Easter Scavenger Hunt

As Resurrection Sunday draws near, my Trio and I have been busy crafting and reenacting the Easter story… remembering what Jesus did for us on that first Easter weekend.

One of our favorite activities is this Easter Scavenger Hunt that I found here:

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 dimes – Judas received 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16)

Cracker – last supper (Matthew 26:17-29)

Chocolate kiss – Judas betrayed Christ with a kiss (Matthew 26:47-49)

Feather – Peter denied Christ three times before the cock crew (Matt 26:69-75)

Soap – Pilate washed his hands (Matthew 27:24)

Purple cloth – they put a purple robe on Jesus (Matthew 27:28)

Thorn or Crown – a crown of thorns was placed upon Christ’s head (Matthew 27:29)

Nail – they nailed him to the cross (John 19:18-19)

Sponge – when Christ asked for a drink he was given a sponge with vinegar (John 19:28-30)

Rock – Jesus’ body was laid in a tomb (Matthew 27:57-60)

Piece of tape – after Christ’s death the tomb was sealed (Matthew 27:65-66)

Empty egg – this represents the empty tomb (Matthew 28:1-9)

We had a blast finding each item, guessing what it had to do with Easter, and then reading the related verse. As we read, we thought of a few more items not on this list such as vinegar. I brought out a bottle so the kids could smell what Jesus was offered as a drink before he died.

This was a great activity that encouraged the kids to work together in finding certain items and then recall the story of the Cross.

Afterwards, my kids asked if we could sing “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” So we did and enjoyed a sweet time of worship together.

Thank you, Lord, for coming from heaven to earth to show us the way… how to live, how to love, and how to serve. Thank you for paying our debt and giving us access to a personal relationship with God. We love you! Amen.

An Easter Accessory!

My girls love jewelry and all types of accessories!

When I saw these Easter Necklaces, I knew we had to make our own:

You can find more detailed instructions at the link above but they were super simple.

Afterwards I hid a SECRET MESSAGE inside for my kids to discover when they opened their egg.

Depending on the age of your child, you can write “Jesus loves ___” like I did or, if they are older, include a verse that reminds them of the cross. Or you could sneak a jelly bean inside for a sweet surprise!

Either way, these festive necklaces would be the perfect accessory to wear as you celebrate the Risen Lord!

“He has risen, just as he said!” – Matthew 28:5

Stained Glass Cross

Last Sunday, my Trio came home with these Stain Glass Crosses from Sunday school:

Isn’t  it beautiful?

I loved it so much that I wanted to color my own… so I did!

And now you can too!

Click here for your FREE Cross Stained Glass Printable.

Perfect craft for the kids while you hide the eggs or tend to that Easter ham.

Or color one yourself and give your Mommy brain a break. :)

Enjoy and may you remember the power of the Cross this Resurrection Sunday!

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18

Call Me Crazy…

Call me CRAZY but I am…

“If I acted crazy, I did it for God…

Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes.

His love has the first and last word in everything I do.”

- 2 Corinthians 5:13,14 MSG -

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

How Do I Love Thee…

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…“

Looking for a fun way to say I Love You this Valentines?

How about this super cute and easy craft idea:

Simply trace and cut out your child’s hand.

Glue on a cute photo of their kissable face.

Then fold over the middle and ring fingers to make the sign for I Love You!

Perfect gift for Daddy’s car… or for any of the loved ones in your child’s life.

You could even trace your hand, add a photo of yourself,

and stick it somewhere for the Hubby to find on Valentine’s Day!

Here’s another fun way to say Eye Love You with photos:

However you choose to say these special words,

I hope that your Valentine’s Day is full of true LOVE that…

Always PROTECTS.  Always TRUSTS.

Always HOPES.  Always PERSEVERES.

- 1 Corinthians 13:7 -

My Sweethearts

Aren’t these sweet?

I had originally planned this as a craft to do with my Trio, but after gathering supplies the night before, I ended up getting sucked in and making them myself. :)

They were super easy and only used a few supplies:

First, trace and cut out a heart shaped photo and a background heart. Glue together like so…

Then laminate them… because you’re addicted to your laminating machine like I am. :)

I had originally planned to glue them to popsicle sticks and make a bouquet for the dinner table…

However, my brilliant husband asked why I didn’t just put a magnet on the back…

Perfect for the refrigerator…

… or Grampa & Gramma’s door for a little Valentine’s Day surprise!

How fun is that!

Go snap some cute pics of your loved ones, grab some cookie cutters,

and create your own little sweethearts that will be treasured for years to come!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” – Matthew 22:37

The Ultimate Valentine

Last year, we printed this out and added it to my kids’ preschool Valentines…

I just LOVE how clever this is… God’s Valentine “Card” to us!

Whoever thought of this is simply brilliant.

