Holidays

Celebrating Happy Homecomings this Memorial Day

May 30, 2011 · 2 comments

Over in the Kitchen Kop Monday Mix-up post today, I mentioned the nine long months that Kent was deployed for the first Operation Desert Storm when he was in the Marine Corps. (And against Kent’s judgment I also shared this picture of his homecoming day with my readers, where I sported quite the mullet, haaaa!)

Here at this blog for Memorial Day, I thought I would share a video with you to highlight the sacrifice that many have made for our country, but most of the videos I found were so sad! There were lots of flag-draped caskets and crying family members. While it’s important to remember those who have fallen, I decided instead to focus on happy military homecomings. When Kent was deployed, all I dreamed of and prayed for was the day he’d be home safe. It was before we had kids, so I focused on getting our house all fixed up and inviting friends and family (who supported us so much!) to a big bash I was planning for him. That day was one of the best of my life, and thankfully the whole experience drew us closer instead of pulling us apart as it does for some.

Happy Homecoming Videos:

This one shows a little girl when her Daddy surprised her at school. I watched it five times (I had to show all the kids), and cried every time:

Next you’ll see soldiers returning home and their warm welcome at the airport. I love how humble they are and how the clapping went on and on:

If you liked these, you can see more at the Welcome Home Blog.

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Keeping Jesus in Easter – Teaching Kids the Real Deal

April 18, 2011 · 1 comment

Like all holidays that have become secularized, as Christians we need to be conscious of keeping our focus on the real deal at Easter time; and if you have kids, then there’s a big responsibility to make sure they “get it”.

Here are a few of our family traditions for Holy Week and Easter to help kids understand what it’s all about:

Resurrection Eggs – I love this activity! I’ve used it for years with my own kids and always did it yearly with my day care kids, too. They love trying to guess what’s in each egg, and their eyes get huge as I explain what happened to Jesus and how He allowed it, even though He was GOD and could’ve made it all stop. That’s how much He loves us. I look each child in the eye to be sure they GET IT. I pray that no matter where life takes them, they will never doubt that fact: that He LOVES them and died for THEM.
I make a point to take the kids to see our church’s passion play each year – this is a little scary for the younger kids, so use your judgment. It always elicits some good questions and discussions about good and evil, and love and forgiveness. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they’re doing.” I love emphasizing to them that Jesus, right in the middle of His unbelievable suffering, forgave the ones who caused it.
On Holy Thursday for years now we have done our own special little family foot-washing (just like Jesus washed Peter’s feet in the bible). Each person carefully pours a little water on a family member’s feet, one at a time, and says they’re sorry for something. It brings tears to my eyes as a Mom to see one sibling carefully wash the foot of another and saying they’re sorry for teasing or hitting or whatever, and hearing the “I forgive you” that follows. It’s also good for the kids to hear Mom & Dad apologizing and then forgiving each other for being selfish or snippy at times.
Before the kids check out their Easter baskets on Easter morning, we will say a little prayer and a thank you to Jesus.
Yes, we take part in Easter egg hunts and visits to the Easter bunny, but we also read Easter stories that put these traditions into a Christian light. Here are are a couple of my favorite Easter stories:

How do you teach your kids the eternal truths about what Jesus did for us on Good Friday and three days later on Easter Sunday? What are your family Easter traditions?

Related posts you may not have seen:

What’s “good” about Good Friday??? – Also: the ‘upside-down’ way Jesus teaches us to follow
Holy Saturday Word Among Us – A reading that will touch your heart

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Best Links of 2010

December 29, 2010 · 0 comments

Because I’m busy being a Mom while the kids are off on Christmas break, busy getting ready for the 2011 Weight Loss and Wellness Adventure, and because Jen did it better than I could’ve anyway, check out her Best Links of 2010, and prepare to be moved.

May God bless you all in 2011.

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Merry Christmas

December 23, 2010 · 0 comments

If the Christmas season has you stressed out and you haven’t had a moment to think about baby Jesus, here are a few Third Day videos to help center your soul on Him. Merry Christmas!

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This Year’s Favorite Christmas Song

December 16, 2010 · 0 comments

Well, my favorite Christmas song anyway…

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No Gifts Under the Tree?

December 10, 2010 · 0 comments

My friend, Chef Shane Kelly, sent me this story and of course I had to share it here with all of you, my reader friends. It surely made me rethink gift giving vs. more giving…

It also made me stop and think about how much we involve our kids in the process of giving. How will they learn how powerful it is to meet someone in their need and how we’re all part of the one Body of Christ if they never see or experience giving for themselves?

I’d love to hear how you teach your kids about giving?

Read an excerpt:

“It’s been over ten years of nothing under the Christmas tree here.

Strange, the way children teach men.

It was dark, I do remember that. Bedtime. Smoothing back hair, kissing foreheads. On round moon hanging large outside the window, an ornament dangling off stars, decorating the night. I had gifts to wrap. So, pull up the blankets. Prayers. And then, when I’m at the door, one hand on the door frame, resting in the light of the hallway, I turn to close the door a bit on the dark and he stops me with just one question:

“What does Jesus get for His birthday?”

