January 6, 2015 by Krista

{Primary Printables} Birthday Lists

As I mentioned yesterday, I am now the Primary Secretary in our ward. Along with knowing what’s going on and keeping on track of Opening Exercise assignments, I quickly discovered I needed an easy way to see if there had been any birthdays in the last week that we needed to recognize. Because how awful do you feel when you realized you missed that adorable, shy little 3-year-old’s birthday?! Pretty awful, let me tell you.

So, I created these Birthday Lists to ensure an at-a-glance method of checking birthdays. I keep meaning to go back and make some sort of little notation for each week so that I will even more easily know which birthdays need to be announced when. Until then, I just have to refer to a calendar.

These lists have worked out really well so far and the other ladies in our presidency have made their own copies too. If you write in pencil or on a page protector with a wet erase marker, it’s super easy to update and add new kids who move in or erase the kids when they graduate out. It’s a re-usable list, since birthdays are always on the same day, every single year. How thoughtful, right? So, even when little Bobby moves up a class, you won’t have to make any adjustments to your birthday lists.

It’s pretty straight-forward, but such a life saver! In each date slot there is space to write the names of any birthdays. I split up my columns and had Junior Primary birthdays on the left side of the column and Senior Primary birthdays on the right. Don’t forget your teachers too!

These lists aren’t just great for Primary though. They’d be fantastic in any organization. My grandma keeps a running list of birthdays as the family keeps getting bigger and the great-grandkids get more numerous. She uses and loves the lists too! Add them to a family binder for quick reference. There are lots of ways to use these birthday lists to help organize your life a little more. Want your own set? Download them and get to organizing all those important days!

GET THE ENTIRE SET OF THE BIRTHDAY LISTS AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!

January 5, 2015 by Krista

Primary Printables: Opening Exercises Organizer

I have been able to work with the kids at church since last Fall as the secretary in the Primary. I love it and get to work with a great group of women, but it keeps me super busy and there has been a lot of organizing and re-organizing that has had to be done.

I have been doing a fair amount of digital designing to get organized in this area of my life. One of my responsibilities as secretary is to assign the different parts of Opening Exercises each week. It didn’t take me long to realize that the previous method that was used (writing it down on any scrap of paper with the date at the top and hoping it didn’t get lost) was not going to work for me. I notoriously lose things. So, I sat down and whipped up this Opening Exercises Organizer and things have been going much more smoothly – which is a plus when you’re standing in front of 40 kids, trying to keep their attention and not look completely ridiculous.

This organizer has made things so much easier on me. I can see, at a glance, who was assigned to what and when. This was particularly helpful the last couple months in Senior Primary, because the number of kids in there was so small and it seemed like the same ones were doing things every week. This organizer helped me at least make sure that the same person wasn’t giving a talk every week. It was also a lifesaver when I was not the one conducting and couldn’t be there for opening exercises. All I had to do was hand off my paper and whoever was conducting had the info they needed.

You can get your own copy of the organizer for FREE. I went through and listed the dates of each Sunday all the way to the first Sunday of 2016. Last year, I just went through the end of the year and was making assignments that last Sunday of 2014 when realized I didn’t have anywhere to write down the assignments for the next Sunday. I was in “survive-to-the-end-of-the-year” mode and it was nearly a huge crisis… so that’s why I included the first Sunday of 2016. Having the dates already written out is helpful when filling out the reminders to hand out to the kids. (There is one Sunday missing in January – the 18th – because that is our Stake Conference and I hadn’t decided to share these yet, but all the rest of them are there.) You can see an example of the pages below.

GET THE OPENING EXERCISES ORGANIZER FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR OF 2015

You can expect to see more Primary Printables this week, and through out the year, here on While He Was Napping… because if my Primary needs them, maybe yours does too. And sharing is caring.

