Happy Holiday Hostess!

I LOVE having friends over during the holidays. The next couple of days, I’ll be writing about the different kinds of company you might have, and give some hints that have worked for helping your children to enjoy this time as well.

If your company has children set aside a room where all the kids can play, and where it won’t dominate the adult visit.

Make sure the room is free of things that the kids might harm themselves on, and free of valuables that might accidentally be damaged.

The easiest room for this is a bedroom. Have handy extra pillows and sheets or towels for imaginary playing. (Plan on this room being very messy! It’s a small price to pay for an evening of fellowship.) Allow no food or drink in this room.

If there is a span between the ages, consider bartering for your oldest child’s babysitting services at your own home! (You don’t have to pay cash, they might be glad to get out of a chore for a week or to gain a privilege.) If their child is much older than yours, try the opposite, but I suggest providing real cash. (after all, you do want these friends to remain your friends.)

Great Games to occupy your kids while you enjoy adult conversation.

Hide and Seek! The kids have X amount of time to hide (5 minutes) then one adult (each taking turns) goes in to “find” them. So you’re checking on them while they play.

Coloring Contest! All kids like to be told how good they are at coloring. Provide crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers and coloring papers… They’ll have a ball and then give a snack for a prize… winner eats first!

Fake Sleepers! – This is great when the visit starts to get a little late and the kids are tired, but none of them wants to stop playing. Lay a blanket or sheet on the floor, or give each child their own bath towel. They have to lay so that they convince you that they are sleeping. The Best Fake Sleeper Wins!
In between adult conversation, you comment…”Oh, I see Jane’s wiggling; she’s not sleeping!”  until they all fall asleep – This works almost every time!! If they don’t all fall asleep all but one will… and that last one will sleep out of boredom.

Money, Money! Find the Money?! This is probably my all-time favorite! As kids we would wait in the play room (playing quietly), while the adults were hiding change in their room. (This always took a long time when we were kids… the adults would get into their conversations, and forget to hide the change.) And then when we could be contained no longer, they would call us out to find the change! – Great rule if you have variety of ages… bigger kids couldn’t find change that was below their knees… this left money for the smaller kids to find.

I think my Uncle Rich must have loaded my Aunt Cathy’s purse with change before they came for a visit… this would go on for quite some time, until the adults were out of change!

Have any games or activities that have worked great for you?? Share them in the comments!

Tomorrow’s Topic: Older company with No children!

Remember... don't forget!

Christmas! It's finally here, the Christmas Season! For me, there is such great nostalgia and sentiment wrapped up in the Christmas season.
There are so many things to do, and so many of them can be enjoyed even better with family and friends!
Look in your area for free concerts, or put all the kids in the car to view other houses' Christmas light displays. You can go to the mall, and just walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds!
There are so many ways to enjoy this Christmas, make sure that you take the time to make some new memories this year!
And while you're at it, don't forget to remember!
Remember people, there are some people that will not be with us this year, that were here last year. Now is a great time to talk about these souls, and to teach our children that it's good to remember and talk about loved ones that have gone. The more time you take to talk about these people the more embedded in your minds they will be. When your children are older, the memories that your children have will be the ones that you will help to cultivate now, help them remember!
Remember harder days. There's nothing better to put life in perspective, than our own comparison of our situation. There's something to be said of telling your children about the "good ol' days". But also remind them of some past Christmases that you might have had in their life time. As your children get older, it doesn't hurt them to know a little more of the reality of life, especially when they are in and past their teen year. By being able to share with them some of the struggles of your life, it will help them a few years down the road when they have some struggles of their own. If they are allowed to believe that it's all a bed or roses, they will think that they are alone in their hard times, and that you or others can't relate.
Remember how others gave. As you recall, it was not necessarily what they gave, but the way that they gave it. Usually, it's not the gift that makes the memory, but WHO it came from, or the story behind the giving! Remember these with your children! They will learn what is really important to you is their heart.

Thank You!

Gordon, Thank you for always standing for right, and for making hard choices! I find strength and security in you.

Diana, Thank you for being a being willing to serve God and for being a delight to me.

Grace, Thank you for choosing to obey, and for becoming a friend!

Caleb, Thank you for choosing to follow God, and for becoming a gentle man.

Stephanie, Thank you for your willingness and desire to please God and your dad and I.

Becca, Thank you for how you’re always willing to put down what you’re doing and help me.

An Attitude of Gratitude!

If any of you know my mother, there is one thing she cannot stand … I can hear her still, “If there’s one thing I can’t stand… It’s ingratitude!”

Gratitude is the opposite of pride.

