God's Shining Stars

Planning a Baptism

2012-01-11T05:43:00.000-08:00

Little man: age 2

Yeah, I'm starting to finally plan for Little man's baptism! All of my kids have been baptized as infants, but it just hasn't worked out(schedule wise with my church) for my little guy. Therefore, I'm very excited that this March, he will finally be baptized.

What does a baptism mean to me?

It means I am committing to raising my child to know and love Christ.

It means I am celebrating that he is a child of God.

It means I am asking the church and family to support this important effort.

Little man when he was just a little peanut!

Blessings,

Jen

Teaching Children About Christmas...

2011-12-14T03:27:00.000-08:00

I've started teaching my two year old about Christmas. When he talks of Ho Ho, he mentions Jesus' name and it makes me smile. It's amazing just what a two year old understands! I explained to him that Santa comes on Jesus' birthday to celebrate. So when I ask him whose birthday it is on Christmas- he says "Je Je".

I've read about Jesus to him and have shown him pictures in his bible. I've also shared with him just how much Jesus loves him. He smiles so big when we talk about Jesus that you have to wonder- what type of relationship does a two year old have with Jesus? My older daughter seemed to have Jesus in her heart at a very young age. I remember her preschool teacher saying that she thinks that she is going to do great things for God and that there was something different about how she responds to learning about Jesus.

My daughters are getting older now and among their wish list of electronics and gifts galore, I do have to remind them of the true meaning of Christmas. We talk about it daily as Christmas approaches and it helps that they are participating in our church play this year. They have been practicing since November and have been focusing on his word and praising him weekly.

We were praying at dinner the other evening and one of my daughter's prayers was for God to help her focus on Jesus this Christmas season. Oh how we can learn from our little ones, because this is my prayer as well. Keeping Jesus our focus in everything that we do!

Last night we lit the lights on the house and I turned and smiled at my two year old and said "Those lights are for Jesus!" He looked up at me smiled and cheered... "Je Je!""

"Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given..."
Isaiah 9:6

Many Blessings,
Jen

Advent Box Giveaway!

2011-11-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Wonderful giveaway over at I Can Teach My Child! She is giving away a set of homemade advent boxes- just in time for the Christmas Season. What a great way to focus on the real reason we celebrate Christmas- Jesus!

I Can Teach My Child

To enter- visit the link below.....
Advent Box Giveaway

Blessings,
Jen

Little Angels Review and Giveaway

2011-11-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

God in Heaven, my Savior dear

Watch over my children and draw thou near

Send your little angels to be at their side

To light and to guard to love and to guide

(Shared by Roma Downey as part of her inspiration for creating the animated series Little Angels.)

I am very pleased to have the privilege of introducing the new animated video series- Little Angels. Little Angels comes to you from executive producer- Roma Downey(Touched by and Angel) and writer Phil Lollar (Adventures in Odyssey). Created for Preschoolers to teach not only ABC and 123's, but also moral lessons and biblical principals. Little man (22 months) enjoys the music and colorful characters. Some children older than Preschoolers may enjoy the videos as well. My 7 year old is attracted to the angel characters and pointed out to me her favorites.

Little Alex and Zoe are blessed to have their very own angels looking over them. The angels come to their aid when they need them the most. Imagine how comforting this would be for a Preschooler to know that God sends helpers to watch over and take care of them.

Would you like to meet some of the Little Angels? Here are just a few.....

Uriel
The Angel of Creativity-

He carries a palette and

a painter.

Charmeine-A female cherubim. Angel of Harmony. She carries a harp and sings, teaching everyone to harmonize - and to get along together.

Gabriel

An archangel, second in command to Michael, blond hair, blue eyes. Gabriel is the Messenger Angel - whenever the little angels wish to announce something very important, they give the job to Gabriel.

Haley

Do you love animals? If you do, Hayley will be one of your favorite Little Angels! She knows them all.

Share Little Angles with your little ones!
To purchase-Christianbook.com
To WIN.....
Please follow God's Shining Stars and leave a comment below.

Luckily, I have 2 DVDs to give away on this website and 2 more to give away on my other blog- Creative and Curious Kids!

Extra entries:
(2) Blog about the Little Angel's giveaway and link back to this post.
(1) Tweet about this giveaway and link back to this post.
(1) Follow Little Angel's on Facebook.

For extra entries- be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.
Good Luck!

Jen

Disclosure: I wasn't given any monetary reimbursement for the above review. I was given a DVD for my own personal use and 4 more to give away on my blogs. The opinions above are my own and my differ from others.

The Pumpkin Patch Parable

2011-10-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

I came across this book today on Totally Tots! What a wonderful Christian Children's book to share at this time of the year. I haven't read it yet, but will pick it up for sure. To find out more about this book and how she incorporated learning activities, be sure to visit Totally Tots.

Blessings,
Jen

The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven

2011-09-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share the book I'm currently reading! It is about a child who was in a car accident and severely injured. He was in a coma for months and during this time, he shares how he spent time with Jesus in heaven. If anyone else is in the process of reading it, I'd love to hear from you. If not, why not join us?

Prayers for Matty!

2011-07-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

There's a precious 2 year old little boy who needs our prayers- his name is Matthew. He is fighting leukemia and has been going through chemotherapy. Please pray for him. It would be greatly appreciated by his family. I don't know them personally, but they are special to my younger sister. My heart goes out to this family and as I pray for healing for Matty and for comfort for them, I hold on to my own children just a little bit tighter.

Blessings,
Jen

Important: Donor and Prayers Needed!

2011-06-09T04:17:00.000-07:00

Recently I was contacted by a fellow blogger who asked me to spread the word about a young girl named Haley. Haley has been diagnosed with a very rare disease named MDS or Myelodysplasia. This disease is recognized as a "pre-leukemia" and a bone marrow transplant is needed.

With a bone marrow transplant there is about a 80% chance of recovery. The doctors have advised her parents that a transplant is needed as soon as possible - hopefully by this June. HLA typing has determined there are no matches within the family. The preliminary search for a match within the marrow data base shows there may be one potential match. There are many more tests that need to be done to determine if in fact this potential is a match and if this person is still available.

Things that we can do to help Haley- pray,spread the word, and get tested to see if we are a match. For more information- visit here. I couldn't imagine this being my own child and what her parents must be going through.

Bone Marrow Testing Kits Available- information here. (It's free to get tested.)

Thank you!
Jen

I'd Choose You

2011-05-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

I found a pleasant surprise in my MOPS email this evening- a wonderful book suggestion! I'd Choose You by Dr. John Trent is an adorable book for all ages. When Norbert the elephant has a really bad day at school, his mother lets him know that he will always be chosen by his parents and God. Take a sneak peek of the book below.....


Buy		Read

Blessings,
Jen

Discloser: I wasn't given a copy of the book or compensated in any way. This is my opinion, which may differ from others.

The Fruit of The Spirit

2011-05-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such
things there is no law." (Galatians Chapter 5, verses 22-23)

It's Sunday and we are usually off to church- which we really look forward to, but Mommy was bad. I was lesson planning for tomorrow and lost track of time. So I told my girls we would do a lesson at home. I found some wonderful resources on the fruit of the spirit. My girls really enjoyed the lesson and the activities, so I thought I would share. (Just in case other parents have been "bad" or if you need an anyday short lesson.)

Fruit of the Spirit Lesson
Fruit of the Spirit Poem
Fruit of the Spirit Crossword
Fruit Coloring pages (The kids colored the fruit and wrote- love,joy,peace, goodness, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control on them.)

We sang a song, too!!

I also told the kids that this is a good lesson for grown-ups, because we need the spirit in us to help us grow as Christians.Years ago, I did a wonderful study from Beth Moore that I'd love to revisit.

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Prayers Needed!

2011-03-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Please pray for my sister-in-law Jill who will be getting decompression brain surgery this Friday. She has Chiari Malformation. Please pray for the surgeons,her family, and for healing. Thank you! God Bless.

Jen

Christian Books for Kids!

