2009 May

Games for Traveling in the Car With Kids

May 29, 2009 By Courtney 8 Comments

We all know how hard it is to travel with kids in the backseat – although nowadays with video games and car DVD players it is much easier than when I was a child. But with my little ones, long car trips are still daunting and about 2 years ago I began to research fun car trip ideas and over the years I’ve collected them and tried out many of these – so since summer is here and you probably have some vacation plans – this might be useful!

My top 7 favorite games to play in the car:

1. The Ticket System: Before my kids could read a clock or estimate how long – 7 hours is – I began a ticket system. Before we leave home I cut strips of paper – a different color for each child and put them in baggies. Then I give the baggies to the children once the drive has begun – and they are so excited to have their OWN bag. Then every 30 minutes they give me a ticket. (So if we are going on a 7 hour car trip I put 14 tickets in their bag). I tell them when the bag is almost empty – we are almost there – and when the bag is empty – we are there! This is a fun way for them to keep track of the time passing and they don’t ask “are we there yet”?

2.Red Car/Yellow Car Choose a color and watch for a car of that color. Whoever spots the right color car first calls out, “(Color) Car!” and then gets to choose a different color for the next car.

3. Alphabet Hunt Using the alphabet, starting with A, watch out the window for road signs, billboards, store signs, etc. with the called out letter. Once you find an “A” move on to “B” and so on until you complete the alphabet. Then repeat!

4. Number Hunt Similar to above but use numbers. Watch out the window for numbers from 1-9, in order.

5. Scavenger Hunt – have the children look for these items – since my children are little and can’t read I print up pictures of these items and we cross them off as we go.

CITY LIST
Flashing red light
Bus
Dog
Grocery store
Railroad tracks
Playground
Billboard with child on it
Billboard with cat on it
Police officer

SUBURBS
School
Flashing traffic light
Grocery store
Person on a bicycle
Statue
Church
Playground
Flower garden/snowman
Children
Pickup truck

RURAL LIST
Silo
Railroad tracks
Post office or school
Cows
Dirt road
Pond or lake
Tractor
A fence
Gas station
Horses

TODDLER LIST
Tall building
Lake or pond
Person on a bicycle
Bridge
Red car
Animal
Truck
Stop sign
Store
Person wearing a hat

6. License Plate Game See how many different license plates you can find. Keep track of what states, provinces or countries you see plates from. The person who finds the most plates wins!

7. Animal Naming Game – You have to name an animal in alphabetical order. If a letter sounds like one, but really isn’t, you do the real letter. For letters like q,x,y, you don’t have to do, but you get an extra turn if you do.Submitted by Fashion Queen

Momsminivan.com is an excellent resource for more fun travel tips.

Walk with the King!

Filed Under: Parenting

Book Review: The Hole In Our Gospel

May 28, 2009 By Courtney 6 Comments

Richard Stearns, the President of World Vision has a new book out titled “The Hole In Our Gospel”. As I cracked open this nearly 300 page book I found a biography of a man that compelled me. Richard was a godly husband and father to 5 children and was the President of Lenox China before giving up his Jaguar, large home, and large salary to become the President of World Vision. He went from living the country club lifestyle to sitting in grass huts in Uganda feeding children who are starving. Why? Why did he give up the American dream?

Richard told the story of a pastor friend who went through the Bible literally cutting out with scissors, all the verses on poverty and then when he preached on poverty, he held his ragged, tattered Bible in the air and said “Brothers and sisters, this is our American Bible; it is full of holes…here are all the Biblical texts we ignore.”

Richard goes into full detail about the epidemic of poverty in our world that American Christians just simply ignore. 26,500 children will die today due to causes related to poverty – whether it’s starvation, dirty water, ravages of war, disease or AIDS. That’s the equivalent of 100 jet liners crashing just today! He knows how Americans value our airplanes and hate to see one crash – so he compares the statistic to a plane wreck.

If we hear the story of a child dying in a car accident – we are sad for the family. But if we learn that it is our next door neighbor’s child who died we are deeply grieved for the family. And if our own child dies – well – our world is turned upside down. For some reason we place less value on the children dying half way around the world than we do our own children – but GOD DOES NOT!

