Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

Are Daily Devotions Just Another Thing to Check Off Your List?

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Our daughters are at a teen retreat with their church youth group this week. On Sunday afternoon, they were busy doing laundry and packing for the trip.

I’ve noticed that one of them shares my list-making gene; whenever she travels, she makes a list of all that she needs to pack ahead of time. (I actually don’t ever make a packing list, but I do make lists for almost everything else! The one I’m currently working on is what this particular daughter needs for a first-aid/medical kit for college. Exciting stuff…)

It’s so satisfying for me to check the box or cross off items on a list. And unfortunately, sometimes that’s how I feel about spiritual disciplines…things like Bible reading, prayer time, Scripture memory, etc.

It’s like, “Okay, I have to get this done, then I can move on with my day.” Perhaps subconsciously I even think, “God will like me better and bless my day more if I’ve done these certain things.”

Do you ever feel that way? Maybe it’s because my personality tends to be performance-based. I feel that I’m loved when I’m “good,” when I perform in the way that’s expected of me.

Regardless, the following paragraph really resonated with me. I read it in the book The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman.

“Practicing a spiritual discipline is not about trying to earn something, prove something, or win. Practicing a spiritual discipline is more about receiving power to live in the kingdom. It’s about being aware of the presence of God and putting myself there on purpose so that my character might be transformed. It’s about training my mind and my will to practice what my heart deeply believes…It’s about becoming the person I already am in Christ.”

Our purpose in spending time with Jesus each day is not to check a box or make us feel better about ourselves. It’s to know God better and to grow to be more like Jesus. I don’t want to look at it as a “have-to in order to get God’s favor” but a “get-to because fellowship with my Savior is sweet.”

I like that she uses the phrase “training my mind and my will.” We won’t always jump out of bed and be ready to dive right into God’s Word. But as we establish a habit of spending time with Him, it can become an integral part of our day.

But just because I have that daily habit doesn’t mean I’m a spiritual giant for the rest of the day. Sometimes I can get up from reading my Bible and praying and five minutes later I’m frustrated with my husband and annoyed with my kids and I think, “Well, what good did that do me? I’m still the same person that I was before.”

That’s when we have to remember that spiritual growth is a process. It’s just like when we bury a seed in the ground and wait and wait and wait for just a small sliver of green to poke through. Sometimes we grow very, very slowly. But if we’re allowing the Holy Spirit to cultivate our hearts, we can rest in knowing that “…He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.“

Since I read Emily’s quote last week, I’ve been trying to approach my time with the Lord a little differently. Instead of making it about me and getting it done, I want to make it about Him. It’s not a task to be accomplished, but a quieting of my heart and a seeking of what He would have me to learn about Him today.

Related posts:

Saturday Salutes ~ Your Personal Growth, Emotional Teens, and a Yummy Brownie Recipe

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Hard to believe another week of July is behind us! It’s the height of summer heat and humidity here in South Carolina. Beyond the air conditioning, it’s all about the cut-up watermelon in the fridge, smoothies in our Ninja blender (still my favorite blender ever!) and ice cream in the freezer.

Hope you’re beating the heat wherever you are! Here are some helpful posts I’ve read this week.

Courtney reminds us This I Know – God is for You!

Ayanna tells us Why Personal Growth Should Not Be Optional.

Tricia tells us What You Really Need to Know About Emotional Teens.

We’re reminded to make the most of our summer in The Mid-Summer Happiness Hustle.

My younger daughter’s been cooking again (yay!) and this Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne was another winner!

And then…these S’mores Poke Brownies…all I can say is that it’s a good thing she only has time to bake during the summer or I’d be seriously on a sugar high all the time! I’m not even a fan of marshmallows, but these were SO good.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

(This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. All opinions expressed are my own.)

Six Tips for Helping Our Children Handle Disappointment

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Here’s a scenario that’s happened at our house on more than occasion.  Maybe you can relate…

One of our daughters had been looking forward to something for weeks.  We got news at the last minute that it wasn’t going to work out like she’d hoped.  Actually, my husband and I knew first, and I DREADED telling her.  I knew how disappointed she was going to be.  And what if she cried???  I’m not one to cry easily, and neither are my girls, so when there are tears involved, my heart just melts.