2010-08-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Do you have a favorite Christian book(s) that you love reading to your little ones? If so, I'd love for you to share. Just comment below. We are always looking for good books!

Here are a few favorites in our home library:

Have a wonderful day,
Jen

Special Friend

2010-05-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Please pray for our special friend, Mike who was recently hospitalized. The girls miss him so much and are so worried about him. Please pray that the Lord would calm their fears.

Blessings,

Jen

Thankful in all Circumstances

2010-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

This is such a helpful verse to read when you are having a bad day or a bad week or month. It isn't always easy to do, but what a good reminder to count our blessings. Yesterday morning was a rough one. I was up most of the evening with a sick baby and my eight year old,Sunshine, was having respiratory issues, so I was up checking on her as well. The next morning, my six year old is cranky, spills her cereal all over the place and then cries for me to keep her home from school. As I'm trying to get her ready, help Sunshine with her breathing treatment, the baby is crying for a bottle. And on top of all this, I had to get two of them to a sitter, the other to school on time, so that I could go and get a root canal. On the way to the dentist, I realized that I had forgotten my x-ray. I could just cry. Luckily, they were great at the dentists and said that they didn't need it. I told them about my morning and we just laughed. They said at least your smiling. I was smiling because no matter what- I signed up for this and I am oh so blessed by having my three children. So insead of crying, I laughed and it helped. I decided to think about the things that are good about having three children and not the stressful parts.

Today, a bit stressful again. Pain from root canal kept me up last night, fussy baby, school calls - one child has a headache, the other needs a breathing treatment. Back and forth to the school, finally, I just bring them home. Now three sick kids at home and Dad's working overtime. Breathe and read 1 Thessalonian 5:18. So if it sounds like I'm whining, I'm not. I'm sharing and hoping that in all circumstances you too can just laugh about it. And hopefully, I'll stay calm and take my own advice.

Blessings,
Jen

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Feel so blessed to have the gift of children.

Sunshine Girl-all grown up holding Little Man

Little Man-what a sweet face!

Peanut- still my baby girl

Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous; is not proud; is not conceited; does not act foolishly; is not selfish; is not easily provoked to anger; keeps no record of wrongs; takes no pleasure in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. ~I Corinthians 13:4-7

This is the type of love that I strive to give- love that is patient and kind. It is not always easy with the challenges of everyday life, but possible with Christ by our sides.

Happy Mother's Day!
Jen

Wordless Wednesday: Dear Lord...

2010-04-21T09:20:00.001-07:00

Dear Lord,
Thank you for my big sisters, my mommy, my daddy, my stuffed doggy, my binky, my bottle, my.............
Amen

For More Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes for Mom and be sure to check out my creative girls over at Creative and Curious Kids!.

Many blessings,
Jen

Easter Sunday!

2010-04-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day to celebrate Jesus' resurrection! Evidence of new life surrounded us from our new baby boy celebrating his first Easter to the Spring flowers blooming in our yard. I hope that you had a blessed Easter.

Our first photo together as a family of five

My First Easter!
We have photos of all of our babies next to these Spring flowers.

My precious girls!

Happy Easter!

Blessings from our family!

Jen

Good Friday through a Child's Eyes

2010-04-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

"Today's not a very good day, Mommy."

"Why do you say that, hon?"

"Well, Jesus died today."

I explained to my 7 year old that even though it is sad that Jesus died today, there is hope in his sacrifice. That because of this, our sins are wiped away so that we can be with God. And that there is hope because he rose again.

How do you talk about Jesus' death and resurrection with your children?

Even though it was Good Friday and it is difficult to think of what Jesus endured, we had a wonderful day together as a family. Beautiful weather- new life all around us- baby bunnies, robins, and spring flowers. May you experience the hope of Easter with your children!

Happy Easter!
Jen

Wordless Wednesday: My Irish Baby Boy

2010-03-17T09:29:00.001-07:00

My new little man is getting so big! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Irish Blessings,

Jen

Church- Almost!

2010-03-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

With a newborn, getting to church on time or at all has been a little more difficult than usual. I can't wait to get back into a regular routine and attend church weekly. This past Sunday we missed church- I was up a lot throughout the evening before with the baby, so we decided to do church at home. I know that one of the main reasons why church is important is to fellowship and support other Christians in their walk and have discussed this with my children. If we weren't going to be there, I still wanted to be in God's word with them. They were so cute.

"We need to sing the worship songs first, Mom."

We didn't have our praise band to accompany us, but we still were able to praise God with our singing in our living room. After praying together, we enjoyed reading the bible. We are starting the Easter story. Then I had them do a devotional and an activity. Definately not the same as church, but glad to have this time together to focus on God and his word.

Blessings and enjoy your Monday!

Jen

Raising Children in a Christian Home

2010-02-26T03:35:00.000-08:00

We have good intentions as parents, but sometimes we let the business of life or our emotions/problems get in the way of teaching our children our Christian faith. I am guilty of it myself. I'll buy devotionals for them and start on a routine and then lose them or read the bible every evening and then somehow get away from this important task of sharing God's word with my children. As I go through personal trials with my own faith, I tend to set my teaching aside.

Well, just how important is it to provide Christian teaching to our children? Research shows that children raised in Christian homes are more likely to turn back to it if they rebel. Having God's word written on their hearts stays with them into adulthood. Children need to ultimately decide for themselves, but giving them the right foundation and room to find their own faith will guide them in this most important life decision.

Recently, I came across two excellent articles relating to this topic. What are you doing to teach your child about Jesus? And if you aren't teaching your children, why not start today.

Survey: Childhood religious involvement often sparks adult

Why Christian Kids Rebel

Train a child in the way he should go,and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Blessings,
Jen

Rest In Peace, Sweet Baby

2010-02-03T05:55:00.000-08:00

My little cousin, Aidan Joseph, born on December 23, 2009- passed away recently. I can't even imagine how a parent deals with such a loss. I've been asking why? With hundreds of prayers, why wasn't he healed? I know that God's will isn't always within our understanding, but it still doesn't make it any easier. I am questioning God and feeling angry that this sweet baby isn't with his family.

Please pray for Aidan's parents and siblings as they deal with this loss. I know that they are cherishing the time they had with him even though it was short. My heart just goes out to them.

Jen

Important- Prayer Request for Baby Cousin

2010-01-22T09:55:00.000-08:00

Prayer Request for my baby cousin. His name is Aidan Joseph. Please pray for him today. His story is on the link below. Doctors are asking his parents to sign a DNR, but they are hoping for a miracle. They don't want to let their baby go. Please pray that God will heal him.

http://www.design-magic.com/index.php/our-new-baby

Blessings,

Jennifer

The Best Gift Ever

2010-01-03T16:48:00.001-08:00

My Christmas and New Years gift all wrapped up one! I couldn't feel more blessed at this moment.

For more photos of my sweet new baby, visit Creative and Curious Kids!

Wishing you a wonderful New Year filled with blessings!

Jen

God With Us!

2009-12-22T19:31:00.001-08:00

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"— which means, "God with us."
Matthew 1:23

Merry Christmas!

Jen

Thou Shall Not Steal

2009-12-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

Do you know how proud I am of my daughter right now? It is so reassuring to know that at times of pressure, she is confident to make the right choices. Yesterday, during lunch, a little girl at her school asked her to steal food off of another child's plate for her. My daughter, Sunshine, told her no and the friend asked why.

"It is against the law to steal and against God's law- the 10 commandments."

"Well, I'm not from this country so I can steal."

"You live in America now, so you should not steal."

I guess this little girl has been stealing from others throughout the week- pencils, erasers, etc. Even though it may seem like something small- food or a pencil- my daughter recognizes that taking something that is not yours is wrong.

She told her that if she continued to do this she couldn't be her friend. She didn't like this very much and called my daughter a name in another language.
Later yesterday evening, Sunshine asked me if she should continue to be friends with this girl? I told her that this was a difficult question. I told her that she can still care about her, but not be friends with her. (meaning play with her, etc.) What do you think?

