I didn’t really start the day planning to make old fashioned banana bread. Today I was sorting books and got to looking through some old cookbooks. I found a recipe for old fashioned banana bread. We had some overripe bananas that needed to be used so I suggested Esther make banana bread. She got even more creative and made a video of her process. This was her first attempt at banana bread. She said to remind readers to soften the butter which she forgot to do. And she said she poked it a few too many times checking for doneness. The bread turned out to be delicious.
Even though she put the recipe at the end of the video I am including it here at the bottom of the page.
Old Fashioned Banana Bread
3 ripe bananas
1 Tbs water
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts
Mash bananas and water together. Set aside 3 minutes, and then mix remaining ingredients together as listed. Bake in loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.
Yesterday I started brainstorming about fun things to do with your kids at home. Many people have found themselves unexpectedly homebound. How long will this crisis last? Tornadoes, viruses, injuries, and snowstorms can all cause our world to come to a screeching stop. I do not remember a more uncertain time in my life. I do not ever remember workplaces shutting down at this rate. This has produced a lot of anxiety for some people.
I recommend making your day a more positive day. Don’t give into sitting and watching a play by play on TV or on the internet. There are many things you cannot control but you can control your home environment. Don’t give in to all-day screen time.
Below is a list that I compiled just off the top of my head. There are many things you can do. These are some things I have done over the years or wish I had done. I hope maybe some of these ideas will make your days at home a little easier.
I have eleven children and I have homeschooled for well over 30 years. Staying home for days at a time surrounded by great books with beautiful and brilliant children was my joy and my life. I miss those days. Were my days perfect? No. There are so many things I wish I had done better. Here are a few things I did do.
Making Chores Fun
If you haven’t already gotten your family on a chore system now is the time. There are several reasons for this. First, you will feel better when the basics are taken care of. This is a basic life skill. Second, you have a lot of hours on your hands and children truly need something to do and this benefits the whole family. There are several ways you might do this.
Pull slips with jobs on them. This adds a bit of mystery. You write single jobs on strips of paper. Fold them up and put them in a basket. Everyone chooses one and goes and does that one. They continue until all are done. You can set a timer to make it more interesting. These are extra jobs, not weekly chores.
Whiteboard with lists of jobs let them choose which one. And of course, get the joy of wiping off the accomplished job!
Assign chores by the week as I did when my children were younger. They became chore chart participants at 8 years old. We switched every Sunday. Dishes, table, babies, floors, etc. We have 11 children so for many years I needed help cleaning the high chair, buckling kids in car seats, etc.
Set a timer and have everyone work together in one room or folding all the laundry and then do something fun.
Stories
Tell Stories, everyone loves stories
Make chain stories where one person starts it and each person takes a turn adding the next part to the story. We did this frequently on car trips.
Read
Listen to audiobooks available free from your library even when your library is closed.
Read great books. If you have not read the classics they are great! There is a reason they are called classics. The long ones I prefer the audio version. Unabridged of course.
All those books on your shelf that you haven’t had enough time to read. Now is your opportunity.
Set a reading time every day during this confinement.
Write (or Dictate) and Practice Penmanship
Have your children write and illustrate a story. I have recently been going through files of things I have saved from my children’s younger days. Their stories are fun to read later.
Write stories and then let each one share. Your younger kids can dictate their stories to you. You can have them dictate first and then illustrate or the reverse.
Writing simple reports can be fun and educational. Let them choose a topic to learn about and research about it for a set amount of time and then have each one share his report.
Write out a scripture verse each day.
Write a letter to a grandparent, friend, neighbor, a sick person, or someone in the nursing home.
Stages of Frog
Arts and Crafts
Have an art show. Hang a string from your curtain rod end to end. Especially if you have a large picture window. This works great. Everyone draws or paints pictures etc.
Craft time. Drag out the craft supplies and create pictures. If you have no craft supplies get creative and use noodles, string, make newspaper hats, etc.
Draw a picture for someone and mail it to them.
Take old mismatched socks and make something out of them. Ideas: sock doll, ball, puppet, doll hats, etc.