However, I am sure that God inspired this long before John 3:16 was even written.

His ultimate goal has always been to be your Valentine.

He loves YOU so much that He gave His one and only Son and if YOU believe in Him, YOU will not perish but live eternally in heaven with Him! (John 3:16)

He wants you to “truly know [Him] and understand that [He is] the Lord who demonstrates unfailing LOVE.” (Jeremiah 9:24)

So may you Choose Today to allow “the Lord to show you His unfailing LOVE and faithfulness.” this Valentine season. (2 Samuel 15:20)

P.S. If you’d like to print your own Ultimate Valentine Card, check out this Free Printable that the Happy Home Fairy just posted today! Confirmation that this is God’s message to us today! :)

Valentine Silhouettes

During our shadow play on Groundhog’s Day, I traced my Trio’s profiles.

Actually, it was impossible to get them to hold still (yes, I tried!) so I took side shots with my camera.

Then I printed them out and traced those. Super easy and I love how they turned out!

I’ve been creating Valentine cards with these adorable silhouettes and I thought I would share a few:

Told you that I had a new thing for doilies. :)

Well… I’m a girl of few words today.

I pray that you are aware of God’s amazing and unfailing love for you,

not just this Valentine season but in every day and in every season.

May you find comfort in the SHADOW of His wing!

“How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! 

People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

- Psalm 36:7 -

A-doily-able Heart Prints

The other day as we changed the calendar over to February and pulled out our Valentine’s Day Countdown, my Trio went crazy taping red and pink hearts all over our house! Love is in the Air!

I even found this taped to the headboard on my bed…

Awww! Made me melt! My first Valentine from my son… priceless.

That afternoon, while sorting laundry, my daughter, K, held up a solid pink shirt and I knew in an instant what our next craft project was going to be… this “a-doily-able” Valentine Shirt!

I first saw this idea on the cover of Family Fun magazine.

It was so easy to make and I love how it turned out!

We only made this one shirt, but afterwards we made several doily prints on paper as well.

We simply held down a doily, used a sponge brush to dab paint over the top, then carefully pulled off the doily to create these works of art.

Be sure to save the doilies as well. I like how bright and colorful they turned out…

These would make great Valentine cards for your child’s teacher or grandparents. I’m thinking about laminating mine to save them for future Valentine’s Day decor. We’ll see… I’ve always liked lace and eyelet fabrics but I think I’ve now developed a thing for doilies. Look out, Pinterest, here I come… :)

In closing, I just have to share a precious moment with you that happened this morning as we read one of our countdown verses. It was John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only…” When I got to that part, my 2 year old shouted, “Son! Jesus!” What’s amazing is that we haven’t read this verse together in a while so the fact that she still remembered it really blessed this Mommy’s heart. Ok, so you had to be there, but I was very proud! :)

“For God so loved the World that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Groundhogs and my Blogiversary

Today marks 1 year since I began this ChoosingToday blog.

In the last year, I’ve written over 100 posts and have had almost 18,000 views. Ka-razy!

So Happy Anniversary to me and thank you for being such faithful followers!

I hope that you’ve been inspired to make the most of each day that the Lord has made.

At least a little. Sometimes we just need to CHOOSE to rejoice and use any reason to celebrate.

That’s why I love silly little holidays like today.

If you’ve been following since Day One, you’ll remember my Groundhog’s Day post from last year.

Today, we celebrated in similar fashion.

When the kids woke up, I had these little groundhogs waiting to be colored on the kitchen table.

We then glued them on popsicle sticks and made these

little Pop-Ups inspired by several Pinterest posts.

(I don’t recommend using styrofoam cups since my glue started eating through them!)

As the kids began to pop their little Groundhogs in and out of their burrows,

I was surprised that they remembered the song that we learned last year:

(Sung to the tune of “I’m a Little Tea Pot”)

I’m a little Groundhog, furry and round

You may see me POP out of the ground

When I see my shadow, DOWN I’ll stay

6 more weeks of winter’s on it’s way!

We sang it at least a million times!

The best part of today was celebrating with our favorite Groundhog… Gramps!

However, just like Punxsutawney Phil at Gobbler’s Knob, he didn’t see his shadow.

It was too foggy. I was sad that we couldn’t get any shadow photos but I am excited that

an early Spring was predicted. We’re ready for some serious sunshine around here!

By the way, if you’re curious about the REAL meaning of Groundhog’s Day…

my 4 year old daughter explained it this way as we colored first thing this morning:

“We must share the crayons cause that’s what Groundhog’s Day is all about!”

Haha, now you know! I love her and her bed head.

What an excellent explanation of what every day should be about!

Sharing crayons… Sharing a meal…

Sharing a smile… Sharing God’s Love…

May you Choose Today to “Do good and to SHARE for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”

- Hebrews 13:16 -