As a mom of ten kids I’ve discovered that often the best things we can teach our kids aren’t about things they can see, but they’re about the unseen things. Things like justice, equality, friendship and faith. In our world they often see prejudices and injustice. Usually kids know this isn’t right, but they don’t…
How to Set Family Goals: Becoming a Family with Purpose
Have you set any family goals or resolutions for the new year? I like the word goals better than resolutions. New Year’s resolutions always seem doomed to fail, and if you don’t start on January 1 or fall off the bandwagon by January 3, you feel defeated. But goals? Goals can be set anytime, and…
New Year, New Family Routine
As families with growing children, we often have to evaluate the family routine. Our children change fast, and as parents, we have to navigate and set the pace for our families. It can feel tricky, but as my family has rolled through quite a bit of different seasons, there’s a few questions that I ask…
How to Spiritually Prepare Your Family for The New Year
How does your family prepare for the transition from one year to the next? One of my favorite traditions is to gather our family and recall how God has shaped our lives during the past 12 months. During this hallowed time, we discuss where we’ve been, share our hopes and dreams, and prayerfully consider where…
F is for Fall Fun
Fall is my favorite season! I think I’d go in mourning if I ever had to move to an area of the world that doesn’t experience the crisp, cool breezes and vibrant colors and scents of autumn! What’s not to love? There are so many wonderful things to experience and eat during the fall—everything from…
Our Favorite Kids’ Books for Fall
What does Fall bring? Colorful leaves, pumpkin patches, cooler weather…and a ton of great books for kids! Whether snuggling up and reading with your little one or encouraging the young readers in your life, you’ll find awesome reads for kids of all ages! Here are some of our favorite new releases for Fall: * *…
10 Fun Fall Kids Activities and Crafts
I really love the fall. I suppose all of the seasons lend themselves to nature-study activities and crafts, but fall seems to be especially rich to me. My kids and I do fall crafts and art projects every single day – sometimes to the detriment of our homeschool lessons! Nearly every one of our fall…
5 Ways to Enjoy Fall with the Whole Family
Fall is one of my favorite seasons! The cooler temperatures (here in Texas we experience some pretty extreme summer heat), the golden colors, the animals getting their winter coats… it is spectacular! But with all of the busyness of life and back-to-school activities, we might miss the pleasures of fall if we aren’t purposeful about…
Talking to Kids about the Importance of Independence Day
Independence Day with our family is about as cliché as cliché gets! It’s family, food and fireworks. In typical Texas fashion, the weather will be scorching hot. We will head over to my in-law’s home and the older kids will immediately run into the backyard and jump in the swimming pool. The toddlers will beg for…
8 Tips for Maintaining a Family Summer Schedule
Keeping a family summer schedule can be sanity-saving and yet tough to maintain at the same time. Summer is a wonderful break from academic routines and along with the warmer weather and more hours of sunlight each day comes the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors more frequently. If you are like our family, much of…