Showing posts with label Easter

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Catholic Central. I received information to facilitate today’s post as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation. 

If you have kids in elementary school or younger, you’ve probably been preparing for the Easter bunnies arrival for days now. Lines from the song Here Comes Peter Cottontail are on repeat in your brain. Sing along- here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, hippity, hoppity, Easter’s on its way! You’re welcome for that, and there’s plenty more Easter fun in this post as I share six fun ways to have an epic Easter, explain some traditions like why we dye eggs and more. Plus, we have a giveaway!

Happy Easter:



Score! Easter Egg Hunt in progress. #EasterTraditions #CatholicCentral #ad

Love is the only way.  That is a powerful message to convey to today's’ world, but love is really at the heart of life isn’t it? When a child acts out, what do parents do? We love them more. When a loved one or friend hurts, we hurt along with them and pour love over them.  When a community weeps, we weep with them and try to help by showing acts of kindness, support, and love. Just like Apostle Paul, we should adopt the love is the only way mentality.  I am thrilled to partner with Lev3l Digital and Sony Pictures Entertainment/ AFFIRM Films for today's’ post about the movie Paul, the Apostle of Christ coming to theaters just in time for Easter. 



Paul, The Apostle of Christ movie review and Fandango ticket giveaway #ad


Wordless Wednesday: Easter Cat style

in , , , , by Linda A Kinsman, Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Happy Wednesday! I hope you enjoyed your Easter. My family and I had a lovely time and fun times were had when our 2 year old cat Fiona discovered Easter eggs.



She went from this:


Calm kitty at window



To creating this mess in record time!



Cats love Easter Egg hunts too


Have a happy day!


Please share in comments: Do you celebrate holidays with your pets? If yes, how?

As a Christian Mom, I can think of no better gift than being able to share the bible and it’s teachings with children in a way they can understand. When I was a kid, it was sometimes challenging to understand bible verses from the King James Bible my family and church had. 

Today, Christians can pick up new living versions of the Bible easily at any book store. Thanks to today’s sponsor, FlyBy Promotions, I’m pleased to share a wonderful new children’s bible entitled Under the Sea Holy Bible (Nirv), published by Zonderkids. While I did receive a complimentary copy of this Bible as a thank you for hosting this review and giveaway, it is my honor to do so and all opinions stated here are my own. 


Under the Sea Holy Bible for kids


About Under the Sea Holy Bible (Nirv):

“The Under the Sea Holy Bible, Nirv is a perfect gift for children ages 6 to 10. Themes of underwater fun and sparkling fish grace the interior of this wonderful children’s Bible. The outside is covered in foil and sparkle. The interior has color inserts featuring whimsical underwater scenes with themes of God’s care and love for each of us and all of creation.”


The ABCs of becoming a Christian page from Bible


My Thoughts:

Just looking at the colorful cover on this Bible makes me happy! I was immediately drawn in. I reverently opened the book and started turning pages. This is truly a teaching Bible and the lessons start right from the beginning on the Books of the Bible page, which is a bookcase. The Old Testament labeled law is on the left side of the top shelf. The New Testament, labeled Gospels and Church history is on the right. Down the shelves of the bookcase, you’ll find History books of the Bible (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, etc.) and Letters (Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, etc.). 


Prayer is page in children's Bible


You’ll find teachable pages like the photo above that shows the ABCs of becoming a Christian and the Prayer Is page which tells children what prayer is (talking to God) and then shows the an easy way to pray by using their fingers.


My daughters and I love this children’s Bible and think it would be a perfect gift for kids at Easter or anytime of the year really. I invite you to learn more about the Under the Sea Holy Bible (Nirv) by visiting Zondervan.com, or by following ZonderKids on Facebook and Twitter.



Biblica helps with Bibles


If you’d like to purchase a copy today, you can shop with Barnes & Noble, Walmart or FamilyChristian stores. Every Nirv Bible you purchase helps Biblica translate and give Bibles to people in need around the world! I think that’s a perfect way to share our Christian faith now and Easter.


Win It:



Under the Sea Holy Bible for children


Thanks to today’s sponsor, #FlyBy Promotions, one lucky reader will receive a hardcover copy of Under the Sea Holy Bible (Nirv)! Entering is easy using the Rafflecopter form below.


Terms: 

No purchase is necessary to enter using the Rafflecopter from below.  My WAHM Plan is  not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners will be notified by email used on entry form and have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This giveaway is not associated with nor endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or any other social channel. 


Good luck and from our family to yours, Happy Easter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
March is a very busy card month in our family. There many joyous occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and this year; Easter. I love sending and receiving special occasion cards and want to pass this love on to my teen daughters, so this weekend I pulled out some cards, our family calendar and a bunch of new Pilot pens I’d received from Shoplet.com to use and share my thoughts here with you. While I did receive complimentary products all opinions, love of a good writing pen and cards are my own.

Assortment of special occasion cards


When talking with my daughters about writing special correspondences, I learned that sometimes it’s the very act of writing, putting pen to card-stock that stalls their creative process and I can understand that. 


Sometimes a pen doesn’t feel right in your hand, or it doesn’t glide across the writing surface, or worse, it leaves blobs of ink behind! I’m happy to report; you’ll find none of those issues with Pilot Pens! If you want your teens to love writing, give them a great pen and these easy to follow steps!


