Tag Archives: holidays

What are YOUR Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions?

We love Thanksgiving at our house. Love.

To my family, Thanksgiving is simple—and wonderful. It’s

All the wonderful, warm fuzzy feelings of the holidays—without the stress of gift giving—WIN.
A chance to remember Thanksgivings from long ago (otherwise known as children talking with grownups)
Food. (cray cray, I know)
Cousins (the more the merrier)
Neighbors (invites go out every year)
More food.
Movies
Games
Books
Slow cooked apple cider
Christmas music (starts on Thanksgiving evening)

Anywho—the kids and I have put together a new eBook that’s brimming with time honored, family recipes from The Busy Mom writers, traditions, a Thanksgiving devotion from Firmly Planted Family, craft ideas, book suggestions, printables, templates for my favorite family tradition and more!

It’s almost done…

But before we finish it, we thought it would be fun to ask you, our readers, about your favorite Thanksgiving traditions. Do you have a simple tradition that really makes Thanksgiving memorable?

Talk turkey and {simple} traditions with me—leave your comment below!

Easter Dinner Menu Plan

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For generations, food has been an important part of celebrations and traditions. There is a comfort in eating certain foods on certain days, cooked the same way you always remember. You probably have your favorite birthday cake or dessert, Christmas meal and cookies, and other special foods for special days. I used to think that it wasn’t THAT big of a deal, especially when the kids were little. It sometimes felt like SO much work to make the effort. And there ARE times to exchange the tradition for something less stressful if it keeps the heart of the celebration from being lost. I remember we traded our traditional home made Thanksgiving feast for one bought at Safeway because I had just had our fifth child. I was really thankful for that store bought meal, but the next year, we appreciated the home made one even more! And the older our kids get, the more they more they look forward to these traditions.

That being said, I want to share one of our favorite (and easiest) Easter and Christmas meals. We love this one because things can be made ahead of time which comes in handy especially on these particular holidays.

So here is the menu: Spiral sliced ham, Gen’s Potatoes, Grandma’s Crescent Rolls, Curried Fruit and steamed Green Beans.

A day or two before the holiday:

Grandma Gen’s Potatoes

Prepare a buttered 9×13 pan

10 medium potatoes, cooked and mashed (don’t add liquid to them)

Add and beat til fluffy:

1 pkg cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

1 package Ranch mix(this works the best) OR 1 t. garlic powder

salt to taste

Place mixture in 9×13 and add 1/2 c melted butter(you can use less, it just might not have quite the crisp on top) and sprinkle with paprika

At this point, you can cover (when it cools a bit) and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 days ahead of time!

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes, if refrigerated or 30 minutes if baking immediately. Edges should be lightly browned.

Grandma’s Crescent Rolls

Dissolve one package of dry yeast in one cup water

Melt one cube of butter

In mixing bowl beat three eggs. Add 1/2 c sugar and 1 t. salt

Add yeast mixture

Add melted butter

Add 4 1/2 c. of all purpose flour (or half wheat/half white flour)

Store in air tight container until ready to roll out. Roll out in 2 circles. Cut each into 12 pie-shaped pieces. Roll into crescents.

Place on greased cookie sheets. If you want to go ahead and bake them, let rise 2 hours or until doubled. Or at this point you can freeze them. Then you can just let them rise on the counter overnight and bake them in the morning. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Day of:

The Spiral ham we buy from Costco ( a no brainer)-this goes in the oven for about 1 1/2 hours. (Don’t forget to put your potatoes in about 30-45 minutes after the ham goes in)

Curried Fruit–this goes amazingly well with the ham and potatoes. Not something I would have put together, but my husband’s mom has made this meal for years and it’s always a big hit.

In a 9×13 pan (OR large saucepan on the stove if you are low on oven space) place:

1 can of peaches (half drained)

1 can of pears (half drained)

1 can pineapple (half drained)

Melt 1/3 c butter, 1/3 c brown sugar and stir in 1 t. curry powder and pour over the fruit. Bake until heated through.

Green Beans I find the best and freshest from Costco as well. You can use frozen, but they aren’t quite as tasty. I usually steam them for about 4-5 minutes so they aren’t completely limp. Then add a couple Tablespoons of butter and salt to taste. Sometimes we throw some real bacon bit in for extra flavor. The taste goes well with the ham. Make this in the last few minutes before dinner.

We hope your family enjoys this meal as much as we do! Happy Easter! He has risen! He has risen indeed!

3 Ways to Prepare Your Heart For Easter

3 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Easter

1.) Pray – Declutter Your Heart & Mind

My husband who is currently attending seminary classes recently preached on Spring Cleaning Your Heart– how to take an intentional look at your heart, asking God to reveal the sin clutter that we may have let gather in the corners and closets of our heart for long enough to forget that it’s there.

