Category: Mouse’s Christmas Gift

Fun for kids, Kid Ministry, Mouse's Christmas Gift, My Faith, Parent and Child Connection

Thursday Thoughts — Be a light!

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Hi kids! I’m back again with another Thursday Thought!

Be a Light!

Have you ever been in a room that is completely dark? It can seem very scary! A cozy candle or nightlight can illuminate the darkness and give us a warm and safe feeling.

Sometimes the world can seem dark and confusing, filled with pain and heartache. There doesn’t seem to be light or hope anywhere! The world needs light!

Jesus said in the Bible, “I am the light of the world.” In a dark world, he is the one that can make a difference. He is the one that can change things. He is the one that can change people’s hearts.

A dark world needs Jesus, the light of the world.

When we put our faith in Jesus to be our Savior, he changes our hearts from the inside out. In Matthew 5:14, he says that people that follow Jesus are lights. He says in Ephesians 5:8 that we should live as children of the light. What do you think that means?

You can be a light for Jesus by the way you live. What are some ways that you can be a light to others this week? I would love to hear your ideas!

Craft idea: Make the candle that I am holding in the video. Here are some photos:

I got the idea for this craft from Krokotak.com

Fun for kids, Mouse's Christmas Gift, Parent and Child Connection

Exercise and Play Games with Mouse’s Christmas Gift

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During the pandemic, I noticed my friend and former co-worker Heidi Stan making some wonderful videos with her daughters to help kids stay active and have fun even during quarantine. I liked and shared them on my FB author page.

Fast forward to Christmas season! I was planning a virtual storytime with my friends Glenys Nellist and Kathy Bostrom and we were brainstorming. What could we do to get kids playing games and having fun?

I thought of Heidi and her girls, and asked them if they would be interested in doing a video for me. THEY SAID YES!! See the video above for the wonderful result! Here is a listing of all of the games.

Table of Contents for Mouse's Christmas Gift Games
Mouse’s Christmas Gift Games

I hope you enjoy these fun family activities! Thanks Heidi, Bexley and Jorie!!

During our Virtual Story time event, we also played a Scavenger Hunt Game. Here is a copy of a longer version for your family to enjoy! We set a timer and raced to find each item, but you can make up your own rules!

Scavenger Hunt
Fun for kids, Mouse's Christmas Gift, Parent and Child Connection

Mouse Ornament inspired by Mouse’s Christmas Gift

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This week I teamed up with some author friends Laura Sassi, Jill Roman Lord, and Tama Fortner to create ornaments inspired by our picture books. It was loads of fun! You can see all of the the ornament ideas on my Instagram or Facebook page.

I had seen the idea many places, but I had never tried it for myself. I recruited my daughter Chelsea to help me. We created this YouTube how-to video. We had so much fun making it!

YouTube Video link: https://youtu.be/6zy727A5yLc

Hope you can use the idea with your family!

Merry Christmas!

Fun for kids, Kid Ministry, Mouse's Christmas Gift

Christmas in July with Mouse…because kindness isn’t seasonal!

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Show kindness today!

Mouse wanted me to do a quick post reminding everyone that kindness isn’t seasonal! Can you think of a way that you can make a difference/spread kindness to someone else today?

Here are a few ideas:

  1. Bake cookies (Make them in Christmas shapes for fun) and give them to a friend or neighbor…it’s okay to eat some yourself 🙂
  2. Make a card to send to a grandparent or a friend that lives far-away.
  3. Facetime a someone who you think could use some Christmas in July cheer.
  4. Pay for the ice cream of the person behind you in the drive thru line.
  5. Offer a cup of lemonade to someone who is mowing his lawn on a hot day.
  6. Wrap a surprise in Christmas paper and deliver it to someone’s doorstep.

I bet you can think of many, many more ideas! What are your ideas? I would love to hear about what you did! Leave me a comment or send a message through this blog!

After you do your act of kindness, celebrate with a cup of hot cocoa and read about a little mouse who made a BIG difference in his Christmas village.

If you take a picture and don’t mind me posting it on social media, send that too. I would love to share your experience with my readers. It can be such an encouragement to SEE kindness in action!

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Want to help Mouse? Leave a review of Mouse’s Christmas Gift on Amazon or ask your local library to purchase Mouse’s Christmas Gift for its readers.

Mouse's Christmas Gift

Fun posts about Mouse you don’t want to miss!

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If you are just now meeting Mouse from Mouse’s Christmas Gift, you may be interested in some fun posts from the past. Check out these links to read more!

How it all began… My church ornament and figurine collection. Which is your favorite?https://mindybakerbooks.com/where-the-story-begins-my-church-ornaments/

What quilt are you? A personality test...https://mindybakerbooks.com/which-quilt-are-you-mouses-christmas-gift-personality-test/

Widow Bartholomew’s been baking…sneak a peek at her secret recipes! https://mindybakerbooks.com/widow-barthomews-bread/

And add the strawberry jam while you’re at it!. You will have to travel (virtually) to Australia to hear all about it! (Give-away not live) https://www.kelliebyrnes.com/blog/author-interview-win-a-book-mindy-baker

Strawberry Jam
Mouse’s Strawberry Jam

The story behind the last line…https://mindybakerbooks.com/2015/03/

Anyone want to have a tea party with Mouse?

Tea party
Tea party with Mouse

https://mindybakerbooks.com/tea-party-with-mouse/

Create your own mouse-sized world…https://mindybakerbooks.com/2015/05/

5 fun facts about the story https://www.glenysnellist.com/mouses-christmas-gift-by-mindy-baker-guest-post-and-giveaway/ (Give-away not live anymore)

Here is a kid ministry lesson that incorporates Mouse…http://denettefretz.com/mouses-chrismas-gift-a-kidmin-object-lesson-and-giveaway/ (Give-away not live anymore)

Penelope Powell Interviews me about my publication journey

https://www.penelopepowell.com/post/christmas-in-july-celebration-welcomes-mouse-s-christmas-gift

Laura Sassi interviews me and gives a peek at my nativity set collection… (Give-away not live anymore) https://laurasassitales.wordpress.com/2018/10/22/author-spotlight-a-chat-with-mindy-baker-in-celebration-of-her-debut-picture-book-mouses-christmas-gift-and-a-giveaway/

Interview with my by Rebecca Angus (Give-away not live anymore) https://www.rebeccaangusbooks.com/single-post/2018/12/03/Blog-Tour-Mindy-Baker-Author-of-MOUSES-CHRISTMAS-GIFT-Zonderkidz

Well, I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane! It’s hard to believe that I wrote my first post about Mouse in 2015! So many lessons learned along this crazy path to publication. Thanks for visiting my blog and reading!