How we manage our busy schedule

Easter Sunday in 2023

Spring can be busy but it doesn't have to drive us apart because of stress. Today I want to tell you about how our family manages busy times. 

Busy means different things to different people. Some families prefer to have heavy schedules. Others opt for lighter commitments so they can enjoy being together more often. The truth is that everyone gets busy at times. 

Springtime brings lighter temperatures and lots of activities for our family. My husband is a pastor so the church's schedule affects our schedule. Easter is a big season for us. Right after Easter festivities are done, we manage all the end-of-school-year activities. 

The kids have final exams, recitals, concerts, musicals, and sports. These additions to full-time jobs can be stressful. 

I want to offer a few simple suggestions for those looking for inspiration to thrive during a busy season. 

1. We talk about our week before it starts • we have a habit of looking at our schedule before the week begins. We talk about it as a family as well. Now that the kids are bigger, they can remind us of any important dates or pick-up times. Everyone in our family has a favorite way to keep up with a calendar. Speaking about the week before it happens has helped us cover busy weeks as well as offer assistance where needed. 

2. We help each other - When we speak about our week, we may notice someone with a heavier dose of commitment. One time, one of the kids qualified for an all-state clinic. The clinic required extra practice and travel. Our family came together to help one another so we could be sure all the kids have everything they needed. 

3. We ask for help - We learned not to be embarrassed to ask for help. I tend to try to do everything by myself. Asking for help allows us all to reach our goal of thriving during a busy season. I learned to ask for help with chores. I'm amazed at how it frees up my time so I can do other things. 

4. We schedule time together - my husband is especially gifted in thinking about how we can spend time together during busy seasons. The simple act of sitting down together to share our hearts is especially meaningful. We always feel better and we agree that we needed that boost of love and encouragement. When it comes to spending time together as a family, dinner time is our way of joining forces. It takes effort and planning to have meals on the table during busy weeks but this is a well-established habit for us.

5. We schedule rest time - A rested family is an effective family. We learned that being busy does not mean being restless. Sure, there are early mornings and late nights at times. We learned to cultivate the habit of resting adequately so we feel refreshed most of the time. To put things into perspective, we may decline a few invitations if it means we get multiple hours of rest before the busy season begins. I remember saying no to hanging out so we could spend a full day at home resting and recovering. We say yes to going to be earlier than most people. Resting well allows our bodies and minds to function at their best. The only thing about rest is that you can't put it on a pill. You just have to make it happen. 

6. We celebrate each other's accomplishments - We are teaching the kids to celebrate one another. During busy seasons, we stopped to celebrate big and small accomplishments. Celebration brings about extra joy. It seals happiness in the heart. It also allows us to see that all the work to get us where we are was worth it. Celebrations are part of Christian living. We want to be habitual about our celebrations. No need for a big banner and a marching band. To hear "well done" and to receive an affirming hug is all the soul needs. 

7. We practice JOMO - I've seen tears being shed over this practice. It is a difficult one to practice yet worth it in the end. Recently, I saw a particular family member adding a lot of extracurricular activities to our family schedule. One day during a way, we talked about our goal for this season as a family. We talked about the impact of the extra activities. Something had to give. JOMO is defined as "the joy of missing out." I honestly told the kid, "You can't do everything. You are very talented but wisdom comes when we only do what God gives us grace to do for that season." The kid cried. I didn't cry because I know how much it hurts to do the opposite of what I was proposing. JOMO does not show up until you gather the courage to say no. Families are the places where we can gather our courage together, coupled by the wisdom of the previous generation and the grace of God. 

I hope you and your family are well-equipped to thrive this Spring season. You have what it takes. With God and the love of family, you can do hard things. 

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Autumn

 

"He changes times and seasons" Daniel 2:21  

I never thought about the Fall until I became a mother. My husband loves Fall and he taught our kids to have an appreciation for it. One year, as the kids watched the seasons change, my middle child said "mamãe, Fall is coming! We need to decorate the house!" I thought, "Okay, now how should we do it?" 

I'm no Martha Steward. I'm also a "less is more" type of person so we started small. We bought small pumpkins. We found a few decorative flowers in yellow, dark red, and orange. We placed them inside a vase. 

The kids were so happy to see those additions to our decorations. We lit fall-scented candles each afternoon. My husband always commented about how great the house smells with the spiced scent.  Fall is a feast for the senses. 