I loved the way he put it – just like we can eventually become immune to a pile of clutter in our homes, we can get to the same point with sin clutter in our hearts.

But if we spend time in prayer, regularly, daily, asking God to reveal it to us–He will. God will open our eyes to what we need to purge, and furthermore, He will help us do that, too. Set a timer or play an instrumental song and devote that time to prayer. This is something that we should do regularly, but something we can make a focused effort on as we are going into Easter.

We have a better appreciation of Sacrifice, Resurrection and Redemption when we are more keenly aware of the sin purging/heart cleaning process. We can do that because of Jesus!!

2.) Purge – Unclutter Your Home and Your Days

I don’t know about you but I can’t work in a cluttered space. Well, I can, but not well. We homeschool and I blog and there are many days where I can’t do either of those things until we’ve picked up the house because I just can’t think or focus.

Likewise, I often find that our cluttered space often keeps us from God’s work.

Have you ever been hindered from inviting someone over after church because the house wasn’t clean enough? Have you been prevented from lending a helping hand because you were so far behind on your schedule? I have! Friends, how can we serve Jesus this way? We need to be able to BE light and BE Jesus to others and that takes time spent together some how or another.

Or maybe you have a different struggle. Maybe you find that you too highly value your stuff, or that you collect too many things, or that you work too many hours or any number of other things that might keep your days or your home cluttered, preventing your from fully being used by God.

As you spend time in prayer asking God to reveal clutter in your heart, ask Him to also reveal clutter in your day or your home, or your attitude toward either of those and ask Him to help you to work on that.

3.) Participate – Focus on Him

We hold a Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service at our church. Some churches like to do a Passover Meal. In addition to the Easter morning church service I encourage you to attend a service of some kind that focuses on Jesus’ sacrifice before you celebrate Sunday morning on his resurrection. Or, if not, perhaps have a special meal in your home as a family, watching a passion movie together, reading from the Bible, praying a special prayer.

The Easter story has two halves. The Sacrifice and the Victory over Death. We need both.

Others ways to focus on Jesus and what he did for us might include celebrating 12 Days of Easter with your family, doing service projects in your community, organizing a community outreach, watching or putting on a passion play, or any number of other things.

Don’t let Easter come and go without truly taking a few minutes to focus on the cross and the grave that preceded the empty tomb.

Friends, I pray that you have a blessed Easter! And I pray that you are blessed by the process of preparing for Easter, too. May you be a light that shines Jesus to those around you during our most important holiday – He is risen!

Click here to learn more about how we do 12 Days of Easter.

Background Image Source: Cross by George Hodan, public domain

10 Picture Books for a Christ Centered Easter

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Just like Christmas, Easter can be a hard time for helping our kids to stay focused on Jesus and the reason we celebrate Easter. I like to pull out these favorite books each year, a few weeks before Easter and read one each day with my kids. You may have additional books to add to this list, please leave us a comment letting us know what your favorite Christ Centered Easter books are!

**This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting The Busy Mom (at no additional cost to you)!**

1. Journey to the Cross ~ this book is not so much a picture book that you would sit down and read in one sitting. But I LOVE using this book ALL throughout the Easter season! This book has the entire Easter story split up into 40 readings (which would also be perfect to start around the time that Lent starts.) Your elementary kids could also use this book as reading practice to mom during the Easter season!

2. The Parable of the Lily ~ this might be my favorite picture book for Spring and Easter! I love Liz Curtis Higg’s parables for children! This one is the story of a mysterious gift that ends in a joyous discovery weeks later just in time for Easter. I love that Scripture is incorporated into the pages of these children’s parables!

3. Easter Bunny, Are You For Real ~ I love these gentle books by Harold Myra that do not make you feel any condemnation for having easter egg hunts or having FUN with the holiday. He mentions that spring IS a time to get excited about bunnies and new flowers growing, etc. But, he gently points out that the REAL reason we celebrate is because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

4. The Easter Story ~ from “Peek-A-Bible” and ZonderKids ~ we have had this book since my kids were 2-3 years old. There are flaps the kids can lift up and I have to admit, even as an adult, I get excited lifting that huge rock and seeing that the tomb is EMPTY!!

5. Amon’s Adventures ~ this is another book that is not particularly a picture book, but a story that you can read aloud to your whole family throughout the Easter season!! These read aloud or chapter books by Arnold Ytreeide are just fabulous. The stories grab you and have such depth to them. I would say these are probably not for your early elementary kids, maybe save them for upper elementary and older.