Memorize other facts you may need like multiplications, verbs, etc.
Games
Play sound games with your preschoolers. Ask them how many words can you think of that start with the same sound as banana, or apple, or penny, you get the idea.
Drag out your board games.
Play charades. Choose a topic. Bible characters, animals, etc.
Music
Learn a new skill
Practice a musical instrument
If you do not have an instrument you might make a paper keyboard and practice as did several famous musicians. Or create rhythm instruments from things around the house.
Practice singing together.
Learn to read music.
Toys
Get out the legos and play together.
Have the kids sort their toys and find some they would like to share with others.
Put together jigsaw puzzles.
Homemade Fun
Make your own homemade family carnival.
If you have a laundry basket make a game of throwing old socks or balls, etc. and ringing the basket from different distances.
Make your own ring toss game.
Make your own dart game using rubber bands and try to hit a target you make.
Get out the shaving cream and on a safe surface give everyone some shaving cream to play with. It is a lot of fun. Remind them not to rub their eyes.
Make playdough ( recipe here) make figures out of it. Set themes: everyone make a dinosaur, or farm animal or flower, etc.
Cooking
Cook together
Bake cookies or bread or pretzels.
Let each child help you make a meal.
Set the table extra pretty for special guests who are going to be there and let someone make a centerpiece for the table out of things you have on hand. When supper time arrives tell your family they are the special guests.
Outside
Let the kids play in the yard or if they don’t want to, insist they run a couple of laps around the outside of the house for exercise.
Go for a walk.
If you cannot go outside put on some oldies and have a dance party. My 20-month-old granddaughter loves Barbara Ann. Take this time to laugh and be silly with your kids.
Look out the window and count how many birds you can see and what kinds. If you don’t know what kind of bird it is look it up!
Exercise videos
Play hopscotch
Generational
Have your child play the reporter and Interview their grandparents on the phone or face time.What games did they play? Were they ever stranded at home? What was the longest time they ever remember staying at home? Snowed in? Epidemic? Earliest childhood memory?
Have the child interview different members of your church by phone and have them ask about their conversion story! How old? Where? Etc.
Have you been snowed in during the wintertime? If you know me you know that I lived many years on Redding Mountain. I used to have a blog called Redding Mountain. If you would like to read some tales about our adventures there you can check out www.reddingmountain.com.
Although we are going through a different sort of adventure at present there are some similarities and so it brought back many memories.
When you live in West Virginia it is very likely you may live on a mountain and find yourself snowed in during the wintertime. If you lived on Redding Mountain you would surely have experienced this as well as many other “adventures” in the wintertime such as no electricity for days or weeks, frozen water pipes, cooking on a kerosene heater, and/or a ride up the hill on the tractor when the road was impassable.
During our snow days, we became very creative. Being snowed in actually became some of our fondest times. When you are snowed in for days everything becomes an adventure. Keeping your water pipes from freezing was a chore we had to deal with. If we had a frozen pipe, someone would go under the house and find which one was frozen. We would then use the hairdryer to thaw the pipe. That is if we still had electricity. If no electricity we would have to rely on the water we had filled available containers with to use for drinking, cooking as well as flushing toilets. Many times we would have a kerosene heater to keep the main living area warm.
If the electricity was out we would move all the mattresses into the living area and close off the other rooms or cover the openings with blankets. There were so many of us that my father-in-law would mention how many BTUs we produced. That many bodies in a small space produced a lot of body heat. I would pile on the quilts and soon we would all be toasty.
During the day when we were not taking care of survival, we would read books and play games. At night we would have our Bible reading time and sometimes quote memory verses or sing songs. Stories would be told by their dad and lots of laughter would ensue. Especially, with the antics of the “three little gitters” with the Redding kids always saving the day.
So find joy in these days that might seem hard and stressful at the moment for they’re what memories are made of.
Below is a recipe for playdough that I have used with my children for many years. You probably have all the necessary ingredients in your cabinet. This will only take a few minutes to make but will give you hours of fun!
