Tag Archives: printables

Printable Autumn Activity Pages

I love a good season-themed activity pack to give my two youngest. This month I created this cute printable pack that my almost-four-year-old and six-year-old can both enjoy!

In the pack you will find the following fun activities:

Trace the line
Memory Game
Do the Math!
Number Practice (1-20)
Letter Practice (Upper-case and Lower-case)
Do-A-Dot Fun
Size Sorting
Coloring Sheets

What you will need to have on hand:

Crayons or Markers
Do-A-Dot Markers
Cardstock (if you prefer to print for durability)
A Printer
Paper

To download the Autumn Activity Pages click HERE.

Finding Peace in the Storm

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Life is hard. In recent months our family and our church family has dealt with a lot. Many of you are finding yourself in the same place. Overwhelmed. Grieving. Struggling. Tired.

I wanted to share with you something that has been on my heart in the midst of these trials. This comes from a place of deep trust in the Lord and in His ways. This comes from a place of faith in the midst of struggle.

I believe that peace is possible even in the most difficult of circumstances.

In writing more and more on my blog about depression, I have been so blessed to have conversations online with many women who reach out to me that have never talked about their struggles before. There have been those that are just waiting for God to heal them or are desperate for their life circumstances to change.

And here is the difference in the kind of peace I’m talking about, this kind of peace, the kind that surpasses all understanding, it can be found even in the most difficult of circumstances. We don’t need our circumstances to change to find peace. Because peace is a Person. His Name is Jesus.

Sweet friends, peace is possible no matter what is going on around us because we have a living hope in Jesus.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:3-7

The Word of God is living and powerful and this passage is one of those times that I get a little excited about what we are learning.

A living hope! Did you catch that? Our hope is ALIVE, not dead. When something is alive it is still breathing, there is still a heart beat, there is still LIFE. This is the hope in us. INSIDE you and me is a living hope! This living hope is Jesus.

Friends, our hope is not in our circumstances. Our hope is not in the doctor’s report, how our spouse behaves or doesn’t behave, how our kids turn out, whether or not we get that new job, none of these things. When our hope is in these things, we will be disappointed.

But, hope in God never disappoints. He has our best interest at heart. Even though we may not like it, through the difficult circumstances He is forming us to His image. He is sanctifying, cleansing and purifying. If we can just hold onto Him through the storm, on that day when we meet Him face to face, all the tears and doubts and trials will fade away. He is preparing us for an eternity with Him and we can look forward to that day knowing that our every tear will be wiped away. No more death. No more suffering. No more sickness.

What if you’re reading this and you are thinking, that sounds great, but HOW do I find my hope and peace in Jesus and not other places?

Well, I can share some of the things that help me. I read a quote once that “hope takes practice” and I believe this to be true. {Edward Welch.} Sometimes we have to FIND joy, we have to COUNT our blessings, we have to PRACTICE hope. This isn’t a works based gospel, this is readying our hearts for the Lord to do His thing. This practicing hope is confessing and repenting and surrendering to the will of the Father. There is peace in surrender.

Finding Peace

Do not neglect the Word of God. I am so passionate about the Word of God, I share a lot about PRAYING His Word, memorizing it, meditating on it. Why? Because when our mind is fixed on Him, He fills us with His perfect peace. Isaiah 26:3

Breathe prayers. When you don’t have words because of your discouragement and suffering, just whisper breath prayers up to the Lord. All day long. “God, I need you…” “Lord, I’m desperate for You…” “God, You alone are my hope!” Speaking the gospel, even aloud, is very good for our hearts!

Don’t isolate yourself. As hard as it is, God, in His sovereignty, God gave us the Body of Christ. We were meant for relationships. Don’t stop going to church. Worship is a powerful thing. When we take our eyes off ourselves and place them onto praising Jesus, our problems begin to diminish. Also in this category would be the idea to get help if it’s needed. Don’t suffer alone. Often, in our shame, we don’t tell people we are hurting. You may even need to speak with a doctor. Don’t keep it all inside. We were made to communicate and give and receive encouragement.

