The Character Mom

Answer: Patriotic Pringles!

These cans are simple and fun to decorate as firecrackers to add spark to your party or take as a side to your friends 4th of July picnic. Who doesn't like Pringles?

Simply poke a small hole and tie a short pipecleaner or string to the lid for the wick. Then let your kids get creative with red, white, and blue paper, markers, scissors, and glue around the can.

The hard part will be keeping your kids from eating all the Pringles before the party.

Use this activity to spark some conversation about our Christian liberties or being a passionate firecracker for Jesus!

Note: It is helpful to label the lid so that people will know which of the great flavors of Pringles they can expect.

Go to my Pintentional Parenting Page or return on Monday for more 4th of July ideas.

Do you have any ideas for Patriotic parties you would like to share?

Before I move on to 4th of July Fun, I forgot to finish up with this month's free download of fun and simple ideas for teaching our focus character quality - STEWARDSHIP.

Click here or go to the Free Downloads tab for three whole pages of fun frugalness ideas and more. Enjoy!

P.S. Friday we will continue on our 4th of July Theme. In the meantime, feel free to tell us about any of ideas you have found that are great for either 4th of July or for teaching stewardship.

 Jello is an amazing substance! Have you ever thought of your young children as Jello? Yes, they are wiggly and fun, but I am talking about the fact that they are so moldable.

As parents we have the most important job of molding young lives daily. Our actions show them what to do and become. They are moldable yet fragile. Are you gently molding them into something beautiful with love and encouraging words, or tearing them down with criticism and impatience?

Just like wet cement, Jello becomes hardened and less moldable over time. The older they get, the less influence we have on our kids.

How do you sieze the moment and daily pour good molds for your children?

It could be as simple as making or eating fun Jello treats with them. I ran across this great jello flag mold for a quarter at a garage sale years ago, so now every fourth of July we have jello. Add White whipped cream and blueberries to red Jello and you have the perfect sweet and refreshing 4th of July treat. See the Pintentional Parenting Page for more holiday treat ideas.

If you are looking for some great free events or activities for the family this summer or every weekend in OKC, Metro Family Magazine's calendar is truly one of the best places to go. I am signed up to get their weekend picks every Friday in my e-mail.

While you are there, check out my monthly column Character Corner.   This month it is about stewardship.  Be sure to leave lots of comments about how you like "The Character Mom" for the editor. Thanks!

I say, "We are out of bread (or other household staples like butter, cheese, milk, etc.). We need to go to the store right away."

He says, "It is fun to see how long you can go surviving on what we have. Wait until payday."

I don't know why I feel like a bad mom when I don't have the exact food or snack that my children want. My husband on the other hand relishes these moments to teach our kids patience, resourcefulness, and gratefulness. After the whining subsides, I am continually surprised at the fun meals that are concocted from the supplies in our cupboard. Everyone was pleasantly surprised when I actually made buscuits a couple of weeks ago because we were out of store-bought bread and tortillas for so long.

What has your family surprisingly survived on when money was tight?

Money Fight #2 - I say, "Where did that money go that was in my purse?"

He says, "Keep track of your purchases so we can make a good budget."

 I really don't buy many large purchases, but my tiny purchases (garage sales, thrift stores, the dollar store, sonic, McDonald's, etc.) add up quick and are the hardest to keep track of. My husband does a great job of monitoring my debit card purchases using Mint.com. For cash purchases, the Dave Ramsey's envelope system is superb at helping you stick to your budget and keep spending under control.

Basically when you keep a good record of what you spend your money on, you are able to make a good working budget. A budget is just you telling your money where you want it to go. If you don't make a plan and keep good records, your wallet will start playing the old "disappearing money" trick on you, too.

