Locks of Love
The generous heart of my daughter never ceases to amaze me. As you can see by the pictures, Hannah decided several months ago to grow her hair out, so she could donate to Locks of Love. Locks of Love provides wigs for children who are facing hair loss for various reasons. Hair is a big deal for girls, women, and kids. So when Hannah decided to have her hair cut so someone else could enjoy a head of hair, it was quite a sacrifice – at least in my mind.
It makes me think about true sacrifice. I am so often caught up in my own self interest. I don’t put others first. I’m thinking of me – instead of thinking of others. I often fall short when it comes to true sacrifice.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) Jesus is the ultimate example of true sacrifice. He who was without sin laid down his life on the cross for us that we might be saved.
I’m thankful for Hannah’s example, it reminds me of Christ. It reminds me that I need to be sacrificial if I’m going to be a Christ follower. Thanks, Sweetie!
What does it really mean to make a sacrifice for someone? When was the last time you really sacrificed something for someone?
Stretch Starts Tomorrow!!!
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/13617196]Middle school (or junior high) can be an awkward time in life. The girls are growing way faster than most of the guys. Kids are trying to figure out how they work and where they fit in. They don’t get the attention of elementary aged children, and they’re not big shot high school teenagers.
Tomorrow night, I’ll be volunteering at a FREE three night camp designed just for middle school students. The camp is called Stretch (Yes, they used my nickname without consulting with me, but I’m okay with it.) I have participated as a volunteer for this event since it started several years ago. And this year is extra special as Leanne and I now have two kids who will be in middle school this fall. If you live in the area and you know someone who is going into sixth through eighth grade, plan on bringing them to three unbelievable nights.
The night is designed for kids this age. Here are some of the things that will happen there:
– Laser Tag
– Video Games
– Basketball
– Dodgeball
– Karaoke
– Amusement Ride – I call it the puke machine
– All kinds of food (pizza, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, soda, cotton candy, etc.)
– Stage Games
– Slip and Slide
– Volleyball
– Inflatable
– Music
– Great Speakers
If any of this sounds like fun, you don’t want to miss Stretch Uncut 2011.
Wednesday, July 27 – Friday, July 29, 2011
6:30PM – 10:00PM (Friday night until 11:00PM)
1560 Yeager Road
Royersford, PA
Hope to see you there!
How does your church connect with middle school students? What cool activities do you think would be great to add to an event like this?
You Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks
Iso The Wonder Dog
This weekend, our family has been puppy sitting Boots. Boots is a seven month old german shepherd who is being trained to be a seeing eye dog to help a blind person. She’s being raised by a local family who is part of our 4-H Seeing Eye Puppy Club. The Club meets once a month (tonight actually) to help puppy raisers with training tips and to conduct business to keep the club moving along. We are currently on the waiting list for a new puppy which should arrive sometime this fall.
Our “forever” dog, Iso, was part of the program. Iso is our seven-year black lab. We got him when he was eight weeks old, and we had him in our home until he was eighteen months old. From there, he traveled up to The Seeing Eye in Morristown, NJ where he was trained for eight months. We got to see his “final” exam, a town walk through the streets of Morristown, and he did great. So we were surprised when we received a phone call a couple of weeks later indicating that Iso was not going to pass the program. Apparently, he was too social – he was too distracted by other dogs.
Fast forward, five years. Iso lives with us, and he is a great dog. He’s very friendly. He doesn’t bark – which makes him a terrible watch dog. He doesn’t fetch – which makes him a terrible retriever. And he’s not real active – which makes him a terrible walking partner. But we love him. He is so loyal, and he loves our company.
This weekend has been a wake up call for Iso. Imagine a seven month old puppy invading your turf – running circles around you – stealing your attention – disrupting the life as you know it. Needless to say, Iso didn’t seem to happy about the whole thing when Boots walked in the door on Friday night. As the weekend has moved along, a friendship seems to be budding, and Boots seems to be teaching Iso a thing or two.
Iso has actually barked a few times in response to the pestering of Boots. We now know that Iso has a deep bark which could be scary if an intruder came to the door. Iso has also dabbled in the whole fetching thing. Boots loves to fetch her orange and blue ball. She carries it around with her all the time. I don’t think Iso understood this at first, but once he saw how much attention Boots received as she returned to the thrower with the ball, Iso started get it. He actually went after the ball a few times and beat out the younger Boots to retrieving the ball and bringing it back.