One advantage of making homemade playdough is that you know exactly what ingredients are in it and you can create your own unique colors.
Recipe for Homemade Play Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup of cold water
food coloring
Mix flour, salt, and cream of tartar. I put this in a small non-stick pan if you have one. I add the oil, water, and color and begin to stir over low to medium heat until it begins to thicken and stick together. It almost becomes a ball. I remove from heat and knead a little and set aside to cool for a few minutes. It is ready to play with now. Remember to store this in a sealed container or a sealed Ziploc plastic bag.
Let me know if you make homemade playdough and please share how much fun you had making it and playing with your kids today!
What does Will Roger’s Birthplace have to do with education? It seems like yesterday that we lay on the grass at Will Roger’s birthplace in Oologah, Oklahoma. We were a young couple in our 20’s with a baby. We like to visit historic attractions and of course free attractions. So we explored this beautiful place. Soon we found ourselves lying on the grass and our son experiencing the early days of his education.
I had grown up seeing the face of Will Rogers even though I really didn’t know much about him. He was a funny cowboy. I didn’t know he was a member of the Cherokee Nation, a commentator, newspaper columnist, as well as an actor.
I remember what a beautiful day we had. We lay on the grass, we may have had a picnic, we talked and interacted with each other and our baby, Micah. I remember we showed him the texture of the bark on trees and the blades of grass. This might seem silly to some but it was my way of approaching life and the education of my baby.
I took my baby outside in all weather to experience God’s creation. I knew even then that babies learn a lot from being outside. Even before a baby can speak words they have a great knowledge of many things. I wanted my baby to have great experiences so that as he grew and when he started to read he would know first hand what grass was, he would have touched and smelled and felt God’s creation. He was collecting a great amount of information about the world and God even though he was yet to speak a whole sentence. He was drinking in the wonder of God’s creation.
This was not his first experience with nature nor his last. By the time our son was two years old, he would have had many of these experiences with nature. And soon become an avid reader and explorer of the world around him.
This is a glimpse into the early days of the making of a mom and dad who would go on to have 11 children and teach them by letting them explore the forests, beaches, mountains, night skies, and meet a lot of people along the way. We continue to carry this philosophy with us on the journey.
From my earliest childhood, I knew the scriptures were important. As I sat in church listening to the Bible being taught I knew I was to sit quietly. My memories were not really of the lessons themselves, here it is, I thought I would become an angel when I died. Where I got this idea I have no idea. I was taught the usual Bible stories and enjoyed it all immensely.
High School
When I was a student at Mortimer Jordan High School in the 1970’s we had a POW speak to our assembly. I was very impressed with his story. I really wish I could remember his name. Even though I cannot remember his name part of his story has stayed with me for over 40 years.
This POW shared some of the experiences he had while being held captive. One of the things he and his fellow prisoners did to help sustain them was to put together a Bible. Each man shared what scriptures he could remember and they wrote them on toilet paper. They compiled their own little Bible! This impressed me with a desire to commit scripture to memory lest I find myself in a similar situation with no Bible.
College
While a student at Alabama Christian and later Freed-Hardeman University each Bible class gave us memory verses. I enjoyed this activity. One teacher emphasized in his life the importance of memorizing God’s word. It was said that he could quote whole books of the Bible. I was impressed. I wanted to have chapters and books memorized.
During my early years as a young bride, I would put a scripture beside my bathroom mirror to help me memorize the Word. It was mounted on a paper that said a scripture a day helps keep Satan away. I memorized a lot of verses this way.
Books
In the book Ordering Your Private World Gordon MacDonald shares the story of Howard Rutledge, a young man who is captured during wartime. As a civilian, this young man never had time for spiritual things. He soon realized he did not have the spiritual resources he needed to sustain him during his imprisonment.
Being imprisoned he said his hunger for the spiritual soon outdid his hunger for food. He said, “It took prison to show me how empty my life is without God.” By the time he was released, he realized his need to grow in his relationship with God. You can read his story in the book In The Presence of Mine Enemies. This story really stayed with me and gave me a greater desire to memorize the word of God.