If we want our children to shine the light they have inside, yet not be influenced by the behavior of others, should they chose their friends wisely even at age 7?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Blessings,
Jen

One Winter's Night

2009-12-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

There are so many beautiful Christmas stories written that are worth sharing with your children this time of year. Recently, we read One Winter's Night by John Herman. It is the story about a pregnant cow looking for shelter on the night of Christmas Eve. Two special mothers give birth on the same miraculous evening. The girls enjoyed the parallel between the Christmas story and Martha's story. Although the setting seems to be a bit different than what we would usually read about in the true Christmas story, it was still a lovely book to share with the girls.

Christmas Blessings,
Jen

God is With You

2009-12-13T07:33:00.000-08:00

"Jesus is with me. Jesus is with me." I would repeat this to myself as a child when I was in a situation that was scary- bedtime in the dark or walking into the dark cellar looking for the light. Recently, my littlest was having a little bit of anxiety at bedtime. Older sis intervened by writing her a little note. It said: God is With You. It was very sweet to see my oldest comforting her little sister.

The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
Psalm 118:6

Christmas Blessings,
Jen

Reminding Mom: The True Meaning of Christmas

2009-12-09T18:40:00.000-08:00

The girls eagerly awaited as Daddy started setting up our artificial tree for them to trim. I refer to it as our Charlie Brown tree because it doesn't have a lot of branches, but once decorated it is perfect in my children's eyes. I bought it on special years back and was excited that it was already pre-lit. Excited until I plugged it in this year to find the top lit, the bottom lit, but the middle out. My husband's response- Oh, who cares, let's decorate it like this.

Really?
With the middle out?
Are you serious?

Shortly after, the girls come running over to me and say, Mommy- Christmas isn't about the tree. It is about Jesus. We can decorate it like this.

I knew in my heart that they were right. I told them that I agreed. I have to admit though, I did run out to the store and find a small strand of lights on sale for the middle. It would have just driven me crazy all season looking at our tree without lights.

Isn't it wonderful though at 5 and 7 they are telling Mommy what the focus of Christmas should be. Jesus is the Reason!

Christmas Blessings,

Jen

Little Blessing on his Way!

2009-12-07T08:26:00.001-08:00

It won't be long now. I'll be meeting my little baby boy! Will he come on my due date- Christmas? It's so exciting not knowing when the baby will arrive with Christmas right around the corner, especially for my girls.

The baby is very active, strong heartbeat, and the head is down. His little right kidney is a little bigger than his left, so we will need to watch this after he is born. It's probably nothing serious, but please pray that his kidney will function properly.

Enjoy this Christmas season,

Jen

Early Christmas for Noah

2009-11-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

Recently, I came across a post on Facebook about a little boy who has been battling cancer for years. It is so sad to think about a child having to deal with such an illness and my heart goes out to the parents as well. I can't even imagine my child having cancer or losing a child to cancer. So when I came across the story of a little boy named Noah from Michigan who probably won't make it for Christmas, it touched my heart.

He is really sick, but I still hold out hope for a miracle. I pray that this isn't God's will and that his will is to heal. My little girls asked me if God will heal him. How difficult to explain that it may be this little boys time to go to heaven.

Because of his health, his parents decided to celebrate Christmas early. My hope is that you will join my family and thousands of others around the nation in sending a Christmas card to Noah. My daughters made handmade Christmas cards with words of encouragement and attached their photos.

Click below to watch a news report about him and his family.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/21525126/

If you'd like to send a Christmas card, please try to do so as soon as possible, because his time may be short.

Send cards to: Noah Biorkman, 1141 Fountain View Circle, South Lyon, MI 48178

Blessings,
Jen

Before I Dream...

2009-11-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

Recently, I found this beautiful book, Before I Dream Bedtime Bible Story Book by Karyn Henley, in a thrift store. What a find! The girls have enjoyed hearing God's word each evening, written as stories at their level. Each evening, they ask for a new story even before I begin reading. Click here- to learn more about this wonderful storybook.

"Her stories are written in a soothing style that will help your child to relax and fall asleep resting on God's Word."

Blessings,

Jen

I'm Still Here!

2009-10-21T18:19:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that it has been months since I posted on here! The start of my pregnancy was really rough and I got away from blogging for awhile. I also have had some struggles trusting God with my finances and other areas of my life. As I pray and continue to stay in God's word, it is becoming easier to trust that he will provide for us.

Recently, I started attending a bible study with other women from my MOPs group. This has been good for me and helps me to stay focused on God's word. We are studying "Bad Girls of the Bible."

Daily devotionals are also helpful. I'm reading "Our Daily Bread" and a devotional by Joyce Meyers.

Each night I've been reading a bible story and praying with my girls, too. We spend time talking about God's word and I give them time to ask questions.

Some days have been better than others, but I think things are looking up- I guess what you would call having HOPE! Even though some days it doesn't feel like it, I know that God is there with open arms waiting for me to give my worries and my life to him- to trust him again.

Blessings,

Jen

Mom, Will I Be Famous Someday?

2009-05-23T04:38:00.000-07:00

"Mom, do you think that I will be famous someday?"

"I think you are very talented, so you may be famous someday. It depends though if this is God's will for your life."

"I want to be a famous singer someday."

I'm giving advice about God's will to my daughter and in my heart I truly believe this, but lately I'm having a such a hard time discerning God's will for my own life. I'm praying that God reveals something to me that will help me understand. Is it that I'm trying to follow my own will, because his will is difficult? or is it a heart or sin matter?

I can relate to Sarah Groves lyrics from Hello, Lord-

Hello Lord, it's me your child
I have a few things on my mind
Right now I'm faced with big decisions
And I'm wondering if you have a minute, cuz
Right now I don't hear so well
And I was wondering if you could speak up

I know that you tore the veil
So I could sit with you in person
And hear what you're saying but
Right now, I just can't hear you.

I don't doubt your sovereignty
I doubt my own ability to
Hear what you're saying
And to do the right thing
And I desperately want to do the right thing
But right now I don't hear so well
And I was wondering if you could speak up

I'm going to keep in prayer and trust that God will give me the answers.

Many Blessings,

Jen

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T22:24:00.001-07:00

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

How awesome that God uses us to create life! What an honor.

I'll be away for a few days with my husband for a wedding. I am blessed to be able to see my childhood friend get married. Looking forward to the time away with my husband, even though I know that I will miss my little ones.

Take Care and God Bless you and your families! Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Jen

Thankful Thursday: New Life!

2009-05-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for new life! New life growing around me, new life in Jesus, and new life growing inside me. God has surely blessed me!

Visit Creative and Curious Kids! to hear all about the exciting news!

Please pray for my family as we start on this new adventure.

Blessings,
Jen

31 Bloggers in 31 Days!!

2009-05-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

A month-long blog party with awesome prizes. How can I resist? Prizes each day for 31 days featuring 31 different bloggers. Sound like fun? Be sure to check it out over at momdot.com.

Blessings,

Jen

Preschool Sunday

2009-05-04T04:25:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, my peanut sang in church with her classmates for Preschool Sunday. There isn't anything cuter than a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds praising God! She really has overcome past fears of getting on stage. She sang her little heart out and was dancing a little jig as she sang. Momma's proud!

Daddy's proud of his little girl, too!

Have a wonderful Monday!

Blessings,

Jen

Thankful Thursday!

2009-04-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for the Sunshine that came into our lives 7 years ago today!

She has always added so much life into our home. There has never been a dull moment in our lives since her arrival. She is so energetic, creative, and musical. She doesn't walk through the living room, but dance and sing and flip around. She loves to be a helper and cares deeply for others. She adores her little sister and looks out for her. (Yes, they fight- alot!) I love her sense of humor and her desire to explore and learn about life.

Although her independence and free-spirit can be challenging, I know that she will be a leader someday. It was a proud moment when one of her teachers told me that "She will do great things in this world."

Happy Birthday, Sunshine Girl! Momma loves you so much!

Wordless Wednesday: Laughter!

2009-04-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Laughter is the best medicine!

Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." Genesis 21:6

For more W.W., be sure to visit 5 Minutes for Mom. Also, check out this inspiring post on the Universal Language.

I hope that your day is filled with laughter and great joy!

Jen

Slow Down and Enjoy the Beauty

2009-04-28T03:24:00.000-07:00

How awesome it is to slow down, stop, and explore all of the wonders and beauty in this world! So often we are rushing from task to task and place to place, that we are missing all of the wonder around us. Isn't it great how children can slow us down and remind us of the simple things that bring joy? Below are some of the treasures we found on a recent nature walk.

We are looking forward to using the above photos for our Nature Journal that we will be creating. Not only will it guide in the children's reading and writing, but it will remind them of the beauty in this world. To read more about creating a nature journal, visit Creative and Curious Kids!

Blessings,
Jen

Beth Moore: Living Proof Live

2009-04-23T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited that Beth Moore is coming to my hometown! If you aren't familiar with Beth Moore, I highly recommend that you read one of her books or participate in one of her studies. God truly uses her to educate and to bless others through her ministry. Years ago I had the opportunity to see her speak at a weekend conference in a nearby state. How nice it will be to be able to see her so close to home. I'm hoping that I'll be able to attend during the weekend that she will be here. Be sure to click on the link below to see if she will be visiting your hometown or just to learn more about this amazing Christian woman.

http://www.lifeway.com/livingproof

Many Blessings,

Jen

Thankful Thursday: Happy Birthday!

2009-04-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

I am thankful that my husband, David, was born 40 years ago!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

I've spent over half of my life with him. Meeting him at the age of 14 in a local grocery store, was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I honestly wasn't shopping for a husband at the age of 14, just a crush, but boy did I get more.

I got a best friend, a life companion, a loving father to my children.

Married for almost 14 years- we have truly been here for each other through sickness and in health, richer and for poorer, good times and yes, we have had bad- who hasn't!

Dave as a teenager

Our Wedding Day

Family- Today!

So today on his 40th birthday, I am feeling thankful for him!

Blessings,

Jen

Wordless Wednesday: Yeesh, Big Snake!

2009-04-22T03:31:00.001-07:00

Loving all God's Creatures! Happy Earth Day!

For more Wordless Wednesday, be sure to visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

Jen

Slow to Anger, Easy to Forgive

2009-04-19T05:37:00.001-07:00

Slow to anger, easy to forgive- I strive for this. It is easier said than done, though. Isn't it? Especially if we aren't putting God first. Yesterday, an incident occurred that saddened me, but also caused me to feel anger. I had to hold back to not say something that I would regret later. This usually happened when it involves someone I care about- like Sunshine girl. Sunshine is very impulsive, outgoing, speaks her mind, questions authority, but is also very loving, sensitive, and caring. Yesterday at a family picnic, she kicked a rock and was accused of doing it maliciously. In my heart I can't see her trying to hurt an adult with a rock- it's not her nature. Kicking rocks out of anger or impulse, yes. This is her nature and it's wrong because someone could get hurt. The person that was injured yelled at her and then shortly after found me and basically told me off. She believes that Sunshine kicked a rock at her because she said no to her about taking her dog for a walk. Luckily, there weren't too many people around. I wanted to discuss things with her, but I didn't feel it was appropriate. This was my husband's and my brother-in-laws birthday party and the last thing I wanted to do was make a scene. What saddens me is this is the sister of family member that I am very close to and now I feel like things are unsettled. She even was rude with my mother and told her that if people continue to make excuses for her, she will continue to do it. It is as though she is 1. accusing me of not disciplining my child and 2. assuming that it is common for my daughter to hurt people with rocks. My daughter cried for the longest time yesterday and swore to me over and over that she didn't mean to hurt anyone. She then sat alone for the longest time, because she was too uncomfortable to go back to her father's party. I just feel horrible today about this and would like to forgive and just let it go, but it is hard when you see your child hurting. I'm going to lift these concerns up today.

Prayers are greatly appreciated! Enjoy your day.

Blessings,

Jen

Thankful Thursday: Hallelujah, He is Risen

2009-04-16T06:56:00.001-07:00

What a wonderful Easter I had with my family! The weather was beautiful and it was wonderful worshipping with my family and friends at church. We also hosted Easter this year, so my home was filled with family. I am thankful for Jesus today and the Easter holiday- the opportunity to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Have a blessed day!

Jen

How do we share Good Friday with our Children?

2009-04-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for ideas on how to observe Good Friday with your children, I found a few ideas at ehow.com. One of the ideas that I liked was baking hot crossed buns. The cross on the bun to represent Jesus on the cross. Trying to figure out ways to teach about Good Friday in an age appropriate way has been a challenge for me as a parent. I did use the resurrection eggs, but was still a bit uncomfortable with the spear and other symbols used in the eggs. The way that Jesus died was so awful that I don't want to scare my children, even though I believe that they need to know that he died for them. If you've struggled with this, I'd like to hear from you. Or if you've found a way to share the truth of Jesus in an age appropriate way, please share suggestions.

Have a blessed Easter!

Jen

Resurrection Eggs

2009-04-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

"An imaginative tool to teach your kids the real message of Easter. Each carton comes with an easy-to-understand booklet that explains how to use the eggs, plus stories that reveal the significance of the symbols hidden inside the eggs."

Little ones learn best when they can experience concepts in a concrete manner. This is what I like about resurrection eggs. You can find these eggs at a Christian store

or if you are creative, like my daughter's preschool teacher, you can create your own resurrection eggs to tell the story of Jesus.

Materials:
-a dozen colored plastic eggs
-an egg carton or basket for storage
-small items from around the house to fit into
each egg to tell the Easter story.
-Celebrating Easter: Resurrection Eggs Great website that lists each item and a verse to go with each.

Also, found a great post over at The Masked Mommy.

Thanks, Ms. Cheryl for making these for my girls!

Many Blessings,
Jen

Thankful Thursday!

2009-04-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

My Peanut is turning 5 in just 2 days! It is so hard to believe that my youngest will be five. Where did the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was changing diapers and rocking her to sleep? Today, I am thankful for the birth of my little peanut. I am thankful that even though she is going to be five she is little enough for me to pick up in my arms. I love her little smile, her curiosity, and her love for language. I adore her very sweet nature and when she says Momma, I love you more than 100, 100, 100, 100 ...............There is so much that I love about her. I am so thankful that God gave me her- what an awesome, beautiful gift!

Many Blessings,

Jen

Veggie Tales: An Easter Carol

2009-03-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Around this time of year, I get out our copy of An Easter Carol. The girls enjoy the Veggie Tales videos, so this is one of their Easter favorites! They absolutely love the music box's singing angel. I just came across a great sale on this item. You can find it for only $5.00 on the Family Christian Stores website.

Here's a little video sneak peek:

"Cavis and Millward, stars of Big Idea's smash Christmas release, The Star of Christmas, are back!This time, Cavis and Millward (Bob and Larry) and a music box angel named Hope (voiced by Rebecca St. James) must convince Uncle Ebenezzer Nezzer that Easter is about more than just candy and eggs. Inspired by Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, this is a powerful story that will remind the viewer why million of Christians about the world celebrate Easter past, present and future! "

Many Blessings,

Jen

My Easter Present: New Bibles

2009-03-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had posted how I was looking for new bibles for my girls being that they were growing out of their story bibles. Well, I finally purchased bibles as an Easter surprise and was so fortunate to find them on sale. Below are my final selections:

"Every girl wants to know she’s totally unique and special. This Bible says that with Faithgirlz!™ sparkle! Now girls can grow closer to God as they discover the journey of a lifetime, in their language, for their world."

http://www.faithgirlz.com/bibles

The Faithgirlz! Bible is recommended for girls aged 8 and up. Sunshine will be turning 7 soon, so I'm hoping that this will be a bible that will grow with her into the pre-teen years.

