Photo by Wendy Santiano

Are you ready to Light the World? On December 1st, Mormon.org will be kicking off the Christmas season with a worldwide day of service. My friend Wendy and I got a jump start on serving with our families and I am so excited to share our experience with you!

Why participate? Because you have so much to give! This year I discovered that even in difficult times, I have something to offer.  Every year I prayerfully choose a few words to live by. For 2016 I was strongly impressed to “give more.” When these words first came to my mind, I laughed and then I cried. My husband had been laid off and I was working around the clock. I was tired, mentally and physically. I felt I was already giving all that I had to keep our family afloat.

So I humbled myself and accepted the challenge to give more. It forced me to be creative. Waking in the early morning hours, I began indexing more. We donated clothes and shoes to Deseret Industries and Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry South County. We collected toys and supplies for an orphanage in Italy. We prayed for daily opportunities to serve.

As we increased our service efforts, it was humbling to see our blessings multiply as well. Blessings appeared when we needed them most. Mentors, jobs, and opportunities came at just the right moments. It has been an amazing year and I have much to be grateful for.

For example, late one night there was a knock on our doorstep. Opening the door, I discovered grocery bags filling our small doorstep and spilling out onto the sidewalk. Bags overflowed with pasta, baking supplies, and more. Alongside them sat cases of soup and vegetables followed by large bags of flour and rice.

As we brought the groceries into our home, our 9 year old daughter danced circles around us singing, “We are so blessed. Somebody loves us. We are so blessed.”  This made me cry even more. This is what I wanted my daughter to remember during this tough time – that we were so blessed. That God loves us and will answer our prayers.

My heart bursts when I think of the many ways others have served us this year. Equally just as wonderful are the feelings that have come about as we have served others. Even tiny hands can make a big difference. My children know that they can work hard and do good things.

Photo by Wendy Santiano

One of my favorite service opportunities is working with Tabitha’s Way in Spanish Fork. Last week, we helped sort out cans for their Thanksgiving baskets. Earlier this year, we were able to go in for a family night to stock shelves. They do so much good for the community, it is fun to work alongside them! If you are in Utah County email them at info.tabithas@gmail.com to see how your family can help!

Photo by Wendy Santiano

There are so many ways to serve during this Christmas season! Check out the Light the World homepage to discover inspiration for 25 days of service with your family.

The post Light the World – Blessings from Giving and Receiving appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Photo Courtesy of Jarvie Digital Photography (http://www.jarviedigital.com/)

It’s not every day you get to cross multiple items off your bucket list with your seven-year-old daughter. Lily and I joined over 1,000 volunteers and talented Youtubers and musicians to help create an amazing music video and beat the Guinness Book record for Largest Live Nativity.

It was the perfect way to usher in the Christmas season and the experience was not at all what I expected. Upon signing up for the opportunity, I was excited to help beat the record and perhaps have the opportunity to meet the likes of David Archuleta, Mindy from Cute Girls Hairstyles, Alex Boye, Studio C cast members, and others. What came about was an entirely different experience which I am excited to share below. But first, please watch the extraordinary video!

Can you feel it? This beautiful collaboration brought together The Piano Guys, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Stuart Edge, the Shaytards, and many others in a massive effort to #SharetheGift and the true meaning of Christmas.

Singing with the Tabernacle Choir on the Rock Canyon Park hillside as we looked down on the nativity scene brought me to tears. What it would have been like to witness the Savior’s birth! I held my seven year old up for several hours as we completed camera take after camera take in the cold. Several times I asked Lily if she was too cold and wanted to leave. Her response, “Mom! This is important. We need to sing for the baby Jesus so that people will know how special this is.” Yes, she realized that it wasn’t the real baby Jesus, but she also recognized the truly precious and vital message that was being shared. Jesus Christ is the gift.

Here’s a little behind the scenes of our memorable experience.

When I first heard of the collaboration for the Largest Live Nativity, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. My daughter and I had done extra work for Just Let Go (coming out in 2015) so I knew that Lily would be up for the challenge. We bundled up in our white clothes and were thrilled for slightly warmer temperatures that day. Lily was able to wear my baptism dress one more time. Loved this since she is already outgrowing it and won’t be able to wear it for her baptism day next June.

