Questions about Heaven

How confusing and abstract heaven must be for a four year old little mind! My youngest has been having fears and concerns about heaven, which surprised me. My grownup mind thinks of heaven as being this awesome, wonderful place so it didn't even occur to me that this would be an issue for one of my children. Especially when my older child never questioned heaven in such a way. I realized that she was having concerns when she told me, "I don't want to go to heaven, Mommy."
I said that I didn't understand because heaven is a wonderful place. And because we follow Jesus, we will live there forever together. She then went on to explain that she didn't want to die. Concerns about leaving her home and her bunny behind filled her little mind. It makes more sense to me know thinking about how children need a place of familiarity to feel secure. For a week or so, she let the subject go, but on the way to church this morning, she brought it up again. This time she asked if we stayed dead in heaven with our eyes closed. A smile came across her face as I shared with her how God will give her a new body and that she will walk around in heaven. She told me that she is glad because she wants to dance around and she also wants to hug Jesus.

Please share any resources that you may have that relate to teaching young children about heaven. I'll be sure to post any if I come across any good resources as well.

Blessings,

The Finger Prayer

The Five Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers
by praying for those closest to you. They are the
easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is,
as C. S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for
those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes
teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support
and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction.
Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us
of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in
business and industry, and administrators. These
people shape our nation and guide public opinion.
They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to
many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as
any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us
to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain.
They need your prayers day and night. You cannot
pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest
finger of all which is where we should place ourselves
in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, 'The
least shall be the greatest among you.' Your pinkie
should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time
you have prayed for the other four groups, your own
needs will be put into proper perspective and you will
be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Some of you may have already seen this prayer, but my little sis shared it with me and I thought I would post it for others!

Blessings,

Look what I won!! I'm so excited. This new book will be coming out in October!! I won this over at Simplifying Motherhood. If you haven't been to Trish Berg's blogs, you'll have to check this author and speaker out!! I can't wait to take a peak at the Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts blog as well.

Blessings,

Wordless Wednesday

Why do we buy toys????
(Sunshine Girl when she was a baby.)

Thanks 5 Minutes for Mom for Wordless Wednesday!

Clothed with Compassion and Kindness

Clothe yourselves with compassion (and) kindness.
Colossians 3:12

What a joy it is to dress little girls in ruffled dresses, fluffy bows, and black dressy shoes! Even more joyous is to dress our children in compassion and kindness. Oh how difficult a task this is when we live in a society that focuses on the outside instead of our beauty that is long-lasting on the inside.
Abigail was a beautiful woman in the bible who was kind and compassionate to David. Today, I read about Abigail to the girls and we discussed how to be clothed on the inside. Abigail husband on the other hand was the opposite of his wife. We also discussed how some people dress fancy, but are mean to others.
After I shared the story of Abigail with the girls, they drew a picture of themselves being kind. Big Sis drew a picture of herself consoling Little Sis. She drew her with tears. Little Sis also chose to draw herself with her sister and she is holding her big sister's hand in the picture. They enjoyed sharing the pictures and talking about how they were demonstrating kindness.

To learn more about Abigail, read 1 Samuel 25.


Resource for today mini-lesson:
Devotions for Girls
Ages 6-9 God and Me! by Diane Cory

Blessings,
Jen

I want to "BEE" like Jesus!

"I want to be, be, be like Jesus! I want to be, be, be like Jesus!" These are the verses to a song that the girls learned at Camp last year. Often, I hear them singing or humming this song around the house. It is such a cute song! Sometimes I will ask them- what do you think Jesus would have done in this situation or how can we be more like Jesus. This isn't to make them feel guilty, but to teach them that there is a better a way, a better choice. Today, I came across a cute website that has BEE activities and is titled Bee-ing What He Wants Me to Bee. It has the cutest printouts with bee's and bible verses for little ones to color and also activities with the bee theme! Have fun exploring the site with your little ones- Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!

Bee-ing What He Wants me to Bee!

Blessings,
Jen

Wordless Wednesday-Photo Album

Thanks 5 Minutes for Mom for Wordless Wednesday!

Christian Resources: Mom Bargains!!

Abby is outgrowing her Children's Bible. I can't believe that it is time for her to move away from her storybook bible to a young girl's bible! She is starting to learn about the books of the bible and the Old and New Testament, so I started my search for a new bible for her. As I was searching, I came across a few bargains at Family Christian Stores. I listed a few resources that might interest Moms.