Pride says, “I deserve this, it’s about time!”

Gratitude says, “I don’t deserve this. I’m humbled”
Pride says, “I’m entitled.”

Gratitude says, “I owe so much to so many.”

Encourage others around you to a spirit of gratitude, not by beating them over the head with it. Rather, by sharing what might be or what used to be compared to the way things are.

There is always something we can be thankful for. A roof, shoes, health, computers, education, freedom, Jesus Christ, church, friends, choices, the list goes on!

Be grateful today and every day! It is infectious! And there is no better trait that we can encourage in others that will make them happier personally, and better socially.

The GREAT DAY of Preparation!

Tomorrow is “crunch” day! If you haven’t bought it, or if you need to bake ahead, Tomorrow is your last chance!

For those of us who enjoy being in the kitchen, this Thursday is our ‘Super Bowl’!

Today I will spend getting the house ready for guests, giving the bathrooms a good cleaning, wiping out the shelves in the fridge, and making sure I have all serving bowl and platters. I’ll be going over the list of things to prepare so that if there has been anything forgotten, I can pick it up today! Today and tomorrow will be a great time to take special time with your child or children.

There are so many things that you have to do to prepare for this meal. And unless you’re an extreme perfectionist, you’ll admit that there are some things that your little one can help in preparing. It may be as simple as washing some vegetables that you’ll use, or counting the napkins. Or if they’re more mature, they can learn to use a knife and cut some vegetables or prepare a cheese tray. They can also help cleaning.

They can learn to be considerate of others by imagining themselves as Grandma using this restroom. What would she like to see? Or by thinking of their Uncle or other relative; where would they like to sit in the seating arrangement.  There are so many ways that you can draw each child in.

Remember that Holidays are about those we love. Take time today to share a personal moment with each member in your home. 

Slow Obedience is … No Obedience!

“Don’t make me come in there!”

“If I have to tell you one more time to ….”

How many times have you heard, or have you said these words yourself? Raising children is a constant vigilance to watch for habits that will not serve our kids well in their adult lives.

By allowing our kids to put off doing a task that we have asked them to do, we are teaching them many false ideas. First, they are learning that what we say is not truly that important. If it were that important we would make sure that they obeyed immediately. Second, we are allowing the habit of putting themselves and their wishes before someone else. Third, and most importantly we are not teaching them that “Slow Obedience is No Obedience”.

Realize that how we respond to our parents when we are young develops a pattern of how we will respond to outside authority and ultimately to God when we are adults. If they put us off, and wait until the very last moment to complete a task; they will be more inclined disregard the authority of a police officer or worse to do disregard God's commands.


I knew a woman used to count to 5. She would tell her daughter to do something, and then when she didn't obey immediately, she would say, "Don't make me count to 5." And then she would give the 5 count for her to comply.


This is not a good habit to allow. If your child heard your words, understood them, and has the power to fulfill the request. They should learn to immediately comply. Really, it makes it easier on you and them. The sooner they obey, the sooner they can get back to what they are doing. And you don't end up standing over them like police officer.


There may come a day when immediate obedience could save their life. If you tell your child to do or not to do something because of safety, but they are already in the habit of delaying to obey. What if it is in those few seconds that something disastrous happens?

It doesn’t take a blatant act of defiance to ruin everything. Sometimes, it only takes a delay to obey.

Please teach your child to obey, immediately, the authority that they have over them, whether it be a police officer, a teacher, or a babysitter. Teach your child that to obey is best for them! As much as our society likes to encourage free thinking and questioning authority, parents, teachers, etc. know more about life than children do, they can see more. And we need to teach our children to respond quickly to instruction.

Who's Coming to Dinner?!

The holidays are so full of tradition! Each of our families has different things that we enjoy.  Some families will have ham some will have turkey. My daughter Stephanie looks forward to the pumpkin pie. My husband looks forward to having real mashed potatoes instead of instant. My dad likes to have oysters in the stuffing. I have a nephew that is crazy about sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I like all of the food but I especially like the beginning of the music and decorations that accompany the entire holiday season.

You may be having family in, or you may be going to someone else’s house for your Thanksgiving tradition. But either way, we will all be visiting with people that we don’t get to see all the time.

Family is such a wonderful gift from God. Enjoy your family! Thanks God for them! Don’t major on your diversity. Rather, remember that your family is what helped to mold you to be the adult that you are today. Remember that each person is special to God, and that each person has some distinctive trait that defines them.

 You’ll have few friends that will stick by you to the end of your years. But your family will always be there. Cultivate the love and friendship that accompanies the knowledge that anyone can be your friend, but not just anyone can be called family.