We’ve all heard it before but one of the most effective tools we have in teaching our kids about anything is to first be the example. We can tell our kids to do something, but unless they see you doing it, the chances of them taking it upon themselves to follow-suit is slim (especially as they get older). I don’t want to focus just on the negative: yes in order for your children to not smoke, not swear or not engage in disobedient behavior is to not do it either, but I want to focus on the positive, esp. when it comes to teaching our children how to walk with the Lord.

Teaching children scripture and basic biblical principles is incredibly important and essential to the building blocks of their faith – I do not want to discount that. But what I feel is more important is how YOU are working out your faith in front of your children. My parents tried but it didn’t hold water and as an adult I found myself floundering as to how to walk with the Lord. I was never taught how to study the scriptures, I was never encouraged to pray and to learn to pray by just the simple act of praying and I wasn’t affirmed in how important it is to spend time getting to know the Lord.

We teach our children a lot of things through direct means, but sometimes the things that have the biggest impact on their lives are taught by indirect means. I encourage you to learn more about the spiritual disciplines and not only practice them alone, but in front of your children. This can have an amazing impact on your own personal walk with the Lord, but also teach your children how to live in relationship with Christ. One of the spiritual disciplines my husband and I participate in each week is silence and solitude. We decide the day and the time and then take turns so there is someone to watch the kids. We have been doing this for a few years now and when one of us leaves for our appointed time, our four year old will now say, “Have fun with Jesus!” He knows where I am going and what it’s purpose is: to spend time with my Savior. He also asks when will he be old enough to go with me (talk about encouraging my heart!). While his time of silence and solitude may look different than mine when he is old enough to practice it, the fact that he is seeing mommy and daddy do it, and what we share with him about our time is setting him up with the knowledge and the confidence to be a student of the Master.

Some ideas to try to easing yourself and your family into the spiritual disciplines:

Thanksgiving and Praise. Spend a few moments everyday thanking Jesus for the gifts he has given you. Let the kids share whatever they feel like, no matter how small or silly, and encourage them to thank Jesus with their hearts and also their voices. This can also lead your family in a time of worship. Worship is basically telling God who he is and that you’re happy about it. If singing worship songs is easier, than do that. But it can be as easy as simply saying “God is so good to us. He is an amazing Father!”

Prayer. Chances are you are already praying for your children, so now extend this practice into praying with your children. Kids are very eager to talk so as you pray together, encourage them to pray to God on their own. My four year used to resist this but each time we prayed I would tell him there is nothing that he can not tell God, that God loves him so much he’s just happy to talk with him. Now I will hear him talking in his bed before falling asleep at night and the next morning he’ll tell me he was talking to God all night long.

Rest. While practicing the Sabbath for some families is incredibly difficult (this is one that we have done and are trying to do again and each week we struggle at some point in the day), allotting time each week to spend together as a family encourages children to understand the resting aspect of the Sabbath. To stop moving at such a fast pace and enjoy being together as a family. This specific time can then spread into talking about or partaking in other spiritual disciplines.

Practicing the spiritual disciplines can transform your own walk with the Lord, but it can have far-reaching effects in the lives of your children. What a blessing it is for them to know how their parents strive to seek God, but also that you are teaching them how to do the same. To learn more about the spiritual disciplines, check out this encouraging and informative message by my husband. Of course I am partial, but it has some great information and counsel in it as well.

photo by melodramababs

Magnet Painting at Let’s Explore {every single post on this blog is fun and creative!}

Lord Have Mercy from the Other Mama {the funniest craft gone wrong story ever!}

Somebody Wants What You Have by Amy at The Finer Things {beautiful and hard-hitting!}

How to Homeschool with a Baby or a Toddler (and Enjoy It!) at Simple Homeschool {useful for any of us with little ones}

Homeschool Calendar and Morning Board with Homeschool Creations {you can adapt this to teach anything you want!  I love the Bible verse section!}

Please go read about Kristen’s life changing journey to Kenya with Compassion International, and then see how you can change a life, too.

