Japanese lessons

While Jill is teaching music lessons at Berean preschool, I watch the girls. We are having Japanese lessons. We began last week learning where Japan is; what the Japanese call their country; the 4 main islands; the flag.

Today we began with some of the greetings like good morning, good afternoon, etc. After lessons, we baked some cookies for Mom 2 Mom (recipe at end). We set aside 6 cookies for the girls to decorate for themselves! They just love those sprinkles!

While we made them, I told the girls how important it is to put in just the right ingredients - sugar, flour, eggs...

God also gives us a "recipe" of how to be a Christian. We need to put in love, kindness, gentleness...

If we put dirt, bugs or worms in our cookies, that would be no good. They might still be cookies, but - gross!!

And if a Chrstian adds rudeness, ungratefulness, selfishness - as we all do at some time or another since we are all imperfect and sometimes unlikeable people - well, we are still "cookies" but not too tastey!

There were a couple of times I had to tell the girls this morning - "let's add the right ingredients! Sweetness and kindness! Not dirt!"

Speaking of dirt....
making cookies with children can make quite a mess, but luckily the girls help clean up pretty good.
Then we got out the playdough to make more "cookies".

Sign that little people have been at my house!

Recipe for "Men's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies"
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup nuts
2 cups chocolate chips
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix shortening, butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. In another bowl, blend together dry ingredients. Mix all together. Mix in nuts and chocolate chips last of all. Drop by rounded tablespoonfulls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet (I do spray with cooking spray for easy removal) Bake 15 minutes. Enjoy!