Q: my son Caleb, who will be 6 next month. He is an extremely outgoing, active, almost hyperactive, little boy who talks non-stop and (perhaps because he’s the oldest; perhaps because that’s how he’s wired), is obsessed with the idea of being “the boss.” Overall, he’s actually a relatively compliant child, but lately I’ve noticed…
37 Things Our Kids Did (Without Screens) in Our Device-Free Summer
We did not do any devices/video games last summer. For the most part, we kept the TV off too. But when I napped with the preschooler, and when we had sick days, we did freely enjoy I Love Lucy. So we didn’t outright ban TV, but we did purposefully and sharply limited screen time. We’re following the same basic approach this…
Discipline & Respect, with Teens & Preteens
Q: I am totally struggling with my oldest… One thing that I’m having trouble with is knowing how to discuss things with him. He still struggles with basic obedience, so that is an issue. Also, he tends to argue with me while we are talking. For example, this morning I told him that something he…
5 Ways to Prepare Your Kids for an Emergency
We typically don’t know when emergencies are going to happen. This means we’re often in high-adrenaline, reactionary mode, when those emergencies come. One way we can make those times *less* stressful is by being prepared in advance, in the ways that ARE possible. Here are 5 ways we can prepare our families for emergency situations: Basic…
Preparing to Hike the Wonderland Trail with kids
Last summer, we hiked the Wonderland Trail with our 7 kids (ages 14 down to 18 months). The Wonderland is a 93-mile loop trail around Mount Rainier, with 22,000 feet of elevation gain. People have taken anywhere from 20 hours to 15 days to hike the entire thing. We did it in 12 days. Here’s…
25 Kid-Friendly Conversation Starters
We LOVE to use questions (“would you rather…” “what if…” “which of these…”) to start discussions with our kids over meals, during hikes, and in car rides. We’ve used books, and card sets, but they often contain foul or off-color questions or prompts. So I thought I’d share some of the questions we use, to help…
Practical Considerations About Modesty (Biblical Modesty, Pt. 4)
{This is the 4th article in a series about modesty. We started with what the word/idea of “modesty” even means. Then we talked through 8 questions we should consider to discern our heart. Next we talked about deference as an act of submission to the Brothers and Sisters in our local Body of Christ.} But…
Unity About Modesty Among Differences in Opinion (Biblical Modesty, Pt. 3)
{This is the 3rd of 4 articles in a series about Christian modesty. We started with what the word/idea of “modesty” even means. Then we talked through 8 questions we should consider to discern our heart.} How can a local Body of Christ, with its own individual “culture” (country, part of the country, religious norms/background,…
8 Questions to Ask Yourself (Biblical Modesty, Pt. 2)
{In the first article in this series, we defined the word/idea of “modesty.”} Here, let’s consider: what are the common problems in the church? Dresses are too short Clothes’ tightness and cut can often draw people’s eyes to the wrong places. (i.e.: Slits up the thigh. Mesh fabrics and lace draw attention to what’s underneath clothing.)…
What Does “Modesty” Mean? (Biblical Modesty, Pt. 1)
As Christian women, the topic of modesty can be a conversation fraught with traps. What does”modesty” even mean? Do we all have to dress according to some standard of not drawing the gaze of the biggest creep in the room? Or be like the most school-marm-y woman in the congregation? Is it a matter of inches on our…