She took it like a champ, and in the end, it all worked out okay.  But that wasn’t the first time – and certainly wasn’t the last – that she’d receive disappointing news.  Maybe our daughter won’t get the job or the invitation or the scholarship or the guy.

That particular day, I was able to share with her a disappointment that I’d experienced…because haven’t we all had our share of those moments?  Whether it’s missing an event you’ve looked forward to or not receiving something you expected to get, we’ve all known what it’s like to feel disappointment.

No one likes to be disappointed.  But learning to accept and deal with it is part of life.  And since we know that our children will face disappointment, it’s helpful if we can give them strategies for handling it.

The following is a quote by Thomas Monson.

The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility.

I don’t know that I’m at the point of facing disappointment with cheerfulness, but that’s a great goal to have!  Here are six tips I try to remember when walking our children through a disappointment since even our older kids get disappointed at times.

Check out these six ideas parents can use to help their kids when they face disappointments.

1.  Empathize.  Don’t just brush off their disappointment as no big deal.  Take time to acknowledge their feelings.  Show compassion for the situation, and let them know that you’ve suffered disappointments, too.

2.  Remind them that God knows all about it.  Gently remind them that God is in control, and has allowed this to happen.  We know that God loves us and only wants what’s best for us, so we can trust that it is in His good plans for us.

Do this on an age-appropriate level; it will likely be a shorter conversation with younger kids.  Since my daughters are teenagers, we can really get into a discussion on this – and I did with a daughter who recently faced disappointment.  Let your child know that we can talk to God about this disappointment, and hopefully see it as a way God is growing our trust in Him.

3.  Allow some time to grieve the disappointment.  I’m not talking about whining and pouting or allowing it to drag on for hours.  But even as an adult, I need a few minutes to adjust my thinking and try to get back into a positive mindset when I’ve had a sudden change of plans or gotten disappointing news.  Taking a little while to reframe the situation and adjust our attitudes is helpful.

4.  Think of something new to anticipate.  Part of maturing is learning to bounce back from disappointments.  Once they’ve had a little time to grieve, help them think of something else to look forward to.

With younger children, maybe there’s a distraction, or something fun you can do instead.  Take the focus off of the current situation and begin to look forward to another outing, activity, etc.  Or a good strategy for any situation is to come up with a list of things to be grateful for.

5.  Set a good example.  When you suffer a disappointment, deal with it as you would want your children to do.  Seeing how you handle these situations can help your children as well.

6.  Don’t try to shield your child from ever feeling disappointed.  Disappointment is a fact of life.  We’ll all experience it on multiple occasions.  Helping your child learn to deal with it well will help them as they go through life.  I’d rather them learn now how to handle it rather than have to do it by themselves when they’ve left our home.

Going through disappointments helps our children realize that there are things in life that can be changed and there are those that can’t.  And here’s where my dad’s wise, age-old advice comes in handy.

Attitude is everything.

Adjusting our attitude as we manage our disappointments gives us the capacity to live life greatly!

Do you have other suggestions for handling disappointment?

Related posts:

Before You Go Ahead, Turn Around and See

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Photographs.

Having just finished our oldest daughter’s senior year of high school, we’ve taken lots of them over the past year. From the last first day of school in August to the reception after graduation in May, the past year is well documented on my cell phone!

We typically take pictures because we want to remember something about that moment in time. It could be the people that were there, the place where we were, what we were doing right then, or a combination of all three.

Pictures are a brief glance at that particular moment in life. And by the way, few people know what’s going on behind the smiles. Maybe it was a wonderful, memory-filled vacation…or maybe it was the one minute of the whole trip when the kids weren’t bickering back and forth!

Hopefully, we all have some spiritual memories as well, times in our lives we can look back on and say, “Thank God for how He worked in that situation.” Or “I wasn’t sure how that need was going to be met, but God was faithful.”

How often in the Old Testament we see God commanding His people to remember what He has done for them in the past. Not only was He to receive glory for His mighty acts, but it was also to encourage them for the future.

The Israelites getting ready to fight against the Canaanites and take over the Promised Land needed to remember how God had mightily redeemed them out of Egypt. That reminder of God’s power and faithfulness was to encourage them in their current struggle.

