Home Archive by category "Parenting" (Page 16)

Category: Parenting

Message Bible for Kids? Concordance too?

Look what I got in the mail! And I’ve got an extra set I want to mail to YOU! (details at the bottom) NAVPRESS just sent me these in the mail for review – and I’m impressed. This bundle of two books really complement each other! Buy Via Amazon: My First Message – Bible Search The first is My First Message, a devotional for kids ages 4-8 featuring the text of Eugene H. Peterson’s The Message Bible. Each beautifully illustrated story ends with a short PRAY and LIVE section helping children pray about what they just read and gain some insight into how to apply the lessons within the story to their life. The second book is call My First Bible Search, Discovering Answers in God’s Word. While it is described on the cover as a “Bible Concordance and Dictionary for Kids” (ages 6-10) that description is a little misleading and distracts from what the book truly is. The book is much more (and far better than a concordance or dictionary) so if those phrases make you fear kids will be bored with this book, think again! The book is divided into two sections. The first called the “Concordance” –…

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A Quiet But Wonderful Thanksgiving!

Big Turkey, Little Turkey This was the quietest Thanksgiving I’ve ever experienced, but I liked it! For the first time ever, neither of us had parents nearby and all our other local relatives had special plans so it was just the three of us. At first we were kinda bummed being used to big noisy family gatherings… but it was a nice change. Yesterday we dug out the Christmas stuff and got the tree up and started the always difficult task of figuring out how to arrange the furniture to accommodate Christmas. We have one of those front rooms where no matter what you do, something ends up awkward. I’d had a long nap so when Sara went to bed I was still full of energy. (Also in part due to some medicine that tends to put my metabolism into overdrive!) So I stayed up super late and got the whole front room all set up and decorated as a surprise for the wife, so she could just enjoy preparing the meal without the hassle of the dysfunctional house! Anyway, all that to say, the day started out wonderful as the little boy got to come down and see the…

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A Cow in the Sky

For the first time in his little life my son woke up crying because of a nightmare. We awoke to his tears and like a good father I ran upstairs to see what my little boy needed. Did he climb out of the climb and fall? Did he get an arm or leg stuck through the railings? Did he drop a toy or binkey that he can’t sleep without? Nope. He saw a cow. (don’t laugh) I came in the room, “Daddy’s here, everything’s O.K.” to see his fear filled eyes looking to me for salvation. He reached out to me like someone drowning reaching for the life guard. I scooped him up, and seeing that nothing was physically wrong, asked, “What’s the matter, Lukie?” “Cow!” he whispered in my ear as he pointed up toward the ceiling. “Cow up in the sky.” I put his head on my shoulder so he wouldn’t see the smile I couldn’t resist. My voice remained deeply concerned but my face couldn’t hide the silent laughter at such a cute fear. I was so happy the scariest thing in his little world is a cow in the sky! He clung to me as I…

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Watermelon Joy

There’s just something about a boy and his watermelon. I love how everything Luke does he does with so much joy. There is nothing mundane or normal to him. What is routine for us is pure excitement for him. Whether it be simply getting dressed, taking a bath, picking up toys or eating a watermelon – he approaches everything with such a sense of adventure and joy that I wonder sometimes why we lose the pure satisfaction from the simple things in life. Why do we need vacations or thrill parks or something “new” or risk to excite us? What if we could find deep joy and satisfaction in something as ordinary as a watermelon? My boy has taught me that. My joy comes from sharing in his. The next time you have to do something ordinary or mundane… smile. Your Heavenly Father is watching and delighting in your life too.

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Thinking of Raising My Son on Arby’s Values!

Got my son a kids meal at Arby’s and was pleased to see that the kids meal bag had some characters values on it. I may scan the bag side when I get home. Unfortunately, their website needs work or perhaps still under development because none of it is on their website other than a mere passing mention of the core values and nothing is clickable on the kids page other than some menu items, but I really liked the six “Values” they present to kids and how they define them on the kids meal bag. In a world that more and more just seeks to entertain kids and sell to them, it was refreshing to see a for profit company try to give some positive character instruction with apparently nothing to gain in return! I applaud Arby’s for seeking to invest in kids rather than simply profit from them. Here is what they presented as six Core Values are how they defined them for kids: DREAM BIG “If you can dream it, you can do it!” WORK HARD “Do the best you can, in all that you do.” GET IT DONE “Set high goals and make them happen.” PLAY…

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