SCRABBLE!

Scrabble, Anyone?

One thing I remember was that my Mom would usually find the time during holidays to play games with us kids. Now there were 4 of us, and she probably didn’t have much spare time. And maybe she played games with us throughout the year, but I remember it mostly during the holidays.

She liked scrabble best. She was good with words, she liked to read and was a good speller. So she liked Scrabble. She also taught me how to play Backgammon. To this day I don’t completely understand that game, but I can hold my own (after re-reading the rules). Of course there was Checkers and Chess, Monopoly and Sorry. But usually we would play Scrabble.

Now, I was a kid. My vocabulary couldn’t hold a candle to hers. She was a librarian! OK, So you know there was really no competition for her. But we played.

Sometimes she would win, sometimes I would win. It was fun, because she would praise my ability to come up with words, and I was always proud because my mom was so smart!

One time we were playing and talking and I remember clearly that she said to me.

“Kathy when you play games with your kids, don’t always let them win.”

(Now, it never occurred to me that she ever let me win!)

“Why?”

“Because they’ll need to know, that in life, you don’t always win. And being grown-up is also knowing how to lose.”

There is not one time, not one. That I play a game with my kids, that I don’t remember that.

As adults, we don’t always win. We may apply for a raise, or enter a cooking contest, or just try to learn something new, and we don’t always achieve success. Defeat is a part of life. Everyone experience it. I’m glad my mother taught me that it’s important that we lose with grace!

It's Christmas!

This is the Christmas season! No doubt about that!

Do you know what Christmas is about? Do you know the story of the little baby in the manger scene? It’s a true story. And it’s the reason that Christmas is a season of love and joy and giving.

This season, make sure that you share the true story of Christmas to your children! Make sure that they know why we are celebrating Christmas!

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of a baby. Not just any baby, but a promised baby! This baby was God’s Son, come down from heaven to live a life without sin, without doing anything wrong, so that when the time was right, He could pay the awful penalty of sin that human beings have accrued.

If you want to read the traditional account of the Christmas story in the Bible, it is found in Luke 2: 1-18

Or you can follow this link to the story and a printable version.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Luk&c=2&v=1&t=KJV#top

Jesus Christ was born. He lived a perfect (sinless) life. He offered himself freely to be the payment for our sin debt. He shed his blood on the cross of Calvary to pay for our sins. And his payment was accepted by God in heaven!

He gave his life, and rose again to secure for you an eternal home in heaven. What a gift!

To receive God’s free gift of Salvation, and to be able to personally experience the joy of Christmas and to understand the original gift of Christmas, all you have to do is accept His gift!

Tell God that you believe in Him and in His Son, Jesus Christ. Tell God that you want to accept his free gift of salvation! Sure, it’s simple! God made it simple – so that even a child would easily understand how to accept this precious gift!

˜

For God (the creator)

So loved (possessed such strong affection)

The world (the inhabitants of the earth – His creation)

That He gave (to offer without expectation of payment)

His Only (There was no other person that could do what He did.)

Begotten Son (not an adopted or created son)

That Whosoever (in order that any, all, every, whomever)

Believeth  (to accept as fact and to rely on it’s truth)

In Him (in this Son ~His Death in our stead~ His resurrection)

Should not perish (doesn’t have to die and go to our present destination, hell)

But (a wonderful word that shows another option)

Have (to posses, own, obtain)

Everlasting life! (Live forevermore in Heaven, with God – Our Creator!)

\John 3:16/

Christmas in my Shopping Cart!

I don't care how old you get, there's always a little bit of the child that we once were!

Today,  while picking up some last minute groceries, I see the "ribbon candy" that I know my husband likes. I put it in the cart, and here him exclaim, "It's Christmas!"

If you think back, and notice this year, most of the things that we enjoy about the holidays are not the expensive gifts, or the money spent. It's the little things like "ribbon candy" that remind us of other days, and bring back such wonderful memories.

Remember this as you're planning and doing things for your kids this Season!

It's not the money or the toys that they will take with them into their adult years, it's their memories of family and loved ones!

Make memories with your children. Take the time to laugh with them. Bake cookies, play games, tell stories! The popular word is "engage" with your kids. Connect with them! You'll be glad you did, because before long, they may be hundreds of miles away, with their own family and their own decorations. But you'll both have the memories that you took the time to create this year!

Grandparents can't help being Grandparents!

So, you’re getting ready for a trip to your folks, or your in-laws for Christmas!

What an exciting time, to renew the bond of family, and to spend time sharing special times with loved ones. 

When we visit my husband’s mom, we always have many visits of family stopping by Mom’s house to  see us. (A visit from Florida to Pennsylvania – you have to make the most and see as much family as you can!)