In Psalm 105, King David reminds His readers of God’s covenant with the Israelites. He takes us all the way back to Abraham, through Jacob and Joseph, and describes His deliverance of His people from Egypt.

In verse 105, we read, “Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth…”

Whatever trial you or I are in today, recalling God’s hand at work in our past will give us the faith to go on. How helpful and encouraging it can be to mindfully pause in our day with the purpose of recalling God’s faithfulness. Psalm 77:12 says, “I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.”

These thoughts were actually inspired by the song Turn Around and See written by Heather Sorenson. Here are the words to the first verse and chorus.

You followed God’s hand, but you’re not where you had planned.
You stumbled in the place you were sure that you could stand.
So you press toward the goal, giving God control,
but the path is all uphill, and it seems you’re standing still.

But turn around and see!
Look what God has done:
Redeeming ev’ry scar to the image of His Son.
The battles you have fought are the vict’ries He has bought.
Though there’re many miles to go, and the journey seems so slow,
don’t lose faith down here below.
Just turn around and see.

You can listen to the song here.

We don’t want to dwell in the past. But looking back and recalling God’s faithfulness can give us the courage we need to live today.

Related posts:

Saturday Salutes ~ Prayers for Direction, July 4th Decorating, and Books I Read in June

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Jennifer shares 10 Verses to Pray for God’s Direction.

Anna gives us 5 Bad Habits to Avoid This Summer.

I pinned Christy’s Seven Tips for Helping Your Adult Kids Through Struggles so I could refer back to it in a few years.

Kathy has cute ideas for Quick and Easy Fourth of July Decorating.

Our younger daughter made this Parmesan Crusted Steak and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner for us a few weeks ago, and it was delicious! I made it again last week, but substituted fresh green beans for the asparagus since my husband doesn’t like asparagus.

This week she baked Death by Oreo Cupcakes and they were very tasty, too!

I read a little more than usual this month, thanks to our cruise vacation! Four of the books were non-fiction reads.

The Proximity Principle by Ken Coleman had valuable, practical advice for putting yourself in a position to grow and develop your career and find the job you want.

I read The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman on my Hoopla app for free. Even before I finished it, I ordered the hardcover edition from Amazon. I rarely buy physical books anymore, but I found myself wanting to underline things and make notes all through the book. I’m now reading it through again. If you’re facing any decisions – or think you will be in the near future – I highly recommend this book.

Loving My Actual Neighbor by Alexandra Kuykendall centered on seven practical ways we can be a neighbor to the people right around us.

The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede is an account of what happened in this small town when a number of planes were diverted to its airport due to US air space being closed on September 11, 2001. I had never thought about the effect of 9/11 on flights headed to the United States that had to be redirected due to our air space being shut down. This was an interesting book that followed the stories of a number of passengers on those flights.

I also read three fiction books.

I think I’ve read – and enjoyed – all of Katherine Reay’s books, and her latest, The Printed Letter Bookshop, might be one of my favorites.

Mismatched by Chautona Havig is the second book in The Agency Files series. I think I liked it better than the first one!

Once I got into Drummer in the Dark by T. Davis Bunn, I realized I’d read it a long time ago. However, I didn’t remember how it ended, so I read the whole thing again!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

(This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small percentage from any sales.  This does not affect your price in any way.)

10 Tips for a Successful Summer with Kids

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While our weather here feels like it’s been summer for a while, I realize the actual season just began last week! Our family is at the point where it feels like we’re actually in summer rather than “just-finished-school” mode.

Summer looks different when your kids are working and driving themselves wherever they want to go. I’m not required to be as hands-on with them as in previous years, but we’re definitely on a different schedule and I have to be a lot more flexible with my time.

How well I remember the days with littles and trying to get something “profitable” done around the house, yet wanting to spend time with our children, too.

None of us can do it all, but I know that as moms we want to make sure we’re fitting in some special family time during these summer months. This list of ten things might help us focus on creating those moments – and they can apply whether we have toddlers or teens!

1. Make a memory.

Not every day, maybe not even every week, but try to think of ways to make a memory with your kids. This could be small, like a trip to a new-to-you ice cream shop or a different playground. Blow bubbles in the park or stock up on glowsticks at a dollar store and play hide-and-seek in the dark.