Summer is full of intensive activities. We feel energized. The Fall offers a retreat for the soul. It slows our bodies and minds. It draws us inside our homes. It offers plenty of opportunities to stop and think about the abundance of things we have. 

Over the years, our family developed recipes we only use in the Fall. My husband makes his award-winning "pumpkin surprise" cake. This recipe won second place at a church competition in Houston, Texas. 

We eat chili and cornbread. I didn't grow up eating chili but I learned to enjoy it during the Fall. The kids enjoy being creative with different toppings. Our favorite thing is to come together at dinner time and see how everyone decided to enjoy their chili. 

We bake pumpkin muffins and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. We often share these desserts with neighbors. Part of the joy of cooking is giving away fresh baked goods to others. Baking is better when we share with friends.

We read year-round yet our book selection becomes significantly better during the Fall. When the kids were in preschool, I started gathering books with Fall themes. We only read those books during the Fall. As the kids grow older, we change our selections yet, we keep a few favorites for old-time sake. 

We created a playlist with Autumn songs. I taught the kids to sing "give thanks with a grateful heart" when they were little. We still sing it when we think of songs of thanksgiving. 

I think of all of these things we do as a slow start to the Thanksgiving holiday. My goal is to develop gratefulness to God for creating Fall. He changed the season. We gladly adapt and rejoice. 

The thanksgiving holiday is my favorite. I like it so much, and I want to be grateful throughout the season. Why wait until November if we can be thankful all year long? True thanksgiving starts in the heart. 

Autumn becomes more meaningful when we don't forget the heart. The heart is deceitful. You can have the best Fall decorations, the most delicious recipes, and an ungrateful attitude. What is Fall without a heart of continued gratitude to God? 

I can cultivate gratitude daily. How so? I start with the recognition that I can grow in gratitude. I continue my cultivation with repentance. I haven't always been grateful for the many blessings God generously gives me. I've complained. I've murmured. I haven't treasured the people in my life as I should. My so-called "service" to others was not motivated by agape love. I repent. God graciously forgives me. 

I continue this process by offering thanks to God. He is good. His mercy endures forever. Bible reading fills my heart with more reasons and reminders to be continually grateful to the Lord. Then, I do it all over again: wash, rinse, repeat. This process is like laundry, a continuing part of life. 

This Fall, I want to remember those who have are enduring difficulties. I think of those who are burdened by the hardships of life. God sees and He cares for you. He knows the tears, He knows your pain. 

I am praying for and with you. I understand that sometimes, it is difficult to see the beauty of the season. It is okay to feel as you do. It is also okay to continue to pray. It is okay to reach out and ask for help. Friends are often God's answers to the heaviness of life. Friends remind us of God's care for us. When we engage in friendship, we discover togetherness in trials. 

God created each season. When you are going through difficulties, please know that seasons change. Relief comes. Tides turn for it is God's design. 

I hope that you find beauty in the life God is giving you this Autumn. I encourage you to grow and nurture gratitude in all things. 

Thank God for the beauty of this season. Thank God the last season is gone. Thank God there's a season to come. 

These days, my family and I are enjoying each day the Lord gives us. We are watching the leaves change colors. We are mindful to give thanks to the Lord for Autumn. 

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Camp Listenbee 2022

 Camp Listenbee is coming to a close! We always start the summer speaking about the importance of being a good steward of time. 24 hours is what God gives us. We get to decide what to do with it. We need wisdom and a strategy to use our time wisely. I draw a pie chart and I use black beans because they are part of our cultural context. 

We kicked off the summer with the Renaissance Festival. It was our first time. It was a hot but fun day. We stayed hydrated and walked around mostly. The kids went to a ride and enjoyed it quite a bit. The people-watching aspect was pretty fantastic.

We spent quite a bit of time going to the library to get books and play games when we needed extra time there.

We could have driven to the pool but we decided to walk most days. It was a great way to include more activity in our days. The kids played water polo for the first time at the end of the season. Swimming in our neighborhood was a fun way to meet our neighbors.

Award season arrived too fast. These kids worked hard every day and we are eager to continue our journey as swimmers.

VBS was a blessing. I thought last year was the last one for my oldest two but no. New Hope has 6th grade with kids ministry, so the kids had another chance to experience VBS. They had a blast. We love VBS. I volunteered again. I try to volunteer every chance I get. My group was the missions group. We visited our church's garden. This ministry is unique, fruitful and much needed. It was so much fun!

