Colour Wonder Finger Painting

Yesterday's project was Finger Painting.

With 3 small boys I have come to love Colour Wonder products.  We have had several different marker sets.  The boys like them and I love that there is no marker left on the furniture, clothing or on the boys. 

 I had never tried the finger paints before, but yesterday we decided to give them a try.

These were the products we were using.

  The two younger boys had the hands with the finger pots.  Isaac called it "finger dip".  Gabe used the strip of colours.  After using them for awhile it became clear that the newer strip version was the cleaner option. 

The colour wonder stuff in the finger pots is like a goopy gel.  The strip version is a little more solid and easier to control the amount you are using.  Isaac didn't quite get the "you only need a little at a time" part, but he had fun anyway.

Here are the boys and what they made.

This painting was Gabe saying I love you Mom:)

(very sweet)

Zach loves to do rainbows.

These are Isaac's paintings. 

We tried to get a picture with him smiling, but this was as close as we came.

I wish you could see his pictures better.  He had so much colour wonder goop on them in places it  has dried and gives a glossy dimension to parts of the painting.

All in all it was a fun project and we will certainly use them again.

March Break Goals

Welcome to March Break!

It is Monday of March Break 2012 and I have some goals.

Stay sane!

Survive the week with minimal injuries.

Have FUN!!

I think those are some pretty good goals.  With 3 boys sanity can be a very elusive thing and on the other side of the coin, injuries can be all too frequent. 

 But, I am up for the challenge.

Today we enjoyed our Honeycombs breakfast together,  followed up with some yogurt...cause one bowl of cereal is never enough.

After a little tv and play time we have ventured into finger painting.

Thank God for Colour Wonder!

I will post pics of their artwork later.

It's raining outside so there won't be any park visits or walks today, but we have plenty of days this week to hopefully get outside.

So what else will we be doing this week?

Some more crafts like crayon rubbings, and making some Truth Rocks.

Scavenger hunts.

Beach walks.

Park playing.

Reading.

Cooking.

Movie watching.

More colour wonder.

Playing with the neighbour boys.

We also have guest coming on Thursday and Friday!!

Can't wait for my Mom, Aunt, and Older Sister to come Thursday morning and then buy Thursday afternoon my baby sister and her family are coming to stay for a day or two.  The boys are super excited to play with their cousins!

Well, its lunchtime here at the zoo!

I'll share more later in the week.

I hope you have a wonderful March Break Adventure with your family.

Please leave a comment and let me know the kinds of things you will be doing to keep your kids active and entertained this week.

Many Blessings :)

Let go

Did you have a plan for your life?  Did you know what you wanted to be, where you wanted to live, who you wanted to marry,  how many kids you were going to have?  Did you have it all planned out?  Do you still have your plan?  Are you willing to give up on that plan?

I am a person who craves stability, predictability and certainty.  I want to know that things are fine, they will go as planned and that they will stay that way.  I don't like surprises.  I don't like the unknown.  I hate uncertainty.

So what do you think my life has been?

Every day I see more and more that I am definitely NOT in control.    It is definitely NOT certain nor predictable.  By the Grace of God I am slowly learning to be okay with that.

I have always believed I was a Christian.  We went to church every Sunday, went Sunday school, sang in the choir, and participated in youth group and church events.  What I didn't realize is that even though I believed in Christ, I didn't KNOW Christ.  I didn't see Christ as someone who wanted to be in my life, and BE my life.  HE was a far away entity that had so much more important stuff to look after in the world that there was no way I really mattered.

By His Grace I am learning that I AM loved.  I AM wanted.  I AM worthy.

HE has a plan for my life.  However, He doesn't feel the need to share that plan with me.  Instead He just wants me to trust HIM. 
 I must admit that I find the trusting VERY hard.  Not because I don't think that He wants the best for me, but because I fear what He might ask me to do.  I fear what He might make me have to deal with that I don't want to or don't think I can.

Over the last few years we have had many things happen in our lives.  Gord was out of work for a year, we had our 3rd baby during that same year (which was a huge surprise!), we lost our vehicle, we lost our house, many times we had very little food, couldn't pay our bills, every day was a struggle. Our relationship with Christ was put through the ringer.  We cried out to Him, we were angry with Him, we questioned Him, we were grateful to Him  Anything you can feel, we felt. 

But God is Good. 

 We have learned so much and been so blessed during that time as well.  We had food provided for us many, many times, money came even from people we didn't even know.  We were given a vehicle, and so much more.  God used all of those things in our lives to bring us closer to Him.  It is still a journey of faith that we are on every day.  He has now had us move 2 hours away from any of our family and friends, but we feel that this is where He wants us at this moment.  We have no idea where God is taking us, but we know that if we continue to trust Him, He will work it out.

A few months back I made the comment that I am thankful that God has it all worked out cause I just don't see it.  A very good friend of my had this to say in reply.... IF you could see it YOU WOULD never CHOOSE it and you'd miss the mark He has set for you... She really made me think. 

God knows where He wants me to be.  He also knows that I don't think I am ready to be there.  So, He lovingly gives my GPS alternate directions.  Each step of the way I am learning, growing, and maturing.  Each step brings me into a closer relationship with my heavenly Papa.

This might not be how I thought my life would go, but I am grateful that God loves me enough to keep bringing me back to Him. 