Pilot Pens- great for writing



 1. Pick Your Pen by doing a writing test:

We each chose a different type of pen from the very nice collection we’d received. After you pick a pen to try, hand out lined notebook paper to practice writing on first, that way you won’t ever ruin a card again! Don’t worry about what they write now. Just let them choose a pen solely on how it feels and how the ink looks to them. We’ll get to the wording in another step.


Do a writing test to see how pens feel and ink looks


We all loved the cool pastel color of the Dr. Grip pen that’s light weight and has a cushioned barrel which feels good in your hand. Personally, I found it to be a little too thick for me, but I know my senior mother in law would love this pen as her hands bother her, so I’m gifting this pen and a set of all occasion cards to her.

My teen daughters preferred the fun and sleek looking Acroball pure white pens with their fine points for their writing styles. Both are right handed with a light grip and so they enjoyed the feel and flow of the ink.

I’m a lefty, who turns her paper and tends to bear down on a pen, so if I’m not using a good pen, I’ll either smudge my previous sentence or find a glob of ink at pause points in my writing. I had no problem at all with the Acroball color medium point pen.

My husband chose the Acroball Pro medium point in blue to sign his card and liked how it felt in his hand and how it didn’t drag on the card stock.  To learn more about any of these pens, just click on their links and you’ll be taken to Shoplet.com where you can find them on sale along with a large variety of office supplies.


2. Let your Teen pick the card:

Congratulations card ready to personalize


Whether you buy for one special occasion, or keep an assortment of cards on hand like I do, it’s very important that you let your teen choose the card, not just for the visual aspect, but for the statement inside if any. 


3. Give your Teen Privacy and Time to write:

In other words parents- don’t hover! Nobody likes to write under pressure with somebody watching them, so be patient!  If you want this to be an enjoyable endeavor for your teens and if you want them to ever go beyond a short sentence or two, you must allow time to gather their thoughts and then, allow them to practice writing it out on scratch paper before writing anything on the card.


5. Help your teen address, stamp and mail their cards:

My girls have seen me do this countless times in their lives, so they can do this step on their own. The very best way to make it second nature is to let them take the lead. Give them your address book for cards going to family friends and relatives, or help them look up a friends address with the old school way with the phone book or their preferred way, Google it.  Allow them artistic freedom here as well. If they want to use print instead of cursive writing on the envelope, let them.  It’s their mail to personalize how they choose. 

With a good pen, a nice card and a healthy dose of patience and understanding from us, we can instill a love of writing not only cards, but other correspondence that will serve our teens well from middle school and beyond!


Comments Please:

Do you send out special occasion cards often? 

Thank you to Nestle Toll House for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to create delicious cookies with NestlĂ© Toll House Rolled & Ready Cookie Dough Sheets! All opinions and love of cookies are my own.


The winter thaw is happening slowly around our region and spring is just around the corner!  I was happy to welcome spring into my kitchen by trying out the new Nestle Toll House Spring Sugar Cookie Dough Sheets.  Whipping up a sweet spring treat has never been so easy, or delicious! 


walnut, sugar cookies, Nestle Toll House
Fresh from the oven Walnut Topped Sugar Cookies


I’ve been a fan of Nestle Toll House cookie dough’s for ages, so I was thrilled to see these  rolled and ready sugar cookie dough sheets on my last trip to the grocery store.





sugar cookies, easy, rolled dough, baking

They come with 2 sheets per pack, plenty to make a couple dozen sugar cookies in a hurry.  I usually make homemade sugar cookies, so having never used Nestle Toll House Spring Sugar Cookie Dough Sheets before; I headed to their website for inspiration.  I was not disappointed! 

There are so many delicious looking recipes there. You should check it out. I decided to put my own personal spin on their Pistachio Sugar cookie recipe by using chopped Walnuts instead since that’s what I had on hand. 

Folks- these cookies are so delicious and so simple to make. If you've got younger kids that are just starting out in the kitchen, this would be a great baking recipe for them! Anybody, even non- baking types, can whip these babies up in no time.


Here’s what you need. 



Ingredients:


Sugar cookies topped with chopped Walnuts

  • 1. Package (16 oz.) NestlĂ© Toll House Rolled & Ready Sugar Cookie Dough Sheets (found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores)
  • 1/3 Cup coarsely chopped Walnuts
  • 2 Tablespoons all- purpose flour (to flour cutting board)
  • 1 Tablespoon cooking oil (to grease cookie sheet) or line with parchment paper
  


Prep Time:  10 minutes  Cooking Time: 9-10 minutes


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place sheets on lightly floured cutting board.


Sugar cookie, dough sheet, cutting board,


Using a pizza cutter or pastry knife, cut cookie dough sheet into thirds lengthwise and then each third into 4 or 5 pieces. Don’t stress on precision cuts.  The cookies will look and taste fine.

Sprinkle each cookie with chopped Walnuts. 

Gently press into dough.

Sugar cookies with chopped Walnuts


Place each cookie piece 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet.


sugar cookies, topped with Walnuts, baking

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Enjoy!


I decided to serve these cookies paired with fresh fruit and a glass of milk to my girls for an after school snack and they were a huge hit! 

sugar cookies, after school snack, fresh fruit,
If you are ready for spring time and Easter baking, I invite you to visit the Nestle Toll House website and check out all their delicious looking recipes and dessert ideas. You are sure to be inspired by one or more of their tempting treats, just like I was.



Please share in comments: Do you have a favorite Nestle Toll House cookie dough or recipe?

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