So…I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks!
We say goodbye to boots today as her family returns from a weekend getaway. But we’ll remember Boots with fondness as we think of the new tricks she passed along to our forever dog. Plus, we’ll get to say hello to Boots at each of the monthly Puppy Club meetings – including tonight’s meeting.
I think we can learn from this story of Boots and Iso. Younger people have lots to teach “older” people. If you are young, speak up and share. (This is a good lesson for me as I am the youngest person on our management team at work.) If you are “older” (and we’re all older than someone), watch and listen to those who are younger. They can add value and new insights. They can also remind you that things can be fun and exciting. Great lessons from our weekend!
Do you have any pets? What tricks can they do?
Who are the young people you hang out with for new ideas and new energy?
Guess Who I Am
This past week, I took a few days off from work to celebrate the start of our kids summer vacation and the end to a remarkable school year for both of them. We took a couple of days to go camping at French Creek State Park. It had been a few years since we have camped with just the four of us (plus the dog). And we really had a great time – spending time together and making many new memories.
One of the memories that I will have of this trip was a game that Hannah and Isaac came up with around the campfire. I’m guessing that they learned this game at one of their camping experiences last year. I’m not sure of the exact name of the game, but I think it should be called “Guess Who I Am.” In this game, the kids wrote down words that represented something on our camping trip. These words word were then taped to our foreheads so we couldn’t see them. Our goal was to ask questions in order to figure out what was on our paper.
It was hilarious to listen to the questions and answers as we went around the fire trying to guess who we were. For the first round, I was a chair. At one point, I became our newest dutch oven recipe – Hot Dog Pot Pie. Needless to say, we had some great family time together. My guess is that this will become a regular campfire game for our family.
Do you go camping? What do your campfire activities look like? What other things do you do to create family memories?
Raising Kids to Work Together
Last night was a gorgeous evening in our area. As a family, we took the opportunity after dinner to tend to some much-needed weeding in one of our flower beds. This probably doesn’t sound all that glamorous or unusual as many of us have weeds to remove in our yards, our gardens, or our landscape. The thing that stuck out to me in this hour-long adventure is the amazing ability to have fun and to get work done together as a family. I’m not kidding when I tell you that this whole area was covered in weeds, so when we finished up for the evening it was satisfying to stand together and enjoy the visual fruits of our labor.
Honestly, it isn’t always easy to engage our kids in this type of activity. They are typical kids. They occasionally fuss and complain when we ask them to help out, but they are quick to lend a helping hand more often than not. We (and I give a lot of credit to my wonderful wife) have tried to instill the value of working together and lending a helping hand into our children. They are expected to take care of things like collecting the eggs, taking the dog out, sweeping the floor, emptying the dishwasher, and making dinner on occasion. Setting these types of expectations at an early age has made it easier to get them to do bigger jobs like painting the basement floor, weeding the flower bed, cutting the grass, and working on installing the patio.
Our hope is that this will be a trait that goes with them as they continue to grow into adults. We also hope it will be a trait that is passed down from generation to generation. (We certainly have been blessed with great examples from our parents and grandparents.)
What do your kids do around the house to help out? How have your kids responded to requests to help? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear your stories.
Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Zach’s Adventure
In a way, this is a first guest post by my son, Isaac. Every year at his school, the 5th grade students are assigned a 1st grade buddy. At the end of the year, the 5th graders get to write and publish a story for their buddy. Isaac wrote the story below, and I asked him if I could share it here (I’ll tell you a little more at the end).
Once upon a time, there was a monkey named Zach. He lived in a hut in the jungle. One of his best friends was named Isaac. They were always working together. One day, there was a race for tree swinging. When Zach didn’t enter, Isaac knew he had to do something.
When Isaac found out Zach was afraid of heights, he requested to Zach that he should go to the King of the Jungle. So, Zach took a hike to the King. The King sent Zach on a quest! Zach has always loved quests. The King gave Zach a map and sent him on his way.
First, Zach came to a long, old, creaky bridge. Well, Zach was afraid of heights, so he decided to swim the river of bananas and soccer balls. While we was swimming, he decided to eat a few bananas and kick a few soccer balls. Zach finally got to the other side.
Next, Zach came up to two big doors. He tried to open them, but of course, they were locked. So, Zach had to go all the way across the river of bananas and soccer balls to retrieve the keys from the King. Again, Zach had to go all the way back across the river and he got the big doors. The keys worked!