Our friends, the Berry Family came to visit us on their way back to Texas. We had an AMAZING time with them. They are fundraising to go on their mission assignment. Join me in contributing to their efforts here in this link

Summers are for birthdays. We celebrated Zelia's birthday at the beginning of the summer. We had friends over for a birthday party. We all had fun! It's hard to believe that my youngest is 10 already.

We loved going to Crumbl cookies for the first time. I've given it to people as gifts but this was our first time trying. They were really all that jazz.

This summer we were all supposed to travel. My husband and I were going to a mission trip together but he went by himself because of a change of plans for me. The kids went to grandma camp with my sister. We all had a great experience. We prefer to be together. Being apart will become the norm as the kids grow and go pursue God's purpose. For now, we're hip to hip as I like to call it.

A long-awaited dream for the kids was to meet Ricky Dillard. His 34th-year anniversary concert was in our hometown so we all went. We're fans. Zeke has been blessed to write for Ricky for a few years. The kids loved meeting him in person. He's a good guy. He is the best at what he does and a very encouraging brother in Christ. You can find his music here.

My sweet second baby is 12! Her birthday is the last kid birthday of the year and the last summer birthday too. On top of the celebrations, we had a program and a tea in her honor. We called it "a young lady according to God's own heart." It was sweet and a blessing to us all!

We closed the summer with a goal-setting activity at a local coffee shop. The Fall will be here before we know it. We always set Fall goals because if you aim for nothing you will hit it every time" as Zig Ziglar said. We set goals in the following categories: academics, savings, faith, and new. Academic goals are the grades and habits we want to cultivate during the school year. Savings goals are goals for our money. Faith goals are spiritual disciplines we want to develop. New is something new want to try whether it is a sport or something new we want to do. I also set goals with the kids. We spoke about how we can encourage one another as we set and pursue these goals.

We had a chance to do so many other things. Now we live closer to our family we visited with them more than we normally would. What blessing! We spent time with friends from church. We had the pleasure of visiting the Atlanta Aquarium and we visited the Olympic Park with an Olympian! God truly blessed us with some amazing friends and mentors at our church.

We're still adapting to our new hometown but thus far, the Lord blessed us with a peaceful and friendly neighborhood and neighbors. We're wanted, loved and treasured. We are reciprocating the same towards everyone. I believe that the summer is more than a time to consume endless fun. It is a time to live what God calls us to do. It is a time to learn. It is a time to love. It is a time to live God's purpose as a blessing in action in the lives of people around us.

Thank God for creating summers.

More in this series:

• Summer Camp 2021 • Camp Listenbee 2020 • Camp Listenbee 2019 • Camp Listenbee 2018

• Camp Listenbee 2017
• Camp Listenbee 2016
• Camp Listenbee 2013
• Summer Organization Tips for Mothers of Preschoolers
• Preschool Summer Camp Coop

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Sunday Seven

“Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path
and leave a trail” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Traveling with family is inspiring and practical. It is difficult and easy. Here are my latest learnings.

1 • We train our kids for traveling before we traveled. We prepare with flexibility in mind. We are open to possibilities. We befriend patience. We use humor and encouragement. 

2 • Less is more. I've been cultivating the art of packing effectively over the past 31 years. The kids were able to apply some of my learnings. We succeeded, even when we had to add 2 extra days to our trip.

3 • Traveling as a family is taking our systems and rhythms on the road. We don't push hard. We find the balance between 5 people. I am learning that when we work as a unit, everyone benefits.

4 • The joy of experiencing new things is the best. We all learned so much during our time away. Seeing the joy in everyone's eyes and hearing it in their voices is one of my favorite things about traveling.

5 • We make our choices and our choices inform the life we live. We also believe in thinking about our choices. The things we learn will inform the next trip we take.

6 • We talked about gratitude to God a lot during our trip. We encourage gratitude in our family. We also told the kids why we were grateful for a particular blessing. Teaching what we want to see needs to be purposeful.

7 • Our time away ended with a sense of joy and awe. God was great and kind to us. We truly appreciate His presence with us during this trip. 

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Camp Listenbee 2021

We started the summer with a view of 24 hours. We divided our 24 hours into a pie chart and talked about how we can better use them. 

The kids had a few swim competitions and they won quite a few races! What a beautiful growth I see in 1 year of steady swimming. 

We went to science camp. Zion did robotics and the girls, coding. They created some fun things. 

