Parent Cue Week of December 31, 2018

It’s that time of the year…time to make your resolutions. Check out this post from Parent Cue:
3 Resolutions Every Parent Can Keep

Here’s a sneak peek –
1. This year not every meal will be chicken nuggets. (Done.)
2. This year I will do a better job hiding sharpies (It’s like they drove by and saw my curtains where Cai left his Sharpie artwork!)
3. I will convince my kids to wear coats when it is below freezing. (Honestly, it’s like they don’t know Cai at all!)

Share some of your resolultions!

Make The Most of New Year’s

What do you do with New Year’s? After the last two months of hurry, the idea of “nothing” may seem appealing. But New Year’s is a great time to create some family memories you’ll remember for the rest of the year. But other than staring at your TV screen waiting for a large ball to drop, what can you do?

Here are a few fun ideas to spark your creativity:
2018 HIGHLIGHT REEL. Have each family member think of one favorite memory from the last year. Without using words, have each family member act out their memory and see who can guess what it is.

MAKE NEW YEAR’S POP. Write 5 family fun ideas (play a board game, have
a dance party, make cookies, etc.) on strips of paper. Put the strips inside 5 balloons and pop one balloon every hour from 7pm to midnight.

MAKE A FAMILY FUN LIST. Instead of resolutions, gather your family together and make a list of all the fun things you want to do in the upcoming year. Save the list and refer back to it throughout the New Year.

NEW YEAR’S MOCK UP. Families with little kids have a hard time making it
to the midnight ball drop. Throw a family dance party, complete with a countdown between 7 and 8pm. Happy New Year and good-night!

CRAZY DINNER. Start (or end) the year off with a little FUN by giving each family member $3-$5 to buy one item at the grocery store. Come home, cook
it all, and enjoy your crazy dinner by candlelight!

Parent Cue December 24, 2018

So talk with your kids. As you listen to their wish lists, also help them think about ways to show compassion—to make others your mission. You could give your time, serving somewhere in your local community. You could donate food or winter jackets to those in need. You could choose an item from the Compassion Gift Catalog to make an impact for children in poverty.

Read the Parent Cue Post – What’s on your Christmas List

Parent Cue December 10, 2018

So on Thanksgiving, my parents had a problem with their electrical meter and ended up blowing up their boiler and frying other appliances. They went a day without any electricity. This prompted my mother to disinvite everyone from visiting for Christmas. Yay! Holidays!

I can relate to this blog post, especially –

The holidays, as an adult, don’t always stay as magical as they felt as a kid.

This post reminded me of a previous post How To Get Your Kids To Do What You Want
Remember that one? Remember that our kids are watching and they are learning by our example. How we deal with holiday stresses makes a big impact on their development.

Read the post here – Surviving Family Holiday Gatherings

How To Make The Most of Christmas

Instead of “Joy to the World,” does your December sound a lot more like this:
“Who has time to enjoy Christmas? I’m too busy trying to get ready for it!”
”Next year, we are going to enjoy the holiday season more.”
“I wish we would have (you fill in the blank).”

Overloaded schedules and extra to dos can make the holiday season something to get through. But for many of us, we want it to be more than that. We want to be intentional with the time and to have fun with our families. And most of all, remember why we celebrate Christmas—the birth of Jesus Christ.

This Christmas, make sure you have at least one meaningful (and enjoyable!) moment with your kids. Block out a few hours or a whole day to enjoy age-old family traditions or make new traditions with some of our favorite (and simple!) Christmas ideas:

CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT SHOPPING. Before decorating your tree, make a fun family outing of picking out new ornaments. Have each family member secretly pick out and purchase (or make) an ornament to represent this past year (think of trips, pets, hobbies, etc.). Then let each person reveal and explain their ornament choice while decorating the tree together!

CHRISTMAS CARD PRAYERS. At dinner each night, open and read any Christmas cards you received that day. Pray specifically for those families together.

CHRISTMAS LIGHT NIGHT. Pack a thermos of cider and load into the car to drive around your community and look at Christmas lights. Take it to the next level by making a simple scavenger hunt with things like: 1 inflatable Minion, 3 inflatable Santas, 1 Snoopy decoration, etc. Don’t forget to blast your favorite Christmas tunes (and the heat!).

DONATE GIFTS. Whether it’s through your church, Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, or any number of local drives, find a family in need this Christmas. Find out what they need most and shop for them together as a family.

READ THE CHRISTMAS STORY. Set aside time on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to gather together as a family and hear the Christmas Story (Luke 2:1-20). Trade off who reads each year or have the same member of the family read every year while the others act out different parts.

Parent Cue December 3, 2018

Do you sometimes worry you aren’t doing enough to encourage compassion and service in your family?

Here’s your cue: Start with the next family meal and ask yourselves what situation is in need of a super-hero strength miracle? It could be in your lives, in your community, on your street, in your world. Start writing down all of the ways you might be able to respond, no matter how absurd they sound. Then take the next step together to listen to, receive from, be there for those who Jesus has given you a collective burden.

Read more – Compelling Your Kids To Serve