January 2, 2015 by Krista

The To-Done List {Printable}

Have you ever looked back on your day and thought to yourself ‘I was busy all day long, why doesn’t it show?” I spent much of 2014 feeling like I was merely surviving. The only thing I had to show at the end of the day was dinner dishes that needed washing and laundry piled high – And half the time I wondered did it need folding or washing…? I also found that even though I was busy, I wasn’t necessarily productive. 2014 was a year of adjustments and changes: Our family grew, my church responsibilities grew, our kids grew, but the hours in my day did not.

I was left feeling drained and discouraged at the end of many, many days. I hated it. I always felt like whatever I did was never enough. I just couldn’t seem to keep up. My kids outnumbered me, me house was a disaster zone and I was overwhelmed. So, I created my “to-done list”. Instead of going to bed each night frustrated and discouraged about all the things I didn’t get done, I wanted to focus on the things I did do. Because, gosh dang it, there was not a single day that I just sat around and did nothing, no matter how much I wanted to. I wanted credit for the things I did get done, even if it was just from myself. My To-Done List is my own little pat on the back. Leaving it tacked on the fridge was a good way for hubby to see too that I was. indeed, trying to keep things to manageable chaos.

I’ve decided to spend 2015 making a dedicated effort to be productive and not just busy. And I’ve since adopted the last lines of Gone With the Wind as my mantra because Miss Scarlett O’Hara was right. “… Tomorrow is another day.” And, most of the time, it’s okay if it waits until tomorrow.

If you would like your own shot of motivation and a visual reminder that you are moving forward, even if it’s slowly, grab your own To-Done List and keep track of your progress, as well as your goals. When you accomplish something, take a few seconds and write it down. You may be surprised at how much you really did do. There’s even a box for you to satisfactorily check off. Laminate your list and use a dry or wet erase marker to write in your accomplishments, then erase and do it again the next day.

December 31, 2014 by Krista

The Best of While He Was Napping 2014

It has been a busy and whirlwind kind of year for us here in the Napping household. Waay too many hours in the hospital, too many dollars to medical bills and too much “surviving” going on here. I’ve felt torn in too many directions the past few months and I know things around While He Was Napping have been sporadic at best. My newsletter all but dropped off the edge of the Earth, my Facebook page and Twitter growth have been stagnant lately and my posting has been erratic. Have you noticed? It’s okay, be honest. So I have chosen a word for next year:

FOCUS.

2015 will be a growing year for me. For me as a crafter, a blogger, a photographer, a mom, a wife and a woman. I’m going to focus on making things simpler, more effective, better. But before we move on to bigger and better things around here, let’s throwback to the great parts of this year. There actually were a few.

THE BEST OF 2014

– What’s in My Hospital Bag… This Time. There seems to be lots of mommas out there that were packing hospital bags this year! And we love to get and share ideas on ways to make that momentous occasion memorable and as comfortable and easy as possible. So, check out what I wish I’d had the first two times and add your must-haves to the comments!

– What’s in Daddy’s Hospital Bag? Of course this would be right up with momma’s hospital bag! Daddies need things for the hospital stay too! We’ve learned from trial and error that there are things that will make Daddy more comfortable and better able to help (and not so bored or feeling helpless) at this time when the majority of the focus is on mom and baby.

– 20 (Practically Free) Date Night Ideas. Because we’re spending all our money having babies and buying all the things you need for them… right? There’s ideas for both dates at home and ones that take you out of the house. Check it out now… Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it.

– The Best Baby Shower Ideas. Because we like to celebrate the babies before they get here of course. I found some really great ideas that are how I would’ve loved my baby shower to have been planned – Celebrating without being center-stage sort of party.

– Five Sight Word Apps to Help Your Child Learn to Read. All those babies grow up sometime and we try to help make them into respectable and well-functioning adults. My Big J started kindergarten this year and we have been learning to read; which, in the words of my five-year-old, “is really, really hard!” I’ve tried to make it a little more fun and a little less tedious by letting him learn while he gets screen time – it’s a win-win for both of us.

