Gen. 2:20-25; Gen. 3:16-20; Col. 3:18-21), and these verses show me that my husband should be the second most important priority in my life.

Of course, the dynamics within a family are always changing, and there are times when each person has certain needs that must be placed before others. But in general, I believe the healthiest households are created when a mother places God first, followed by her husband, and then their children close behind.

100+ Ideas to Love and Encourage Your Husband

It is so easy for parents to focus so much on their children that their marriage relationship suffers from neglect. I think my husband and I have done a pretty good job of not allowing our relationship to take a back seat, but I know that I could do a much better job of making sure that my husband feels respected, loved, and encouraged by me.

With this in mind, I have put together this list of all different ways in which I can do just that, including gifts, prayers, words of affirmation and encouragement, date ideas, meaningful conversation starters, and more.

Gifts

Is receiving gifts one of your husband’s love languages? If so, here are some ideas to build him up:

• Framed Photo – Put one of his favorite photos of you with an encouraging love note in a frame. I did this in our first year of marriage, and to this day, my husband says that it is his favorite gift that I’ve ever given him.
• Intimacy box/jar – Put $1 (or whatever increment you decide) inside a special container every time you have intimate time with your husband, and save it for a big anniversary trip in the future.
• Traveling journal – Keep a journal for writing love notes to your spouse and leave it somewhere for them to find it each time you do (i.e. nightstand, car, fridge, table, anywhere). Then, he can write a note back and leave it somewhere for you as well.
• Something He Needs – Save up and buy something that he needs but hasn’t wanted to spend the money, or buy that something in place of something that you were planning to get for yourself.
• Romantic Bedroom Gifts – No man in the history of the world has ever been disappointed by a gift or surprise for the bedroom!
• Love Notes – Leave them anywhere, such as on the bathroom mirror, in the car, on the nightstand, etc. They can be as basic or elaborate as you’d like. You could even put lined paper or something that says “I love you because…” inside a frame and leave it in the bedroom for writing notes to each other with a dry erase marker. Click on the photo below to see how this cute little project was made.

Date Ideas

Your marriage relationship probably started as a friendship where each of you had lots of fun together and enjoyed each other’s company and conversation. Don’t forget to keep having fun! Plus, husbands need to be romanced sometimes, too. My man likes when I plan a date for the two of us or surprise him with an overnight trip. Here is a list of links to some awesome date ideas, including many that can be planned for right at home after the kids go to bed:

• 79 Date Nights
• 150+ Date Night Ideas categorized by price range
• 50 Fun and Cheap Date Ideas
• 30 Ideas for a Date Night at Home

Words to Say

Some men thrive on words of affirmation, and I compiled this list of loving and encouraging words from here and here. They may seem simple, silly, obvious, or mundane, but a simple word can go a long way and hold a lot of power when spoken in love. Even if you do not feel this way 100% of the time, speaking truth and life into your husband’s mind will build him up and spur him further toward becoming the man God wants him to become.

• I love you.
• I trust you.
• I believe in you.
• I value your leadership.
• I admire you.
• I feel safe with you.
• You were right. I was wrong.
• I appreciate all you do for our family.
• I’m glad I married you.
• I missed you.
• I want you.
• Thank you for being dependable.
• You’re an awesome man of God.

Prayer

Prayer is so powerful! After only 5 years and 3 children, I have come to learn that nagging accomplishes absolutely nothing. Instead, praying for your husband can make all the difference in the world. It is so important to pray for him through good times and bad and even for things that he does not struggle with because footholds often emerge where you do not feel vulnerable. These two links provide excellent ways in which we can pray for our husbands:

• 10 Ways to Pray for Your Husband
• 25 Prayers for My Husband

Connection and Communication

There are times for words and times for silence, but it is so important to a marriage relationship to connect and communicate well. Here are some links to lists of questions that may be fun and eye-opening to talk to your other half about and encourage some meaningful conversation:

• 110 His and Her Questions
• 50 Questions to Ask Your Spouse on Date Night
• 28 Questions (at the bottom of the page)

Other Ways to Love and Serve Your Husband

• 100 Ways You Can Love Your Husband HIS Way
• 12 Ways to Love Your Hubby without Saying a Word
• 6 Ways to Build Up Our Husbands

I hope this list inspires you to work on becoming a more loving and encouraging wife and gives you a lot of ideas to help show your husband what he means to you. None of us are perfect, and we can all improve! Do you have any insights or suggestions to add? Feel free to share with us below!

The post 100+ Ways to Love and Build Up Your Husband first appeared on True Aim.