Category Archives: Gretchen Speer

Chore Charts/Menu Planning Take Two

This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Gretchen's Menu Planning

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.

DIY: Creating Personalized Wall Decor

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“She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.” Proverbs 31:13

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 A lone!

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!

One Little Word:It’s Not Too Late to Choose Your Theme for 2013

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In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9

By: Jennifer Mullen

On New Year’s Day my friend, Stephanie McCratic, at Evolved Mommy posted this amazing article about choosing your One Little Word for the year. The idea is that you chose a word that helps you focus your goals for the year. Or sometimes, like in my case, the word chooses you. Before I even finished reading the article, I knew that my word for 2013 was going to be transition. Having this focus has really changed the trajectory of my year because, I already felt like I was spiraling out of control with all the changes I knew I would face.

I must confess, I was really disappointed that my word would not look pretty on the necklaces that you can purchase to remind you of your One Little Word. Let’s face it, transition sounds like a word that you read in a technical manual, not that you would find etched on a beautiful piece of jewelry. I frantically searched the thesaurus for a more eloquent word, but there was no word that fit my situation better than the word that chose me.

I was so moved by this concept that I asked the MOMS on our writing team to share with you all their One Little Word. Enjoy!

Jennifer’s Word: Transition

I need to stop fighting the change and embrace the transition.

Transition out of the baby phase of motherhood: no diapers, no crib, no high chairs…
Transition to having a school aged child. My oldest starts kindergarten this year!
Transition how I study the bible, in what setting, and with whom. I have felt lead to pursue the LORD though other means beside my Thursday morning studies with my church. Once I gave in to the leading, the LORD has blessed me…that is a whole other post.
Transition back to working outside home. I took a part-time job and am loving it.
Transition with the blog…stay tuned!
Transition to other ministries as the LORD is leading me out of some beloved work into other areas.
Transition for my family as some close family members are preparing to move away.

Gretchen’s Word: Engage

My goals are to:

Engage my kids and husband in conversations. I want to be more present with them when we talk instead of always multitasking while talking with them.
Engage in the study of God’s word.
Engage in friendship. I want to talk to my close friends more. I need to be more intentional in all my relationships.
Engage in a healthier diet. Less sugar, more REAL foods.
Engage in exercise.
Engage in the present instead of always looking ahead.
Engage in my responsibilities and work as if working for The Lord.

Kerri’s Word: Breathe

This year I hope to…

Breathe when the changes all around me are overwhelming and I just want to curl up in a ball and cry.
Breathe in the laughter and sheer delight of my children as I play alongside them
Breathe in the new culture and language I will be living in.
Breathe when I’m doing sit-ups and lunges and training my physical body
Breathe in Scripture and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit as my Source in my time alone with God.

Sarah’s Word: Intentional

In 2013 I will be intentional in the following areas –

Reading God’s Word – Bible Study – Daily
Prayer – Daily, Continuous, Focused.
Loving/Supporting my Husband - date nights, communication.
Caring for my health and the health of my family – exercise and healthy eating.
Loving my children – have fun, help them stay on task, be supportive, be kind
Caring for my home/finances – simplify, organize, upkeep
Homeschooling – prepare, participate, achieve.
Serving – as called by God to glorify Him and further his kingdom

Sarah was so intentional about this she even made this poster for herself to post around her house to be a reminder to be intentional.

Click here: Intentional

Melissa’s Word: Deliberate

I will be deliberate about planning time with each of my daughters.
My Bible reading and prayer time will take place – deliberately.
Character training will be deliberate this year.
I will continue to exercise deliberately.
Pictures will be organized and scrapbook albums updated deliberately.
I will encourage my husband and deliberately work at being his help meet.

And Introducing Dana! Look for her bio next week!

