A few weeks (months?) ago we met up with my friend Yancy as she was doing a concert in Atlanta. She just released a brand new preschool album called Little Praise Party: Happy Day Everyday and as we hopped in the car to go to dinner, she gave us the new CD. We popped it in the CD player and began to listen while we drove.

I, clearly unable to sit still without doing something, opened up the CD and started reading the lyrics, the acknowledgements and all the info inside the CD (that’s the one thing I miss because of iTunes!). Inside the cover of the CD Yancy wrote, “I wrote a few of these songs with some special people in mind: Bye, Bye, Bye is for Lydia.” MY LYDIA?!

We flipped straight to Bye, Bye, Bye and heard the lyrics:

Bye, Bye, Bye to fear
I don’t have to be afraid
God is always with me
Even when I’m scared and don’t know what to do
My God is Big and Strong
There is nothing to fear!
No no no no
There is nothing to fear!

This IS for my Lydia! My Lydia who has struggled with fear ever since she was a toddler looking up to big tall men, a 3 year old who was too afraid to speak to adults, the 4 year old deathly afraid of storms, the 5 year old who worried about someone coming into our home. My little girl who constantly needs to work on saying Good-Bye to fear!

HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!

Lydia and “Aunt” Yancy in 2008. {Seriously, Yancy, is this the most recent picture we have?!}

I’m pretty sure I was crying while listening to the song. What a beautiful gift for our sweet girl! And a reminder from God that indeed, she does not have to be afraid because He is always with her! (Do you see why I love Yancy?!)

I thought it would be so fun to have Yancy sing this song personally for Lydia and put the video on my blog for all of you to see and hear, too. So, I asked her if she would and, well, she said YES!

Then I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if everyone could hear Yancy’s entire new album? And hear her heart behind all the songs? So, I asked some of my favorite blog friends and heroes to host Yancy on their blogs, too. Now we’ve got a big blog tour to introduce Yancy and her new album to you and your kiddos!

Here’s Yancy singing Bye, Bye, Bye live for you, me, Lydia and YOUR kids! Go get ‘em and listen!

Don’t you love it? I LOVE IT.

For the next 12 days (TWELVE–this is how great my friends are and how fun Yancy is!) you can hear Yancy sing her new album just for you! Tomorrow click over to MamaHall to meet the sweet and genuine Eryn and hear Yancy sing Away In a Manger (yes, the Christmas song).

Then follow the rest of Yancy’s blog tour at these fabulous blogs (and my bbb*):

Wednesday May 2
God Centered Mom

Thursday May 3   
Homeschool Creations 

Friday May 4       
ModSquad   

Saturday May 5   
When You Rise   

Sunday May 6       
4tunate   

Monday May 7   
Inspired To Action   

Tuesday May 8       
Home With the Boys   

Wednesday May 9       
1+1+1=1   

Thursday May 10       
Muthering Heights   

Friday May 11       
MOB Society   

Saturday May 12       
I Can Teach My Child   

Wanna win Yancy’s new Praise Party: Happy Day Everday CD and DVD? I’m giving one away today! Of course, I suggest you go over and buy one from her site. Then if you win, you’ll have an extra to give to a friend! If you’d like to be entered to win, leave me a comment telling me you watched Yancy’s video, or you love the new song or that you’ll be visiting all the blogs on the tour (or whatever, you can say PICK ME, too!). Woo-hoo! Let’s get this Little Praise Party started!

Thank you again, Yancy for loving Lydia and for giving her this song. Thank you for putting God’s Word in her heart and into the hearts of kids around the world! We love you!

*best blogging buds!

 

What is motherhood?

This morning, motherhood was getting up early to make a cup of milk for my son, carry him (chugging his milk) on my arm backwards while I lugged my computer into my closet to write a blog post. Then letting him lay on my lap while he reads a Nemo book and I write.

Sometimes, motherhood is walking upstairs four times in one hour to tuck your son in again.

{see my full post and add your own definition of Motherhood at Motherhood Your Way…}

photo by noricum edited by me

This week is “Garden School”. We’re learning about plants, flowers and seeds. I absolutely love talking about plants because there is so much plant and growing imagery in the Bible!

It also works well because we just finished planting our own garden in the backyard! I want my kids to be attached to the earth in this way–to have them see seedtime and harvest. To experience the big miracle of a small seed producing fruit! It’s such a great picture of the seeds of God’s Word planted in their hearts and the harvest it will produce.

We’ve done a few fun plant activities…

Flower Matching: I made the flower on the left with craft foam. Asa copied it on the right.

Parts of a Flower: We talked about the roots, stem, leaves, flower and seeds.

We read some even more fabulous seed and plant books…

The Oak Inside the Acorn by Max Lucado is kind of a long story. So, your littles may not sit still for the whole thing. But it’s a great story about a little acorn who can’t imagine that he could ever be a big oak like his mother. She tells him to “be the oak God made for you to be”. It’s a great story about growing, the gifts God has given us and trusting in His plan.

I love love love Karma Wilson (author of the Bear series). I didn’t know until recently she had some faith-based picture books, too. Mortimer’s First Garden is a fun story of a little mouse who plants a garden and learns about the miracle of growth from the Creator! I LOVE THIS BOOK!

So, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny and The Tale of Peter Rabbit might be a bit of a stretch–but they do take place in a garden. And they are classic literature your kids should hear. The story is really about the folly of disobeying your parents. Plus, they get disciplined at the end! When was the last time you read a book where a kid actually got disciplined?!

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is also not a Bible-based book. But after reading it I wondered if maybe it was a Christian book because it is almost Matthew 13 exactly! A tiny seed sees his other seed friends fall on different kinds of soils and eventually die or not grow. The tiny seed finally falls onto good soil and grows larger than the trees! Talk about a crop of 100 times!

After reading this book, I read Matthew 13 and we talked about how God’s Word is  seed in our hearts. We need to plant it on good soil, remembering it, reciting it and meditating on it. Then it will grow in our lives! We thought of a few verses like “Put on kindness as if it were your clothes” and “A gentle answer turns anger away”. I encouraged them to see those verses as seeds we want to see grow in their actions. It was a good conversation and I hope they understood!

You don’t have to homeschool to do these activities. Gardening is a great way to teach God’s Word and how to grow in Him. Grab some of these books, plant a seed and do some garden activities with your kids this Spring!

What’s your favorite flower or garden book?

Check out my Spring Has Sprung Pinterest Board for more garden-y fun!

Don’t forget, the Simplify Your Family Life eBook Sale ends TOMORROW at 8am ET. If you haven’t downloaded your ebook bundle, do it now!