Sponsored Child Lapbook by 1+1+1=1 {after reading all the Kenya trip reports from the Compassion bloggers, I am SO doing this for our kids!}

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And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the winner of the Alphabet Crafts ebook is…{drumroll please}

JOLLY JOEY!

If you are not Jolly Joey, head over to No Time For Flash Cards‘ and download your own ebook. It’s only $8 and full of fun stuff for your kids!

We made it! We got to the final Fruit of the Spirit! I can’t believe it. Next time I do a “unit”, I’m going to try to keep it under half a year! Sheesh.

As we’ve gone through this unit, I usually picked the fruit we’d focus on based on what was going on in our lives. That’s why self-control was first, we needed that most. Goodness seemed a little similar to the other fruits (kindness, love, etc.) so it became the last fruit I looked at. Therefore, it had no choice but to be lined up with a LIME, our very last scratch-and-sniff fruit! I could find no correlation for a lime=goodness. So, we’ll leave it at that.

SCRIPTURE

I picked a verse we already partially memorized around Halloween:

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

I never want to focus on good deeds because I know it’s easy to get in the mindset that good deeds is what brings you to Jesus, or makes you worthy of His love. Jesus’ love is unconditional, He saved us because He loves us. Period.

Anyway, we’ve done lots of light crafts (including a Christian t-shirt!) so after we had read the verse I was kinda bummed that I chose it because I couldn’t think of anything cool to do with the verse. You can only draw so many sunshines and use glitter so many times.

We finally settled on a sun catcher. And suddenly this seemed brilliant to me. Here we are in the middle of winter, a normally drab and dark time. Hanging a sun catcher up in the window wouldn’t BRING us any light–only make us appreciate it and add some color to our day. What a great picture of what our GOODNESS can do for others—we are NOT The Light nor do our good deeds actually make anything happen BUT they do make others aware of  The Light. Our good deeds bring attention and color to a normally dark and drab world of sin!

I’m pretty sure Lydia didn’t get the nuances of our sun catcher craft, but it has been especially significant to me. I want Lydia and Asa to see my good deeds (cooking, cleaning, loving my husband, being patient with them) and when they do that it would make them aware of Jesus and His Light—that it would lead them to praise and follow their Father in Heaven.

CRAFT

It honestly is not as pretty as the original version that I found online (as usual), so I’ll just leave you with a few pictures and links to sun catchers.

This is actually the one we made. All you need is tissue paper and a clear plastic top (which we didn’t have, so I used a disposable plastic container). We made ours in the shape of heart and a candle. You know, obvious reference to Matthew 5:16. Oh, and we used lime green tissue paper, of course. (see complete instructions at Making Friends.)

I love this one with the pressed flowers. I guess it would be kind of hard to do in the middle of winter, but even some pinestraw and a few dried leaves might be pretty! Plus, you could do any shape as the frame! (Complete instructions at Great Ideas For Mom.)

This suncatcher from Family Fun is really the one I wanted to make. Isn’t it lovely? We just didn’t have any translucent beads in the house. Copper wire we had, but beads? Nope.

And how could we forget about my icy sun catcher? Always a crowd pleaser!

Wouldn’t it be fun to make all of these and line your winter-y windows with them?!

lime photo by darwin bell

Part 1 of our behavior chart adventure was actually a great success! Lydia was well-behaved. She received more positive than negative marks on her chart. The only problem is that I was out of town so she was with my parents for two days. Then on the day she was supposed to go out for her reward it was raining and my husband was alone with the kids. He didn’t have the pluck to take both kids out by himself in the rain. (I can’t say I blame him, either.)

So, on my first day home, Lydia was…a nightmare. I called my husband and said, “I wish you had taken Lydia on her reward because she has been SO bad today there is no way we can give it to her.” This has continued all week. She’s had her favorite stuffed animal taken from her. She’s had spankings. She’s been in time out too many times to count. And she just holds on to that rebelliousness ALL DAY LONG.

