By: Jennifer Mullen
My sister-in-law found this great project on Pinterest for a simple way for her children to keep on task as they are getting ready for school. I overhead her talking about it so I offered to make them for her. I also made one for my daughter, but modified it to help her with keeping track of homeschooling tasks.
I started with plain wooden door hangers that can be found at any hobby supply store. I painted them with acrylic paint.
“He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zeph. 3:17
By: Dana Baran
I may have gone a bit overboard with planning Charlotte’s first birthday party. Ok, a lot overboard. It’s not like we’re renting out the petting zoo or anything, but I got on my Pinterest horse and ran, pinning projects right and left. I know. I know. She’s only one and won’t remember any of this, but the party will live forever in pictures. Besides, the day of her actual birth was so much the opposite of what I’d dream of and waited for. It is very important to me that this first birthday be a full-on celebration.
One of the projects I’m most proud of is the month photo tree, probably because it’s one of the few things I’ve made that didn’t come directly from an online tutorial. 
I wanted a unique way to display the “month photos” we’ve taken of her on the 24th of each month. Since the party’s theme is owls the idea of a tree sprung to mind. Continue reading
Entrust your efforts to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 (GW)
By: Gretchen Speer
Is it just me or is time FLYING by these days! We moved into a new house last fall. (For a funny little story about settling in click here ) While I have had time to get us unpacked and somewhat settled, we are still a little out of whack where our routines are concerned. After months of chasing my tail trying to keep our house clean it finally dawned on me that I had not done new chore charts for the kids since the summer. I knew I wanted to try something a little different that I had done before, and after looking through my office this is what I came up with:
Frames I found on clearance at hobby lobby for $2.99 a piece, card stock, stickers from the dollar isle at target, dry erase markers, and of course, a sharpie.
These came together in just a few minutes since I knew what chores I wanted each kid to have. For some ideas on what chores work best for what aged, and how to implement them here is my chore charts post from last year.
Since I had four of these frames I decided to make a menu board too.(Eventually my littlest will need one, but not yet!) My kids, and my husband, are always asking me what’s for supper. It drives me a little bit crazy, so I was hoping this would remedy that. For the most part they refer to the menu board now, and if they ask me I just point to it:) I still like to plan my menus two weeks to a month at a time, but I do like having this weekly one up to remind me daily what I’m fixing.
For some more detailed help on menu planning and grocery shopping, click here. For a more in-depth menu planner click here.
If you are wanting a quick easy chore chart and menu board these are definitely worth a try. My kids have done really well with them. Actually, they have done better with these than they did with the ones I was making before. I think simple is better for now.
By: Jennifer Mullen
As I have mentioned before, at some point all the writers of this blog has been involved in the same MOPS group. Throughout the past 18 months, we have mentioned MOPS in various articles and how the group has shaped us in to the mothers and leaders that we are today. If you are not familiar with MOPS, read Why MOPS: Because You Are Not Alone!
Currently, Gretchen and I serve on the steering team, Sarah and Melissa are mentor moms, and Dana is a new member to MOPS this year.
Part of MOPS is taking the time to learn a new skill be it leadership, a new craft, new recipes, etc.
A couple weeks ago, we had a craft night with our MOPS group. We had 15X30 pieces of wood that we used as a blank canvases to create a piece of decor for our home. Here is what the writers of Mosaic of Moms came up with:
Jennifer: I completed my board early so that I could help the other mommas at the craft night. I have seen this quote a lot lately and found it very fitting for our family. My sweet cousin cut the letters out for me and we Mod Podged them on. I painted a wooden letter “M” for Mullen and glued it on. I will hang this on my family picture wall.
Gretchen:
Gretchen used various fonts of stencils and traced the letters for this board. Then she used a paint pen to fill in the letters. It is a family rules board that she found on Pinterest.
Dana:
Dana free handed her quote in pencil first and then painted over it. All that Zaner-Bloser handwriting training in her education classes came in handy. She custom blended the paint to match her bedroom. Here is her Pinspiration.
And here is her final product:
Sarah:
Sarah started with this Pinterest idea. She used graph paper to help with the layout. My cousin cut the words out for her. She Mod Podged them on.
See below for Sarah’s project summary.
We had a great time fellowshipping with the MOPS mommas and learning a new skill. It was much easier than I thought. So easy I might try it again.
Feel free to Pin these ideas. You can follow Mosaic of Moms on Pinterest by clicking this link.
Linking up with Today’s Creative Blog!
Guest Post By: Kalyn Cavalier
My love for photography began a long time ago.
It wasn’t until the birth of our son that my dream sprouted wings.
He is my little inspiration…
Over the last year (we only had our first “real” session a year ago!!) we have learned and grown so much. Writing about a profession I have only been in a year seems SO daunting to me.
Nevertheless, I feel like since I have learned so many of these lessons recently, I can share with you some really great tips to help you see an immediate difference in the memories you capture of your family.
My biggest passion with photography is capturing moments. I’m learning to let go of the session, and let a family’s personality peep through. It is the same concept with our kiddos. Capture their personalities and the moments, not just poses and smiles.
I promise, we’ll look back on the photos of our kiddos playing with SO much more joy than a photo of them sitting and putting on a fake “cheese” smile.
You don’t need a big fancy camera though to take perfect photos of your family! Here are a few tips to help you on your way to capturing your moments…
1. Change the perspective.
When I first began shooting my son, I always seemed to end up with “Variations on a Connor” all within the same perspective. Explore the rule of thirds and experiment with different angles, Don’t always place your kiddos directly in the center of your photo. Get down on their level and shoot away!! You’ll have fun rolling around on the ground, and it’s sure to make them laugh.
2. Get a little closer…
Sometimes, just moving towards your subject will increase the intensity and interest of a photo! When you focus too much on the backdrop for your kiddos, (they) the subject gets lost. The best backdrops are sometimes the most unlikely! Clean spaces and lines make for aesthetically pleasing backdrop and they usually don’t distract from your main, and most awesome subject.
3. Be Engaging! (and don’t say cheese!)
Our kids usually don’t want to sit in front of a camera, so joke around with them.. make them laugh! Boys respond really well to obnoxiously obscene statements like “grosssss” or “boooooogers!!” Ask them questions! Have a conversation… you will get unique and genuine smiles if you make a genuine connection with your subject!
4. Live in the moment
I LOVE capturing my son on a daily basis. The most treasured shots in my house are the ones where he didn’t know I was watching, or ones of his cute stubby little feet walking barefoot in the grass, and his dirty fingers from playing in the mud.
5. Turn off the flash.
It may take a Pinterest tutorial, or asking your favorite photog buddy, but leave the flash behind. It may take some practice, but after you figure it out, you’ll never go back! See #6 for natural light tips!!
6. Work with your natural light!
7. Don’t forget the details
Let go of the big picture. When baking cookies with your kids, don’t forget to get up close and personal with the little things. Their chubby fingers scraping the side of the bowl, and the flour covered counter top aftermath. Sometimes, the little details will spark the most vivid memories.
8. Most of all, know when to put down the camera and join in on the fun.
The best moments are the ones we are in… so enjoy them. Remember that your photos don’t have to be perfect. Capture them being THEM! Sometimes life is messy, and crazy, and hectic, and generally disheveled. Let your photos reflect that.
Even if a mess stresses you out *ahem*, capture it… because I know that when my kiddos leave the nest someday, I’m going to miss their grubby paw prints all over my stove and glass doors.
*To read more from Kalyn check out her blog at cavaliergirl.com and check out her photography business at cavalier-photography.com.