Guest: Jodi from Meaningful Mama

I have such a special treat for you today.  Jodi from Meaningful Mama is here with us sharing some wonderful words of wisdom on the topic of motherhood.  More specifically she is sharing with us her insights on being more purposeful and meaningful in our role as mothers, as well as, a creative idea to try with the kiddos.
Here's Jodi...

Becoming a mother is hard.  I learned that in the labor process, and I’ve been learning it ever since.  This blog has been, for me, a desire to be more intentional in my parenting.  I think I’ve spent the last four years of parenting living in the “I should” moments.  I should really take my kids to the park when it’s cold outside.  I really should get a reward system in place at our home.  I should get off “Words with Friends” right now and spend some quality time with my kids.  I should really invest in the character development of the kids more.   I was tired of the “I should” and decided to become meaningful.  This isn’t about me being an amazing mom.  It’s about me trying to improve daily in this precious role.  I have tips for you because I have found the observations of other moms and the advice I get from the “professional” moms as invaluable.  As I was left floundering and questioning every decision in parenting, I reached out to others I saw doing it right.  I got answers.  As I implemented them, I saw them work…and quickly.  As I became more intentional, I saw my kids thriving.  I am now working on character qualities weekly -  like joy, love, perseverance, obedience, orderliness, self-control, patience…and the list keeps building.  As I’m working on those in my kids, I’m learning how much I need to work on those in myself.  When focusing on a specific character quality, I’m discovering teachable moments around every turn.  The scripture that backs up these qualities is being instilled in my kids.  I want to use creativity, fun and play to aid in my children’s development as well as create the buy in to our family life.  I want them to enjoy us, and I want to enjoy them.  Is life at our house perfect?  Absolutely not.  Is it improving?  Absolutely yes.  I want to inspire others to be more meaningful in their parenting.  Will I have Martha Stewart moments in the process?  Hopefully, a few.  Mostly, I want things accessible.  Things you can take away and say, “I can do that.  I’m going to do that this week.”  Do everything? No, but I am hoping you’ll take something away from these minutes you spend in my corner of the web that inspire you to turn the “I should…” into “I’m going to…”

This is a sand castle that will dry and last, making it a permanent, air-hardened sculpture. When working with this material, It feels like wet sand, but it sticks together well. It is like working with a rough play doh, moon doh or anther sculpting material.  It has a really fun texture and is a great material to work with - my kids loved the feeling between their fingers.  It dries completely within a week.  I can imagine making some cool centerpieces with it for a beach party. I got the idea from my sister.  She had cut it out of an old magazine and had it in her craft file.  I believe it's from Family Fun magazine.  We made a few different castles together, but this one was my favorite.

 Materials Needed: * 1 cup sand (you can use beach sand, but I bought this at the craft store) * 1/2 cup cornstarch * 1 tsp alum (sold in the spice section of the grocery store) * 3/4 cup water * shells and rocks (optional - I bought mine at the Dollar Store) I doubled the recipe, and I would highly recommend you do too.

Pour the sand, cornstarch and alum into a saucepan. I always like to let my kids do it.  Yes, Kenzie spilled a bit of the cornstarch, but that's easily cleaned up.

Stir together your ingredients with a wooden spoon and then add water.  Stir again until the mixture is smooth and the cornstarch is dissolved.  Cook the clay over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  It should start to thicken within a few minutes.  Stir more vigorously, making sure to scrape the mixture from the sides and bottom of the pan.

After a few minutes, the clay will have thickened to a dough-like material that can be molded and sculpted to your liking.  Please allow for it to cool to the touch before you begin sculpting.  For best results, use the clay within a day or two of mixing it.  Your kids will love building their own creations.

Jodi
from
Meaningful Mama


Thank you so much for sharing with us, Jodi!
 Be sure to visit this talented lady at her own fabulous blog by clicking here.