For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11



Be my Valentine.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day.  I must admit that after 20 years together my husband and I don't make that big a deal about it.  We do make sure that we wish each other a Happy Valentine's Day, and sometimes there are cards or small treats, but that is about it.  This year one of the young girls of our church had made some wonderful chocolate to sell.  We couldn't decide on which of the four flavours to choose so we picked up a package of each.  She had them tied with a lovely red bow.  Very cute and yummy too.  That was what we gave to each other.  I know that they are more for me than him though. 

 I hope that I let my hubby know all year long how much I love him and that he means the world to me, and even though I don't think a big deal needs to be made of Valentine's Day it is still nice to hear that I am still his Valentine.  He is certainly still mine.

Having two of our boys in school we participate in the ritual of giving Valentines to their friends.  We chose The Superhero Squad and CARS valentines this year and added some Rockets candies to them after the boys had written all of the names on them.  It makes the boys happy to be able to give things out to their classes and I like that the teachers make sure to send a list of the student's names home so that no one is left out.  I remember worrying when I was young that I wouldn't get any valentines.  Everyone wants to be liked and they will have enough disappointment in their lives as they get older, at this age Valentine's day should be fun.

The boys were quite excited to show me all of their Valentines when they arrived home from school.  They received valentines, some chocolate,  suckers as well as a bookmark and pencils.  To top it all off they received a package in the mail from their Grandparents with a card and some treats in it.  All in all they enjoyed their Valentine's day and will have treats to last them for the next couple of weeks.  Thankfully my kids are content with only having a single treat each day.  It makes the treats last longer and saves their bellies :)

So how do you celebrate Valentine's Day?  Is it important to you?  Do you make a special dinner or pick out a special gift?  Do you ignore the commercial ritual all together or make a big deal of it?  Whatever you do, I hope that February 14th was a sweet day for you, and that you will have many more sweet days ahead of you. 

This is Me.

When I was considering starting up this blog I knew that I would want to have each of the contributing writers tell our readers about themselves as their first post.  I knew that I too would need an introduction post.  So, I began to think about what I wanted the post to say.  What are the things about Janessa that I feel are the most important?  Who means the world to me? What things have had the most impact in my life?  What do I want people to know about me and my journey?  Who am I?


After considerable thought I decided that the first thing I wanted to share is that I am a believer.  My God is the most important part of my life.  HE is in control and has my life in His hands.  HE has been working on me A LOT in the last few years and as much as I have not understood or even liked some of what has happened or continues to happen, I am THANKFUL that everyday I am coming to a deeper relationship with my Papa and that by His Grace I am saved.  No matter what I do, or say, how I feel, or how often I seem to lose sight of Him, HE never changes, never leaves me, and always loves me.


I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, Gord, who loves me just as I am.  We will celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in June of this year.  I am lucky enough to be able to say that I am more in love with him now than ever before.  We have weathered some difficult storms, but we have stuck together and are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together.


The greatest joys in my life come in the form of three little boys.  After 11 years of marriage and coming to the conclusion that we just weren't meant to have children, God chose to give us Gabriel (Gabe) who is now 8years old, Zachary (Zach) who is 5, and finish our family with Isaac who is 2.  They are all unique in personality, but look very much alike.  At times I feel very out numbered and still don't totally understand the love that the male gender has for burps, farts and other such bodily noises, but I love them with all of my heart.  They teach me, mold me, frustrate me, make me laugh, cry, sing and scream, all before 9am....Some days I wonder what God was thinking, but most of the time I am just thankful for them.


So,  what else?  I am 40 years old.  I am a stay at home mom, and seem to always be finding more laundry, especially stray socks.  I have an ongoing battle with my weight that I am sure I will post about in the future.  I recently moved to just outside of Sarnia and have been blessed with an awesome home to rent for the next few months that looks out over Lake Huron.  Its absolutely beautiful....and I'm sure I will post about how we got here and why at some point as well.  My life has been a journey.  There was I time when I hated that.  Don't get me wrong, I do not enjoy everything that we are going through, but every day I see more and more how God is working things out. 


I love music and movies, renovation shows, crime dramas like CSI and the Mentalist, and inspirational stories.  I enjoy crafty stuff, photography, and reading however I have not seemed to make the time for much of any of them for far too long.  I love spending time with my family and friends, and hope that some of them will come to visit us soon!


I look forward to introducing you to the other wonderful ladies who will be joining me here at The Sharing Sisterhood.  Please let me know if you are interested in becoming a regular or a guest contributor.  The more the merrier!


Many blessings :)

The Sharing Sisterhood

As the years go by I have come to appreciate tremendously the women in my life.  I have been blessed with two wonderful sisters, four sisters-in-law, a mom, a mom-in-law, and a step mom, a bunch of aunts, even more cousins and many, many wonderful girlfriends that I would happily consider sisters.

These women have shared so much with me.  Whether it be advice, or tips, encouragement or sympathy, recipes or recommendations, I always know that I have many wonderful ladies around willing to share in so many amazing ways.

This is why I have decided to start this blog.  It will be a place where we can share our journeys, our experiences, hopes and dreams, heartaches and fears.  Inspire and encourage each other.  Teach, learn, grow.  Laugh, cry and enjoy!

I will be writing here as often as possible, but to help me give you a reason to want to come back and spend some more time with us here, I have asked several wonderful women to join me as regular contributors and we will also have some occasional guest contributors as well.

So, without any further ado, WELCOME TO THE SISTERHOOD!  May you enjoy sharing in the lives of our contributors and come back to join us as often as you can.

Many Blessings :)