VBS was a blast. This is the last year my older two participate. Growth came too quick and I'm glad they went to VBS since they were babies. Time to volunteer!

Second to the swimming pool, this is the place they went to the most. Readers are leaders. Leaders are readers.

My nephew visited for a couple of days. We all went to the movies. It had been a while! The kids used their own money to buy snacks. 

We took the kids to the restaurant where we had our first date. They were not impressed but we thought it was a full-circle moment. 

Our church had a family night event. It was super fun.

We have two summer birthdays. We love celebrating birthdays as a family. 

We went back to school shopping. It was a slow day, which was good for us. We grabbed lunch, dessert, coffee and headed back. We felt accomplished. 

Today as the kids are back at school, I am thankful to God for an amazing summer. Summers are so enjoyable. They fly by. Kids grow and God's faithfulness to us is steady.

More in this series:

• Camp Listenbee 2020 • Camp Listenbee 2019 • Camp Listenbee 2018

• Camp Listenbee 2017
• Camp Listenbee 2016
• Camp Listenbee 2013
• Summer Organization Tips for Mothers of Preschoolers
• Preschool Summer Camp Coop

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Time management chart for kids

Time is unforgivable. Time is no respecter of persons. It goes by even during a pandemic. What we do with the time we have is completely up to us. 

In a June 2020 survey*, 62 percent of parents to U.S. teens aged 14 to 17 years stated that their kids were spending more than four hours per day on electronic devices since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the pandemic triggered a rise in the use of electronic devices among American children under 13 and teenagers with screentime now double that of what it used to be across all age groups.

I believe that we all took liberties in 2020 with our time. We allowed our kids to do the same. In 2021, I am trying to push forward from all the pandemic brought. How do I do? I focus on the only time guaranteed: 24 hours.

For the past few summers, I teach my kids about time management. The teacher learns twice, which is great for me. 

This time, we started with an overview of Bible study. Starting anything focusing on God is important. He created time. He is the Master of time. He can give us wisdom in time management. 

I make a pie chart which represents some of the ways we spend our time. We start with sleep. Without proper sleep, nothing else in the chart works well. We continued with other things we do such as eat, swim, music, Portuguese lessons, etc. 

The good thing about making a chart is that you can notice what's not there. In our case, devotional (ops!). We quickly included it. We eat a lot of rice and black beans so we used the beans to represent 24 hours. Each child filled the different time slots. I asked them, what's missing from the chart? Technology right?

We talked about unwise ways to use technology. Some people use it by not sleeping enough. Others, but not doing other things essential to optimal living. I then asked the kids if they knew how to use technology wisely. The littlest said we can limit the time to 1 hour. The other kids said we can combine it with something we are doing already such as listen to music while walking outdoors. 

We all felt encouraged about our time usage plan. I told the kids that time management they would use for the rest of their lives. I also told them it was important to look at the goal behind the way we were dividing our time. 

We want to be good stewards of the life God is graciously giving us. 

How are you and your family using your time these days?

Source

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Summer Activities for Kids 2021 Longview

Longview Families enjoy being active year-round but especially during the summer. Here is a growing list of activities for kids of all ages. Enjoy! - Cintia Listenbee

* Want to be added to the list? Contact me!

* Need a website to make registration easier? Contact me!

(Updated 3/25 at 11:49 a.m.) 

 VBS (coming soon!) 

Arts 

June 7-12  • ArtsView Children's Theater 

DANCE

June 12 - August 5 • Tina Grider Dance 

DAY CAMP

June 14 - 18 • First Christian Church Daycamp

STEM 

June 14- 25 • LeTourneau Summer Camps 
Our camps are designed for children of all ages and feature a wide variety of fun and educational topics. 

SPORTS

Bowling
TBA • Kids Bowl Free

Golf 
June 8 - July 29 • First Tee 
June 6 - July 27 • First Tee 

Gymnastics
June 14 - July 22 • Gymnastic World 

Basketball 
April 27 - June 1 • EDH Real Basketball
June 28 - July 1  • JumpForward (LeTourneau University) 

Swim
All summer - Longview Metro Aquatics (Leviathans) 

Tennis
May 25 - August 4 • East Texas Tennis Clinic (if you need the PDF, just contact me and I'll send it to you).

