3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother's Day blog series. The series is week long celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today's best writer's (Tricia Goyer, Megan Alexander, Suzanne Woods Fisher, Beth Engelman, Holley Gerth, Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, and more). I hope you'll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother's Day.

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3 DIY Mother’s Day Gifts that Celebrate Family By Beth Engelman

This Mother’s Day, celebrate family with this crafty games the whole family can enjoy.  

Block Photo Puzzle
Not only does this 6-sided photo puzzle provide hours of family fun, but it’s also a great way to reuse favorite family photos.

Materials:
•    9 - Wooden Blocks (Use old alphabet blocks)
•    6 - 8 x 10 Photograph Prints or Colored Copies
•    Ruler
•    Scissors
•    Mod Podge and Paintbrush

Directions:
1.  Arrange blocks in a square and measure the length and width of the square.
2. Measure and cut print to the exact same size as the 9-block square.
3. Place blocks in a square on top of print. Position blocks so they’re lined up neatly and as close together as possible.
4. Trace and cut the outline of each block.
5. Glue print pieces to blocks using Mod Podge. Set aside to dry and then seal with 1-2 top layers of Mod Podge.
6. Repeat process until all 6 sides of the blocks are covered with different photographs.
Thank you to the creative folks at www.photojojo.com for sharing this idea!

 “Go Fish with the Family” Card Game
This gift is perfect for Moms who like card games. Another bonus?  There’s always room to “grow” the deck.

Materials:
•    Camera
•    Double stick tape, or a glue stick
•    Several pieces of cardstock (one color)
•    Scissors

Directions:
1.    Take pictures of each family member and develop the pictures in duplicates (3x5 or 4x6 is fine, just make sure all the pictures are the same size).
2.    Turn the pictures into playing cards by gluing or taping a piece of card-stock to the backside of each picture.
3.    Game ideas include “Go Fishing with the Family” which is similar to “Go Fish” but, instead of matching numbers, the object is to collect matching pairs of photos. “Memory” is another fun game to play.  Place the cards face down in a grid and try to find matching pairs of photos.

Family Bingo
In my house, Bingo is always a big hit because regardless of age or skill level, everyone has the same chance to win.  However this version is extra special because the playing boards are populated with pictures of family members.

Materials:
•    Color Coordinated Game Boards (download here)
•    Images of Family Members (use photographs, drawings or clip art)
•    Bingo Markers (pennies, pebbles or buttons)
•    Glue and Scissors

Directions:
1.    Create the game boards:  Download and print desired number of game-boards. Remember each player gets a different game board.
2.    Color-copy and paste images of family members onto each game board.  Remember to paste one person per square and make each board slightly different.
3.    Make “call-out cards” by writing the name of each family member in yellow, green, blue, purple and pink (which coordinates with the colors on the board)
4.    To Play: Game play is similar to traditional Bingo except the caller will randomly select a call-out card and then read the color and person.  For example, “Blue, Grandma Mary” means there is a picture of Grandma Mary in a blue square.  Just like Bingo, the first person to get 5 in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) wins!

Beth Engelman is a columnist for the Sun Times News Group’s Pioneer Press. Her column “Mommy on a Shoestring,” appears in over 30 local papers around Chicago area as well as on the Sun-times website where you can also view her Mommy on a Shoestring video series. She is also a regular on “You and Me this Morning” on WCIU and is frequent contributor for WGN America’s Midday News at Noon.  Recently, Beth was chosen by a celebrity panel from NBC Universal and iVillage to become one of 15 national  “mom” correspondents for NBC’s popular website, www.ivillage.com (over 3 million visitors a day) where she reports on issues that affect moms, families and communities such as bullying, divorce and weight loss.  For more information visit Beth at www.mommyonashoestring.com

Good Ole' Fashioned Senior Prank

     I was having a difficult time sleeping last night so I decided to just get up early (sigh). I went to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of joe and as I opened the cupboard door to reach for my favorite coffee cup, something had caught my eye through the separation in the kitchen curtains. 

An Era Coming To A Close

     I am dedicating this post to my second to the youngest son Mr. Football. An era is coming to a close with you, our second to the youngest son.