At about 10:00 this morning I had enough. I sent her to a silent time out in the other room. And I did what all good crazed parents do: I turned to twitter.

Soon I had over 10 responses. (Some of them VERY good, too!)

But this one hit me like a ton of bricks.

(from Sandra at Celebrate Every Day)

I literally smacked my hand to my forehead. It’s obvious my daughter is sinning. The only way to combat sin in our lives is through God’s Word. WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT BEFORE?!

So, we made another chart (I didn’t even take a picture of it because it’s so ugly. Really.) The top said, “Philippians 2:14: “Do everything without COMPLAINING or ARGUING.”

Then I made two columns on the bottom: one entitled LYDIA and the other entitled MOMMY. I told Lydia that every time she obeys the verse she gets a sticker. And even if I get onto her and she stops and obeys, she’ll get a sticker. But if she doesn’t then I get to make a mark in my section (an X, a line or a sad face).

She LOVED this idea. She was determined to get more stickers than me.

And the rest of the day was a DREAM.

We repeated the verse a lot of times. And each time she did it happily. She said, “OK, Mommy!” every time I asked her to do something. Twice she was reprimanded for something and I could see the internal struggle to pout. Instead she mustered up her self-control and said, “OK, Mommy.” Once we had to say the verse together in the middle of her “internal struggle”. But she said it with a lightness and sweetness in her voice.

I was amazed.

Before we went to bed we reviewed the chart. We talked about how great of a day this was without the whining and trouble. I told her we were only going to do the chart one more day.

Lydia: Why?

Me: Well, why do we obey the Bible? Why do we obey this verse? For stickers?

Lydia: (laughing) Nooo!

Me: We obey because God wants our hearts to obey and love him. This chart and these stickers are just practice so you can really learn how to obey.

Lydia: I’m going to get even MORE stickers tomorrow!

Tonight when we prayed before bedtime I had such a clear picture of WHY God gave us His Word. It isn’t just so we can honor Him. It’s also so OUR lives will be better. When Lydia obeyed, it changed the whole atmosphere of our house. What a picture to me as an adult, a wife and a mother—when I obey God, think of others first and control my mouth the atmosphere around me changes. I will see good things in my life because I’m obeying God!

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photo by pewari

It has taken me a whole month to even begin my New Year’s goal of waking up before my kids. Asa regularly wakes up at…wait, he doesn’t REGULARLY wake up. Some days its 5:30, sometimes 6:00 and when we’re really lucky it’s 6:30. Nonetheless, I was feeling grumpy regardless of when he woke, I was taking showers at 5:45pm and not getting my day started until naptimes!

So, I bit the bullet and decided I had to wake up early. I wasn’t so deluded to think that I’d shower, exercise and make breakfast before the kids woke up. Oh no, I just decided I had to get up early enough to do ONE of those things. I didn’t care which one.

I’m going to be completely honest and say that this is only the 2nd day I’ve woken up early. I was staring at my clock at 5:59 this morning. Begging it to stay there. Finally at 6:02 I crawled out of bed, grabbed a blanket, my Bible and a notebook and sat at the kitchen table.

I wrote a little, read a little and then decided I’d make a list of people and situations to pray for. Then I remembered! I have a calendar of prayer points—to pray for your children. And who else do I want (NEED) to pray for than my kids? You’d think as a mom, you’d pray for your kids all the time, right? Sure, I pray for them. But mostly it’s, “please let him stop crying.” OR “please help me figure out how to help her obey” and “God is great, God is good…”.

Today’s prayer was labeled: SALVATION.

