So yesterday was Columbus Day, which for my darlings meant a day off from school. I brought them with me to work for about as long as two active boys can entertain themselves "quietly." Then we enjoyed a late lunch with family. After that I really needed to go grocery shopping, but walking to the park for an impromptu playtime was much more appealing. (Hmmmm... dragging them through the store while they ask for everything... OR... trying to touch the clouds with our toes by swinging as high as we can... tough decision!)
For our walk home, we tried a Prayer Walk, and it was a wonderful experience! In addition to the bug-studying, stick-finding, and flower-picking, we stopped on the sidewalk in front of each house we passed on our street, held hands, and said a short prayer for each neighbor. We started with "repeat-after-me," and then after 2 or 3 houses, they were able to say the prayer along with me.
Now, I didn't have any milk, so we couldn't have cereal this morning... and while I'd decided to serve toast instead, we didn't have any bread either. So... toaster pastries for breakfast, a sandwich on a burger bun for lunch... it's all ok. This ended up being a great way to add more prayer time as a family, and an excellent way for active children to pray. I encourage you to give it a try with your little ones!
I just LOVE the Sunday School curriculum that our church uses. It's very engaging and really speaks to the children on their level. My boys usually talk about their Sunday School lesson all week!
Did you know that Grow, Proclaim, Serve has a website with tons of useful information for parents? For example, a recent article - The Running of the Boys - really spoke to me... on my level!
It's a great article, and I think you'll find some good ideas in there. I'd like to offer up a few of my thoughts after reading it...
The spare set of clothes... I wouldn't stop at just packing them for each "young" child. Children spill, get sweaty, and fall down. We could also say that some older children do not handle dental impressions very well, and extra clothes would be super helpful. A spare set for each child is just a good idea.
Baby wipes are your best friend... even when they aren't babies anymore.
We do have a small stash of "special toys," and I didn't go out to purchase them. You know all those delightful toys that come with the kid-meals when you have to hit the drive-thru? After my boys have their three seconds of fun with the chunk of plastic they "needed," I throw them into an old, spare diaper bag. The bag stays in the van until it is needed for a long car ride, T-Ball game, etc. If something gets left behind... oh, well.
If I loaded everything on the Be Prepared list into the minivan, I might not have room for the kids! An old towel can not only perform it's usual job, but can also stand in for a blanket, pillow, and picnic blanket if needed. And if I stopped to pack a cooler each time we headed out, we would never make it anywhere. For longer trips, a small water bottle is sufficient... most places have drinking fountains if you are just running errands. For my traveling snacks, I've found that the squeezie-fruit-pouch-thingies (next to the fruit cups in the grocery store) are awesome. They aren't messy (unless your kids "get creative") and they don't make the kiddos thirsty. Plus, they don't turn into a crumbly mess at the bottom of your purse.
Something I keep in my minivan at all times: a giant Cooler Bag. It folds flat and stays out of the way, and keeps groceries cold for a long time. I've used it so many times (in fact, it needs to be replaced right now)! Why? Stopping for a few more errands I forgot about, or pulling over and watching some neat construction equipment, or the kiddos have been super fabulous all day and I wanted to stop at the park we were driving past.
One last comment... Grow, Proclaim, Serve also has a free App. It's very handy to have the videos, music, and scripture from the recent Sunday School lessons while we're "on the go."
If you have any super "on the go" tips for parents, please feel free to leave a comment. God be with you! :}
Last week I was on vacation in Salt Lake City. FYI, it's a loooooong drive there and back. The neat thing about driving across the country though, is seeing how the landscape changes along the way. As I traveled the gently rolling hills in Iowa, past the flat and open farms of Nebraska, through the rocky hills and sage-brush in Wyoming, then into the Wasatch Mountain Range in Utah, I enjoyed the beauty of the land and the variety of plants and animals that God created.
It made me think about a fun activity for pre-schoolers to help reinforce the teachings in Genesis, chapter 1. Grab some old magazines, and help your young child(ren) search for pictures of God's creations. Depending on the age and ability of your child(ren), you might have to assist with the cutting. Find a variety of plants, animals, people, and landforms. Then glue these pictures onto paper or lunch sacks to create a scrapbook (bound together with ribbon or rings along an edge) or a paper-bag scrapbook. Older children can help sort the pictures into groups (land animals, water animals, plants, etc.).
This is a fun activity that can be worked on for several days. It might be easier to keep all of your supplies for this project in a tub, and then grab the tub on rainy days or when a quiet activity is needed.
After all of the pages are finished, create a Title Page for your book (perhaps Thank You God For... ) and bind it together. As you "read" through the scrapbook, lead your child(ren) in thanking God for his creations. Have fun!! After your scrapbook is finished, I'd love to hear how it went! :}
Yup, that's me (a few years ago), right where it all began. My parents found their church family at First United Methodist Church in Decatur IL during their college years, and have been members ever since. I can honestly say I was raised in this church family. I wouldn't even know where to begin to count the hours I spent at church... two services and Sunday school almost every Sunday, choir practice, youth group, pageant rehearsals, waiting for my Mom while she practiced the organ... you get the idea. :}
I was baptized, confirmed (where on earth did those pictures end up?), and married right there, in that very same spot.
See, here I am with my great guy, and just as cute as the first picture, right??? Even though we lived in Wisconsin at the time, I had to get married "at home."
Want to know what else is really cool? Our two boys were baptized in this same spot, too! I feel so blessed that through the twists and turns of God's plan for our lives, we have ended up back in the Decatur area, and I am with my family again... all of them. :}
But it gets even better! I am now an official member of the church staff... Coordinator of Early Childhood Ministries. I have a very fulfilling job working with the ministry we provide for the littlest members of our church family. I mean, seriously... does it get any better than helping families who want their children to know God's grace from the beginning of their lives??? I'm a lucky girl. ;)
Ok, enough about me! I'll bet you'd like to know more about what's going on with all of our remARKable friends...
Food and fellowship - that's the good stuff! I can't wait to meet more of my family and have a great conversation. See you Sunday!