Use reminders. We are human, we need reminders of God’s love and the hope He gives. Print off pretty verses, like the one below. Write on notecards and place them around your house. Set a timer on your phone to go off every hour, have it say “be thankful.” Whenever your phone alarm goes off, name 3 things you’re thankful for.

Free Scripture Printable

Just like you, I often need the reminder that CHRIST ALONE is my hope. I must stop looking in all the wrong places for my hope, my peace and my joy. He alone satisfies.

In Christ Alone TheBusyMom.com PDF

Grace for the Anxious Mama {Free Printable}

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A note from Heidi:
I really appreciated this post from Candace. Many moms suffer from anxiety—mine was diagnosed as “clinical” when I was twenty-one. I grew up in a home where we were always, always at “Defcon 7,” and I took my childhood anxiety with me into my adult life. I thought that being out of that environment would solve it—but by that time, fear was deeply engrained into my spirit.

This has been something I have had had to struggle with for as long as I can remember—but God has used it to teach me that He is a safe place. His Word calms anxious hearts and reminds us that fear is not from God. I love that Candace takes anxious moms back to the Word—because grace really is new there. We don’t have to live with constant fear and anxiety. God’s mercies really are new each morning.
_______

The anxious mama. Yep, that has been me more times than I’d like to admit. Worrying over silly things, worrying over big things. I didn’t use to think of myself as a worrier, but I realize I was just calling it something else, I think. My “worries” were usually fears over my kids’ futures, fears that I had ruined them, fears that I was messing up. Worry. Fear. They both go hand in hand, don’t they?

When I’m feeling anxious, the very best thing for me to do is spend some time with the Lord and in prayer.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

God tells us right here in His Word that when we are anxious and come to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. What a gift!! Dig in to God’s Word and your heart will fill up with His peace.

10 Verses for the Anxious Mama

1. 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”

2. Proverbs 12:25 “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

3. Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

4. Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

5. Psalm 27:1 ” The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? ”

6. Isaiah 35:4 “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…”

7. Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”

8. 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…”

9. Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

10. Psalm 91

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

How can these 10 verses help our anxiety?

My suggestions for you are to write these verses out on notecards and carry them with you, place one by the kitchen sink, memorize them one at a time, when you feel anxiety coming on, repeat one of them aloud, repeat it again and again. Meditate on the passage. Pray through the verse asking God for help. He will comfort you through His Word!

Print out this verse from 1 John and frame it, place it in your bathroom or by your bed as a constant reminder of His perfect love. Let this verse bless you and not condemn you. This verse doesn’t mean that if you fear you must not have the love of Jesus in you. God knows that until we meet Him face to face, we are human and in our humanness we stumble, fall and even fill with anxiety and fear. This verse gives me such hope because when I GO TO HIM, His love is perfect. I am not perfect, HE IS. For that perfect love to cleanse me, renew me, sustain me, I must be WITH Him. Spend time with Him today, dear ones, His perfect love will cast out the fear in your heart.

{Click on this PDF link OR the graphic to download your PDF and print!}

Perfect Love Printable PDF

The Busy Mom’s Fall Menu and Planning PRINTABLE!

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SO, it’s here. School has started. Time for routine, time for a new schedule, time to get.this.train.moving.

Every year, I make a different printable to motivate my houseful of—ummm—eager helpers.

This year, I’ve switched things up a bit by including three smaller sections on my printable planner. I’ve also added a space for you to assign laundry to different people on different days. As our kids get older, I’ve given them their own days to do their own laundry. If your kids are little, it might be a place for you to assign a room or something like “bedding” on a particular day. Do what works for you. Be creative! Stress down.

Also, while the menu thing is a big deal—try not to overcomplicate it. There’s a line there… just one—because that’s all you need to write the word “spaghetti” or “chili” or “cereal.” Here’s the thing: just knowing that you’ve got what you need in the fridge and have a plan in place will save you tons of time and emotional energy.

