Betty

The Baby God

January 4, 2013 by Betty

Now that Christmas is over, the Christmas tree is gone, the nativity scene is stored away, and the decorations are back to normal…or so…I thought…

One morning soon after Christmas day, as we were working on our morning devotion together from Keys for Kids, my three-year-old used the name “The Baby God,” in reference to Jesus. To MeiMei, she probably didn’t think much of the term, just connecting what she knows about Jesus and his birth. For me, I pondered on this term that day, and thought, wow, there’s profound theology packed into these three little words.

Without diving into a deep theology discussion about the terms, because I am not a theologian. My heart cries out to the fact that Jesus, in his humble state, stepped down into humanity, vulnerable and helpless to do something for me that I could never do for myself. This “Baby God” probably cried when he was hungry. Mary, his mom probably had to change and wash a lot of dirty diapers. My boys giggled as they said, “He cried when he needed a diaper change.” That’s so true.

I think that God could have used other ways to relate to his creation (it’s his prerogative after all), but He chose the most personal way to identify with us, he became a baby. A baby who grew up to give his life as a payment for us so that we may be forgiven and experience a new life in God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV)

As you pursue a sense of newness in your life this new year, I hope you’ll discover something new in “The Baby God”. May “The Baby God” bless you this holiday season and the whole year through! Have a Happy New Year!

Filed Under: Mom's Corner Tagged With: God, Jesus, new hope

How to Make Homemade Finger Paints

January 2, 2013 by Betty

I came across this recipe on how to make finger paints that is food based and safe for kids. As many of the store-bought paints are lead based and are not safe for kids in the long run, I choose to make my own finger paints. This homemade finger paint recipe is very simple and inexpensive. Refer to the picture above for the recipe.

My thoughts: You might find your paint thickens a bit more over time. Simply add a little water to thin (or add corn starch to thicken). Paint containers are baby food jars. I hope your kids will enjoy some finger paint fun with these colorful homemade paints!

Paint keeps for about one week.

I first saw this recipe on The Honorable Mention Preschool Blog. You can also find it at Easie Peasie homemade finger paints.

Filed Under: Indoors Activities, Recipes Tagged With: homemade finger paints

Zuppa Soup Recipe

December 28, 2012 by Betty

If you have an Olive Garden Restaurant nearby, the chances are you’ve probably tried this soup. The first time I had Zuppa Toscana, or simply Zuppa soup was a few years ago at my local Olive Garden and since then, I’ve tried a few versions of Zuppa recipes. Recently, I found one that my family loves. This defiitely satisfied our cravings for Zuppa soup; hopefully you and your family will enjoy this too!

Ingredients:

2 bunches kale

12 small red potatoes, sliced thin

1 whole onion, chopped

1-1/2 pound Italian sausage

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more To Taste)

4 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

2 cups whole milk

2 cups half-and-half

4 cups water

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Tear kale into bite-sized pieces and set it aside. (chop up kale ribs for soup or reserve for juicing)

In a medium pot, boil sliced potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot, crumble and brown the Italian sausage. Drain as much fat as you can using a spoon or paper towels. Stir in the red pepper flakes, chicken broth, milk, half-and-half and water. Bring soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the potatoes, then stir in the kale. Simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Kale that’s been torn into bite-sized pieces.

Sliced red potatoes in strainer.

Zuppa soup cooking in a big pot.

Delicious Zuppa soup served with your favorite bread and salad or enjoy a simple meal of soup and crackers!

Makes 12 servings.

Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Filed Under: Soup, Stew, and Chili Tagged With: potato kale soup with sausages, Zuppa soup

Merry Christmas 2012

December 20, 2012 by Betty

I hope you’re all enjoying a blessed Christmas time with your family this holiday season. May your celebration be joyous and memorable. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Looking for some Christmas or winter activities for your kids? Here are some we’ve done. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Winter Tagged With: merry christmas

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

December 19, 2012 by Betty

One of our Christmas traditions is to make a birthday cake for Jesus. You can make it as fancy as you want or a simple homemade one with your kids. Over here, we like to make a birthday cake for Jesus with the Wordless Book colors. If you’re new to this site, check out my post, The Wordless Book, on how to use the Wordless Book to share the gospel message, and now incorporate these colors into your birthday cake for Jesus. What a fun way to share Jesus with kids this Christmas. See note below on how the manger and baby Jesus were made.

The kids and Bubba made this cake together and we used things that have the Wordless Book colors, black, red, white, gold and green to decorate the cake. As the kids are decorating the cake, we talked about what each color represented.

Here’s a recap of the Wordless Book colors: For a full explanation of these five colors, click The Wordless Book.

Black: Reminds us of the the darkness of sin.
Red: Reminds us of the blood of Jesus Christ.
White: Reminds us that we can have a clean heart when we ask Jesus to forgive us of our sins.
Gold: Reminds us of heaven.
Green: Reminds us of things that grow. It’s importance to grow in Jesus after we put our trust in Him.

After going over the colors, we would sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and enjoy the cake together. This is a blast for kids of all ages and even adults too. Try it and you’ll be amazed at the responses. Have a Christ filled Christmas!

Note: The manger was made with graham crackers, “glued” together with white frosting. Baby Jesus was borrowed from our modeling clay nativity scene.