Joining the long line of angels at Rock Canyon Park in Provo, my little angel spent the time waiting and twirling to her heart’s content. Patience is definitely needed as an extra and Lily is getting pretty good at entertaining herself! My favorite part of the waiting was getting to know the people around us. We practiced words to the beautiful song you heard in the video, exchanged stories, and bonded together in the cold. Looking back, I wish I had gotten their names. The name of the kind women who loaned Lily her jacket on the hillside. The name of the mother/daughter duo who we laughed with in between camera takes (how we were wishing that we had Snuggies in white!). The name of the teenagers who were kind and laughed at all of Lily’s jokes while we waited in our formation with the LED lights. All good people!

The first part of the evening was the actual breaking of the Guinness Book World Record for Largest Live Nativity. Lily adores animals and was in heaven petting the lambs, camel, and donkey.

Next came practicing with our LED angel costumes. Since Lily was under the age of 12, we had originally only signed up to be part of the World Record. I was a little disappointed to not be part of the video, but didn’t know how much Lily would be up to doing at the park. She did amazingly and begged to stay when they asked for more volunteers. So we were in! This little gal did so well following the directions and waiting patiently even when the temperatures dropped after the sun set.

Lily and I loved checking out the technology used for the video shoot. She was fascinated by the giant balloons that held the cameras during our light scene. The drone on the hillside was pretty cool, too! The sheer organization and man power it took to organize this successful attempt a the World Record was incredible. Each of our spots was marked out on a grid on the ground for the aerial light scene at the end of the video.

When I signed up for this experience, I went into it as a blogger and as a fun experience to share with my daughter. What fun to sing with the Tabernacle Choir and be in a music video!  I came away with so much more. Even if you look very close, you probably won’t catch sight of Lily and I in the video (you can catch a quick glimpse of us 3:08 and in the picture below), but I know we were there and I know what we felt. What a privilege be a part of such an undertaking to share the true meaning of Christmas.

As we sang on the hillside, I couldn’t help but be overcome by emotion. What joy the heavens must have felt when the Savior of the World was born! Lily asked me if we might have been angels at the Savior’s birth long, long ago. I told her that I didn’t know for sure, but that I sure hoped so! Lily sang her little heart out and quickly memorized the words to the song. Watching her sing Gloria time after time after time, filled my heart! That night we went home full of excitement at what we had just had witnessed and experienced.

This one experience captured an important lesson in life for me. We each have an essential part to play. Some are angels. Some are shepherds. Some are directors. Some are cameraman. Without each person in the cast of over a thousand, the world record and music video would not have been possible. As it is with life, we show up – ready to do whatever is asked of us. Sometimes we need to experience the same things repeatedly in order to learn the full lesson being taught. Sometimes the weather or other variables don’t cooperate with what we are trying to accomplish, but we unite in prayer and keep moving forward to the end goal. In the end, something beautiful and inspiring is created. Every cold moment,  every dark moment, every moment waited is worth it. And the reason it is worth it is because of what our Savior Jesus Christ has promised us.

May we all keep moving forward in our life’s goals and stories together and remember to #sharethegift this holiday season. If you would like to see more inspiring videos about the true meaning of Christmas please visit this web-site. You can download a free track of the beautiful song from the music video at this link. Please share!

What is your favorite Christmas memory this year?

The post World’s Largest Live Nativity and an opportunity to #SharetheGift appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

The holidays are about giving and this holiday season Bargains with Brittanie, Addicted 2 Savings 4 U, and The Budget Bandit have teamed up with an amazing group of bloggers to put you into the holiday spirit by offering a fantastic Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway! With over $1,800 in prizes and 21 winners this is a giveaway event you do not want to miss!

These giveaway items would be perfect under your tree. I am a personal fan of Erin Condren products and have one of her stylish, yet functional Life Planners on my Christmas list this year. Check out this video to see why you need one in your Christmas stocking!

With the holidays in full swing chances are you are already on the lookout for this year’s most wanted gifts. But what are you going to get the person who seems to have everything? No matter who you are shopping for this holiday season, this Holiday Gift Guide has great gift ideas for you! Naughty or nice, you will find the perfect gift at the right price! Many of the products featured are actually being given away below but first let’s give a huge thanks to our sponsors who helped make this giveaway happen:

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Enter the Giveaway!

Giveaway ends December 4th at 11:59pm. It is open to United States residents only. Winners will be chosen via random.org. All entries will be verified. Winners will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to claim prize or a new winner will be chosen. Enter using the widget below. Good luck!

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Disclosure: I did not receive compensation for participating in this event. This giveaway is sponsored by the companies mentioned above. This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment or shipment.

What is on your Christmas list this year?

What would you be most excited about winning?

The post Holiday Giveaway & Gift Guide appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

Once upon a time I received a dreamy box full of glitter in the mail. My daughter and I knew our weekend of Christmas crafts was about to become much sparklier! Our biggest project – giving Santa’s cookie plate an upgrade.

