For me, the ideal New Year’s Eve is one that is lighthearted, celebratory, and reflective. The reflection element is what sets it apart from all the other get togethers and with hours together waiting for the new year to arrive, it lends itself well to some deeper conversation. We chose this year to pick one question at a time and all take turns answering the same question. It would also work to have each person draw a different question. It’s all reflection. I’ve typically been drawn more to journaling my reflections and dreams for the upcoming year, and I’m still in the process of working that all out. But discussing…
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Ephesians 3:19 | Memory Verse Collection
I’ve already made about twenty lists to organize myself and my thoughts for the Christmas season: people to see and gifts to buy and cookies to bake and ornaments to make and menus to plan and blog posts to compose and cards to send, etc. I’ve already gone to the craft store far more times than one should and have spent far more time than I’d like perusing Amazon for the perfect toddler gifts. There’s been very little quiet and stillness and it actually has nothing to do with the fact that we have a two year old in our midst. My mind just grows exceptionally chaotic this time of…
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Free Christmas Cards Printable
My Christmas memories involve a lot of creating and crafting. It felt as if our dining room table was just as frequently a crafting table as it was a place for eating. It was often covered in pine cones and jingle bells and cinnamon cutout ornaments and ribbon. I look back on it all pretty fondly now. We would create amongst ourselves all season long, but it was also something we would casually invite friends to join us in because while cookie decorating is fun, one can only consume so many of those. All of this is simply to say that creativity has become deeply entwined in the way that…
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8 Prayers to Pray with Little Ones
The habit of prayer is something that I’ve been striving to better cultivate in my own life and that I wanted to invite Graham into as well. I value the way that prayer invites us to a place of gratitude and how it recenters us as we request that God work in our hearts and lives to make us more like Him. The prayers gathered here are rooted in these two particular aspects because I think they’re a solid starting foundation for introducing children to prayer. One of the greatest obstacles for me about instilling rhythms of prayer in my own life has been simply remembering to do it. Meal…
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Free Greeting Card Printable
Teaching Thoughtfulness Alongside Creativity As I shared in my thoughts On The Importance of Creativity, creativity does not need to always be about productivity. It’s about the process of creating and what that process does in us. And sometimes the focus on the end product can get in the way of that. That said, it also seems like a waste to have all of our children’s artwork sitting in piles around the house. And there’s only so much space on the refrigerator. There’s a sweetness to children’s art, as if their innocence somehow comes through even there. With my own child and the little one I nanny, we’re currently in…
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Lamentations 2:22-23 | Memory Verse Collection
Our memory verse for November is found in Lamentations 2:22-23: “The faithful love of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh every morning.” It seems appropriate that this month it would be a verse that focuses on abundance. That as we count our blessings, we would intentionally dwell in the abundance of God’s love and mercy. I find encouragement in the reminder of mercies anew each day because on the days that are hard and discouraging, it’s a welcome reminder of God’s ability to break the cycle of darkness and replace it with light. We carry around a lot of expectations…
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8 Playlists for Children (That Are Equally Pleasant for Adults)
I’m frequently searching for ways to better practice presence in each moment. One of the most helpful tools for me has been intentionally creating ambience. Ambience is about completely enveloping. It’s about creating backdrops for desired experiences. The ambience I often strive to create is one of calm and beauty that allows me to recognize the sacredness of ordinary moments. Music can serve us by ushering us deeper into these moments. It’s all rather magical. And also useful for someone who struggles to get out of their own head. Now—I have some feelings surrounding music for children. I can appreciate a proper dose of nonsense for the fun of it,…
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Free Alphabet Flashcards
Learning through play has become my preferred style of teaching for young ones and so at first the use of flashcards might seem a bit contrary. However, I don’t think that learning through play has to mean the exclusion of flashcards. There are plenty of ways incorporate flashcards to allow the learning to remain playful. During my time as a nanny and now as a mother, I was finding myself writing and rewriting letters on repeat for letter recognition activities, which don’t get me wrong, gets the job done just the same. But I was wearying from doing it over and over. In addition to that, I am always in…