"Ready for Adventure? Embark on a fun, exciting journey through God’s Word with the Adventure Bible. Along the way you’ll meet all types of people, see all sorts of places, and learn all kinds of things about the Bible. Most importantly you’ll grow closer in your relationship with God. Recommended by more Christian schools and churches than any other Bible for kids. "

The Adventure Bible was selected for Peanut who will be turning 5. She isn't able to read yet, but I thought that I would purchase her big girl bible now as well. It won't be long before she will be able to read it and follow along at Church.

Well, they were supposed to be gifts for Easter. I'm like a big kid and I couldn't wait to give them their new bibles. They were super excited; they both love their individual bibles.

Enjoy your weekend,

Jen

The Ultimate Blog Party 2009

2009-03-23T19:16:00.001-07:00

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting an awesome blog party from March 20th- March 27th. It's not too late to join in on the fun. To participate, you need to post about the party and post your link over at 5 Minutes for Mom. If you don't have a blog, you can also participate by leaving a comment. So this is fun for everyone! Click the link below to get all of the details and to link to the party! Be sure to check out all of the party giveaways.

If you are visiting God's Shining Stars via the Blog Party- WELCOME!! I hope you enjoy my site. You can also find me and my family over at Creative and Curious Kids! We are partying over there, too!!

Take Care!
Jen

The Best Thing About Easter

2009-03-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite books to read during the Easter season is The Best Thing About Easter by by Christine Harder Tangvald.
It shares the things that children naturally enjoy during this time of year such as chocolate bunnies, baby chicks and jellybeans, but it emphasizes the true meaning of Easter. It shares how Jesus' love is the "best thing about Easter."

To see the latest board book version of The Best Thing About Easter or to find other books by Christine Harder Tangvald visit-Family Christian Stores.

Have a beautiful Monday!

Jen

Thankful Thursday! Sunshine

2009-03-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my daughters and I enjoyed the sunny weather at a local park. As I was swinging on a swing next to my four year old, we both closed our eyes as the sunshine warmed our faces.

"I'm feeling thankful," I told her.
"Me too, Mama," she responded.

Isn't the beginning of Spring just wonderful! Looking for signs of Spring in the yard, hearing the birds in the early morning, and the beautiful sunshine.

Here's a song that I like to sing with my girls to remind us to appreciate each new day:

It's a happy day and I thank God for the weather.
It's a happy day and I'm living it for my Lord.
It's a happy day and things are gonna' get better,
Because I'm living each day with the promises of my Lord.

God did not promise, sun without rain.
Peace without sorrow.
Life without pain.
But he did promise,
Strength for the day!
Peace for our trials.
Help all the way!

It's a happy day, It's a happy day....

Enjoy your day! Many Blessings!

Jen

Irish Blessings!

2009-03-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

I've always enjoyed Irish Blessings, even though I don't have an Irish heritage. Marrying into an Irish family has given me the opportunity to share a little bit more of this culture with my children. Below are a few Irish blessings for you to enjoy!

In This Irish Home
May these walls be filled with laughter,
may it reach from floor to rafter.
May the roof keep out the rain,
may sunshine warm each windowpane.
And may the door be open wide
to let the Good Lord's love inside.
____________________________________

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
____________________________________

This day I call to me:
God's strength to direct me,
God's power to sustain me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's vision to light me,
God's ear to my hearing,
God's word to my speaking,
God's hand to uphold me,
God's pathway before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's legions to save me.
from A Retreat With St. Patrick
____________________________________

Source: Irish Culture and Customs

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Jen

Thankful Thursday!

2009-03-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Today, I am thankful for my health. This morning I woke up with a horrible head cold that kept me in bed half of the day. But when I look at things from a different perspective, I realize that things could be worse. There is hope of my head cold going away after a number of days, but I can't help but think of those who are battling things much worse. Therefore, today as I struggle to get out of bed, I'm going to be thankful for my health and lift up others who aren't as fortunate.

Many Blessings,
Jen

Thankful!

2009-03-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, I came across a couple of blogs that post what they are thankful for on Thursday, hence where they get Thankful Thursdays! Well, I've decided to follow suit and join in on Thankful Thursdays. With all of our challenges in this world with sickness, the economy, war, violence, etc., I think that it is important to focus on our many blessings. My first post will be this Thursday, but I'm feeling pretty thankful today, so I'm going to post a photo of what I am thankful for today!!

I am so thankful for my family today! I love them all so much. My husband is healing from surgery and it has been wonderful how he has appreciated my care and what I do for the family. Today, I interviewed my girls for my other blog, Creative and Curious Kids, and it was so neat to see that even though they are young, they too appreciate Momma. My oldest even teared up when I asked her How does she know that her Mom loves her? She said that there are so, so many ways that I show her this. Wow! Six years old and she really thinks this! So sweet.

Well, I appreciate them, too! I am so blessed to have each of them in my life.

God Bless you and your families,

Jen

Ruby's Story

2009-02-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

What can we learn from Ruby Bridges? Courage, bravery, compassion, peacefulness, forgiveness, faith and so much more. This beautiful story written by Robert Coles is based on the real life experiences of six year old Ruby during the 1960's. Sunshine is so touched by this story that she has been discussing it with the family daily. Ruby's story is so powerful; I feel blessed to revisit it and share it with my own children. My favorite part of the story is when Ruby stops in the middle of the angry mob of people and prays for them.

Read more from the School Library Journal:

Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary school in New Orleans in 1960. Coles tells the brief story of her daily walk past furious white adults, her time alone with her teacher in an otherwise empty classroom because white parents kept their children home, and the dramatic moment when she prays in front of the furious crowd for God to forgive them. An afterword explains that later in the school year, parents slowly began to send their children back to school and eventually the crowd dispersed. Although neither the text nor the realistic watercolors are notable, children will find the story of Ruby's courage and steadfastness inspiring. It has a strong religious element with a scene of Ruby's family in church, as well as the dramatic picture of Ruby praying, which will please readers who find too few references to religion in their books.-Kathleen Odean, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI

Listen to this inspiring song by Lori McKenna: Ruby's Shoes

Many blessings,

Jen

The Rainbow

2009-02-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Sunshine had to read a folktale for her Language Arts class. Luckily, I read over it first, so that I was prepared to ask her critical thinking questions. We discussed how folktales were told because people in the past tried to understand creation. This folktale talked about how the world was gray at first before all of the colors came and it discussed how the world was created with color. God was not mentioned anywhere in this folktale.

What an awesome discussion we had after reading this! Sunshine discussed the biblical truths that she knew about Creation and we compared this with the folktale. This experience opened up my eyes a bit. I've tried to shelter my kids from things that go against my own beliefs, but I won't be able to do this forever. Instead of sheltering them, I realize that with some things, I just need to guide them with thinking critically about it in relation to our faith.

For example, many Christians aren't comfortable with The Harry Potter Series that contain magic, etc. If my child wanted to read them, I think that I would let them as long as we discussed them together.

A Christian women shared this idea with me a while back. She said that it was important for her to teach her teenage daughters how to think critically about things in the world, because they will be exposed to a lot.

I was pleasantly surprised by my daughters knowledge about Creation and what she believes. Also, this folktale just seemed quite silly to her and she wondered how people could possible even believe that a rainbow was created this way!

God Bless,

Jen

Wordless Wednesday: Dress Up!

2009-02-25T04:45:00.000-08:00

Just Reminiscing. This photo was taken many years ago, but isn't it fun to look back. So hard to believe they will be 5 and 7 this Spring.

For more W.W. be sure to visit: 5 Minutes for Mom

Have a great Wednesday!

Jen

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

2009-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

Moses listened to God even when he didn't have the confidence to do what God had chose him to do. He trusted God and led the slaves out of Egypt. Harriet Tubman was called the Moses of her time, because she trusted God and led many slaves to freedom.

Recently Sunshine has had an interest in the Underground Railroad and leaders who fought to end slavery. So we took a trip to the library to find books at her level that would interest her as well. We were excited to find the book, Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. This Caldecott Winner was illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Carole Boston Weatherford. The illustrations were just beautiful, but the message even more so. I loved the way Harriet surrendered her situation and trusted in God. Her relationship with God is apparent throughout the entire book. Through this book, I was able to show my children how God can use people to do great things.