2. Establish a tradition.

This could actually tie into number one if you wanted it to! Make homemade ice cream every weekend or have build your-own-pizza night on Fridays. Take an after-dinner walk or bike ride in the neighborhood on Tuesdays or organize family game nights on Saturday.

3. Let go of something.

Perhaps Wednesday is laundry day, but your kids are asking for you to play with them. It’s okay to step outside of the routine once in awhile. Give yourself a break. Let go of the regularly scheduled programming and try something different. Maybe lighten up the bedtime routine for the summer or decide to make only simple suppers on weeknights.

4. Be outside.

South Carolina summers are HOT and HUMID. I’m not naturally an outdoorsy girl anyway and pretty much avoid staying outside during the day. But I know my mood is better when I can spend time outside.

Early mornings or late evenings aren’t so bad for a walk or bike ride with the family. If you like to garden, get out and plant flowers or vegetables with your kids.

5. Do something for someone else.

Make a card or art project to send to a grandparent. Bake cookies for a Sunday School teacher. See if a neighbor needs help with their yard or housework.

6. Eat seasonal and local foods.

We eat lots of watermelon at our house in June and July! And I’ve already mentioned ice cream at least twice in this post, but it’s a summer favorite here.

7. Play in water.

We’ve had many kiddie pools over the years! Let your children run through the sprinkler, paint the house (or playset or shed or driveway) with water, or wash the car or their bikes. If you’re near the lake or the beach, that makes it easy!

8. Give extra hugs and kisses.

if your kids are normally in school all day, you now have them at home a LOT more than usual. My teenagers may not appreciate me giving random hugs and kisses, but I can still maneuver around for a side hug or back rub.

9. Work together.

This is probably not going to sound fun to the family, but tackling a project together can be profitable in more ways than one. Clean out the garage, build something, or organize the playroom. You can offer a reward at the end, or just let the satisfaction of a job well done be enough.

10. Pass along truth.

Choose a verse or brief Scripture passage to memorize and study this summer. Read a new Bible storybook with younger kids or find a new devotional one for older kids. We enjoyed books like Wisdom and the Millers (and other books in this series) and Those Kids in Proverbsville. These had stories that were like parables and taught character-building lessons.

While some summer days drag by, the first day of school will be here before we know it. Let’s plan a few things today that will help us when we look back to count this as a successful summer.

Related posts:

Saturday Salutes ~ College Good-Bye’s, Generous People, and Books for Boys

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It’s been a week since we returned home from our cruise vacation. I already shared pictures on Instagram, but here’s a brief recap.

We sailed from Miami for seven nights on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. We stopped in Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; Cozumel, Mexico; and at Cococay, which is Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.

Walking a nature trail in Honduras
On a nature walk in Honduras

This was our “family vacation/oldest daughter’s graduation/milestone birthday for my husband and me this year” trip. Lots of firsts ~ I ziplined (the others had done it before), we interacted with dolphins at Dolphinaris in Cozumel, the rest of the family tried paddleboarding, and we all rode jet skis.

We rode bikes to a little village in Costa Maya

We didn’t pay for the Internet package onboard, so we were unplugged all week. It was great!

Morning view in Miami before we got off the ship

Now for some helpful posts I found recently!

Going to need Beth’s advice in a few months! She shares How to Tell Your Daughter Goodbye at College.

I love the story Dave shares in Generous People Make Me Smile.

Sarah asks Who Else Wants to Break Up with Comparison?

Jennifer lists 20 Books to Capture the Imagination of the Boys in Your Life.

Julie has a practical list of 62 Things to Declutter That You’ll Never Miss.

It’s been back to real life here this past week. I even made our hotel reservations for the weekend we drop our daughter off at college in August (sadness!!)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

5 Unexpected “gods” We Might Be Worshiping Today

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Sometimes when I’m reading my Bible, a particular word will stand out. A verse I recently studied made me want to dig in and get a better understanding of the word “strange.”

As I looked at the definition, one synonym that came up was “foreign.” Last week on our Western Caribbean cruise, my family and I were in the foreign countries of Honduras and Mexico.

Almost everyone we encountered spoke English, but I was reminded of how intimidating it must be to enter a country where you can’t easily communicate with people. That would have to be frustrating and even scary!

