Kids Virtues!

I got to spend the best week in Colorado with my dear friend catching up, talking, laughing, crying and talking about our out of control lives and kids! It was great!! 🙂  While we were together we made list upon list of things we wanted to accomplish with our lives and our family.  One thing we did which I loved was make a list of virtues for her family and her kids.  We are both very visual so to have something to stare at helps to remember what in the world we actually do want for our family.   I had never really made a point to sit down and list out what our goals were for our family…I’d seen them thousands of times..the cute little signs “our family loves, kisses, hugs, never yells, is always calm, sweetly disciplines, never gets mad” etc etc… (In the name of full disclosure…I have one of those signs and I love it!)  That being said…All the things listed on my cute sign about our family rules are not put into practice in our family as much as I’d like.  My very creative and artistic friend made a sign for immediate teachable moments with her kids when something listed on that cute sign doesn’t happen (i.e.: like when your kids (or you) begins screaming at the top of your lungs because you find your coffee mug tipped over and coffee spilled all over your couch, or when instead of patience you huff and puff and roll your eyes because your 3 year old is taking 1 billion years to zip up his coat because he HAS to do it himself)…ok maybe these things are just me, again full disclosure, I am most definitely not the most patient person in the world!!  SO because I am not artistic like my amazing friend  (by the way check out her stuff here: http://piperpixiedoodle.com  )  I decided to make my own chart…sans pretty handwriting and beautiful art…but instead on my simple and foolproof computer! I’d love to share it with you and your family!!  Click on the link below for the printable!!

kids virtues

Printable Memory Verse Cards

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.  -Deuteronomy 11:18-21

These verses have been words that ring in my ears very regularly as we go through our days at home.  I had a sweet friend who had scripture written all around her house, on windows, mirrors, on her fridge, on scrap papers…everywhere.  I LOVED that!  verse 20 says just that: write them on your doorposts!  Write God’s word down, have it everywhere, always to see.  It’s amazing what kids will remember and retain.  I have been amazed and slightly dumfounded at how much my 3 year old can remember!  We have done a verse a week and just say it over and over and wow! It not only has been great for our kids but for ME!  Our “D” verse has been repeated, reminded, corrected and talked about on way more than one occasion: (Do ALL things without complaining and grumbling. Philippians 2:14) (and that goes for the kids and for ME!)  I made up a little booklet/flashcards of our memory verses as a helpful way to remind ourselves of our verses…

I’d love to share this with you!  Feel free to print and use anyway you would like!  memory verse cards

Who Is God?

I’ve been so excited to finally get into this study with Brooklyn.  I’ve heard such great things about Apologia and how they teach in such a clear, practical great way.  Ben teaches the kids Creation to Christ and they love it.  I had been feeling that we could be doing a bit more with Brooklyn specifically.  This seemed like a great fit.  Simply (yet SO SO utterly important) WHO is God?? Shouldn’t we be crystal clear on WHO it is that we are placing our life, and faith into!?  I want my kids to be just as clear in the WHO that we are trusting not just the what.  Here’s a summary of the study:

“Our children are bombarded daily with competing messages. Every song, movie, book, TV show, blog, and game is full of ideas — ideas about God, people, truth, beauty, and right and wrong. Not all of these ideas are true. Some are deceptive and even destructive. The What We Believe series helps children learn to discern the truth by using God’s Word as a lens through which to view the world around them — to see everything the way God sees it.”

 

you can find more about this study here:

http://www.amazon.com/Really-Biblical-Worldview-Believe-Volume/dp/1935495070