Girls To Grow

Nurturing moms in their walk with God

It’s Back to School – And Not

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“Back-to-school” season has long been one of my favorite times of the year.  As a student, I enjoyed the learning and social environment of school and was ready to return to the routine after the haphazard days of summer.  As a parent, I’ve entered into my children’s excitement over new backpacks and tennis shoes, reunions with classmates, and their anticipation of new achievements.

After months of prayer and much discussion, my husband and I made the decision to homeschool our daughters for this school year.  Once we finalized our plans a few weeks ago, we got busy ordering curriculum, reorienting the playroom into more of a school room, and generally preparing ourselves for this new phase of life.

It feels like most of the major decisions have been made and we are all very excited about beginning this adventure!  I think “adventure” is an appropriate word for this undertaking; the first definition I found for that word is “an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity.”  So I anticipate homeschooling will be – unusual some days, hazardous on others, and all told, an exciting experience for our family. 

While I won’t turn this into a homeschooling blog, I will share some of the things that happen on this journey.  Through other blogs, I am finding a wonderful homeschooling community online.  I look forward to learning from them, as well as from “real-life” friends who are already on this path. For now, we’ve committed to one year of homeschooling and will simply wait and see how the months ahead of us unfold.

Next Monday, August 22nd, will be our first day of school.  For those of you who are veteran homeschoolers, feel free to share any wisdom you’ve gained from your experience.

Let the adventure begin!

Good Night

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Bedtime at our house is more than a specific hour of the day.
 

It’s an event which involves….
  • book reading
  • prayer praying
  • song singing
  • hug giving
  • back scratching
  • cheek kissing
  • “I love you” saying

Those “I love you’s” follow me out of the room.  It sounds like an old episode of the Waltons as the eight-year-old calls out to her dad, then loud whispers ensue as our girls bid each other good night.

And as welcome as the quiet is when the noise dies down, I know that some day, silence is all that will be left.

So I’ll call back just one more time….

I love you, and good night.

Grandparents

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Grandparents who pass along a Godly heritage to their grandchildren are a priceless blessing.  Our daughters have grandparents who cover them in prayer, share spiritual wisdom, and invest in their lives in any way possible.

 
Next week, our daughters will be spending several days by themselves with my parents.  The excitement level at our house is very high right now! 

The things that our children look forward to at their grandparents’ house are simple, yet special, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

  • Individual time with Grandmama which involves a trip to the library, a free cookie from the grocery store bakery and a stop at the dollar store
  • Made-up stories from Granddaddy about a “floppy-eared mule”
  • Shelves of old children’s books in an upstairs bedroom with comfy seating
  • Small rag dolls with their own wardrobe for clothes and accessories
  • A special treat under their pillow on the first and last nights of their stay
  • Grandmama reading bedtime stories
  • Pizza for lunch on Fridays
  • Window shopping in a toy store and riding a kiddie train at an upscale mall
  • Taking pictures and recording video on old cell phones that Grandmama saved for them
  • Attending Granddaddy’s and Grandmama’s church and riding the bus home afterwards

As parents, we love people who love our children.  When they’re related to you as well?  How sweet it is!

Are your children able to spend time with their grandparents?  Are there certain things they enjoy doing together?

She Puts Me to Shame

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Have the actions of one of your children ever put you to shame?

One day last week we were leaving the house to take a meal to a friend who’d recently had surgery.  We were planning to stop at the grocery store on the way, and my eight-year-old asked  if she could bring some money with her.  Wondering what candy or other treat she was planning on purchasing, I asked why.  Her response?  She wanted to buy flowers for the lady. 

I must admit that the first words that came to mind were, “Is that really how you want to spend your money?”  Thankfully, I paused long enough to instead ask calmly, “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

When she responded positively, I told her to bring her money along.

She chose a bouquet of red roses (making good use of her money by choosing ones that were were on sale) and delivered them herself along with a handmade card. 

I hope that her thoughtful and generous nature reminds me to think less of myself and more of others.  While meeting a person’s needs by supplying necessities, may I also take the time to think of the little “extras” that might brighten some one’s day.

Forever Changed

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This is the third in a series of open letters to some who have touched my life.

Dear Daughters,

I am undeserving of the gracious gifts I was given when you entered our lives.  Each birth forever changed me, enlarged my heart.

Becoming a mother revealed my capacity for love – as well as my many inadequacies.  Yet you overlook my glaring faults and pronounce me the best mom ever.  I seek to be worthy of the love and esteem you show. 

