A WONDERFUL Parenting Tool!

Parents of toddlers on up to older children still at home:  Do you desire to share Bible verses with your children when they are struggling with sin, but sometimes feel flustered trying to remember which verses are where in the Bible? I simply MUST tell you of this treasure I discovered over the summer.  It is literally a God-send and makes biblical instruction during times of discipline so much easier and more organized.  Instead of trying to remember which Bible verses are applicable to which infractions (tattling, pride, selfishness, jealousy, disobedience, stealing, etc.), someone has organized these for you and has devised a way to help you find just what you need at the moment you need it. 

 It's called The Child Training Bible.  All you need is this kit, some highlighters (I actually used Twistables colored pencils--don't bleed through the page), certain colors of Post-it flags (I ended up using regular Post-it notes I already had, and cut them down to size), and a Bible.  From the outside, it ends up looking something like this:

So, you'll want a separate Bible just for this purpose (must be a certain size, too--9" X 6"), because I think it would be awkward trying to flip through this Bible at church, Bible study, or other places.  But for the purpose this serves, the tabs are wonderful!

Here is a video telling you the details, made by the couple who created the product.  It will explain things so much better than I could write it.

 Can't view the video?  Try clicking here.

We have been using this for several weeks now, and it is so wonderful to just sit calmly down with LM, read Bible verses that pertain to his problem at the moment (and sometimes mine, too!), discuss the suggested questions which are provided, and pray together.  My husband and I have always believed the Bible is the place to go for raising a child, but sometimes in the moment the appropriate verses can just escape me.  My frustration in those times doesn't usually help the situation.  Now I can calmly and confidently pick up this special Bible, silently pray as we head toward the couch, and begin a conversation.  It really diffuses most potentially explosive conflicts, and focuses on the heart of the matter.

The only negatives are that it can be pricey if you need to buy all the different materials and it takes several hours to set it up.  But you can improvise on some of the materials like I did, and the time is MORE than worth it!

BE SURE TO CHECK THE WEBSITE TO MAKE SURE THE BIBLE YOU INTEND TO USE IS THE CORRECT SIZE!  There is a template you can print off to see if it fits in your Bible. The Bible I used was a tiny bit small, but I was able to trim the edges of the cards to fit.  This is risky, but it worked for me.

I love that I can use this Bible I've set up with LM until he leaves home (sniff, sniff) and then pass it down to him and his future wife and children if they choose to use it.  Who knows how many generations will be influenced by this simple yet profound tool? :)

The Thanksgiving Tree

I would love to meet Ann Voskamp.  Her influence on me this past year, through her book and ministry, has been such a huge blessing.  It was she who gave me the idea to start this Thanksgiving Tree this month to help my family focus on the many, many blessings for which we are grateful.  I had to share it with you because it's such a great idea, and it works!

Just go outside and gather a bunch of sticks, arrange them in a vase, then go here (takes a minute or two to load) and print and cut out the leaves.  Each leaf has a colorful side with a Bible gratitude verse and a blank side for you to write what you are thankful for.  We read the verse and our own written part together before hanging it on the "tree." 

I think it's meant to be one leaf per day, but I see no reason to limit it to that if we can think of more blessings in a day!  I just scattered the extra leaves around the bottom of the vase, and will print out more when needed.

The month is half over, but it's not too late to start this project for your home, whether your household contains you alone or lots of people or somewhere in the middle!  We all are blessed in so many ways, it's probably not too difficult to think of at least 2 blessings a day to "catch up" by the end of the month! :)

 

Please Don't Go

My sisters; my dearest friends:

Betsy, Amy, Mary, Julie

Please don't go!  It's much too soon!

Betsy, Amy

You just got here, right?

When we all lived in the same house as girls, I didn't think to appreciate you like I do now.  I'm so sorry for any and all time I wasted on petty arguments and catty comments.

Mary

You know what they say about hindsight.

I wish you could stay just a little longer . . . or a lot!

"Candid" lol

I wish our kids could hang on to those cousin moments and never let them go.  Ever.

I wish we could all live together in a huge mansion.

"Candid"  Mmm hmm!

Or maybe not.  For now.

God has us where He wants us for His purposes, for this time.  May we each continue to serve Him and grow where He has planted us!

