Kyria

Tailgate Tales

Summer vacation! My kids were ecstatic. But I, sensing imminent anarchy, was less enthusiastic. I'd read articles featuring families on cruises, families at dude ranches, families at theme parks, families at resorts. However, I knew none of those options would be available to me this year. So what could I do to keep five kids ages nine and under happy—and my sanity intact—without leaving ...

Family Story Time

Ever since our son was a baby, my husband and I have tried to instill in him the love of the written word. At first we would just read to him each day. But as he got older and was able to talk and develop ideas of his own, we started telling and then writing stories together.

Creating and writing family stories is a great way to spend time together. It's also an excuse to teach children about writing, ...

A Real Trip

Are you sure you'll be safe?" "Maybe you should try something smaller first…" When we told friends and family we were thinking about taking a family missions trip, the general reaction was less than enthusiastic. They thought we were three seats short of a full flight to pack up our grade-school age kids and travel to the other side of the world with a group of strangers just to help out at an orphanage. ...

House Warming

It was a Sunday night worship experience I'll never forget. There was singing, Scripture reading, and heartfelt prayer. No, it wasn't at church. It wasn't even a church service. It was a house blessing at the home of our close friends.

The concept of a house blessing isn't new. Moses talked about writing God's commands on our doorframes and our gates in Deuteronomy 6:9. In fact, many Christian traditions, ...

Go Wild

One of our best family camping trips started out with a movie and pizza.

There we were, splashing through a steady rain in the harbor town where we'd stopped for lunch. We'd made it halfway to our planned destination of Acadia National Park when the veteran campers in our group decided, "We're going home. We'll try again tomorrow."

At the time, we lived just a few hours from Acadia so we went back to ...

Family Time with God: May

One of the best ways parents can model a living, active relationship with Christ is to emphasize the importance of the Bible in your family's day-to-day life. These calendar pages from Awana will help you do just that!

How To Use These Pages:

To help make this a family project, we've divided the verses into three parts. Preschoolers memorize the words printed in bold. Elementary kids memorize the words ...

Family Night Fun

Focusing on Others

Point: There are only two things that will last, people and God's Word.

Gather: Paper, marker, and a Bible.

Go: Write the following letters on a piece of paper and give it to your children: RPWDDOGOOEPSLE. Have your children attempt to unscramble the letters to list two things that will last long after material goods have turned to dust.

Read:Matthew 6:33

Ask: What does this verse mean ...

Family Time with God: June

One of the best ways parents can model a living, active relationship with Christ is to emphasize the importance of the Bible in your family's day-to-day life. These calendar pages from Awana will help you do just that!

How To Use These Pages:

To help make this a family project, we've divided the verses into three parts. Preschoolers memorize the words printed in bold. Elementary kids memorize the words ...

Family Time with God: July

One of the best ways parents can model a living, active relationship with Christ is to emphasize the importance of the Bible in your family's day-to-day life. These calendar pages from Awana will help you do just that!

How To Use These Pages:

To help make this a family project, we've divided the verses into three parts. Preschoolers memorize the words printed in bold. Elementary kids memorize the words ...

The Unofficial Motherhood Entrance Exam

While we all know children are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3, NASB), we also know that gift isn't for the faint of heart or weak of will. Want to know whether you have what it takes to be a mommy? Find out here!

Toy Test

Obtain a 55-gallon box of LEGOs (or you may substitute roofing tacks). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try walking to the bathroom or kitchen. Don't ...

Related Topics: Motherhood, parenting