You’ve opened my eyes to new delights in life, to moments that need to be savored and enjoyed. The joy you have given us as your parents is immeasurable. 

My greatest desire is that you both grow to be women of faith who love and serve their Saviour.  Thank you for the choices you are making now to do right.

I look forward to each new season of life, to watching you blossom and grow.  One day, should the Lord allow it, I will look up and find that my precious daughters have become my dearest friends.

With love,

Mom

Pleasure, Rest & Relaxation

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Vacation (noun):  A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation.

We were on vacation last week at one of my favorite places in the world – the mountains of Tennessee.

We explored old churches and graveyards….

waded in a cool mountain stream, just above a small waterfall….

spent hours playing with cousins….

and had a few quiet moments to ourselves.

It was wonderfully refreshing!!

Do you have vacation plans for the summer?

Before I Was a Mom

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Before I was a mom, I….

  • wore dry-clean-only clothes
  • put on makeup every day
  • went to lunch at restaurants with fancy-sounding names
  • ate slowly and savored my food
  • could fit everything for a weekend trip into a small corner of the trunk
  • did minor amounts of laundry
  • could shop all day
  • had clean, non-fingerprinted glass doors and windows
  • knew all there was to know about parenting
  • thought time passed slowly
  • prayed repeatedly, asking God to give me a child

Before I was a mom, I never….

  • shopped at Gymboree or The Children’s Place
  • ate at Chuck E. Cheese
  • knew the location of every restroom in stores I frequent
  • looked for restaurants that offer “Kids Eat Free” night
  • tiptoed through the house
  • took so many pictures
  • realized how much diapers, bicycles and piano lessons cost
  • understood the joy that came from a spontaneous kiss and an “I love you” before my child dashed off to play
  • feared so many evils in the world
  • saw myself, complete with good traits and bad, reflected before my eyes
  • felt such a responsibility toward another human being
  • knew how grateful I would be for God’s precious gift of children

[I will return to my series of open letters next Tuesday.  In the meantime, I am enjoying some “mom moments” with my family, so am sharing this post originally published on August 12, 2009.]

Summer Learning Program 2011

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Summer is nearly upon us!  As I’ve done for the past two years, I created a summer learning program for our daughters.  This gives a sense of structure to our days and allows our children to study topics they’re interested in.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided what subjects they wanted to include and I assigned each one to a particular week.  Once we begin, we typically visit the library every Monday and check out books related to our theme.  I try to incorporate an activity and an outing each week as well.

We chose Washington, D.C., as one of our themes as we are planning to travel there in the fall.  (I realize that a baseball game is not necessarily associated with Washington, D.C,  but since that theme will fall during the week of July 4th, we always attend a minor league ball game around the holiday.)

There are more than six weeks in our summer, but with a vacation in the mountains, Vacation Bible School, one of the girls attending basketball camp, and a trip to visit family in Virginia, that’s about the number of weeks we’ll have for our program.

Week 1 Theme – Authors
Books:  Biographies of famous authors
Activity: Have each child make her own book, including a brief story and illustrations.
Outing: Visit bookstore.
Bible Memory Verse: Joshua 1:8

Week 2 Theme – Washington, D.C.
Books:  Read about history of the city as well as popular sights and monuments.
Activity:  Have each child write a list of five must-see attractions.
Outing: Baseball game
Bible Memory Verse:  I Timothy 2:1-2

Week 3 Theme – Planets
Books:  Outer space, planets
Activity:  Make model of solar system.
Outing:  Nighttime stargazing
Bible Memory Verse: Psalm 8:3-4

Week 4 Theme – Europe

Books: Countries in Europe
Activity:  Color and label a map of Europe.
Outing:  Visit European-style snack bar downtown.
Bible Memory Verse: Proverbs 14:34
Week 5 Theme – Vietnam War
Books:  History of Vietnam War, battles and generals
Activity:  Mark map of Vietnam with major conflicts.
Outing:  Visit Vietnam War Memorial on trip to Washington, D.C.

Bible Memory Verse:  II Timothy 2:3-4

Week 6 Theme – Horses
Books:  Horse breeds, training and riding horses
Activity:  Choose a famous horse from the past to study.
Outing:  Horse-drawn carriage ride downtown
Bible Memory Verse:  James 3:3-5

The following will also be included in our daily learning time:

  • piano practice
  • complete a page from a critical thinking skills workbook
  • English and/or Math review worksheet (Both girls have some leftover workbook pages from the school year.  Once those are gone, I will print appropriate grade-level worksheets from online resources.)
  • typing practice  (I plan to use freetypinggame.net.  It seemed to work pretty well last summer.)
  • foreign language practice (I still need to see if our library has anything we could use in this area.)