Dana’s Word: Abide

This year I want to:

Abide in Christ as I read, memorize, and meditate on His Word and maintain a running dialog of prayer throughout my days.
Abide in my relationship with my husband, making an effort to be truly present during our time together, to serve and encourage him, to “bring him good, not harm all the days of [my] life” (Prov. 31:13).
Abide in my new role as a mommy, allowing myself to make mistakes and learn from them, cherishing each moment with my baby girl as the days fly so quickly by us.
Abide in my home with happiness and contentment, making an effort to simplify, organize, and beautify our dwelling place so that it is our haven and a blessing to all who enter it.
Abide in my physical body, learning to love and accept my new “mommy shape” while striving to stay healthy and strong.

As Stephanie mentioned in her article, Ali Edwards is offering a great online workshop to help you creatively document your year with your One Little Word. It is not to late to sign up. Click here to see the details. Also, there is a Facebook group of women in NWA who are encouraging each other to work through the workshop. Message me if you would like to be apart of this group. They have been posting some great project ideas and are even planning some meet-ups soon.

Even though it is February, it is not too late to think about what you want out of 2013 and where the LORD may want to take you. I encourage you to consider identifying your One Little Word. Share with us your word and some of your goals. We would love to hear from you!

Crazy Cookies

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Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Proverbs 16:24

I happened accross a recipe similar to this on pinterest last spring. We decided to give it a whirl on Father’s Day last year, and it was a big hit! It was so rich that Daddy couldn’t handle much, but the kids thought it was awesome. While we were making them my older DD said “Mom, these cookies are CRAZY!” We have been calling them that ever since.

Here is what you need:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

Fudge Brownie Mix

Assorted chocolate candy and cookies. (We used snickers, milky way, caramels, and kisses. The last time we made it we used reeses minis, double stuffed oreos, rolos and kisses.)

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. While you are working on the brownie mix, have your kids unwrap all the candy….and don’t let them eat it all!

Step 2

Have the kids press the cookie dough onto the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Tip: Sit the dough out for a little bit before hand so it’s easier to work with.

Step 3

Have your kids put all the candies on top of the cookie dough

Step 4

Poor the brownie batter on top

Make sure it’s spread over all the candy

Step 5

Bake for around 45 minutes-until the brownie batter is cooked through.

Step 6

YUM! Can you tell we’re not edge people? :) I think this would be awesome with some homemade icecream…

Perfect Timing

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“My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. Isaiah 55:8 NLT

When I was engaged to be married my Granny gave me one piece of housekeeping advice: Make your bed every day. She said that even if you don’t have time to do anything else you will feel a sense of accomplishment every time you walk past that well made bed. I have followed that advice and have made our bed every day for most of our marriage.

I now have a little helper. As soon as he sees me heading for the bed he follows me. As I start to pull up the sheets he brings me a throw pillow, “Here you go, Mommy.” I say thank you and tell him, “Not yet bud.” As I am walking around the bed, he runs after me with the throw that I put on the bed after it’s made. “Mommy, here you go!” Again, I thank him and say, “Not yet bud!”

This morning as I was tripping over him to finish. I felt that familiar whisper. “His eagerness is sweet, but his timing and maturity need to develope-then he’ll understand how to go about it.”

It stopped me in my tracks.

For months I have been pleading for God to use me in a specific area. ”I’m ready! I’m willing! Lets do this!” Every time I prayed that prayer I got this feeling that I was skipping steps. His answer was always “You need to grow, you need to learn, you need to be faithful in the small things first.” I would consider it, shake it off and go on to persistently pray for God to use me in this specific way. ”I’m ready! I’m willing! Use me!!”

I have felt unsettled about what to do with the consistent answer I’ve received, and then in a simple every day task God opened my eyes. Does that ever happen to you? Isn’t God just GOOD that way?!

Hold off, be patient, be ready to learn…

I will call a bird of prey from the east. I will call someone for my plan from a faraway land. I have spoken, and I will bring it about. I have planned it, and I will do it. Isaiah 46:11

We can never stop growing, and learning about our Father. Every season is preparation for the next. Is there something God is stirring in your heart right now? Trust that His timing is perfect. His plans far exceed our imaginations, His power far exceeds our abilities and His goodness far exceeds our expectations.

I’m so glad to be on this journey with you Mommas! Blessings!!

~Gretchen