We can do great things through Christ who strengthens us. We just need to listen and allow him to use us even in challenging situations.

Many Blessings to you,
Jen

Morning Devotions

2009-02-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was reading a blog post and noticed that the children were having a morning devotion. Usually, I would read the bible with my girls at night or do a devotion with them then. Lately though, it seems that we are rushing at bedtime and our devotion time has become inconsistent. I want to stress the importance of reading God's word daily, so I'd like to be a better role-model for my children. Therefore, I'm thinking about trying a morning devotion. We can all put God first before our day even begin. When Sunshine was in Kindergarten, we would pray every morning before she went to class. I miss these morning time prayers with her.

Do you do a devotion with your children? Do you prefer doing this during the day or at night? I'd love to hear from other Christian families about what you do for your devotions in order to grow together.

Many Blessings,
Jen

Open my Heart, Lord

2009-02-19T21:02:00.000-08:00

Dear Lord,

May I wake up tomorrow with a better attitude, more patience and love for my family, and a willingness to open my heart fully and let you in. Help me to hold my tongue when I am angry and to discipline fairly. Help me to be the best wife and mother that I can be for my family and remind me of my purpose, Lord.

In Your Precious Name,
Amen

My days have been a little rough; need to spend some more time with my Heavenly Father. Have a great day!

Blessings,
Jen

Wordless Wednesday: I Dressed Myself!

2009-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

Peanut dressed herself! Look at the stripes on her tights. Too funny. (Don't look at the mess in the background- pray that God will send some angels down to help me out a bit. He, He!)

(Thanks 5 Minutes for Mom- Happy W.W.)

Have a Great Day!!
Jen

Kidz Kick-off Celebration

2009-02-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

If you haven't had a chance to meet mommy blogger, Tara, from Too Much Information, then you have to be sure to check out her family blog. Recently, she has done a wonderful job on her new site- Kidz. God is truly using her to be an inspiration to others. She writes that she created this site to be

"an uplifting resource that celebrates the lives and lessons of special needs children, a.k.a. kidz. This is a site for everyone, because all children are special and we can all benefit from connecting and learning from each other."

Today, is her kick off celebration for her website and she is giving away fabulous prizes. Be sure to check out her new site and also spread the word about this wonderful new resource for parents.

Blessings,

Jen

2009-02-14T10:05:00.000-08:00

Feeling so blessed today to have my husband and children to love and be loved by! To celebrate, my husband and I had a wonderful evening together without children. Yes, we adore them, but even they need a break from us now and then! A little peace and quiet was just heavenly.

My girls and I had a lot of fun celebrating with a variety of activities. Take a peek over at my other blog to see what we've been up to! Creative and Curious Kids!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Jen

Be My Valentine!

2009-02-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

Today, I received a sweet surprise from a friend. A little bag filled with treats, a tea bag, and a wonderful message. On a heart, she wrote:

A friend loveth at all times.. Proverbs 17:17

This was a little wake up call for me. With all of the cute heart crafts and conversation heart math and all of the other fun things going on in our house, I have left out talking about Valentine's Day in relation to God's love for us!

God's love is greater than anything we could ever imagine, so how in the world did I miss this opportunity at this holiday to focus on it?? Well, it's not Valentine's Day yet, so I decided today to integrate some bible study this week with my Valentine's Day activities. One thing that I'd like to do is read a bible verse each day that focuses on love and discuss what this verse means to them. These will be posted on hearts and used as decorations. Below are a few of the verses that I'll be sharing with the girls.

1 John 4:7
Let us love one another, for love comes from God. (NIV)

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times..

1 John 3:18
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (NIV)

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (NIV)

Proverbs 13:24
Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. (NLT)

Another idea that I have is to sing Christian children's songs or read poems that focus on love, such as Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus I Adore You, and More. Here's a cute song that I found on http://www.dltk-bible.com.

To the Tune "Are you sleeping Brother John".

Jesus loves us, Jesus loves us
all the time, all the time.
Even when we do wrong, Even
when we do wrong.
He's so kind, he's so kind.

A few great resources:
Fruit of the Spirit Unit
A Kid's Heart
Bible Rhymes and Songs for Kids

Celebrate God's love this week- Happy Valentine's Day!

Many Blessings,

Jen

The Secret of Being Content

2009-02-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

"Aw, now that refreshing," I say as I'm walking out the front door.

"Are you crazy?" responds my mailman, George.

I guess you could call me crazy, but there has been something about the cold air on my face that makes me feel so alive. Maybe it's due to the fact that I've been cooped up a lot these days with the cold weather, so when I do get out- I've been enjoying it. So while everyone else may be hoping for Spring, I've been living in the moment. I actually like the white glistening snow on the trees and watching inches and inches of snow fall in my yard.

This is probably the first winter that I've felt this way and oh how wonderful it is to feel content. Content with my circumstances, not wishing for Spring or Summer or Fall, but just living for the moment- enjoying the cold brisk air.

Yesterday, I met a friendly man and his small child who just moved into our country. He has only been in the country for 20 days and we were discussing how his family was adapting to the temperatures. In their country, temperatures reach 120 degrees. He smiled and shared with me that this was the first time in thirty years that he had ever seen snow. Excitedly, I pulled out the photos of our snow princess to share with his daughter. She couldn't speak English, but her father explained to her what was in the photo. Forgetful of the fact that there are others who have never experienced the beauty of snow, I embraced our cold temperatures.

If winter sticks around for a bit longer, I'll be okay. There is still fires that need to be lit in the fireplace, cocoa to be enjoyed, snowflakes to watch fall, and sleds to ride!

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:12,13 NIV

Many blessings to you,

Jen

New Bible for My Little One

2009-02-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about purchasing a bible for my six year old for some time now. She has grown out of her story bibles and is ready for a bible more appropriate for her age. Here are a few that I want to take a closer look at:

If you have a child close in age, please share any suggestions that you may have relating to the above selections or one that you may already be using.

Have a great day- Blessings,

Jen

Pray for an Angel

2009-01-28T20:30:00.000-08:00

After reading about little Caleb over at
I felt like I had to share his story with others and request prayer for him.

"***Caleb is having surgery today to get a G-tube to help him eat, and a nissin to help with reflux. Please keep your thoughts and prayers with Caleb and his family. Visit their blog, Wink From Heaven, to send them well-wishes and to thank them for sharing their special story."

The love that this family shares is just touching and it inspires me to appreciate my children even more. Tomorrow when one of my girls asks for her Mommy's lap, I don't want to tell her that I am too busy. Or when one of them wants to share something exciting with me, I want to look her in the eyes and truly listen. Our children are precious gifts from God and I want to embrace this love daily.

Please join me in praying for Caleb and his family.

Many Blessings,
Jen

Wordless Wednesday: Goodnight Song

2009-01-27T21:53:00.001-08:00

My six year often reminds me to sing a Christian bedtime song with her. I'm so glad that it is important to her and also that she helps her "old" mama to remember! Tonight, she was so cute as she was belting out the notes. She had her eyes closed as if she was in pure worship singing to God. This part was the cutest to watch!!

"...yes, God is near us.
Yes, God is near us.
Yes, God is near us.
Goodnight, I love you so."

Blessings,
Jen

Wordless Wednesday: Time Flies!

2009-01-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Ages: 1 day and almost 2 years old

Ages: almost 5 and 7

Wow! Time flies- where have my babies gone??

Blessings,
Jen

Precious Girls Club

2009-01-16T18:15:00.001-08:00

On the shelves in our stores, we see dolls that are barely dressed with fish net stockings and way too much make-up being marketed to our little girls! Girls as young as 5 wanting to be part of a "hot chick" club in Kindergarten. As a parent of two girls, this has been a very big concern of mine. It is difficult to see little girls acting like teenagers instead of children. I've been trying to find resources and other toys for my own girls that send more positive messages. Today, I came across a website that shares some of the same values that I hope to instill in my own children. You may be familiar with Precious Moment Products. They are the creators of the Precious Girls Club. On the PGC website, members "create their own characters (or "avatars"), decorate their rooms, explore our town, socialize, play games and even shop "virtually" using the points they earn on the site. PGC games reinforce such virtues as helpfulness, kindness, responsibility, loving and caring. In addition to points, many activities award "virtual" virtue charms. And, it's all fun!" This sounds like something my little "techie" girls would love! I'm looking forward to sharing it with them.