Resources
We lived in Logan, Ohio in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Barbara Dunn, a friend, and Bible teacher gave me a copy of the Bible ABC’s. My children and I memorized these during that time. They are still with me. Through the years I have found several versions of these. Check out these two :
I memorize scripture because God’s word is the Word of Life. I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you. Why not memorize God’s word for yourself today!
Please share in the comment section what things you have used to commit the Word of God to memory.
What can I say? I love old buttons. Who can understand why such small things as the first violets in spring, old buttons in a cup, bookshelves filled with books, or old fashioned teacups can bring such joy? I’m not sure I really can understand why but they really do make my heart happy.
Yesterday I took a little drive to a friend’s house. I took the back roads over little bridges and winding roads. I saw the first daffodils of spring poking their heads through the soil. My heart rejoices at God’s creation. It was a cold but happy day.
On my drive, I passed the Rock Springs Church of Christ established in 1832. This little building holds such history. If you visit this little church which was the first Church of Christ in Rutherford County, Tennessee you will see pictures of the history. It is very interesting to think about the people who have come and gone who have had a connection to this church. Not just the building but each person and the lives they have lived. These are my people. People who were trying to serve God, love their families and the lost of their community. Imperfect people yes. People who needed God. And the story continues. Imperfect people still meeting in this little building still trying to serve God. When I was younger these little churches did not hold the same fascination for me as they do now. Now I appreciate that there is a light still shining in that same place for 188 years! A light dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. If our world ever needed light it is now.
Pieced heart pins with buttonsButtons!Rock Spring Church of Christ 1832
Jesus’ followers asked him in the gospels to teach them to pray. And as we begin our study on prayer our key thought is: Lord teach us to pray. When I was a little girl we memorized the Lord’s Prayer. It is a very familiar prayer. If you haven’t memorized it yet start working on it today. Place a copy beside your bathroom mirror and soon you will know it by heart.
We find the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4.
Let’s read Matthew 6:9 first.
Names of God.
Think of all the names of God you can think of and write them down. I did this on the whiteboard as a class activity. Here is a start:
Father
Provider
Eternal God
I AM
The Lord is Peace
Faithful
Lord of Lords
Great God
Lord Almighty
The God of Heaven
As we speak or pray each of these names we can add why this is true. Because he has provided us with all good things we can with assurance say to God you are provider. Think of things God has provided you with and acknowledge his provision.
Which name of God do you use the most? How do you think of God?
I think of God as a Father the most. Probably because of some childhood insecurities thinking of God as a father this has meant a lot to me. Read Matthew 7:9-11. How does looking at God in this way make you feel?
Read Matthew 6:10-11
God’s will be done.
Think of specific areas of your life that you would like God to work his will in. Maybe you will want to write them down. As you write them down and remember to think of specific areas.
Give us today our daily bread. I have probably never felt closer to God than when I was depending on him for my daily food. It is obvious that God provides for all of our needs but sometimes we think we do. So, remember today to thank him for your food and ask him to bless those who are enduring the hungry season.
Read Matthew 6:12
Forgiveness.
The keyword in this passage is AS. Forgiving those who have sinned against us is not easy. When I read forgive as I have been forgiven it is easier to focus on the person who has wronged me instead of how I have wronged someone else or how I have been forgiven. Is there someone you need to forgive? The ask God for the strength to forgive. Ask God to show you the things you have done wrong and ask forgiveness for those as well. Because when I realize I need forgiveness it is easier to forgive.
Read Matthew 6:13
Temptation.
My constant prayer through the years has been for God to keep us from the evil one, especially my children. As you pray this part of the prayer you might want to share areas of temptation and ask for God’s protection and deliverance from those things. The evil one is prowling about seeking someone to devour.
Praying the parts.
In Jennifer Gerhart’s book Prayer, In Practice, she divides the Lord’s Prayer into five steps and calls it Praying the Parts. This is the beginning.
Prayer is a big topic! On January 28, 2019, Maria and I met for dinner. Maria and I have attended church together for 3 years. We had been in some Bible classes together and I knew that her heart and passion for God were real. I wanted to get to know her and more about her walk with God.