     Yesterday he played his last game of football as a high schooler. His last senior game was yesterday and they went out with a loss. But that isn't what made it so sad and heartbreaking. What did make it sad and heartbreaking is the fact that seventeen years and ten months ago, a beautiful BIG, blonde haired baby boy was placed in my arms for the very first time. He came into this world wieghing in at nine pounds eleven ounzes and was twenty one and a half inches long. In June of 2010 he will graduate High School. And unless a miracle happens, that was the last football game he will ever play and the last football game I will ever get to watch him play.
                             

     

                                                                                                                 
      The above picture is of M and I after he gave me flowers before the game started yesterday. I was beginning to get tears in my eyes trying to keep my sobs at bey. M was shaking a bit and I could see tears well up in his eyes as he handed me the flowers because we both understood what that moment meant. After photo's were taken we gave each other a kiss and I wished him a great game. We turned our backs to one another, M going back onto the field and, my husband and I along with all the other Senior players parents, walked off the field and headed up to our seats in the bleachers. Tears continued to fill my eyes as we sat down in our seats and waited a few moments for the game to begin.

     M made some really good defensive plays throughout the game and played every play except for two. He made an interception on one play, caused a fumble for another (which was a good thing). Tackled a receiver on a kick off down at thier five yard line, leaving no chance for the other team to return that kick down the field. In this next picture the QB overthrew the pass to M but you can see he almost had the catch.

And this next one where he did make the catch and close to a first down.

                     

This next one is the tackle that caused the fumble.

                     

And finally, I just really like this picture.

                     

     M, you have had a good four years but I know you and I both will miss football season the most. God has Blessed and trusted your father and I to love, protect, encourage, teach, and train you up in the eyes of the Lord. But, it was the Lord, who already knew before you were even born, who you would be and what type of man you would become. And I am so thankful and grateful He chose us to be your earthly mother and father. And I can hardly wait to see the man God is molding you into.

We love you M and pray nothing but the best for you!

Love, Mom

                                      

                                             

                                      
      

Changing Seasons

God is such a wonderful craftsman in everything and I just want to touch on one of His great pieces of craftsmanship today and that is, the seasons. Seasons on earth and seasons of "man".

New Addition To The Family Part 2

In part one of "New Addition To The Family", I said that I would update you with pictures of our new little guy. So today I was able to take about five minutes to take a few snapshots of him, and oh by the way, my youngest son got to name him and he decided on "Duke".

                                    This is Duke

                               Isn't he a little cutie

He is a very playful and quiet little boy, unlike our six year old girl, Nina. Nina barks at every little noise and..... everyone that comes up the walk or in the door (sigh). No... Duke gets this look on his face when he hears and sees Nina as she begins to wail at the door like, "What are you barking at"? When he figures out why she is barking, he just turns around and walks off. It's really quite entertaining.

He's doing very well with potty training, and learning new commands. However, he is having a little difficulty with teething. A few things our new little pup like teething on is the dining chairs (made of maple), the coffee table (solid oak), and not my husbands or sons slippers but... MINE! Oh well, I guess mine just smell and taste better, lol.

Our little guy still has a few nightmares (yelping cries) when he sleeps, but those are starting to slowly subside. It makes me wonder how he was treated by his former owner before he/she just left him in that shopping cart all alone and... how long was he in it before my sons friend's sister found him. Thank God that is in the past for our new little guy.

I must say, he is adjusting extremely fast and bonding with all of us very well.

                               

A New Addition To Our Family

Well... we have a new addition to our family in the form of a nine week old baby boy puppy. My son's friends sister found a puppy in a shopping cart at a local grocery stores parking lot. He was curled up with his little tail between his legs whimpering. She took him home and has been taking care of him since, she began bonding with him and knowing all along that her apartment complex does not allow dogs, she asked her friends if they wanted a puppy. Needless to say no one did. There was no way she would take him to the humane society, so she asked her brother to help her find a home for him.

Now, my husband knows that I cannot turn any animal away and as soon as he saw this pup come through the door, it was not leaving. He gave me "the look" and I gave him my very best smile and batted my eyes at him and then... viola! the pup became our newest addition.

We haven't named him yet because I want to see more of his personality so that his name will be well suited for him. I will let you know what we name him in a few days and will also put his picture up.