Holiday Themed Sensory Jars (made by some awesome special needs mommies)

I'm always looking for new toys for Bella to help her sensory needs...things that sparkle, cause and effect toys, things that bounce (or make her bounce that is), and generally things that she loves!  Since her toy selection is ever changing and ever evolving, I found this nifty recipe for do-it-yourself sensory jars.  They are super cheap to make and fun for the kiddo's to shake up!

Quick plug....below is a picture of the special needs moms group I hold at my house once a month.  It's a blessing to have such strong women in my life who all share a unique bond, our special needs kids.  Nothing is more comforting then to spend an hour with a mom who "gets it"... I mean really understands what life is like 24/7 in the world of special needs.  We laugh and cry together and most importantly, we learn to love our kids more completely through one another:)

Ok back to the jars.... they could be themed year round through different confetti selections and glitter colors.  I'm not crafty at all, so I am not even trying to get all Pinterest on your butts... but here's my vain attempt at being creative:)

What you need:
Mini water bottles with the labels taken off (as seen below)
Glitter of any kind
Fun/colorful confetti (I got Halloween themed confetti)
Hot glue gun (to glue the cap on when project is complete)
*you can also add food coloring to make them more vibrant

There you have it!  P.S. Kids without sensory issues could like these as well!

The goods.

Holiday themed confetti

Looking at the goodies

Special needs moms group being crafty!

Little Miracles

Little Miracles

Sweet Bella-girl.

^{James 1:5-6} If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

    When Josh and I pray at night for Bella's mind to function properly and for her to gain in wisdom, we ask in boldness.  This verse reminds me that God listens to us.  He gave her autism and He knows the challenges she faces. When we see her write her name like this, we are reminded of the little miracles that take place daily before us.  Bella is using three words at a time now, sometimes four to tell us what she wants, what she's thinking.  I remember days in the last couple of years where I thought she'd never talk to me ... ever. I would say her name over and over and over... to the point where I'd cry out of desperation for a response from her.  Today, I have hopes as high as the mountain tops.  I believe Bella and I will speak sweet nothings to each other --- that I will know her inside and out one day.  

If you have a child with special needs, be joyful for the little things, because it's in those little things where you find a big God:)

Confessions of a Chaplain's Wife

Confession time.

I am a Chaplain's wife and I am so imperfect, there I said it:)

Every once in a while I get caught up in life...caught up in myself.  I forget that ultimate happiness on this earth is found in Christ alone.  Instead, I seek out joy through the things of the world.  If I buy this, or hang out here, or look this way, or.....the list goes on and on... it wears me out!  I push God out because he doesn't fit into my schedule, then I wonder where He was when I inevitably begin to spiral out of control in desperate need for his presence.  Why are we so inconsistent in our love and devotion to our Creator?  It is frustrating.  The one "Being" that cares the most about our lives, who is so invested in the little things... is the one we walk away from time and time again?   

How can I be a good wife, friend, mother, sibling... if I have no solid ground to stand on?  If the waves of life toss me about, there must be dry land to cling to!  When we push God away, we will push everyone dear to us away ultimately.  I cannot love others purely if I do not love God first, it's a fact. 

The truth is, God holds all things together with his mighty hands, and when He steps away and allows us to "do our own thing" He must shake His head wishing there was another way... wishing that we would just let go of the chains this world has on us.  The moral to my story is always found in Christ's mercy.  The fact that He never lets go... never gives up... never tires of my stubbornness....fills me with hope.  He loves me more than I could ever love Him.  When I reach out, he always grabs hold...no matter how far the reach may be.

I was reading an excerpt from a work of Jonathan Edwards that I wanted to share.  It reminds me that this life is fleeting.  That our focus must be properly placed onto eternity.

"God is the highest good of the reasonable creature, and the enjoyment of him is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. — To go to heaven fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows. But the enjoyment of God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the fountain. These are but drops, but God is the ocean. — Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey towards heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives, to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labor for, or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?" (Edwards, "Christian Pilgrim," in The works of Jonathan Edwards)

Yours truly,

Chaps Wife