The words hung… strung me up.

I say the words into the black. Um… A cake? Our love?

I can hear him turn again in the bed, roll over on the pillow. Restless…

“But Mom…. if we get wrapped presents for our birthdays, real sacrifices from people who love us — they gave up other things to give something to us — then why don’t we do that for Jesus’ birthday?”

Read the rest of this beautiful post…

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Advent Ideas – No Guilt Allowed

November 28, 2010 · 4 comments

How does your family celebrate Advent each year?

For many years I’d find all sorts of neat ideas for helping the kids learn more about this time of preparation and feel guilty that I never quite made any of them happen. Nowadays, though, I’ve found what works for us: keeping it simple. No more grand plans, just a couple neat traditions and no more guilt.

The Advent Candle – it takes very little time and is super simple. I pack it away each year at the top of our Christmas decorations so that I can get to it easily on the years that Advent comes before our tree goes up. Whenever we’re having a family dinner, or at least on Sundays, we’ll light it and sing a different verse depending on the week:

Light One Candle… (Text and tune by Natalie Sleeth)

Light one candle for hope One bright candle for hope He brings Hope to every heart… He comes, He comes,
Light one candle for Peace One bright candle for Peace He brings Peace to every heart, He comes, He comes
Light one candle for Joy One bright candle for Joy, He brings Joy to every heart, He comes, He comes
Light one candle for Love One bright candle for Love He brings Love to every heart, He comes, He comes!

If you want to know the tune, you can watch this video, but it’s not great. It’s all I could find, though.

Our teenager isn’t too thrilled with this tradition, but the younger kids love it.

A few years ago we started doing The Advent Event. Sometimes we’ll light the candle and do the prayers with it, and other times all we get to is the Advent coloring pages and a quick chat about what the picture represents. No guilt allowed, do the best you can.

I came across this when I was Googling for something else today. It’s not in the budget this year, but next year I’m going to try to order mid-November; I think the kids would love it! LEGO® City Advent Calendar.

As parents we all want to raise faith-filled kids, and of course help them understand how to prepare their hearts to receive Jesus in a new way each year at Christmas, and each day for that matter; but if we’re all stressed out and ornery about everything that we didn’t implement perfectly, how does that help them grow in their faith? Again, just do the best you can and remember that keeping Advent fun and low-key will go much further in spreading the love of the coming Christmas season than all the best Advent activities ever could.

I’d love to hear about your favorite Advent traditions!

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What’s “Good” About Good Friday?

March 31, 2010 · 0 comments

If you’ve seen Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, or you know the story of Jesus even a little, then you know that the day Jesus died for us was anything but “good”… or was it?

Before we try to figure that out, first I’ll show you some crazy, upside-down, opposite of what you’d expect lessons that Jesus taught us…

If you wish to be first, you must be last. From Mark 10:31. (Think about who you respect more – the one who let’s others go ahead, or the one who jumps in front of the line?)
When someone wrongs you, don’t repay with another wrong. (Is revenge ever pretty?)
If you want to be great, serve others. (For real happiness there is nothing like the feeling of helping someone.)
Love your enemies. (Only possible with God’s grace.)
True joy is found in dying to yourself. (Being unselfish when it’s most difficult.)
If you want to live, you must die. (Die to self that is. Easy to say, not easy to do. An understatement or what?)
So what’s “good” about Good Friday?

(From Biblegateway.com)

Do you wonder what happened on Good Friday, why it’s called “Good”, and what Christians celebrate on that day?

I found some very concise, accurate and easy to understand explanations on About.com of all places:

What is Good Friday?

Be sure to follow some of the links there that explain the crucifixion or other aspects of the Christian faith. And one link answers the question, “Why did Jesus have to die?”

As always, let me know if you have a question that I can try to help you with.

I pray that the rest of your Holy Week is Holy and that you have a very special Easter!

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How Will You Set Holy Week Apart?

March 25, 2010 · 2 comments

Read Katie’s great post below on Holy week and how to make it an extra special time of growing deeper in your faith. In the comments you can read what I wrote about a couple of our family Holy week traditions.

Also, let us know if you do anything special during Holy week to make it more…HOLY for you or your family?

How Will You Set Holy Week Apart?

Katie also mentions there that she watches The Passion of the Christ each year. I have to admit that I don’t look forward to seeing that movie over and over. It’s not easy watching such pain and suffering…and it’s also not easy to wrap my brain around the fact that it was all for you and for me. Yet it is good to be reminded of just that fact, so I’ll usually take the kids to a Good Friday Passion play at church which is more age-appropriate for them. Even that is hard to watch, but necessary lest we forget to live our lives showing Him we’re grateful.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! (Check out the cute St. Patrick’s Day Recipe)

March 17, 2010 · 6 comments

I was well into my 20’s before I knew anything about the real St. Patrick. What’s not to love about a guy who legends say drove all the snakes out of Ireland?!