TBA • LeTourneau University Tennis Camp

Music 

Coming soon

Other 

Coming soon

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Camp Listenbee 2020

Camp Listenbee is often an adventure. A new city and a global health emergency required us to get creative and adapt. Adapting we did. 

We spent time with family. This summer, my nephew is officially taller than I am. We love spending time with our sweet family. The kids had a great time together exploring our town. The public swimming pool is open with restrictions so they all splashed quite a bit. 

We spent quite some time in the public library getting books and returning books. I signed up for the summer reading challenge (which we more than completed) I just haven't logged in their books. I guess I should before school returns. I read quite a bit myself. The library is new to us but a familiar place at the same time. The kids and I love books. It's amazing to scape to the world of a book. 

 

We swam quite a bit. There were restrictions everywhere but the kids had a solid swim team season. They enjoyed it and I was happy to see their progress. I've always said that swimming is a gift. I'm glad to share it with my littles. For the record, I've never been in a swim team. My parents put me in lessons and I learned three styles. I'm not a competitive person so I swim for the joy of it. I like to swim because it gives something different than running. I am thankful to God for the ability to swim as a sport. 

I learned that there are millions of berry farms in our area. My sweet friend invited us to visit one and we had an amazing time. The kids enjoyed the ice cream and the hot dog at the end. Ha ha! We will be back again and again for sure!

We did a little bit of traveling in our area. It was fun to get away for a bit. We visited an indoor waterpark. The kids absolutely loved it!

We also had a chance to get to know Canyon Lake. It was so incredibly beautiful! Our family loved that area of Texas and we will return for sure. 

This summer the kids wrote quite a bit as far as letters. They were faithful to keep in touch with friends. It was fun to see their smiles when they got letters in the mail. I'm glad we share the same appreciation for letter writing. 

We stretched our musical abilities quite a bit. One of my littles gave us a concert featuring a song she wrote. It was so precious and encouraging. 

Summer is my favorite season. I enjoy the warmth. I enjoy celebrating the kids' birthdays. I enjoy seeing family and friends. I enjoy swimming and eating fresh fruits and veggies. I thank God for summers. They remind me of how good God is to us. He gave us new life and we get to enjoy it to the fullest. 

It took a village but we had an amazing Camp Listenbee. I can't believe this is our first in East Texas. The only thing we didn't do was Cow Appreciation Day. We did give Chick-fil-A quite a bit of our money tough. Lol! 

I think that when I look back at the summer of 2020, I will remember the smiles of my kids. I will remember their incredible faith and trust. I will remember our adventures together and I will remember the goodness of God. 

More in this series:

• Camp Listenbee 2019 • Camp Listenbee 2018

• Camp Listenbee 2017
• Camp Listenbee 2016
• Camp Listenbee 2013
• Summer Organization Tips for Mothers of Preschoolers
• Preschool Summer Camp Coop

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Before and After School Pictures

This episode analyzes the curious habit of taking first and last day pictures of kids while asking the question: did you grow? Enjoy!

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Parenting with Blemishes and All

I don't hide my blemishes. This episode is about less than perfect parenting. Enjoy! 

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How to celebrate Lent

Buy The Way to the Savior by Jeff & Abbey Land

What is Lent? Hear what it means to me and how I am remembering Jesus during these few days before Easter.

Show notes:
• Lent: I will remember Jesus
• 4-part series on Lent

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Hacking Christmas

This season, I decided to hack Christmas. To hack is to use your expertise or skill to overcome a problem. My problem is, there is no time to do anything worth doing. This is the busiest season of the year. There is no way around it. What to do?

The way I overcame this lack of time problem was to think about which activities are meaningful to our family. Among these activities, which ones will make the biggest impact in our lives? Once we identified them, we organized our days around them.

These activities and readings are not done robotically. We purposely enjoy them. We think about the meaning of the season and we savor each moment, the best we can.

Readings: 
The Holy Bible - because we all need to be reminded of what the Bible actually says.
The Way to the Manger - we are in our second year of reading this wonderful book. The kids love it and we all are building amazing memories around this devotional time together.
When Christmas came to Bethlehem - I realize this one is way above their heads. Lots of difficult words BUT they listen attentively and each year, we marvel at the message of the Messiah.