If we are going to my folks, it’s only about a half hour drive. But either way, you need to plan ahead if you’re taking little ones to Grandma & Grandpa’s house.

Grandparents are the perfect people to help you teach a little one how to behave around adults, and how to behave in someone else’s home. Grandparents will forgive almost anything your child might do, but (hopefully) they will see the value of this lesson, and will help with this.

Before you go on your visit, you can “build up” to the visit and take this time, to explain things that you know will help the visit be a positive one. Now would be the perfect time to explain some differences in the households.

A call ahead to the grandparents will go along way in helping with this! As much as Grandparents can’t help being grandparents… they still understand more than you know about raising children! They raised you, so that must know something! Talk to them about things that you are trying to teach your child so that all adults are on the same page. Hopefully they’ll be able to really help in this!

I remember my grandma would always want to check our bureau drawers to see that they were clean. She probably offered a gift or prize… I honestly don’t remember. I do remember how important it was for me that she be pleased with my cleaning skills! I learned later that this was something her and my mom had discussed that my mom was trying to teach us. It worked!

Happy Holiday Hostess - Part 3

Challenge:

I’m having another family over, and between them and us I’m not sure if there is going to be enough food.

Besides the obvious – fixing extra food, which is sometimes economically not feasible; I have the perfect solution to this.

When all our kids were little, we enjoyed having folks into our house, but sometimes, I would worry about having enough food to serve. I knew how much food to prepare for my family, but with guests, I never knew exactly.

I worked out a “secret code” with my kids, so that we would be able to communicate about the food at the table.

When the food would first be served and their plates had been prepared, they were to eat all of the food on their plate. (if your children are very small – put less, not more food on their plates. It’s always better for them to ask for more, than for you to have to fuss at them to get them to finish.)

When I had seen that my company had sufficiently eaten, I would first offer the adults at the table one more serving of the main dish. “Mr. Brown, wouldn’t you like another pork chop?” and then I would offer my children some more, “Caleb, would you like another pork chop?” I would do this in turn to each dish at the table. When I had offered my children seconds of a dish, that was their cue that they were allowed to have more. This will eliminate the tension that happens when your kids are asking for seconds, but your guests still have not finished their first helping. This takes attention on your part. I have been known to forget about it, and my kids are sitting waiting for more. But a little eye contact, and I’m reminded of my part of our “code”.

This opens the door for another opportunity to rave over your children for their good behavior. At the next opportunity, when it was just our family, I would comment and praise them for their cooperation. And it’s fun to talk about and see how they enjoy the success of our “secret code”. And how the company “didn’t even notice”.

And realize, parent, if your child has had one serving of each item at the table; they have had enough. Just because they would continue eating, doesn’t mean that they have to. It’s good to learn that they don’t have to get up from the table over-stuffed.

Happy Holiday Hostess - Part 2

So, The Pastor’s coming to visit and you love to stay late and talk. Or maybe an older couple that you really look up to, and you would like to glean some wisdom. But what are the kids going to do? You can’t very well, send them out to a baby sitter. They deserve the privilege of enjoying the visit also.

This visit might take a little more prep time on your part, but this is where you get to enjoy the fruit of your labor as your kids get to “show off” how good they are.

First, you want to prepare your kids for the visit. Explain ahead of time who’s coming to dinner. Tell them how important these people are to you, and how much you are looking forward to their visit. By lifting your guests up, your children will have a sense of importance of their role on the night to come.

Explain to your kids how you are expecting the night to go. When having dinner at a table dominated by adults:

ä         At the table, children should only speak when they are spoken to. (remember, tonight is not about them)

ä         Children should learn never to interrupt an adult conversation.

ä         They are to eat quietly and mannerly. Even three year olds can understand this, and as much as your night may not go perfectly the evening should not revolve around your children.

ä         If they eat properly and finish their food, they can have dessert. If there is a problem, they will have to miss out on the rest of the night by going to bed early, or by laying down on the floor in the living room.

ä         If they can be trusted to play nicely in their room, then let them play for a while after dinner. If playing in their room, is more hassle for you; have them come with you into the living room, where they can sit quietly and color, or read a book. (a helpful hint: if they are going to sit in the living room, give them a bath towel to sit on that they are not allowed to get off of. This way, they know their boundaries, and you do too.)

The whole point is, that YOU should be able to have friends over without the evening revolving around your kids. And that’s not healthy for them anyway. By learning to sit quietly, they will learn that older people are treasures of wisdom. They will also be learning that there are times that they need to contain themselves, and wait for the time when they can have some attention.

Be Assured… when your children learn to behave properly, they will get plenty of positive attention. Children that are obedient and respectful are a rarity. They will LOVE hearing the praise of how well they have behaved!