I asked Maria if she would help me teach a study on prayer. Not just a study, but an actual study andpractice of prayer. We both agreed we should do a class on prayer.
Prayer is a Vast Topic
I quickly realized how overwhelming this subject might become. Have I mentioned prayer is a big topic? We brainstormed as we ate and shared our life and experiences. Keeping notes of thoughts and ideas we might want to cover. We had to narrow down our study somehow.
The Bible has a lot to say about prayer! So prayer indeed is a big topic. Looking through my books I found a lot of resources that I already had on hand. Friends shared with me their lessons and thoughts on prayer (Thank you, Nancy!). I checked out library books on prayer, did a scripture word search on prayer, studied the prayers prayed in the Bible. I listened to podcasts and audio lessons from Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration by Chris Altrock on the prayer of Samuel. These were fantastic.
Timing
Maria and I thought we would begin this class in the very next quarter. Did this happen? No. There were many delays. We both have children. With graduations, weddings, children leaving for college, and moving we had a full year. Add to that my husband, 16-year-old daughter and I spent a month teaching in Malawi. Returning from Malawi I found out we were signed up to begin the study in November! WOW!
Planning
Maria and I met several times, studied, prayed together, and planned for this study. In my mind, back in January of 2019, Maria and I had a vision. We envisioned each of us stretching, getting out of our comfort zone, learning and growing, praying more, and seeing answered prayers. Did our class turn out to be what we had envisioned? Not exactly! Did those things happen? Yes. So we took an idea and some plans and God made something out of it.
Some Things I Learned
As I studied and prepared for this class I quickly realized I was learning the most. I learned that Satan will work hard to prevent his people from praying. I am involved in spiritual warfare. If you don’t believe it, teach a class on prayer!
Every day is filled with distractions. It is important to slow down and learn to listen to God. One of the thrilling things for me was to relearn the value of prayer journaling, keeping my prayer list updated moment by moment as people ask me to pray or as needs are brought to my attention. This has become such a blessing as time reveals the ways God is answering my daily prayers.
We have many opportunities to pray for and with people, let’s not miss them. We all feel we have a lot to learn about prayer. No one feels they have quite figured it out. Praying get’s easier the more we do it. To pray is simple. Just pray.
Yes, studying different aspects of prayer was good for me. Studying the postures of prayer mentioned in scripture helped me to learn about my prayers and how they reflect my life. Reading the prayers in scripture taught me a lot about the people in the scriptures, their situations, determination, and confidence in God.
Yes, prayer is a big topic but the most important thing is to spend time talking with your heavenly Father!
Make the most of your opportunities to pray. God is the answer to my needs and yours!
Now I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that you will be encouraged to spend more time with God. Prayer matters. God loves you and longs to talk with you and have you talk with him. Amen.
Gratitude. My heart overflows. The more our family grows it gets harder for us to all get together at the same time. I am thankful to Gabriel who started the Redding Formal tradition. This last weekend was the Second Annual Redding Formal. Solar Punk was the theme. I am not sure I really understood the theme but I did dress a little more colorful than usual.
What mom doesn’t like to have all of her children together for a beautiful event? I am thankful that each of our children, their mates, and children were all able to be there.
We had before dinner speeches, and strange (non-alcoholic) drink combinations, ate crickets, told stories, and shared our year. We had a delicious catered dinner of baked chicken, red potatoes, green beans, caesar salad, and rolls. Dipping dots and ice cream with peanut butter was our offerings for dessert.
This time of year I think brings our hearts closer to family and a great sense of gratitude for all God has done in our lives. I especially have so much to be thankful for and in reality, we all do.
I want to do better about expressing gratitude even after the immediate events have passed.
Today I tried a new online company source for cards and invitations. I have used several of these sources through the years and was thrilled to be invited to try this one. I explored the website and found several useful products. It was easy to use and to personalize. I love the little envelopes you can choose for your cards too! So check out: https://www.paperlesspost.com/