Our first step was to gather the supplies and select which glitter to use for the border.

Lily choose Gold, Snow, and Citron from Michaels Recollections Glitter Collection. The extra fine glitter was perfect for our project! You can buy the glitter individually or you can also get them in pretty sets. The prices start at $3.99 and, let me tell you, the glitter lasts forever! My six year old applied the glitter liberally several times and it barely put a dent in the containers.

Other supplies you will need include:

Paint Brushes – a wide one and a smaller one for touch ups

Crayola Chalk

Painter’s Tape

Chalkboard Paint or Spray Paint

Modge Podge

Plate

Once we had all of our supplies together, Lily helped me tape off where the chalk board paint was going to go.

Because we were taping a rounded edge, I tore the tape off in several-inch long pieces and then laid them down overlapping until we surrounded the entire edge of the plate. I then used my little sharp tool to make an even cut around the entire edge. I did this step myself, but Lily helped with the rest of the process.

Next came the fun!

Lily started by painting the outside of the circle and then finished with the middle. This helped her to not getting any of the paint outside the circle. We let the chalkboard paint dry over night and it was ready for a second coat in the morning.

It was time to move on to the SPARKLE! We poured the modge podge into our glass cup and then used both the smaller and bigger brushes to spread it on the plate. The smaller brush was for the inner ring. We did it in sections so the modge podge did not dry too fast.

Lily knew the best way to apply the glitter. Pour, pour, and pour some more! I started applying it much too thinly. The sections where she literally dumped the glitter looked much better. For the first coat of glitter, we sprinkled all three colors from the Michaels Recollections Collection. The glitter we used was very fine, but Michaels also has chunky and tinsel glitter available which may be fun to use as well!

We let the glitter dry and then we went over any sparse patches with another layer of modge podge and more glitter. Putting a poster board underneath the plate allowed us to catch any glitter that fell off. We funneled the glitter into a plastic bag and then poured it on for the second coat. You will want to spray a sealant on keep the glitter in place as well.

Lily was THRILLED with our final project.

She quickly wrote her thank you note to Santa and now she can’t wait to make cookies Christmas Eve. This was the perfect craft for Lily and I to work on together! We are already thinking of ways to use our glitter from Michaels next!

My boys also got in a little glitter fun when Lily was at school. I made them snow bins and sprinkled in the Peacock extra fine glitter. They loved making mini snow men inside!

Thank you to Michaels for making this post possible!

The post Chalk Board Santa Cookie Plate appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.

I am so excited to be part of Crafty Night Owl’s 30 Days of Christmas series!

Isn’t there something magical about reading under the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree? It’s one of my favorite childhood memories. Now that I have three children of my own, I love recreating that love of learning during the holidays. As you can see from my pumpkin math for Halloween and pop it sight word games for the Fourth of July,  every holiday is an excuse to learning something fun in a new way!

One of my favorite literary traditions for the holiday season is to individually wrap 24 days worth of Christmas books. My children love unwrapping presents and they love reading stories so it is something they look forward to every night. Each year we add a new book to our collection and then I supplement the days that are left from the library. My library only allows two children’s holiday books out at a time, so I put myself on the hold list for some of our favorites. By the time we have read our first two, the next two are typically ready. Get yourself on the hold lists now!

On some of the days, we pair a craft with the book. Love these pics from two years ago of my then four-year-old silly Lily making snowflakes to go along with her Christmas book. Dying that I don’t know the name of the book to share it with you all! Anyone recognize the snowflake instruction page, pretty please?

Here are some of our favorite books that we will be reading this year:

The Polar Express is one of our absolute favorites. On the day we read this book, we like to watch the movie and have a hot chocolate night as well. Sometimes we put together a sensory bin with bells and other Christmas items to go along as well.

My children adore the book Snowmen at Night. The perfect activity for this book is – you guessed it – going outside and making snowmen! This year we are going to play a roll a snowman activity, too. It is simple, fast, and easy! You assign a snow man body part to a number on the dice and make a key – this would be great for an older child to do for you. Once the key is made, you give each child a dice and with each roll they add a new snow man part until they’ve made an entire snowman. Simple way to add a little math and art into reading time.

I love the illustrations in There Was No Snow on Christmas Eve. The poetic rhymes in this book match the beauty of the water color illustrations. I may let my children create their own water color Christmas masterpieces on the day we read this lovely book.

What Christmas books do you read in your family?

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

The post Christmas Reading Activities appeared first on KeepMovingForwardWithMe.