*sigh*

Isn’t that my goal? Isn’t that the reason I stay home? Teach my kids Bible stories? Do crafts? Play games? Sing songs? I do these things to show them Jesus so they will look for and receive SALVATION from Him! And I thought this getting up early thing was going to be so I could get a shower in! The prayer was a simple one based on Isaiah 45:8 and 2 Timothy 2:10…

Lord, let salvation spring up within my children that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

So. Now my goal in the morning is not to get a shower, to make breakfast or to do yoga. It’s to pray for my kids. It’s to read that little prayer, get it into my heart and mind so I can focus on it the rest of the day. So I can do my “job” of being a mother with the leadership of Jesus.

And for the record? This morning I read my Bible, exercised, took a shower AND made breakfast before the kids got up!

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More amazing and totally worth your time resources to help you pray for your children:

Prayer Calendar from Mom and Loving It {scroll down, it’s a pdf on the bottom of the page}

The Power of a Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian {her blog is filled with resources, too!}

Inspired to Action blog and free ebook, Maximize Your Mornings {you MUST click and look around. such good stuff.}

Seven Prayers a Day at Bring the Rain

Lifting Hands {a prayer-a-day blog. it’s not updated daily this year, but you can use the previous years!}

Praying for Our Children by The Other Mama

Today I was putting away a huge pile of christmas-birthday-why-haven’t-i-put-this-away-yet stuff in my craft closet. At the top of my pile was a leftover prize from the Gingerbread Party. Lydia already had one, I didn’t want to throw it away, but I didn’t want to add another 10 cent toy to our already overflowing playroom. But what was I going to do with one little prize?

Then I remembered I had stored a few other leftover birthday-goody-bag prizes in a box of balloons and streamers. So, I grabbed an extra plastic container and created a PRIZE BOX!

Now I have some tattoos, a tiny deck of cards, some slinkies, kaleidoscopes and more to use when I need them! I can give them as rewards, or present it as a fun gift when a friend comes to play or just throw in my purse when I need to surprise crying Asa at a restaurant!

Is that a good idea or what?!!

Dick and Jane Puzzle Blocks from Sun-Kissed Scholars {I used to have an old block puzzle as a kid. I’d love to make this vintage one!}

Quick Trick: Patience, Patience from Teach Mama {oh, wow. we need this at our house!}

A Very Kid Friendly New Year’s Eve Party from This Blessed Nest {I am saving this for next year1}

Crafty Math? Make a Button Board from Education.com {Cute idea even if you don’t use it for math!}

Pom Pom Polar Bear from Free Kids Crafts {It’s so cold here, I feel like a polar bear! This one is adorable!}

Every year I make the same New Year’s resolutions: get organized, eat right and be a better mom/wife/friend/blogger. This year, I’m working on more attainable goals. And one goal is figuring out how to make time to craft with my kids. Oh, don’t worry, I’m a stay-at-home mom. I’m with my kids every second of the day. I’ve played with every game and every toy we own 850, 000 times. I spend time with my kids. But the real purposeful stuff? That’s what gets away from me. It’s so easy to get caught up in running errands, cleaning the house and basic every day living that I forget to do the REAL mommy stuff.

I love doing crafts, making up games, telling stories, introducing new books, planning adventures and making my kids laugh. Then why do those things get forgotten and overlooked most of the time? Because they take time. And planning. And energy. Most of which moms don’t have. Ahem.

So, I have purposed in my heart to make REAL time for my kids. To do the craft, make up the game, tell the story, introduce the new book and plan the adventures! In order to do so, I’ve made some changes (ok, I’m in the middle of making them…)

1. PICK A TIME

Fun is oftentimes equated to spontaneity. But it works best for me to pick a time to craft and play. Right now my son still takes two naps (this isn’t going to last long, I can tell!) so that first nap is the perfect opportunity to craft with my daughter. We can get the glue out, the tiny pieces of stuff my son wants to put in his mouth AND I can give her undivided attention.

This first nap would also be an opportune time for me to take a shower, clean the kitchen or blog while my daughter watches a show. And sometimes I don’t want to “give” my daughter that hour. I’d rather curl up on the couch and watch Mickey Mouse with her and my laptop. But if I don’t give this hour to my daughter then the laundry, my computer and other errands will take priority.