6. Benjamin’s Box ~ this book can be used along with the Resurrection Eggs or on its own, you could even be creative and use this in a totally different way if you chose. Benjamin is a curious boy that lives in the time of Jesus, he keeps a treasure box of all these treasures he finds — these treasures are the same things you will find inside the Resurrection Eggs.

7. The Legend of the Easter Egg ~ another fabulous “legend” book by Lori Walburg with MANY references to special events that take place around the time of Jesus death, the cross and the resurrection.

8. The Tale of Three Trees ~ a beautiful story of 3 trees with stories of how they are used to bring glory to God through their “lifetime.” You could add in nature study, as well, to this lovely story! This story is a very creative and a bit unusual way to tell the Easter story! You and your kids won’t forget it!

9. Miracle in the Morning ~ discuss with your children what it would have been like to go and find the EMPTY tomb on Easter morning!!

10. The Legend of the Sand Dollar ~ a trip to the beach reveals the story of Easter in a sand dollar! A small, hidden treasure reveals the miracle of the Resurrection.

I love adding just one new book to my Easter and Christmas collections each year. That makes it a little more affordable. By the time my children are grown, we will have a lovely collection of Christ-centered holiday books that someday I hope to share with my grandchildren!! These books we read each year become a part of our traditions…my children remember them…and I pray these seeds are planted deep in their hearts as they grow and mature in the Lord!

I have some free cursive copy work to go along with the Resurrection Eggs over at my place if you’d like to add that to your Easter school work!

Saint Patrick’s Day Learning Ideas

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I hope you didn’t click over hoping for lucky green leprechauns. 🙂 Did you know that Saint Patrick was actually a missionary? Have you shared with your children about the real Saint Patrick? Today I’m going to share with you a few ideas for doing just that! Of course, having a little fun along the way makes the learning a little more memorable, but our focus won’t be on luck or leprechauns.

According to tradition, Patrick, as a young boy or teen, was sold into slavery. As a slave, his job was shepherding. As a shepherd in the fields, his prayer life blossomed and grew and his life became a witness for us all. What man intended for harm, God used for good. Genesis 50:20.

Through many events in Patrick’s life, he eventually felt God calling him to return to Ireland and tell people the good news of God.

I encourage you to do a little bit of research, check out a few books from the library on this man and learn more about who he was and why we celebrate him!

Here are 5 of my favorite picture books for sharing Saint Patrick with children:

Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie DePaola – if you are familiar with DePaola’s children’s books, this one will look familiar, with his unique illustrations.
The Story of Saint Patrick’s Day by Patricia Pingry – this book is great for the younger crowd and shares about Saint Patrick’s Day traditional symbols as well as where the holiday came from, as well as a short narrative on Saint Patrick himself.
St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons – Gail Gibbons books are great for homeschoolers! You can pick up this book and do no more lesson planning! 🙂 This book will tell you how the holiday is celebrated as well as some of the legends told about Patrick today.
The Story of Saint Patrick by James Janda – another children’s book that tells the story of Patrick.
Count Your Way Through Ireland by James Haskins – this book will help your family to learn a little more about Ireland and not just Saint Patrick himself.

In addition to reading some favorite picture books, add one or two of these FUN activities and your kids will definitely remember a lot more about Saint Patrick!

Creative Snack Ideas

Fun Learning Activities

Roll a Leprechaun Dice Game
Gold Cauldron Counting, Shamrock Subtraction and more!
Free Ireland Lapbook & Unit Study
More Free Unit Studies For: Saint Patrick’s Day in the Morning, Patrick Patron Saint of Ireland, and several other Irish/St. Patrick’s Day titles!
Shamrock Name Game Matching
Green Daisy Science
Free Printable St. Patrick Number Puzzle
Flying Potato
Play Hot Potato
How to Make a Celtic Knot

Arts & Craft Ideas

I hope you and your kids have FUN learning about Saint Patrick and the country of Ireland! I always think kids learn more when it’s fun. 🙂 Enjoy!!

If you’d like to read more of my homeschooling ideas, please take a peek at some of our favorite unit studies!

When Valentine’s Day is Hard

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Valentine’s Day has always been a hard day for me. When my marriage started to crumble it became almost unbearable. Even now almost 4 years later the day is still hard. Watching couples gush over each other is hard. Seeing beautiful pregnant ladies is hard. Watching families playing together at the playground is hard. It’s hard all year round but there’s something about a day that supposed to be all about love that makes it harder.

Feel the pain but don’t wallow in self pity

What are we to do when our homes and hearts are broken and there’s love all around? Feel the pain. Anytime that you try to ignore that ache in your heart you are at risk of making some poor choices. I don’t know about you, but when I start trying to ignore the fact that I’m hurting I usually find myself in a sticky situation. A situation that always ends up with me in more pain than before I started.