Click on the links to see my summer learning program for 2010 and summer learning program for 2009.

In case you wondered….yes, we still have plenty of time for fun during the summer!  We typically spend an hour to an hour and a half on this, leaving plenty of time for swimming, bike rides, board games and playing outside. 

Do you have any outings or other activities planned for summer?

Choose the Good

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Teaching our children to discern between good and evil is a mission we parents undertake from early childhood onward.  In Isaiah, we find this verse that gives some insight into instructing our children in this vital concept.

Isaiah 7:15 says, “Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.”

How do we teach our children to “refuse the evil and choose the good?” Is it by showing them what is wrong and helping them learn to stay away from it? No, quite the contrary. It is by exposing them to all that is right and wholesome so that they will be drawn to those attributes.  Just as with the honey, we want them to develop a taste for the good things, that they might then recognize and reject the bad.

Will there be times when we need to warn our children about the evil that may be inherent in specific situations? Certainly. But the majority of our time should be spent surrounding them with positive experiences that will shape their perception of right and wrong and then instill in them the strength of character to follow that which is good.

10 Easy Bible Verses for Children to Memorize

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Do you remember learning Bible verses as a child?  Between my parents’ efforts, Sunday School, AWANA, and Vacation Bible School at our church, I memorized lots of Scripture when I was growing up.  How thankful I am now that I have those parts of God’s Word hidden in my heart!

As Christian moms, we have the privilege of teaching our children truths from the Bible beginning when they’re very young. It’s amazing how easily they can memorize Bible verses, even before they’re school-age! The small amount of effort it takes can yield lifelong spiritual benefits.

The ten easy Bible verses below are simple enough for toddlers and preschool children to memorize, but each one contains a powerful truth.

Check out this list of ten easy Bible verses that even very young children can memorize. Each one is short and easy to understand!

1. Ephesians 6:1. “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.”  

Learning to obey parents is a child’s primary responsibility, and here is the Biblical basis for it.

2. Genesis 1:1. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  

Children typically love nature in all its forms, and this verse teaches them how it all began. Memorizing this verse opens up opportunities to tell them about our Creator.

3. Psalm 56:3. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.”  

Fear can rob our children of peace, but learning to trust God for safety and protection is an enduring blessing.

4. Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  

A child can begin to understand the power we have in Christ when we learn to rely on Him. This verse easily applies to situations they may face as children.

5. Romans 10:13. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  

This is as simple as the plan of salvation can get.

6. I John 4:19. “We love Him, because He first loved us.”  

Here’s an initial introduction to God’s great love for us. Realizing as a young child how much they are loved by God is a fabulous foundation for a healthy spiritual walk.

 7. Psalm 119:105. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  

Relying on God’s Word for direction can save us all from many mistakes. This truth helps our kids see the value of reading and meditating on Scripture.

 8. Acts 16:31. “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”  

Here’s another basic verse about salvation.

 9. Proverbs 20:11. “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.”  

From this, a child can learn that his reputation is developed at a young age.

10. Psalm 34:13. “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”  

What a valuable first lesson on self-control when it comes to what we say! Whether it’s talking back to mom or calling a sibling unkind names or telling lies, we can refer back to this verse as we teach our children the power of our words.

When our daughters were younger, I tried to have a brief, structured time of memory verse practice each morning, often right after breakfast.  Working on this early in the day seemed to help it not get pushed aside by other activities later on.

Just as essential, however, is following the instruction of Deuteronomy 11:19 and talking about Scripture naturally as we go throughout our day. At bedtime, we would read through a good Bible storybook such as Bedtime Bible Story Book: 365 Read-Aloud Stories from the Bible. And it’s good to introduce them to using something similar to A Child’s First Bible for themselves – even if that just means they flip through it and look at the pictures for now!

I often used these 10 Ways to Help Your Child Memorize Scripture to help our own children – and those I work with in our church’s children’s programs – learn God’s Word.  As our daughters have gotten older, I’ve made new lists, such as these 8 Bible Verses for Girls to Memorize and 10 Bible Verses for Teens to Memorize to increase our children’s knowledge of the Bible.

Do you have a set time for teaching your children Bible verses? What other references would you add to this list?

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