Psalm 81:9 is the verse where the word “strange” caught my attention. God is talking to Israel, and He says,

“There shall no strange god be in thee: neither shalt thou worship any strange god.”

Sounds like a repeat of one of the ten commandments, doesn’t it?

In this case, strange means alien or false. God is referring to those gods who were worshiped by foreign nations.

God is telling the Israelites to display absolute fidelity to Jehovah. And while we may not directly be part of that group, I believe God still calls us to worship and serve Himself only.

While we likely don’t bow before a carved statue, I think we’d all agree that there are other gods that can take precedence in our lives. The typical ones we think of might be money, material possessions, fame, and power.

And while I’m certainly prone to worshiping those, I came up with a list of other gods that I think I’m more tempted by on a regular basis. See if any of these might be present in your life.

1. The god of what other people think

I started off with one that can be so easily become part of my thought process! How we or our families are perceived by others can sometimes move us in a direction we shouldn’t go.

On the other hand, we can even choose to do “good” things with a wrong motive. Maybe we serve in a particular ministry at church so that people will see us and think we’re a good Christian.

God knows our hearts, and our calling is to do what He leads us to do in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. We can fall into worshiping another “god” when we look to people for our approval and fulfillment rather than to God.

“The greatest prison people live in is the fear of what other people think.” ~David Icke

2. The god of trusting in myself

This can happen in good times or in difficult ones. We can think that we’re capable of handling whatever comes. And when we’re successful, we decide to just rely on ourselves to keep getting the job done.

But looking to God and seeking His strength and wisdom is the only way to accomplish anything.

“I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” ~John 15:5

3. The god of my own desires

If you read a few verses further in Psalm 89, you’ll see that verse 12 says, “So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.”

God goes on to detail the blessings He would have given the Israelites if they had just listened to Him and followed His commands. When we seek to align our desires with His, rather than plunge ahead on our own, we will be open to receiving those blessings He has in store for us.

This is also a good reminder to always seek God’s desires rather than insist on our own way. Psalm 106:15, also referring to the Israelites, says that God “…gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” We don’t want to pay that cost to get our own way.

4. The god of apathy

When I’m not interested in growing in my spiritual walk or unconcerned about the needs of others, this god might be present in my life.

You probably know the passage in Revelation 3 where God tells the church of Laodicea that because they are lukewarm in their works for Him, He will spit them out of His mouth. I know none of us want to be classified that way!

I love Paul’s encouragement in 1 Corinthians 9:24. “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” Stay connected to God through His Word and prayer, and be enthusiastic about serving Him.

5. The god of self-righteousness

I suppose this could be called good ol’ fashioned pride. I find myself worshiping this god way too often. The Bible has plenty of verses condemning pride, but James 4:6 is one I try to remember.

“…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.“

I don’t want God to resist me, so I have to continually remove the god of self-righteousness from my life, and see myself as one who’s been saved by grace and needs more of His grace every single day.

Do you worship any of these gods? I’m sure there are other gods in our lives that can draw us away from a full-focused worship of our Savior. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom and insight to help us keep strange gods out of our lives.

Related posts:

Past, Present, and Future: God’s Faithfulness to Us

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I’m on a bit of a blogging break, but wanted to share a few highlights from the last week and a truth about God that never fails to encourage me.

Our oldest daughter graduated from high school last Friday night.

It was a wonderful ceremony! On Saturday, we had a combined graduation party with several of her friends and enjoyed spending time with those who came to celebrate with us.

[And because we needed a little more excitement, our younger daughter took her driving test on Monday and got her driver’s license. I find that hard to believe, too. My “baby” can now drive a car by herself!!]

I was actually less emotional during graduation than I thought I’d be. Although my purse was packed with extra tissues, I didn’t really need them. My teariest moment actually came Friday morning.

Every day when she drove to school, she would text me to let me know they’d arrived safely. It was usually just the word “here.” (She can be a woman of few words.)

On Friday, the last day of school, she texted “here” but added a red heart emoji afterward. At that point, I realized that it was the last time I’d get that particular text from her. Her days of driving to high school were over. That was my saddest moment of the whole weekend!!

As Valedictorian of the class, she gave a speech at graduation. She included the following Bible verse.