Queens of "Candid"  Yeah! :)

But someday, while we're waiting our turns to talk to Adam and Eve and Noah and Moses and Daniel and Mary Magdalene and Jesus Himself, we will have endless days to visit and catch up and remember and celebrate.

If we even care about all that in the presence of our Savior.

Goofy girls!

For now we will talk and see each other when we can, and we will stay close at heart as always.

Hee hee!

Kindred spirits.

Wow.

And here's to the couple who started it all, who raised a loving, God-serving family, and who always share in the laughter and tears!

Mom & Dad :)

Gallery Time!! :)

Zoey

Amy and Emily

 

Shane, Little Mister & Danny playing Wii in "Boy Cave" at Grammy's :)

Zoey and Aunt Betsy :)

Aunt Linda & Uncle Dave

Shane

Scott (Mary's hubby) and Amy getting ready for a run

Emmy and Zack enthusing over the cupcakes for the Hulse Cousins B-day Party

The Hulse version of "Happy Birthday" is always stellar (as loud & off-key as possible!)

My oldest niece, Hannah

Zoey & Hannah

The tallest & the smallest--Grampy & Zoey

Danny--he was a bit "camera shy." ;)

Zack

Sharing secrets. :)

And a video or two for my sisters (hilarious to watch, but heartfelt nonetheless):

Savor the Moment!

Excitement is definitely in the air!

 No, it's not the last day of school. In fact, while everyone else is celebrating the final days of this academic year, we are completely aware that we won't be done until mid-June.  But the reason is worth it!  We've been able to take time off when people come to visit, and we've had lots of fun visitors during this past school year!

Now we're taking ten days off (after today) because we have more fun visitors arriving! :)  My sis, Mary, and her daughter, Zoey will be arriving from Ohio around dinner time, I believe.

Then tonight, my sis, Amy, and her husband, Mike, and their two kids, Emily and Zack, will be arriving from Arizona!

Next week, my Aunt Linda, Uncle Dave, and Mary's hubby, Scott, will join us, and then my sis, Julie, her husband, John, and their three kids, Hannah, Shane, and Danny, will be here!  And my sis, Betsy, who lives relatively close to me, will be around for the various festivities as well, no doubt.  My parents, who live in town, will be hosting the adults, and I think the kids are staying here (based on the number of sugar cereal boxes in my house, we'd better have some extra children here at least some of the nights! lol).

It's always exciting to see loved ones, far or near.  The one thing that can put a damper on having my faraway kindred spirits near is the dread of saying goodbye again.

I am so un-fond of goodbyes!

And Little Mister absolutely falls apart immediately after saying goodbye to his cousins.

But I'm trying to learn something from my Little Mister.  This tough-but-tender-hearted boy of mine makes the most of every second, until that heart-breaking moment of goodbye.  He doesn't waste time dreading it or really even thinking about or dwelling on it.  He savors the now.

Oh, yes, that's what I want to learn to do, and I'm about to get some more practice:

Savor the moment!

The Blessings of Family

Wow!  It's been a long time!  We have been busy with projects around the house (and always will be!), and last week we had the delight of a visit from our Washington kin. :)  Kevin's sister, Elizabeth, and her husband and son, Paul and Brent, came and spent some relaxing, conversation-filled days with us during Brent's spring break, and it was so refreshing and fun to spend time with them.  It had been three years since we had seen them!

Where is the time going?

 

Our boys have grown so much.

 

But, in some ways, it's like time stood still.  Love is like that.

My stunning sis-in-law and Little Mister, sharing a moment. :)

What a great, God-loving, fun family they are! :)

Besides a lot of just hanging out and talking (catching up!), we did a lot more just hanging around. :)  We went to parks, picnicked, drove around Amish country (where Brent had his first Rise-n-Roll donuts and Jo-Jo's pretzel!), and the boys climbed our trees and played in Little Mister's digging area.

We had a make-your-own-pizza night, where everyone got to be creative on my "rustic-looking" (ha ha) homemade crusts.

Hey, they tasted better than they looked--ha ha. :)

Lots and lots of Dutch Blitz was played by all!  It was so fun to break out this classic again. :)

There's just nothing that compares with time spent with family.  What a joy and a blessing last week was for us! :)