Love Brightly

"Oo-oo-oo--oo This is gonna be the best day of my li-i-ife..." We love this song! Catchy, clean, fun! Dance party in the car while Daddy drives! One day after hearing it for probably the 50th time, Sweet Pea asked, "WHY is it gonna be the best day of his life?" I said quickly, so as to not disrupt the happy bouncing of our car sing-along, "Good question. Listen to the whole song, and see if you can answer that at the end." When the song ended, I turned down the volume and asked the 3 in the backseat, "So, what do you think?" Big sister jumped in immediately: "They were up late. So late that the sun came up." Then from the side of her mouth, "Probably college students--because they are awake when everyone else is sleeping," said the daughter of 2 college ministers. Sweet Pea dug for deeper meaning: "All the possibilities...what does 'no limits' mean?" (She didn't even attempt to pronounce '...

My annual hobby of creating a new outfit each day from a few articles of clothing for the month of March while my family serves on location for Big Break , a student conference. 36 days, 16 hangers. This year's fashion experiment proved more challenging as my wardrobe needed to be more professional. I'm not drawn to trousers and blazers, so I tried to make outfits that were equally respectable, modest, appropriate, and fun. My wardrobe began with staples: tank and leggings in neutral colors (black, cream, navy), jeans, white button down, chambray button down, white sweater, and cream sweater. From there, it gets fun! And my disclaimer as always: I do not idolize clothes, nor what people think of me wearing them. I do enjoy clothes. I also enjoy things that are pleasing to the eye--colors, textures, and things of beauty. It brings me pleasure to play around with them, and I have fun creating variety. I enjoy the challenge of being frugal, but don't find ultimate ...

Join us at our kitchen table... And lest you think we have perfect attention spans and poetic conversations flowing at our house, insert a myriad of these comments during this conversation, "Sit right in your seat; your hair is in the syrup, don't kick your sister, please ask without whining, etc."  The kids ran to breakfast singing a new chorus, "Jesus is my ice cream sundae!"I laughed at their enthusiasm and questioned the origin of this new song. "It's Pookie Tiger. We got it at church. She says Jesus is like ice cream because ice cream makes her happy, and that Jesus also makes her happy and makes her feel good." I laughed and said, "I don't think I agree with Pookie Tiger's theology, but I'm so glad that Jesus makes you happy." Big sis crumpled her brow, "Whatta ya mean you don't agree?" I explained, "Well a lot of people leave the church, and turn their back on God because they expect God...

During the month of February, we meditate and memorize the definition of love from 1 Cor. 13 (You know which ones I'm talking about--the wedding verses. Even Jim and Pam had them recited at their wedding). Our family needs refreshed in this, so it's nice to have this tradition to bring us back to it each year. We read and repeat the entire passage, but then focus on one element daily. "LOVE IS KIND" --today's focus. I asked the kids, "What does 'kind' mean?" Middle sister asked if she could give an example rather than a definition. With permission, she joyfully retrieved two stuffed animals and used them to demonstrate kindness by sharing. Brother and sister followed her lead and also acted out kind gestures between fluffy friends. "Very good," I affirmed them, "You obviously know what it is to be kind." This is where, in years past, I would have ended the lesson. We would adjourn by praying round the table, thanking ...

2019 update: This is one of my most shared posts. I've updated the links and added a section for middle school/high school as our kids have grown. If you don't know this about me already, I don't make any profit from this site. There are no ads of any kind.  This is purely a labor of love for you who are reading.   This is a list of ideas and resources for you as you desire to focus on Christ during the Christmas Season. You will see that these are free and simple, but you can amp them up according to your capacity and personality. (If you'd like a beautifully written perspective on why, see this op article from the NYTimes .) The best activities are not the ones loved just by the children, but the ones loved by both children and parents.  Your enthusiasm and follow-through matter! What everyone else is doing on Pinterest doesn't matter! It's not too late or complicated to incorporate something into your Christmas season. That's why I'm i...

Packing light for 5 people for a 3 day retreat at Pine Cove meant that everyone only took one pair of shoes. Since the weather was excessively cold (for Texas in November) and the activities required lots of walking outdoors, I opted for boots for myself and the kids. My boots, well-broken in, came from Ross $19.99. And I wanted 3 different outfits for the various activities of the weekend: comfy travel, game day spirit, and feminine cute.  My fashion motto for this season is: add something unexpected. On day one, I added a lace scarf to an old flannel shirt. Day 2, I added homemade boot socks (I cut the sleeves off an old maroon sweater). And day 3, I chose large pink enamel hoop earrings to an otherwise classic outfit. I enjoy expressing my creativity through what I wear, and the challenge of frugality and packing light appeals to my personality. I hope you all enjoy packing for your holiday travels! Happy Thanksgiving!

1. I'm making my list. Because concentration in a house of 3 joyfully rambunctious kids is negligible. 2. I'm praying. Because somet imes the 3 kids are rambunctious minus the joy.  3. I'm texting/emailing/corresponding because I don't do it while driving or homeschooling, which pretty much means I'm only doing it in parking lots.  4. I'm gathering junk from the inside of the car to drop in the trash can on the way into the store. I'm nothing if not efficient.  5. Target is my happy place, and sometimes I just want the trip to last a little longer.  -- in response to my good friend Shelby Abbott's tweet " The people who sit in their cars for extended periods of time in the Target parking lot freak me out." ;)