– 12 Month Pre-Planned, {Mostly} Pre-Paid Date Night Kit. Because kids are a lot of work, it’s important to take time to re-connect to your spouse. Pre-planned and mostly pre-paid dates take the “we don’t have time (or money)” excuse out of the mix. Plan dates that include a variety of activities, including ones at home after the kids are in bed or ones the kids can do with you, to allow for dates that will fit into almost any situations and circumstances you may find yourselves in. Can’t find a sitter? That’s ok! Date night still stands! This was a lifesaver with a newborn!

– How to Pack a School Lunch. Help the kids help themselves! Moms (and dads!) are busy people! Adding “pack lunch” to the to-do list is just one more thing that has to be crammed into an already-full day. Help the kids learn responsibility and help out with some of the daily tasks that have to be done with this printable. Or use it to break the ‘sandwich cycle’.

As I mentioned, my posting schedule was rough this year. When Baby N showed up three weeks earlier than expected, it threw a kink into our lives. Between adding another little boy to our family and the general chaos that is life with three little boys, I’ve had a hard time figuring out the balance between mommy and blogger (and all the other hats I wear), but this next year will be my quest to find balance and focus on the things that really matter to me. So, see ya later 2014! Onward to bigger and better! Welcome 2015!

December 30, 2014 by Krista

Nasoya Chicken Avocado Won Tons

This post is sponsored by Nasoya. I was provided with product and compensation, but all content herein is 100% original, honest and my own. And it’s super yummy.

Appetizers can take a meal to the next level. And there’s something about the combination of a chicken avocado won ton that is a total treat for the taste buds. It compliments a variety of main dishes and won tons are super easy to make! You may have noticed my affinity for won tons in the past with both my basic cream cheese won ton recipe and my shrimp and cream cheese step-up. Any one of those are amazing appetizers and the perfect party foods. It’s a great way to step away from the sweets and offer something a little more savory.

When I was presented with the challenge of creating a new recipe using a Nasoya product, I was super excited because I have used their products for a few years now and I love them. I’ve never been disappointed with the quality of the Nasoya products I’ve used, which are mainly the won ton wrappers and the eggroll wrappers. And they are very reasonably priced. Although, my first recipe attempt for this challenge was an utter failure, it was purely because of the recipe, not the ingredients. Won tons are a fun way to bring the treat-aspect of take-out Chinese food home and you can put almost anything you want inside them. I opted for something a little less desserty and a little more appetizery this time. Here’s what I came up with:

CHICKEN AVOCADO WON TONS

Ingredients:

– Nasoya Won Ton Wrappers (I found mine at WinCo)

– 1 medium avocado, mashed

– 1 cup chicken dices (I used leftovers from a rotisserie chicken we’d had for dinner the night before)

– 4-5 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

– 2 sticks of mozzarella cheese, sliced (string cheese or shredded or cubed mozzarella cheese)

– 1/2 tsp lime juice

– Oil or shortening to fry your won tons (I used about a cup of vegetable shortening in a small pan)

– A Small bowl of water to seal the won ton wrappers

Directions:

– Warm the oil or shortening in a small sauce pan on the stove on medium high heat.

– Mix the lime juice in with the mashed avocado and stir until well combined.

– Spoon about two teaspoons of the avocado into the center of a won ton wrapper.

– Add a slice of mushroom, a slice of cheese stick and a chicken dice or two to the avocado.

– Wet the tip of your finger in the small bowl of water and run in along the edges of the won ton wrapper.

– Fold opposite points together to form a triangle and press the wrapper to seal it.

– Repeat until you run out of ingredients. I made about 20 with the quantities listed, exact yield will depend on how full you fill each wrapper.

– Carefully, place filled won tons in the hot oil with a pair of tongs, one at a time. Use caution, the oil can cause severe burns!

– Allow to fry until wrapper is golden brown then flip over and fry the other side until it’s golden brown. Remove with the tongs and carefully shake off excess oil.

– Allow to cool on a paper towel covered cooling rack. Serve Chicken Avocado Won Tons warm for best taste. Enjoy!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days. Rewarm in the microwave or oven if desired.