Thursday, July 25, 2013

And the most talented author is...



And the most talented author is…

I love a well-written book, with beautiful language and engaging plots, mixed with spiritual inspiration.

Here’s a sentence from an old book I read this summer:

“What a sad change would come over that bright little home when its chief sunbeam was removed from it!"

What a sweet way of saying "They'd miss her a lot." (The Lost Clue by O.F. Walton).

One of my favorite attributes of God is that He is the author of my life. (Hebrews 12:2). When I open my eyes, I see His pen all over my everyday moments.

Just this morning, I was reading the next couple of chapters in Exekial as I trek through the Old Testament. Honestly, I was growing weary of passages on judgment and wasn’t overly enthusiastic about it.

But this verse stood out to me, and I chose to spend time praying about it:

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ez 11:19-20)

Moments later, when I opened the book I’m reading, Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick, guess what the theme verse for her chapter was: Ezekial 11:19-20! I laughed! God is so clever!

God, as the author of my life, has a beautiful way of writing that knits all areas together! And it was fun to see it so clearly this morning.

Have you ever seen God’s hand in such simple yet encouraging ways?

81 Activities for Little Kids



While evaluating preschool fun for my 4-year-old this year, I realized he's already naturally learned his letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, just as Charlotte Mason assured me he would, without a heavy curriculum. (Just don't tell her that he watched Dora and Leapfrog and played on the computer!) I like to have some one-on-one time with him though, so what should we do?

Here's my list of 81 fun things to do with my little man this year. My plan is to do our reading lesson and then take 30 minutes to do an activity together. I'll either pick what sounds good to me or have him draw a paper out of a bucket.

I chose activities that take little to no prep on my part, since the bigger kids take the majority of my brain during the school year! :)

You can find photos of some of these activities on my Pinterest Boards: Preschool and Toddlers.







Math/Logic
Play Store
Bake Cookies
Pattern Blocks
Shiller Math Blocks
Clock Practice
Sort Change
Hullabaloo
Twister
Battleship
Cereal Abacus
Memory Game
Candy Cane Ornament
Button Board
Dominoes
Rulers
Jelly Bean Math Chart

Art
Play Dough
Shrinky Dink
Paint
Stickers
Cheerio Art
Magazine Collage
Mosaic Squares
Thumb Prints
Stencils
Card Making
Bead Pipe Cleaners
Side Walk Chalk
Popsicle Stick Matching

Language
Write a Story
Puppet Show
Doctor Kit
Act with weapons
ABC Hunt
Play Dinosaurs
Make Treasure Hunt
Seasons Collage
Make a Yarn Book

Building
Trains
Blocks
Hot Wheels
Legos
Duplo Blocks
Box Building

Games
Uno/Go Fish
Candy Land
Story Maker
Blokus
Quirkle
Sorry
Puzzles
Monopoly Junior
Rummikub
Checkers
Connect Four

Active
Kick Ball
Trampoline
Zip Line
Running Races
Obstacle Course
Dance
Bean Bag Toss
Bozo Buckets
Hide and Seek
Tag

Outside
Sidewalk Chalk
Collect Rocks
Collect Leaves
Paint Rocks
Scavenger Hunt
Ride Bikes
Ride Scooter
Roller Skate
Play Catch
T-Ball
Treasure Map
Cloud Shapes
Hop Scotch
Swinging
Bubbles
Carnival


Ok - your turn! What should I add to the list?