You might not have a nap to work with, but pick a time that works for you–maybe right when the kids get home from school, or right before dinner when they can sit around the table, or first thing in the morning BEFORE you’ve cleaned so you can clean it all up at once. See what works for you and make that your time for pre-planned fun!

2. PICK A TOPIC

I know it doesn’t seem hard to figure out a craft or an activity. But how many times have I stood looking at piles of construction paper and glue and thought, “What in the world can I make with this? What can we do?!” Maybe it’s the teacher-y side of me, but I like to pick a theme and use it help plan our activities.

When I first started crafting with my daughter, we did the ABC’s. That was an easy theme—we picked a scripture for each letter of the alphabet and then did crafts and activities that went with that letter or verse. At Christmas we made a crafty ornament that helped tell the Christmas story. I’ve used big portions of scripture (like the Fruit of the Spirit) to steer our crafty endeavors.

Pick your favorite anything and go with it–want your kids to learn about space? Italy? your family tree? Just pick a topic and stay on it for a few days or weeks. It will stay in your brain and you’ll be surprised at the ideas that pop up! For this new year, I think I’m going to pick some of Lydia’s favorite books and make a little “unit” out of them…

Maybe a Mrs. Rosey Posey craft month would be fun: we could make a Yum-Yummy Birthday Cake, have a pirate scavenger hunt, paint some pottery and do some bird watching activities!

Or maybe I’ll use Lydia’s new favorite book, Pinkalicious. We could make cupcakes, discover how red and white make pink, do a food group activity and even wear pink all day!

Oooh, I’m getting excited just thinking about it!

3. PICK A BRAIN

One of my heroes and mentors in life, Jim Wideman always says, “Creativity is just concealing your source!” Don’t feel like you have to make up your own crafts and activities every time. What do you think google is for?! There are so many awesome crafty, parenting, kids blogs and sites out there, you would never have to have another creative thought in your head!  I love to subscribe to blogs where the author has kids my same age. I can see how their kids do the craft and know if mine can do it, too. (Look at our sidebar for some great mommy-parenting-crafty type blogs!)

4. PICK UP

Oh, I know. This is the worst one ever. But it’s true. I finally had to organize all the crazy craft pieces I have in my house. I bought a paper file to hold all our construction paper. I hung up a giant over-the-door shoe organizer in the closet to put the scraps of ribbon and craft foam that floats around our house. I bought plastic shoe boxes to store leftover bubble wrap, bottle caps and toilet paper tubes. So, now when I find a new craft on a blog, I know right away if I have the materials. When I have my nap-time window to make a craft, I can find everything I need. I can also clean it up in a hurry!

And don’t forget about your basketballs, soccer balls, jump ropes, bubbles, walking sticks, skates and helmets. Put them all in a spot where you can quickly get to them. Make sure you can have fun in just a few seconds. You don’t want the first ten minutes of your fun time to be laced with, “Mom, I can’t find my—-?” arguments.

These are only a few ideas to get you focused on your kids and your schedule. I want my kids to know I am a purposeful parent. And although a paper-plate craft or a jump on the trampoline isn’t going to change my  kids’ life or even be a life-long memory, those thought out moments are a foundation that will impress your kids and inspire them for a lifetime.

This post is just a tiny postscript in a giant bloggy adventure from Mandi at Organizing Your Way. Mandi is taking the month of January to help us shape up our New Year’s Resolutions. She’s partnered with some amazing bloggers and together they (we) are offering up some great advice on how to do MORE with your New Year. Please go visit Organizing Your Way’s 31 Days of Organizing for a Better 2010!

If you are here from Organizing Your Way, we’d love for you to get to know us, subscribe, follow us on twitter and all that fun stuff! Here are some of our favorite posts about parenting and crafts and all out family fun!