Then, Zach came upon a pond of crayons. There was a tree swing over it, but Zach was afraid of heights. So, Zach swam through. When Zach was in the middle, pieces of paper fell down from the sky. When Zach looked on them, they were mystery pictures! Zach decided to stop and do some mystery pictures. After a while, Zach got to the other side.
Finally, Zach got to a cave. When Zach looked real closely, he could see that the cave was made of ice cream! He could even smell it. Zach rushed inside and started eating away. After an hour, Zach noticed a light and made a wish. Suddenly, Zach had this feeling and started to climb a tree.
Zach was amazed. His fear is over with. Zach started to go home, so he swung across the pond of crayons, through the door and across the bridge over the river of bananas and soccer balls. Then, Zach told his whole family about his experience. Zach finally lived happily ever after.
I think my son has an incredible imagination, and I look forward to seeing where it takes him. Isaac’s story hits home for us as Isaac deals with a couple of fairly significant fears himself. Without going into detail, Isaac occasionally misses out on some fun activities, because he is too afraid. I think we both wish it was an easy fix, but the reality shows that it’s not that simple. I think Isaac’s story about going to the King for help is appropriate. We often look for easy, quick fixes, and we sometimes think it’s as simple as just getting over it. But many times, we need to bring our fears and worries to the King of kings.
Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22
Isaac thanks for sharing your story with me and with my readers. May God continue to help you through this journey. I love you!
Making Memories With Our Kids
Okay, I’m a proud dad. I realize that I already posted this picture to facebook a week or two ago, but I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to brag again about my kiddos. I took this picture while on the ferry between Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty on President’s Day. We really had a great time together as we journeyed up to North Jersey. The trip was timed perfectly for what Hannah was learning in school.
I had never been to Ellis Island, so it was new territory for me. You could easily spend a couple of days there. We spent four hours or so. There is so much to learn and see. It was amazing to imagine being one of the twelve million immigrants who came through Ellis Island in the pursuit of making America their new home. Getting off a boat after several weeks and stepping in line to wait my turn to find out if I would be accepted or rejected.
I’ve been to the Statue of Liberty before, but it was really cool to show it off to our kids. Things have changed a bit since I was there pre-September 11th. We had to go through a couple of security checks just to enter the pedestal. We only made it up to the top of the pedestal as the stairwell to the crown was limited to a few select ticket holders. It was still worth it though. We had an opportunity to look back on Ellis Island and then to look across the harbor to the New York City skyline – forever changed by the events of 9/11.
Our kids really seemed to appreciate this adventure and the lessons from history. We enjoyed making memories for our family that will last a lifetime. Maybe next time, we’ll venture into the city to catch a show on Broadway, to visit Ground Zero, and to walk through Central Park, but for now I’m thankful for the time with my family. Our kids are growing so quickly, and our opportunity to influence and to make a lasting positive impact on them as they are under our care will pass like a blink of the eye. We want to make a difference in our parenting. We want to pass along a legacy that they can carry to their kids (just like our parents have done for us).
What are you doing to create memories with your kids? How will they remember the time they spent with their family?
I can’t wait for our next family adventure!
Family Night – Trading Places
I took this picture last night during our Friday Family Night. Yes, that’s Hannah, and she’s dressed up like me. We took an idea from Carlos Whittaker and family, and we had a blast! At the start of the evening, everyone drew names out of a hat. Isaac drew Leanne’s name, and Leanne drew Isaac’s name. Obviously, Hannah drew my name, and I drew Hannah’s name. Then each of us had to dress up like the person whose name they drew. It was absolutely hilarious when everyone came down to the kitchen wearing someone else’s clothing. I think Hannah took the prize for the funniest. From there, we each had to make a personal pizza that looked like our person. Here’s a picture of my pizza that I made to look like Hannah.
Notice the smile, the rosy cheeks, and the earrings. It was really neat to see everyone’s creativity. While we were eating dinner, we each shared something that we appreciated about our person. It was humbling to listen to each other as we shared. I definitely recommend this activity as a family – whether or not you do all the other stuff.
After dinner, we baked sugar cookies and decorated them to look like our person. It was a sweet way to end the evening.