Hey. The life you save might be your own! Honestly! When I I have a meal plan, my life is a whole lot less stress-filled. I use my crockpot religiously, too. 🙂 Just in case you’re wondering.

You can do this, busy moms! Feel the rush of routine. And then, buckle up! We’re off to a new school year!

Download your Menu/Shopping/Laundry printable here!

In case you missed it, here’s my complete menu printable from last year, too!

BONUS: THE BUSY MOM’S CHORE CHART!

Yep. I’m “that mom.”

Onward, brave mother!

A New Thing {Free Scripture Printable}

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“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

Last year I really struggled when Christmas was over; New Year’s was approaching, all the “word of the year” posts starting popping up… I felt, well, discouraged and hopeless. That verse at the top of this post? “See I am doing a new thing!” I didn’t believe it. Not one word of it.

You might say I was the “ye of little faith.”

I didn’t really believe that God could do a “new thing” in my life. Motherhood has been pretty hard, all nearly 12 years of it. Homeschooling has been even harder. The struggle with depression seemed never-ending. The weaknesses and character flaws I saw in myself seemed to grow instead of diminish. I did not have one ounce of faith that God could or would do a new thing in my life.

And you might say I was stuck there for quite awhile…maybe for years, even.

You know what is coming, right? But, God…

Friends, there is always, always, a “but” in our hopeless situations. And it always begins and ends with God. No matter how I feel, no matter how hopeless my situation seems, God is always at work and He is always the God of all hope.

That’s not always easy to remember or easy to believe, though. You might have thought I was taking a different direction with this post…you might have thought I was going to say, “Last year I had no faith that God could change my circumstances, but LOOK, HE DID! My life is awesome now! Everything has fallen into place just as I had hoped.”

God didn’t change my circumstances…He changed me.

Instead of a new set of circumstances, He did a new work in my heart. And how many times do we desperately need that from Him? How many times do I just need a shift in perspective, a reminder to be grateful, a glimpse of His face in my sorrow?

Busy moms, whether you are in a good place or a hard place right now, the God of hope has not changed. His feelings and His love for you are not hopeless or based on your behavior or circumstances. His love never fails. When all else around you falls apart, you can cling to that truth.

This New Year’s Day I’m not looking for a brand new set of circumstances to make my life complete. I’m looking to the God of hope, that has given me a new heart in Him, has made me a new creation through Christ, and I am continuing to cling to that verse that I don’t always believe. God is growing my faith…God is stretching me…God is continuing to do a NEW WORK in my heart and I’m so grateful. I’m so grateful for the ways I can see that new thing even though it isn’t the new thing I had hoped for. It’s even better because it is making me more like Him.

With His help I am forgetting the former things that I had hoped would change, I am making a daily {moment by moment} choice to not dwell on the past, I am looking for His newness in me and around me and praising Him for it…no matter how small it may seem.

Take a look around you today! I guarantee He is at work, which means He is doing a new thing for you, too!

Busy moms, if you need visual reminders like I do, I hope you will enjoy this printable Scripture passage I created for you! You can download the PDF printable HERE.

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?

Organizing your Chores {Blog Hop}

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chores

If you’ve been following me for very long, then you know I am a huge fan of training children to work.

Here is a chart from my friend Toni over at The Happy Housewife—a list of age-appropriate chores that children can do. This does not mean that they do every chore, but it’s a list of ideas for you. If you’re wondering, “What can my four-year old do?”, this this might help you:

Around here, we use a weekly rotation for the “big things.” Here is what ours looks like this year:

If you like this one, you can download a printable version of it here!

Bottom line: Have a plan. Teach your children to help and the value of hard work. You’ll all be better off for it!

Work the Plan,

Read all of the posts about “Organizing Your Chores” on these blogs! And read all about the Blog Hop going on HERE!

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love