: Life is hard. God is good. We need each other.
Do you have picky eaters?
If so then you, like me, are skeptical of lists that claim to be “kid friendly”. It’s especially offensive to click a link promising “10 recipes your picky eaters will devour” only to find it full of recipes with ingredients many adults I know wouldn’t even eat.
Chickpeas, really?
![Clearly Mary and Joseph had qualities that God valued, since He chose them to raise His son, Jesus. [Free Printable Bible Study Lesson]](https://thesparrowshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Mary-Joseph-square-300x300.jpg)
Let me ask you this: If you were unable to raise your children, what characteristics would you look for in the people you chose to take care of them?
The passages of Scripture that tell of Christ’s birth have become so over-familiar to us, haven’t they?
I’m teaching our adult Sunday school class this week, and as I was looking for a lesson that wasn’t the same old same old, all I could find was….well, the same old same old. I went back to the beginning of Luke and began to read the familiar words again.
Then the question I asked above came into my head. I realized that out of all the people who have ever lived, God chose Mary and Joseph to raise his son, Jesus. Clearly they pleased Him. Wouldn’t it be interesting, I thought, to look into their character to hunt for qualities that we could apply to our own lives as we seek to be people who please God.
Do you have a family gift tradition? Some families open new pajamas on Christmas eve. Some give a family movie or have a tradition of hot chocolate in new mugs.
We are a game playing family, and so we like to wrap up a new family game to open on Christmas. It started when the boys were quite young. Hungry Hungry Hippos was the first game made a family gift. Over the years our games have grown up with the boys.
If you’re looking for some unique ideas for a game for your family, I’ve compiled a round up here to give you some ideas. While many of these would be great for upper elementary aged kids and older, we got them because they’re games that both teens and adults enjoy playing.
Allie is a former neighbor and my boys’ favorite babysitter. She is the kind of young lady who would, every once in awhile, refuse payment, saying, “I just want to bless you.” Her ‘magic’ tricks kept the boys completely mesmerized. (I’m pretty sure this involved her hiding things behind her back and pulling them out with flourish, but what do I know?) My boys are teenagers now, older than Allie was when she babysat them.
And we owe her a debt of gratitude we can never repay. You see, my youngest son is here because of Allie.
I went to a blogging conference a few weeks ago. I LOVE conferences. Workshops. Key note speakers. Break-out sessions. {Swoon} And the thing about conferences is that it’s almost never totally new information that you’re getting. It’s the reminders that I love. Renewing convictions and re-lighting fires.
And that’s kind of how these articles are. Probably nothing you’ve never heard. But enjoy the reminders.
When your kids get to be teenagers, it gets easier and harder to do things you both enjoy.
Easier, because they’re older and can do more. And harder, because they are now their own person with interests that may not match up with yours.
Watching movies is something that most families can do together…if you can agree on a film.
My youngest casts a wide net when it comes to movies he enjoys. He’s definitely into the superhero flicks, but also enjoys stories with a slightly less predictable plot, a little out of the mainstream.
Unfortunately, many of these films are full of sex and language that we’re not comfortable with.