For some more inspiration, check out the video that Carlos put together of his families’ family night.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSJU2eKAKgY]
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Recap
It took a little longer than I had planned, but I finally posted all of the content from the Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide that we had put together a few years ago. To tie it all together, I thought it would be helpful to post the links to the previous posts. As always, I would love to hear your feedback about the discussion guide, about parenting, or about anything else that you think is pertinent. Happy Parenting…!
Supernanny – Introduction to a Discussion Guide
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Group – Routine (Week 1)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Week 2 (Respect)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Group – Week 3 (Teamwork)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Week 4 (Boundaries)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Week 5 (Siblings)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Week 6 (Discipline – Purpose)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Week 7 (Discipline – Methods)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Week 8 (Introducing Your Kids to Christ)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Appendix (Resource List)
Supernanny Parenting Discussion Guide – Appendix (Resource List)
Appendix
Leanne and I have read a lot of books that have helped us as parents and as partners. While we don’t necessarily hold to everything in each of these books, they often provide good ideas and discussion points for starting or continuing impacting conversations. Here’s our ever-growing reading list:
Boundaries with Kids (Paperback)
by Dr. Henry Cloud (Author), Dr. John Townsend (Author) Publisher: Zondervan; New Ed edition (November 1, 2001) ISBN-10: 0310243157 ISBN-13: 978-0310243151
Bringing Up Boys (Paperback)
by James C. Dobson (Author) Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (March 30, 2005) ISBN-10: 1414304501 ISBN-13: 978-1414304502
Creative Correction: Extraordinary Ideas for Everyday Discipline (Hardcover)
by Lisa Whelchel (Author) Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (October 1, 2000) ISBN-10: 1561799017 ISBN-13: 978-1561799015
The New Dare to Discipline (Paperback)
by James Dobson (Author) Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (June 1996) ISBN-10: 0842305068 ISBN-13: 978-0842305068
The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate (Paperback)
by Gary Chapman (Author) Publisher: Northfield Publishing; Reissue edition (June 1, 1995) ISBN-10: 1881273156 ISBN-13: 978-1881273158
The Five Love Languages of Children (Paperback)
by Gary Chapman (Author), Ross Campbell (Author) Publisher: Northfield Publishing (June 1, 1997) ISBN-10: 1881273652 ISBN-13: 978-1881273653
His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage (Hardcover)
by Willard F. Harley Jr. (Author) Publisher: Revell; 15 Anv edition (April 1, 2001) ISBN-10: 0800717880 ISBN-13: 978-0800717889
Love Busters: Overcoming Habits That Destroy Romantic Love (Hardcover)
by Willard F.Jr. Harley (Author) Publisher: Revell; Revised edition (February 1, 2002) ISBN-10: 0800718070 ISBN-13: 978-0800718077
Moments Together for Couples (Hardcover)
by Dennis Rainey (Author), Barbara Rainey (Author) Publisher: Regal Books (October 1995) ISBN-10: 0830717544 ISBN-13: 978-0830717545
Night Light: A Devotional for Couples (Hardcover)
by James Dobson (Author), Shirley Dobson (Author) Publisher: Multnomah (August 22, 2000) ISBN-10: 1576736741 ISBN-13: 978-1576736746
Night Light for Parents: A Devotional (Hardcover)
by James Dr Dobson (Author), Shirley Dobson (Author) Publisher: Multnomah (September 30, 2005) ISBN-10: 1590524543 ISBN-13: 978-1590524541
Shepherding a Child’s Heart (Paperback)
by Tedd Tripp (Author) Publisher: Shepherd Press; 2 Reprint edition (1995) ISBN-10: 0966378601 ISBN-13: 978-0966378603
The New Strong-willed Child: Birth Through Adolescence (Paperback)
by James C. Dobson (Author) Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (April 2007) ISBN-10: 1414313632 ISBN-13: 978-1414313634
Taking Care of the Me in Mommy: Becoming a Better Mom – Spirit, Body & Soul (Hardcover)
by Lisa Whelchel (Author) Publisher: Integrity Publishers (March 24, 2006) ISBN-10: 1591454352
Tender Warrior: Every Man’s Purpose, Every Woman’s Dream, Every Child’s Hope (Paperback)
by Stu Weber (Author) Publisher: Multnomah (April 15, 2006) ISBN-10: 1590526139 ISBN-13: 978-1590526132
(As a post note: I would love to hear about other resources that you have found helpful in your parenting and in your marriage.)