Oh, this book was so convicting as it told stories of children eating dirt patties with butter to ease their starving bellies. As I imagined the orphans of the AIDS epidemic spending most of their day looking for food and retrieving dirty water – I felt convicted about my own children and how they turn their noses up at their peanut butter and jelly sandwich that doesn’t have the crust cut off!

What does God expect us to do about all this poverty? Richard reminds us of Matthew 25 where Jesus speaks of judgement day. Jesus says that the criteria for dividing the sheep from the goats will be:

“When I was hungry you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

The righteous ask “when did we see you hungry Lord?” And Jesus replied “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine , you did for me. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink…” And the righteous went to eternal life.

Wow – did you catch that? – the people who did not feed the hungry or give drink – went to eternal fire! God has a pretty STRONG opinion on what he expects us to do – wouldn’t you say??? If you are like me – you spend much of your Christian days trying to do what is right as a mom, wife and servant in the church – avoiding the really bad sins. But this “squeaky clean” approach is not what God is looking at on judgement day. God is not just looking at our faith – but our evidence of our faith – and specifically – how we helped the poor.

I have to admit and be open here – this book completely humbled me – at one point in the book – I literally stopped reading and said out loud “shut up!” and began to cry. I am deeply grieved by my failure in this area.

I have shared much of my reading with my husband and children and I hope to make some strides forward in this area as a family – the task is so overwhelming but this one quote motivates me to try – “Don’t fail to do something because you can not do everything.”

I recommend this book and also want to encourage you to go to World Vision’s website to see if there is anything that you can do to help those in need.

Walk with the King!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

Filed Under: Books

A "Must Read" For the Summer

May 27, 2009 By Courtney 2 Comments

Yep – this book is a summer MUST READ – it’s revolutionary, life changing, extraordinary, eye opening, jaw droppingly amazing. It is filled with romance, love, good and evil. There is suspense, drama, wisdom and comfort. As you read you will weep and you will jump for joy – can you guess what book I’m suggesting as your first summer pick – the Bible!

This should seem so obvious yet – isn’t it easier to pick up a novel, self-help book, cookbook or magazine for your summer reading enjoyment? I am guilty of it myself. I LOVE to read and I feel like a good book is like a good mentor to me.

Sometimes these other reading materials steal my time away from the ONE book that is most extraordinary on the planet – the Bible. It’s in the Bible that we find direct words from God. There is no other place in this world that you will find direct words from God – so why do we neglect his word? Don’t we want to hear from God?

Reading God’s word is not a one day ordeal. It’s not meant to be read on Sunday and then closed until the following Sunday. God wants us to hunger and thirst for his living water. He wants us to find refreshment, comfort and satisfaction through his word. David uses the analogy of a deer in Psalm 42 “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Are you thirsting for Jesus or have you made yourself so busy and so full of other “junk” that you don’t even know your souls greatest need – time with God.

Do you want to be a better wife? Study your Bible. Do you want to be a better mother? Study your Bible. Do you want to be a better homemaker? Study your Bible. Those magazines sure are inviting and enjoyable and don’t get me wrong – you might just see me reading one on the beach – BUT it lacks the power that God’s word has.

Do you charge your cell phone daily? I do. If I don’t have power to recharge my phone – it goes dead. You need to plug into God’s power daily. You need to be recharged by his words and his strength daily. Reading God’s word daily will change the entire course of your life. So I encourage you to be sure you take your Bible along everywhere this summer – outside while the kids are playing, to sport’s practices, to the pool, on vacation, and to waiting rooms – buy a tiny one that you can slip in your purse or write out verses on note cards and carry them along with you! Do not let the lazy days of summer make you lazy in your walk with God!

My friend Julie over on Come Have a Peace is doing a series on “Plan to Be Refreshed“. She says…”If you don’t plan ahead for dinner, you’re more likely to have frittata a la freezer. If you don’t plan ahead what you’ll wear to work or for a night out, you’re more likely to go wrinkled (my personal favorite), late (better that than never), or feeling dowdy (it happens). If you don’t plan ahead to send a birthday card, you’re more likely to fall into the “belated wishes” category (oh, but do still send them). Bible Study is the same way, maybe worse, since there’s an enemy working against our success.”

If you need help in this area – join Julie for her series this week – Okay I gotta run and get off this blog so I can go read my Bible!!!

Walk with the King! He loves you so!

http://www.womenlivingwell.org/

Filed Under: Quiet Times