A note from Professional Mom: Escape Rooms are “the thing” this year!  How about a discounted download of a fun Christmas activity for a home party or church gathering. Thank you “Teach Sunday School”!

Hi!

Don’t let Jesus take a backseat to Santa this Christmas.

Do your kids know the real reason we celebrate Christmas?

We designed a fun little game you can print out and play to reinforce the 4 key elements of the Nativity story.

You can print it out here.

Enjoy!
Mary-Kate

Teach Sunday School sent some Thanksgiving downloads of fun activities while the kids are off from school! Enjoy!

Hi,

Need a fun activity to keep the kids busy today?

We just posted 10 printable Thanksgiving craft projects on the website:

https://teachsundayschool.com/i/thanksgiving/

I’m particularly in love with all the Scriptures of Thanksgiving Pumpkins & the Turkey Tickets.

Grab the templates here.

Enjoy!
Mary-Kate

Dear Readers:

If you viewed my video tip today on my Facebook page, you heard about some of the healing properties of Vaseline.

It’s a real “blast from my past” but my mom used Vaseline (100% pure petroleum jelly) for almost any rash, itch, flake, burn, scrape, you could ever imagine.

New moms, you can use it on diaper rash or even those skin creases that become irritated.

Another real healing help that you may not know about is, Witch Hazel. It’s an astringent (liquid) that can be used to keep bruising down for those bumps and scrapes that happen almost daily with youngsters.

Bruises, bumps, scrapes, sunburn, rashes, acne and bug bites are just a few of the uses for this product. My mom uses this, to this day, and recommends it for all of us.

Vinegar is a healing agent as well. Use it on insect bites, as a repellent, weeds, ants. clean pet ears, mix with water and uses a steam bath, dress wounds.

And finally, Vicks Vaporub, another nostalgic product that I grew up with. Use it for those little congested chests, and a dot under the nose to help a stuffed up nose.

Some of you new moms, and maybe some older ones will get many uses out of these old time, but everyday products.

Let me know if you have used any of them of if you try time from my recommendation!

If you watched my FaceBook (Professional Mom FB Page) Video Tip today, here’s my reference material to back up my tip!

*From a little book I picked up at a truck stop, “What If God Wrote Your To-Do List?” by Jay Payleitner, I thoroughly enjoyed this tip, as well as the 52 others in this neat collection. I copied it verbatim as I could not improve it. Enjoy!

Is it controversial? Perhaps. When, who, how, and why seem to be legitimate concerns in some homes regarding the topic of making the bed.

I am not a bed-making expert, and I assume neither are you, Still, I believe we can come to reasonable conclusions on these four one-word questions.

The question of when is easy. Do it soon after waking up. Perhaps immediately, as soon as your feet hit the floor. Or within minutes after your shower. Once you pour your coffee or grab breakfast, your day has begun. At some point, you want any bedmaking duties behind you.

The question of who may be tricky, but it needn’t be. Because I speak at marriage conferences, I have learned that “who makes the bed” is quite a point of conflict and concern. Some guys actually think it is “woman’s work.” I’ve actually heard men shout that from the audience. (Yikes.) Wives sometimes put “making the bed” on the list of household chores to be divided equally and meticulously.  Keeping score on minor housekeeping duties is a formula for finger-pointing and rancor. There’s a better way.

Let me put that who question to rest forever. The answer is “whoever gets up last!” If an early rising spouse does choose to circle back and make the bed, that gesture should be considered a gift, and a sincere “thanks for making the bed” would be quite appropriate.

If it’s your own bed, the how is totally up to you. But for married couples, it can also be a point of conflict.  She might have a half dozen throw pillows that need to be arranged just so.  He doesn’t do that very well. On the other hand, he might have a preferred method of sheet and comforter tucking and smoothing that she doesn’t do exactly right. I recommend that whoever does the bed making gets to decide on the how.

Which brings us to the question of why?   Which is the real point of this chapter. And perhaps the real point of this book.

You may be asking, why even get our to bed in the morning?  How do you start your day in a way that leads to completing relevant tasks? What’s the strategy for hitting your pillow at night with a satisfaction that life is not just passing you by?

First, you need to get out of bed so you can fulfill the plan God has for your life. You may not know what it is, but you won’t find it laying down on the job. “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). In other words, at some point you have to stop dreaming and start doing.. Once your bed is made, you are less likely to jump back in.

Second, making your bed begins your day with an achievement. US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, the commander of the US Special Operations Command who oversaw the raid to capture and kill Osama bin Laden, included this in his remarks to the graduates of his alma mater:

“Make your bed every morning…It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed  will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little thinks in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.

And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made–that you made–and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

• There is a little more to this chapter, to read it you must get the book. While you’re at it, Jay Payleitner wrote “What If God Wrote Your Bucket List?” Another good read! Thanks, PM
• Don’t forget to “make your bed!”

As a pediatric therapist for more than 30 years, I have come up with a list of what I believe kids need and don’t need. I wish I could have a do-over on a few of these.

What kids don’t need:

1. Cell phones when they’re in grade school. Over the years, I cannot tell you one good thing that can come from this.
2. Unlimited access to social media. There is very little that is healthy on social media for children, and it is getting worse.
3. So many toys that they can’t even think of something to want at birthday or holiday times. Too much of anything leaves children unable to be full. They become like buckets with holes in them.
4. Televisions in their rooms. Rooms are for sleeping. Good sleep hygiene is a dying art for too many children.
5. To be able to control the emotional climate of the home. Moody kids should not be allowed to hold the whole house hostage. If a child wants to be moody, he can go to his room and be moody by himself. Everyone else need not suffer.
6. Too much indoor time. Our kids have become hermits with social media and high-tech games. It is ruining their social skills. It’s also taking a toll on their physical well-being.
7. Too many activities outside of school. No wonder this generation is so anxiety-ridden. They are overloaded. If we want to teach them to take care of themselves as they age, we must teach them to do that by our example and by limiting their extracurricular activities. Scripture even recognizes the need to rest.
8. To be able to disrespect any authority. Even authority that you as a parent dislike or the child dislikes should still be respected. There will always be an authority in your child’s life even when your child is 50.
9. To always call the shots. Children who get to always choose where to eat, where to play, and what the family does end up being brats.
10. Constant approval and pats on the back. You will not always be around to do this. Children need to learn to be proud of themselves when they do something good whether anyone tells them or not.

What children do need:

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