Closer To My Children - Intimate Journal
Barbour Books

Sale Price: 4.97 Reg: 16.95








Prayers And Promises For Mothers
Nancy Farrier, Rachel Quillin

Sale Price: $5.97 | You Save $1.98 (25%)










Daily Wisdom For Mothers Michelle Adams

Sale Price: $5.97 | You Save $1.98 (25%)












Many Blessings,
Jen

Wonderfully Made

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

Isn't it wonderful how God made us each so unique? One of the things that I am trying to work on as a parent is to appreciate the uniqueness in each child. To help them to see the gifts that God gave them and to not be envious of others who share different gifts. Recently, I started reading a book by Dr. Kevin Leman, titled Making Children Mind without Losing Yours. He discusses the importance of relationship building before establishing rules. I often think that we can try to control our children, but if we ultimately want their love and respect, we need to try to understand and appreciate them first. Discipline should be rooted in love more than authoritative control.
If you know my daughters, then you've come to know the differences that each of them share. I think it is exciting to have two girls who are so different, athough it often feels as times that I am parenting all over again. How awesome our God is to give us children who are so different that we can love and learn from in different ways.
One time Big Sis made a comment about herself that was negative. I asked her, "How would you feel if someone said something bad about the painting that you made in art class?"
"I would feel sad," she resonded.
"Well, that is how God feels when you talk about something special that he created," I explained.

We are beautiful, our spouses are beautiful, and our children are beautiful because we are all works of God! We are his unique creation.

Dear Lord,
Thank you so much for loving us for who we are- your unique creation. Help us to value our children's uniqueness and to love and see them like you do.
In Jesus' name,
Amen

Christian Resource Review

Baby's First Bible Songs
(The First Bible Collection)
Illustrations by Moira MacLean

I enjoy sharing the songs of my childhood with my children. Some of my favorite memories include singing songs in church and at summer camp. Emmy received this book as a gift when she was just a baby. It is recommended for children Birth to 3 years, but I think it is appropriate for older Preschoolers as well. The pictures are very colorful and eye-appealing. The plastic handle helps little ones carry the book easily with their little fingers! Includes popular songs such as Rise and Shine and This Little Light of Mine. I recommend this book as a gift for a new baby, 1st birthday gift, or for a baptism. Other titles in the series include the following: Baby's First Bible, Baby's First Nativity, and Baby's First Prayers.

Peek inside!

It didn't take long for Em to grab this out of my hands! Too cute!

Wordless Wednesday

Look what we found sneaking around our garden: a baby bunny!
To see more discoveries in our garden, visit Creative and Curious Kids!

Thanks- 5 Minutes for Mom

Christian Resource Review

Family Christian Stores is one of my favorite Christian retailers. I love looking through the variety of resources that are available to help me and my girls grow in our faith. Sometimes though, it can be overwhelming because of the amount of resources. Therefore, I'm hoping that my Christian Resource Reviews will help parents select great resources for their children. In no way am I an expert, but I'm hoping my reviews will be helpful. I am going to try to review a resource either weekly or bi-weekly. Recently, Family Christian Stores approved my site for their link.



The link will connect you to the online kids' section. Have fun browsing or shopping right from the comfort of your home. Keep in mind upcoming birthdays, baptisms, or holidays.

Please share any resource suggestions that you use with your children as well!

Blessings for a wonderful Monday!
Jen

Making Room for his Blessings

Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars, also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1: 16-19

"Look at the sunshine, Mommy," exclaimed Little Sis as we left for Preschool on Friday, "God gave us sun again, today!"

It is mentioned in the bible that we should have faith like a child. What a wonderful reminder that we can see God everyday in his creation! Later that day, I decided to share a Chris Tomlin video with Little Sis that I posted on this blog. I thought that she would enjoy listening to the music, but also looking at the beautiful pictures in the video. When the video ended, she looked up at me and said, "Mommy, I miss God."

I'm not sure if the music stirred up an emotion in her that she didn't know how to describe at her age. I told her that she doesn't have to miss God, because he is always here with her even though she can't see him.
"I better make room for him in my bedroom!" she responded. Too funny! I told her that even though her bedroom is messy, God will still be there.

Her comment reminded me that we all need to make room for God, maybe not in our messy rooms, but in our hearts so that we can see him daily in the blessing of his creation!

Dear Lord,
Help us to focus on you today and to be thankful for all of the gifts you have given to us. Please clean out the areas of our hearts that aren't pleasing to you, Lord, so that we can make room for you to dwell. We pray that you help us to have faith like a child and to see you through their eyes.
In Jesus' precious name,
Amen

Wordless Wednesday: 1st Day of Preschool

"Yeah, today is my first day of school!"
Little Sis yelling this at 5:30am in the morning: PRICELESS!

(Wordless Wednesdays- Thanks!! 5 minutes for Mom!)

Christian Preschool

Sending my daughters to Christian Preschool was one of the best decisions that I have made when it comes to my children's education. Not only did they grow academically, but also spiritually. It is so wonderful to watch your child's faith grow as they learn about Jesus. Little Sis will be starting Preschool on Wednesday. She is very excited, which is a blessing! Yesterday, I was discussing Big Sis's education with her and what she thought about being educated from home. Emmy piped in, not me. "I'm going to Preschool next week and learning with my friends. I don't want to be home!" I am so glad that she wants to be there and I am comforted with the knowledge that she will be in very good hands!