She related it to God’s faithfulness as He guides and directs each one of her classmates into His next step for their lives. But I was blessed as I considered God’s faithfulness to me.

He’s been faithful in the past.

God has brought me through every trial. Not only has He brought me through, but I’ve grown stronger in my Christian walk and been drawn closer to Him.

Whether at 18 months or 16-years-old, He was faithful to guide us in parenting that sweet graduate you see pictured above through some tough times. We didn’t do it perfectly and often totally failed, but God was faithful to give grace and wisdom – and to work in her heart as well.

He is faithful in the present.

We can step into today knowing God’s faithfulness has not changed. Whatever the current challenge is, His promises are still true. His grace is sufficient [2 Corinthians 12:9] and His thoughts toward us are precious. [Psalm 139:17]

He will be faithful in the future.

This is a whole new season of life I’m about to enter. And I can be tempted to think I’m going to have to get through this big change by myself.

But I would be wrong. God will never leave me nor forsake me. [Hebrews 13:5] He never changes. [Malachi 3:6]

And it doesn’t depend on us.

“If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” 2 Timothy 2:13

The ultimate fulfillment of His faithfulness will be our home in heaven one day. How we can look forward to that!!

Now our family is off on a celebratory vacation. Time to enjoy reading new books, eating good food, and soaking up lots of (unplugged!!) family time.

5 Ways to Make the Most of This Summer

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*I originally published this post three years ago.  We no longer have an official summer learning program (although our rising high school junior will be working on algebra/geometry and Spanish on her own this summer).

And while I’m working on a reading list for her as well, it definitely looks different for her at 16.

However, I need to keep these five things top of mind this summer just as much as I did back then!*

The countdown is on!

We are wholeheartedly looking forward to the end of the school year.  Just a few more days to go!

I’ve created a summer learning program and written out reading lists for my girls.  But I know that within the first week, things can take a turn for the worse!  Settling into a different routine and figuring out how best to spend our less-regulated days can take a little getting used to.

As the summer progresses, I’m hoping to remind myself often of these five ways to make the most of these few months.  When school starts again in late August, I want us to look back over a summer in which we’ll have created new memories and enjoyed the time we had together.

1.  Realize that our children will never be this age again.  This is the only summer ever that I’ll have a 13-year-old daughter and a 15-year-old daughter living in our house.  We’ll be spending a lot more hours of our day together than we have over the past nine months, so I want to enjoy what they’re enjoying in this season.  I also want to seize opportunities to teach them things they need to learn at these ages.  I can encourage and appreciate their individuality and try to help them develop the strengths God has given them.

2.  Understand that our days will not all unfold exactly as we planned.  We all know I’m a planner; I love a schedule!  But summer has a way of throwing a wrench in my well-thought-out plans.  It might involve bad weather, someone getting sick, or friends canceling a get-together.  I’m hoping that I’ll see these disruptions as God’s hand at work and move on to plan B without too many issues!

3.  Consciously choose our attitude each day. This especially comes into play when #2 happens! I can be grumpy about having to drive the girls somewhere on days I want to stay home.  I can go off like a firecracker when they start arguing.  I can wish that we’d made different plans for the summer.  Or, I can choose joy and gratitude, and try to pass those feelings on to them.

4.  Include what works for our family, not anyone else’s.  Maybe friends are doing crafts every day or going to really cool camps or having family campouts out in the backyard.  (I’m allergic to tents 😉 Those are all good, fun things, but they may not be what our family enjoys or what fits into our lifestyle.  We like backyard badminton and cornhole; homemade ice cream in our simple Cuisinart ice cream maker; a family game night; an after-supper trip to Dairy Queen; or watching reruns of old TV shows.  You do what works for your family without comparing it to what others are doing.

5.  Know that God has something He wants to teach us each and every day.  Whether it’s patience or forgiveness or grace, I want to be more like Him when this summer is over.  Sometimes I struggle with being faithful in my Bible study and prayer time when our regular schedule is disrupted.  I don’t want that to be the case this summer.  In fact, I’m hoping that doing a devotional with our daughters will keep us accountable to each other!

Whenever you begin your summer break, I hope that this season will be a wonderful time for you and your family!  Let me know if you have other ideas I should include to help make the most of our summers.