This is just one of the basic money management concepts that Dave Ramsey teaches on his radio program, numerous best-selling books, podcasts, seminars, and in his Financial Peace Seminars. If you are struggling financially and your marriage is struggling as a result, stop everything you are doing right now and go to DaveRamsey.com. He is one of my favorite radio personalities of all times because he is a genious with money, practical and to the point, God-fearing, and entertaining. 

Dave Ramsey even has a super storybook series for kids called Life Lessons with Junior. This set of books can drastically change your child's future. Put them in the budget for next month. Buy it through my link on Amazon 

What money lessons do you wish you had learned before college or marriage?

Today, I wanted to begin this short series about some of my personal money pitfalls and thefinancial issues that my wonderfully wise husband and I go round and round about. I am hoping that you can learn from my mistakes.

I say, "If it's free (or on sale) then it's for me!"

He says... "If you were not planning on buying it already this month, then you should wait. You probably don't need it."

I love bargains, but I am tempted to buy things I don't need just because they are on sale. I am even worse at resisting a freebie - which by the way is not really free if you are required to use your time, effort, or gas money to go to an extra store, fill out a form on the internet, bend over backwords, etc. for it! I should have seen a red flag when me getting my tubes tied seemed more appealing to me just because it was going to cost less than birth control:). I think my Groupon intervention is scheduled for next week. Maybe if I hide under all the junkie free stuff that is piled in my closet taking up my space and energy to organize, they won't find me.

P.S. By the way if you love free stuff too, you just haaaaaaave to go to MoneySavingMom.com - my new favorite blog about being a better economist. I just got four free Christian ebooks there yesterday! https://moneysavingmom.com/2012/06/free-childrens-bible-story-ebooks.html

This week and part of next we are focusing on money management, so I would looooooooooove for you to post any of your insight or ideas in the comment area about stewardship anytime the rest of this month.

The one thing every man wants on Father's Day and everyday is...   R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Treat Dad with the respect he deserves for Father's Day by making him king for the day!

Here are some ideas of ways to give him the royal treatment:

1. Address him as King, Master, Royal Highness, etc.

2. Obey Dad immediately and completely (as usual :)) Let him know that he can command his "servants" to do anything he wishes, as he sits on his royal throne (the lazy boy, not the toilet). Dad can give silly commands like "jump on one leg all the way into the kitchen to get me a drink."

3. Make Dad dress the part with a paper or foil crown (get printable crown pictured here at http://familyfun.go.com/fathers-day/fathers-day-printables/fathers-day-crown-900639/) and scepter, with royal bathrobe or cape (sheet clasped together in the front).

4. Tell him how great he is while you feed him a royal feast (grapes, goblets of drink, and more) as he is fanned by his followers.

Tell me how your family shows respect or honor to the king of your home?

Teach your kids about stewardship and make the Dad in your life feel special at the same time. You don't have to spend money at a fancy restaurant to make Dad feel special. My husband would actually prefer to stay home and have a special homecooked (or at least home heated in my case) meal made for him.

Get your child involved as you plan, shop, and prepare dinner for dad. One of the best places to learn about stewardship is the grocery store. Use store brands, compare prices, stick to your list and your budget, etc.

I love coupons, but don't have time for them at this stage in my life. You might try putting your child in charge of finding coupons for the things you already use. Let them keep part of whatever money they save as an incentive and a lesson in frugalness.

What other ways can you teach your kids about stewardship or make Dad feel special?

Hopefully by now you have thought a little about what you plan on doing for your husband for Father's Day. Dads love for the kids to make or buy them something, but they usually are not expecting more than a thoughtful mug or a crafty card from those little guys. However, they may want a little more from you. I know your husband is not your dad, but he is the father of your children, and he likes to know that he is loved and that all he does for the family is greatly appreciated. Because our children are so demanding, Dad often gets neglected. This is the time to make it up to him. You know your husband better than anyone else. If you think real hard, I am sure you can come up with something that doesn't cost anything at all that you can do to him feel loved and appreciated sometime this week. Do you know what I am talking about?:)