You’ve got to feel the pain to get to the healing. But don’t throw yourself a pity party.

Forgive the person that’s causing you pain

Yes I know it’s the last thing that you want to do but you have to. The hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do was to forgive my ex for walking out on our family. But I had to do it or I was going to be no good to my children, my friends or anyone else that came across my path.

If you are at the point where you are in new relationships it may be a little tricky. You get your hopes tied up that maybe this man is the one, that maybe you’ll get it right this time. And then it doesn’t work out the way you expected. Maybe you both realize that it’s not a good fit. Maybe you decide that you just aren’t ready for a commitment yet. Or maybe, dear sister you find yourself ready to commit to someone else and they reject you.

Whatever the situation forgive. Every single time you think about that hurt they caused, forgive. Forgive them and then forgive yourself.

Remember that He loves you

My last piece of encouragement for you is to remember that He loves you. God loves you all the time no matter what. When your husband tells you that you aren’t pretty anymore, God says you are beautiful. When you feel worthless and unwanted remember that Jesus loved you so much that He died on the cross for you. When that person that you care about so much decides to betray and hurt you, God loves you. He loves you and will be there to pick up the pieces of your broken heart and make you whole again.

Have some fun

I know that getting through Valentine’s Day is hard, but one of the best ways to avoid overfocusing on our own pain is to focus on others. I do that by having fun with my boys on February 14th. Here are some suggestions for you:

Watch A Charlie Brown Valentine
Bake and decorate some heart shaped cookies
Spend the day with some good friends
Make some cards with your children and take an hour or so to deliver them personally
Get all dressed up and take your children out for a meal or let them take you out (even you have to give them the money to do it)

If you are hurting today please leave a comment so I can pray with you. You don’t have to leave any details a simple “pray for me” will do.

~LaToya, Learning to Let HIM Lead

New Year’s Eve Family Activities

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I am always trying to come up with activities that everyone in our family would enjoy. Our kids range from almost 2 to 11, so finding one specific activity that appeals to all of them is difficult.

New Year’s Eve is no exception. We like to let our kids stay up late to bring in the New Year with us. We watch the ball drop on TV, but we also like to throw in some activities to make it a full-on celebration and create memories that our family will cherish for years to come.

Here are a few ideas that we’ve enjoyed over the years and hopefully you’ll enjoy along with your family too!!

1-Fortune Balloons! All you need is some balloons, a few strips of paper, and a few activity ideas (think board games, conversation starts, and crafts). Write out each activity or craft on a strip of paper and gently slip them into a deflated balloon. Blow the balloon up and write a time of day on it. When that time rolls around, POP it! And do that activity! Tip: Blow up all of the balloons before writing the time on them, this way you don’t know which is which.

2-Make your own New Year’s Eve Ball! You will need a large Styrofoam ball, small craft mirrors, a thin piece of wire, and glue. Before you glue the mirrors onto the Styrofoam, gently press them into it to create an indentation. Then add some glue into that indentation and add the mirror. Next gently push the wire right through the center Styrofoam ball until it comes out the other side. Make a small loop at one end of the wire, and secure the other end so that it holds the ball on the wire. Grab a push pin or thumb tack and hang from the ceiling. When midnight rolls in, drop the ball! Tip: You should be able to find all of these materials at your local dollar store.

3- Make your own noise makers! All you need is a few small gift boxes, something probably smaller than the length of your hand (you should be able to find these at the dollar store). Fill them up with rice, dry pasta, dry beans, or anything small and hard. Close the boxes up, decorate them, and tape the tip of a popsicle stick on the bottom. You now have your very own, homemade noise makers!

4-Create a time capsule jar. Choose any jar or container that you have in the house. A mason jar will do. Fill it up with memories from the year, even if it’s notes written by all of you of what you loved most from this past year. We like to keep movie ticket stubs, so this would be something that we would put in our time capsule. Was your kiddo obsessed with silly bands, or collecting rocks this year? Throw something in the time capsule that represents that, or one of the items from their collection. Open the jar next year and enjoy the memories.

5-Family Interview! The first year we did this, we put all of our answers inside of our Time Capsule Jar. The next year, it was SO much fun reading over our responses, and especially seeing what the kids handwriting was like, or when the answered questions with drawings. You can create your own family questions, but I’ve put together some really simple questions that everyone can answer. You can download the PDF printable HERE.

6-Don’t underestimate simple! New Year’s Eve activities don’t have to be filled with glitter, sparkles, noise, and crafts. Playing a few board games with your family, while watching a few family favorite movies is a great option if you are looking to keep things simple this year.

What are some of your favorite family activities for New Year’s Eve?

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love