Bananas are Candy? (Cooking Video)

                                                                    Make Fruit Fun


Here is a link to a neat video done with Cat Cora and the Muppet's. They make Banana Popsicles. Love it! You can be creative with your kids and healthy at the same time. That's right it can be done. ENJOY!

http://family.go.com/food/pkg-cooking-tips-with-cat-cora-and-the-muppets/

Who are You? and Where's my Life?

Battle Star Ship

Church, Work, Dinner, Driving, Meetings, practice, More Work. Sometimes I feel like I am a spectator in my own life. Everything is moving at FTL speed (for non science geek people that means Faster Than Light) and I am desperately trying to get it to slow down or not be so predictable. Now-a-days families have their lives planned out weeks in advance. I am the kind of person that goes crazy when every week seems like a copy of the next. Sooner or later I crack like an egg and have to do something spontaneous. That's right Maggie (my three year old daughter) I don't care if it is midnight... get in the car we are going to get some ice cream.

I work for an after school program and I see the same 16 students every week being thrown into every sport, dance class, and chorus program their parents can put them in. Most of the time the students are so exhausted that by Friday they want to pass out on the floor and beg for a pillow. For families, life can easily become so fast paced that all your time is spent getting your kids ready for their games, and asking the same "How was school?" question that all kids answer with a generic "Fine."  STOP! Your kids don't have to do everything. My husband is a Youth Pastor and we both can't stand sports season because all of our students drop out like flies.

One of the most important things for kids and families is to spend quality time with one another. Every week should have multiple family time slots. Don't let your family get left in the dust. Like all relationships, including martial ones, require effort, time, and sacrifice. My Pastor always says that kids spell love
T-I-M-E. and that is completely true. Get to know your kids and what makes them amazing and unique. Be spontaneous and have fun.

Here is a website with good questions to ask your kids while playing games or getting ice cream at midnight ;) Asking tough questions or engaging your kids is easier when they are doing something, it helps bring their guard down. http://www.parentcoachplan.com/family_topics.php

Carpet O' Chips

"Mars Needs Moms" by Berkeley Breathed

"Oh No!" "The monster owl is going to eat Avatar." "Quick momma save Avatar!" Momma to the rescue with help from Avatar's trusted side kick, Avatar Horse. Maggie, my three year old, is a professional pretender. We play rescue games at every chance we get. One night, in particular, I learned a lesson while playing dinner party. Avatar had a celebration party because he and Avatar horse had defeated the menace owl.

 Maggie and I were eating chips and salsa while setting up her guest list. All of a sudden, I turned around and there was Maggie crushing chips into the carpet. My knee jerk reaction was to get mad and start cleaning up but I hesitated. She started passing out chip pieces to all her guests and then gave me some. "They are sharing momma, see look." I went along with her chip fiesta and we cleaned up the big pieces and left the rest to the vacuum.

As a mom it is very easy to become a "bellowing broccoli bully or a carrot cuddling cuckoo" as one of my favorite books of all time, "Mars Needs Moms" by Berkeley Breathed expresses. Sometimes moms and dads need to take off all of their adult hats and put on the kid hat. Not only did Maggie and I have a good time, she shared her chips. A golden rule we try to instill in our children. I didn't even have to try to get her to share.

It may surprise you how and where your kids  practice the things you to teach them. So letting lose, having a good time, and, yes, getting messy with your kids can be a moment of learning for both parties. Thinking back, as a child the moments I remember best are the ones that I spent playing with my parents. So crush some chips and enjoy your kids.

-Allie Rhodes

What's This Blog All About?

   .
My name is Allie Rhodes. I am 24, I have a wonderful Husband named Ivey and two crazy children. Maggie is  my sweet, funny, and a little bit quirky 3 year old. Quentin is my active, vocal, if he could tape himself to me permentally he would, 9 month old. I am a stay at home mom that does anything but that. I am a certified teacher, but I do all kinds of random jobs to help support my  family. Well, actually to pay my student loans back, but that is another story for another day.

I am starting this blog in conjunction with a new kids' service we have at church, Oceanside Church in Mt. Pleasant, SC. We are a small church. I love that because everyone there is part of my family. We eat together, hang out together, and support one another. But there was a problem: we really needed a rocking kids' service. I am a very active, hands on kind of teacher so I was really excited to step up and kick it off. The kids' service is called KidShine because we are to be bright shining lights for Christ.

This blog is a Family spot that I have created (with help from my computer savvy husband) to encourage parents and families with the responsibility of raising this next generation. We don't get instruction manuals and sometimes you can feel like you are all alone out there... have no fear Family Shine is here for you.

-Allie Rhodes