"Precious Girls Club is more than a club - it's a way of thinking, acting and living. We are dedicated to helping young girls discover how wonderful and fun it is to be precious."

Many Blessings,

Jen

Playing and Praying for Parker!

2009-01-15T12:25:00.000-08:00

If you haven't visited 5 Minutes for Mom, it is a wonderful site. One of the things that I like about it's creators, is their heart for service! They are always finding ways to help others through blogging and connecting with others. Recently, they found a way to help a little boy named Parker. By playing video games, advertising proceeds will go to help Parker.

To learn more about this little boy and how you can help, click below.

Many Blessings,

Jen

A Lesson in Perserverance!

2009-01-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

My six year old was playing a game the other night and was complaining that she couldn't get the chip in the right spot. She was working hard at flinging this chip onto the game board, but just couldn't get it.

She ran into the kitchen and said "Mom,I kept praying and praying that God would help me get it and it didn't work. I must have prayed 20 times and my prayers still weren't answered!"

I explained to her that sometimes God doesn't answer our prayers because he is trying to teach us a lesson. She looks puzzled. I explained that maybe her lesson for today was perseverance. We talked about this and how God was actually helping her by not letting it be so easy for her. I think she got it. A little smile came across her face as she was thinking about it.

Sometimes life's lessons aren't easy,but they are there to help us in the long run. God doesn't always give us what we pray for because his plans are better than our own!

Blessings,
Jen

Unselfish Giving!

2009-01-09T21:17:00.000-08:00

My peanut warmed my heart today with her generosity! It had to be difficult to give away something she valued. She earned a beenie baby in Preschool for memorizing her bible verse and was so excited about playing with her new little purple mouse. Shortly after leaving Preschool, we decided to visit my sister's house. When we arrived, we learned that my niece was home sick from school with the stomach flu. Peanut asked my sister if she could cuddle the mouse to feel better and my sister told her that it was best that she kept it with her. Peanut decided that she wanted to give it to her as a gift. I was really proud of her choice to give something of value to someone else at such a young age. Isn't it amazing how little ones can teach us life lessons? Old clothes or toys are easy to give-up, but what about things of value? God can even use little ones to teach others about love and service!

Christmas Devotional Giveaway!

2008-11-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Momstart.com is giving away a wonderful book for Christmas!

"Prepare Your Heart for a Great Christmas combines unique reflections with real life, using daily prayer and to-do lists to ease your mind and inspire your heart. The reflections begin on Thanksgiving Day and proceed through Christmas Day to the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated in many churches as the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. When we take time with God on a daily basis, our days are blessed. Follow this book’s simple formula and prepare your heart for a Great Christmas!"

Prepare your Heart for a Great Christmas was written by Maria Rodgers O'Rourke. To learn more about the author and giveaway, please visit Momstart.com.

Many Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving!
Jen

Wordless Wednesday: Teach me to read, Big Sis!

2008-11-19T07:04:00.000-08:00

(Thanks 5 Minutes for Mom for W.W.!!)

I had to capture this precious moment. Big sister was trying to help her little sis read the words. So sweet!

God's Amazing Plans

2008-11-17T06:53:00.000-08:00

You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

God has important plans for all of us and our families. When we are confused about life and what our purpose is, we need to turn toward God and seek his plan. Oh the blessings we reap when we do this! In the book, Purpose for Everyday Living for Mothers, three important truths are listed to remind us that God does have purpose for our lives.

1. God has a plan for your life.
2. If you seek that plan sincerely and prayerfully, you will find it.
3. When you discover God's purpose for your life, you will experience abundance,peace, joy, and power- God's power.

Over the past couple of years, this reality has been very clear to me. It isn't always easy to discern God's plan, but I know in my heart that he does have a plan for me and my family. As I try to obey and go where God leads me, more peace and happiness comes to my life and to the life of my husband and children. Leaving my full-time job to go part-time and then eventually to leaving the teaching profession was done through many hours of prayer and discussions.

We have had less money, yet we have been given so much more. We have been focusing on simple living and relationships, and less on material things. This has brought an amazing amount of love and peace to our household. Leaving a full-time position, gave me the opportunity to grow as a Christian by building new relationships with other Christians, more time to volunteer and to serve others, and to grow in my relationship with Christ and family.

The new adventure that God has placed in our lives is homeschooling. I will start schooling my oldest daughter at home through Cyberschool. I started learning about homeschooling and praying about this shortly after my oldest left preschool. She had such a strong foundation from Christian preschool, so it bothered me to take Christian education away from her. At the time we didn't feel we had the financial resources to send her to a Christian School. She even said that this was one of the main things that she wanted to learn about in Kindergarten. She didn't understand why she wouldn't continue with a Christian curriculum in public school.

Even though my daughter had a wonderful and very supportive teacher last year, I continued to learn about and pray about this educational option. Especially since she was slowly being influenced more and more by the values of others than by the values being taught in her own home.

Even though in my heart, I felt that teaching her at home was the best option for our family right now, I sent her to first grade. I fought the idea because of my own insecurities and concerns for socialization. The more I fought the idea, the more God would whisper in my ear- You can do all things through me- I strengthen you . You are not in this alone. Over the past year, God has placed so many people in my life who are homeschooling or cyberschooling their children who have offered words of encouragement and inspiration.

Many think that I chose this path because I'm not pleased with her teacher this year. Her negative experiences have just pushed me in a direction that we were already heading. There are many reasons why I came to this decision with God's guidance which include my philosophy of education, opportunities for real-life learning vs. paper pencil tasks, my daughter's unique learning style, and individualized instruction. As a former educator, it was very difficult to sit back and watch a very curious, creative child be stifled by her current educational setting. After working countless hours to educate other people's children; with God's help, I'm willing to work as hard to provide the best educational and spiritual environment for my own children. I feel blessed that I have a supportive husband and the time and ability to do so.

"It's incredible to realize that what we do each day has meaning in the big picture of God's plan." Bill Hybels

Many blessings,
Jen

Cyberschool- Here we come!

2008-11-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Or should I say- Here we stay!! In the comfort of our home!

I'm preparing some space in the dining room to school my Sunshine girl. We created a word wall together to add words that she is studying and common words that she will use in her writing. I also have an area to hang her and her sister's best work and a couple of activities. (popcorn and turkey center) Luckily, I have a lot of teaching supplies in storage that I can pull out. I wanted to get my daughter excited about the transition between public education and schooling at home. She seems to love her new learning wall!! Her desk and computer will sit in from of the wall.
This was a big decision for our family, but one that was done with a lot of thought and prayer. We are excited about this new learning adventure!

Heart of the Matter Thank you for this weeks topic!

Many blessings,

Wordless Wednesday!- Christian Pumpkin

2008-11-05T13:17:00.000-08:00

(Thanks 5 Minutes for Mom! for W.W.)

Christian Pumpkin

A small child had recently been baptized. One of her classmates asked her what it was like to be a Christian. She was caught off guard and didn't know how to answer when she looked up and saw a jack-o-lantern on the desk. She answered. "It's like being a pumpkin."

Her classmate asked her to explain that!

"Well, God picks you from the patch and brings you in and washes all the dirt on the outside that you got from being around all the other pumpkins. Then he cuts off the top and takes all the yucky stuff out from inside. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, and all those other bad things. Then he carves you a new smiley face and puts his light inside of you to shine for all to see! It is our choice to either stay outside and rot on the vine or come inside and be something new and bright!"

Author Unknown

Many Blessings,
Jen

Please Pray!