Activities: 
• Christmas lights - we usually wear pajamas and we swing by Starbucks and grab hot cocoa on the way.
• Church - we appreciate all the ministry our children receive during this season. We are also loving the current sermon series in our church called Shadows of Christmas.
• Caroling - we went twice. It was so much fun! My favorite part was the see the smiles and sometimes tears on the faces of the families opening their doors. Music is such a wonderful gift.
• Baking - The kids and I baked quite a bit. We still have gingerbread cookies we need to bake. The kids really love baking (and eating).
• Cards - We bought our Christmas card and mailed it to friends. We delivered quite a few to local friends. I printed individual photos and mailed them with some of the cards. Next year, I'm including our photos in the card. The kids were a big help with all the cards we mailed out. I love that I have three extra pairs of hands willing to write Christmas cards!
• Gingerbread House - we started decorating a gingerbread house a few years ago. I buy the already assembled type. The kids really love this activity.
• Singing - I want my children to know as many Christmas hymns as possible. I have a Youtube playlist with songs I want them to learn. We also listen to Christmas music before school and when they come home. We sometimes sit around and sing different hymns so they kids can become familiar with the lyrics. Before we moved, we took the kids to the traditional service at church. Our goal was to expose them to as many hymns as possible. Hymns are filled with timeless Scriptural truth. Many have been translated to multiple languages. Christmas hymns are special. I believe they need to be part of my children's upbringing.
• Remembering - most of the season, we remind ourselves that Jesus is the reason for the season. We say out loud: we are Christians and we are celebrating the gift of God to the world through Jesus.

I haven't mentioned the Christmas festivals we sometimes attend. There are multiple Christmas parties and countless activities. The important thing is to know what matters to your family. Ask yourself, in light of eternity, what will matter most?

Go after the God priorities. Enjoy the family God gave you. Forget about creating the perfect "moment" and remember to savor the now.

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Practicing our Purpose: Fall Traditions

Thanksgiving season in 2013

We woke up early on move-in day. We had been familiar with our new house for exactly 15 hours (8 of which were dedicated to sleeping in a hotel).

When the movers came in, my job was to get the kids to help with the items we had in our cars. My job was also to keep them out of the way so my husband and the movers could work uninterrupted.

Arriving at a new community colors every aspect of your life, fall traditions included. Traditions are things we repeat year after year. This Fall, I realized that our family cares about things that are eternal. Eternal things are not seasonal but we manage to work them in our Fall Traditions.

I came back with the kids after a productive time running errands. I noticed the kitchen table was where it was supposed to be. I proceeded to focus on what is really important to us: connecting around the dinner table.

I found the Fall decor. I also bought the scented candles we light once a year. As a Christian family, we live in a world that is celebrating Fall but we go through every season with eternity in mind.

The goal of the Fall decor, the trip to the pumpkin patch and the warm soup in the slow cooker is to connect us as a Christina family. I see each moment as an opportunity to think about the eternal, long-term picture. I want the kids to remember how much we love them and how much God loves them. I want them to know God. I want them to know how to grab a hold of Him for themselves. I also want them to know and love God’s word.

Here are a few practical ways we practice our purpose during the Fall:

• We enjoy warmer and heavier foods during this season. While we put some effort into the cooking part, the goal is to connect as a family around the dinner table. We’ve been waiting for a long time to have chili so we had it last night with cornbread and all the fixings.
• We teach what the Bible has to say about thanksgiving. Years ago, I decided I can’t wait until Thanksgiving week to both model and teach on the subject. We start early because it is a priority for daily living.
• We teach Christmas hymns. Some timeless, theologically sound Christmas hymns have been written. We teach those lyrics ahead of time. We use YouTube as a resource, where you can find kid-friendly lyric videos. We love all hymns and we teach them to the kids. I find that we enjoy the Christmas season more if we know the lyrics of the hymns we hear in different concerts and presentations.
• We celebrate family. We have always lived far away from family. The Fall is when we get together with a lot of our extended family. My husband’s birthday is also in the Fall. We focus on celebrating him well. This is another principle we teach. We want the kids to know and practice the value of celebrating others well. It takes a heart attitude. It also takes planning and practice.
• We have a few Thanksgiving-themed books we read each year. Reading is something we encourage on a daily basis. I believe that books awaken and enhance the imagination in a Godly way.
• We do decorate for the Fall. We try to do it early and I save my decor from year to year. I started decorating when one of my kids asked about it. She was a little toddler and I thought, why not make the house festive for the Fall? I don’t go all out but it is decorated enough that we know there is something special about this season.

For other practical ways to practice your purpose during this season, reach Sally Clarkson’s "The Lifegiving Home."

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