2008-10-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Please continue to pray for this sweet little baby! Here is the latest update from my sister:

Poor Landon is really having a rough couple of days - both lungs have collapsed so the nurses re-intubated him. He now has a tethered spine which will require surgery and may impede his mobility. He likely will end up with a diagnosis of either CP or spina bifida. Once he is medically stable, he will have three surgeries at once - his G tube insertion, a tracheotomy, and they are twisting a portion of his stomach to prevent stomach acid from coming back up his esophagus. Poor baby is going through so much..... Please keep him in your thoughts.

Many Blessings,

Wordless Wednesday: School Picture Day!

2008-10-29T19:05:00.001-07:00

Fancied up for her 1st grade photo!

Planting Seeds

2008-10-25T03:31:00.001-07:00

Recently, my four year old has been collecting seeds from the fruits and vegetables she has been eating and then planting them in our backyard. This summer she saved cucumber seeds to dry out and yesterday, I found her planting seeds from an apple that she was eating. Her motivation? Possibly,the garden that we planted this past Spring. It has been such a blessing, a wonderful family project, plus it has provided us with more than enough cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers than we could ever need for just the four of us. So, of course we willingly shared our harvest with others. So easy to do, but why don't we do this more often with our faith? Why don't we plant seeds so that others can see the harvest, too! God can do such amazing things through us and our children. I want to do more to plant seeds in the hearts of others so that they can know Christ. I also want to recognize that sometimes it takes time to see the harvest- it is in God's time- not our own.
This morning, I read a wonderful devotional titled The Pumpkin Patch by Sharon Glasgow. She shares in the devotional how one year she was so excited to plant seeds for a pumpkin patch, but nothing grew. She described her disappointed. But the next season, she was presently surprised to find a large pumpkin growing from last years seeds. She then shares how God uses this to teach her a lesson about the harvest of the seeds that she had once planted in the lives of others and how she can continue to labor. (God's Purpose for Every Woman: A P31 WOMEN'S DEVOTIONAL)
I try to pray with my daughters daily that they will plant seeds in others by letting God's light shine though them. By helping others, sharing their faith, and being kind, children can do big things for God's Kingdom. So let's go plant some seeds today with our children- whether it be to give an unexpected smile, share about Jesus, help someone at work- so many ways we can share the love of Christ.

He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."
Luke 10: 2 NKJV

Many Blessings,

Just Hanging Around!

2008-10-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday- Thanks 5 Minutes for Mom
My little monkies hanging upside down from a hammock. Their Daddy had to put an old mattress underneath them. (just taking care of his girls!!)

Prayer Needed- Baby Landon

2008-10-21T01:13:00.001-07:00

Baby Landon recently had open heart surgery and has many other complications.
He continues to battler for his health and his little life. Please pray for this family- parents- Amy and Matt.

Here is more info that his mother wrote on the Children's Hospital Website-

Once Landon was born, he went to the NICU and suffered from Pulmonary Hypertension (PHT) and was transported to Children's Hospital. He had tons of IV's, a ventilator and other things connected to him.Landon is also suffering from (VSD)Congenital Heart Defect as well as a undiagnosed chromosome issue.We have been at CHP since 8/22/08. His PHT is doing better, however Landon will be having open heart surgery sometime in the near future and I am not sure when we will be able to go home.All we ask from you is to keep our precious little angel baby in your thoughts and prayers.Now that I am a mommy, I can't imagine ever loving someone has much as I love Landon. He brings Matt and I such joy and we feel very blessed. We are completely in love with our son.

My younger sister shared this story with me about her friends, Amy, Matt, and baby Landon. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers for this family. I can't even imagine how difficult it must be.

Dear Heavenly Father,
I lift up this family today. Please provide them strength and comfort as they care for baby Landon. I pray for the doctors and nurses that are caring for him. I pray that you give baby Landon the strength to continue to fight and that you heal his little body from all of the complications. Please Lord comfort him as he continues his battle.
In Jesus's Name,
Amen

Many blessings,

Hello?? God made them!!

2008-10-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

This morning, my four year old was catching a little bit of science on PBS kids, when I overheard the cutest comment! They were explaining the science of teeth and the job of the different types of teeth. The narrator asked something around the lines of -Why are our teeth so amazing? My little one commented,

"Well, of course, because God made them!!"

I love how she is able to connect her faith with science at such a young age! Too cute, so I had to share!!

Many blessings!!

ps. I'm running a Children's Book contest over at my other blog, so feel free to stop over and enter!
http://raisingcreativeandcuriouskids.blogspot.com

Being Truthful!!

2008-10-17T03:33:00.000-07:00

As a parent, I so want my children to grow up with strong Christian values, but do I let this get in the way of understanding where they are developmentally? In the past, when my six year old would lie, it would really upset me to the point where I would overreact in my discipline. Then I would feel really guilty when I would read that it is perfectly normal for children at her age to lie and that they grow out of it. Especially younger children who struggle between fantasy and reality. A couple of days ago, my four year old lied to me, but later came and confessed. She said, I thought that "God might be mad at me, so I thought that I better tell you the truth." I want the kids to develop a healthy "fear" of the Lord, but I don't want them to feel guilty or to fear God in an unhealthy way. Also, moral development comes with time, so with healthy discipline,parental role models, and God's guidance children will learn proper behavior. I think that when I overreact, it is out of fear- I need to put my trust in the Lord!

Blessings,

Wordless Wednesday: Simply Beautiful!

2008-10-15T05:32:00.000-07:00

What more could I ask for? Two precious girls, beautiful mountain scenery, and relaxing time with husband- God is good!
Visit 5minutesformom.com for more Wordless Wednesday!!

Heart like a Child

2008-10-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I received a really nice email from a friend that focused on how God whispers to us everyday, but how we miss it. (Click here to view Whispers) This made me think about a recent experience with my youngest. We were walking home from taking big sis to school, when we noticed a tree that was changing colors. After explaining a little bit of science behind the tree, my little peanut wanted even more details. I explained to her that I didn't know exactly how the tree held the nutrients in the winter. I just knew that it did. She responded- "Isn't it amazing how God can do that to the tree." A four year old sees his presence daily, but so many of us as adults miss it. We miss his great works and his whispers. It makes sense why Jesus says to have faith like a child. Then we would hear and see better! Boy, children are smart!

Children see things differently than we do. Simple. Peaceful. Humble. And while we spend our time, energy, and resources on balancing life's stresses and fighting to maintain the reputation we've built for ourselves, Jesus is gently calling us back to the heart of a child. from Biblesoft.com: Like a Child: Part 1

Wordless Wednesday: Off to the Mountains!!

2008-10-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

We'll be traveling this weekend to our camp in the mountains. We just love it there and hope to see one of God's many amazing creatures- Elk!! Also, looking forward to seeing the beautiful fall leaves. The photo above was taken the last time we visited!

Please Pray for Carlos

2008-10-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Please pray with me for a baby named Carlos who will be getting surgery today. (He is the baby of a friend of mine that I work with and has been having difficulty swallowing food.)

Dear Lord,
We lift up Carlos today that his surgery will go well. Please keep him safe and comfort his parents as he is going through his procedure. I pray for the doctors who will be taking care of him. I pray that you provide them with wisdom as they work on Carlos to find out what is wrong with him today.

In your son's precious name,
Amen

Thank you and many blessings,

Dear Heavenly Father..

2008-10-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please stop the rain so that my sister can enjoy her lovely fieldtrip.
Amen

My eldest was concerned about missing her trip yesterday, so little sis prayed for her to comfort her. It is so sweet to hear a little child pray for someone from their own heart without a grownup telling them to do so. So precious.

Blessings for a wonderful Saturday,
Jen

Wordless Wednesday-Gift from God

2008-10-01T08:01:00.000-07:00

This is the most precious photo I've ever seen, (except for photos of my own babies of course(Ha, Ha) Anyways, I got this in an email and wanted to share! Not sure who took the photo though??

Questions about Heaven

2008-09-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

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,

2008-09-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-09-18T04:41:00.000-07:00

"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