Are you ever looking for something new and adventurous? I know that sometimes it feels like we get stuck doing the same things, over and over. Well, a few years back a dear friend of mine told me about a tradition that she did when her children were little, and now has continued with her young grandchildren. It sounded like such fun and a wonderful way to make memories that we have started having "Surprise Day" at our home as well. It is fun and easy, let me explain.
"Surprise Day" is a day where you take your family on an adventure without them knowing the details. It can be something simple like making a special craft, fun meal and movie night at home (we have done this when the activity we planned was outside and the weather did not cooperate). Or, as extravagant has a weekend in a special cabin with friends. The idea is to make memories and grow as a family. The surprise part just adds to the adventure.
Let's pretend today really is "Surprise Day" at our home. I have typed up a half sheet of paper with things the children need to know and posted them in different places in our home. The list tells them what they need to pack (extra clothes, water bottle, snack, etc), what they need to wear (swimsuit, long pants, tennis shoes, etc), and what is expected of them before we leave (get one chore done, be in the car by 9am, etc). Today's list says: "You need to wear clothes that can get wet or dirty; You need shoes that can get wet or dirty; You need to pack a towel; You need to bring a water bottle; You need a hat and/or sunglasses; You need to get at least one chore done; You need to be in the car at 10:45am." (This only works because we have a buddy system where the big buddy needs to help the little buddy read and pack all their items; I also look out for the little guys but I have my own list to take care of.)
While the children are taking care of the items on their list, I usually have a list of my own. I typically pack the food for lunch and/or dinner, make sure we have tickets and directions (if needed), have the camera and/or video camera and the most important item on my list is not giving hints. :-) Our children are sneaky and ask very tricky questions to try and find out where we are going. I have to work very hard to keep our surprise a surprise.
We try to have one "Surprise Day" a month. It is getting harder as the children grow older because they are adding things like work and sports practices to the family schedule. So, although I desire for the adventure to be a surprise, I do write "Surprise Day" on the calendar so that everyone has advanced notice and can adjust their schedules accordingly. Warning: the earlier you put it on the calendar the longer you have to avoid the tricky questions.
I honestly love "Surprise Day." It has given us an opportunity to try new things, to build controlled situations where we need to depend on each other and has pushed us past our comfort levels. It has also given us a fun way to bring our faith and love for Christ into focus.
For example, our last "Surprise Day" was a canoeing adventure. We were able to get several canoes from a local shop and started paddling down the river. This excursion was suppose to take us 2.5 hours. Well, the wind was very strong and kept blowing us up stream. It took us nearly 2.5 hours to go only half way. There were many times when we wanted to give up, but what are you suppose to do in the middle of a river? You can't just get out and walk away. We all needed to work together and encourage each other to reach the landing half way through. Although it was extremely hard, afterwards we were able to talk to the children about the hard times that they may face in school, in their marriages, in their jobs and in their futures. Sometimes, God is calling us to keep paddling against the wind, striving for the finish line and not desiring for us to give up.......even when it seems too hard to continue. I know that this is a day are children will not soon forget. :-)
If you are looking for a way to build fun and lasting memories with your children, grandchildren and/or family, I highly recommend adopting "Surprise Day." The adventures are waiting right around the corner!
**A little tip: I know that many Surprise Day ideas are going to cost a good deal of money. I look for when "free" days are offered at places like museums and zoos. I also check for discount days at fairs, parks, camps and other adventures. I like to use coupon sites that offer discounts on adventures as well (Groupon and Living Social are two examples). I have found that even with a family our size, we can have surprise days that don't break the bank. It will take some time, but it will be well worth it! Enjoy the adventure and the amazing family God has given you!
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Monday, August 22, 2016
The Fly In The Car
A few months ago some of us were getting in our small car to run an errand. When we got into the car we noticed that two flies had somehow gotten inside. We opened all four doors in hopes that they would go on their way and leave our car. One fly seemed to get the hint and left the car almost immediately. The other fly was a great deal more stubborn. It insisted on trying to fly through the front windshield. It beat its head against the glass repeatedly, I had to use my hand and help direct it out the open door.
Now normal people will have an incident like this and just move on with their day. Not me, I of course need to take this simple situation and see a God lesson in it. Humor me for a minute.
Aren't there times when we are all like the second fly? I know I can look back and see many times in my life where the second fly and I have lots in common. God has opened a door for me, but instead of going through the open door I insist on staying on my current path and beat my head against the glass. When that happens, I wonder if God looks at me the way I looked at the fly? "Over here, silly, there is lots of room for you to soar over here."
What about our children? Are there times when they feel like they are just beating their heads against the glass? Are we praying for guidance to help direct them through the open door that God has provided? Are we giving them opportunities to discover the path God has for them on their own, or our we just pushing them down the path we like the most? Boy, these are all tough questions!
When I look at our children, they are all so different. They have different talents, different gifts, different interests and different passions. It is hard to imagine where God might be leading them, or what situation God is going to use to direct them.
Currently, our oldest daughter is looking at colleges and universities. She has been looking at career choices and narrowing the list of jobs she might like and might not like. It is an overwhelming task at times, there are more universities than either of us ever imagined, and even more career choices. These are some big decisions we are asking a young person to make. It is certainly important for them to be looking to God for guidance.
Our daughter is a good athlete. Playing ball is one of her passions and one thing she is considering when looking at schools. So, a few months ago when she tore her meniscus her world seemed to be turned upside down. Typically a torn meniscus means surgery and sitting out her sport for four to six months, sometimes longer. There is not a time of year when she could sit for even four months and not miss either her high school season or her club season. So, we were anxiously waiting for the test results and the doctor's recommendations.
When we went to the doctor to discuss the test results and our options, we had already spent many days in prayer and had several discussion about what we thought some of our choices might be. However, we were surprised by his evaluation. She had only a partial tear of her meniscus and the tear happened to be located in the back of her knee. By God's great design, this area of the knee is the only area of the knee where the meniscus receives enough blood flow that it could possibly heal itself. Yes, heal itself, without surgery. He was however, very cautious, using the words "possibly" and "maybe" and "closely monitor. "
She was put on some detailed restrictions and enrolled in physical therapy. We went back to the doctor after 2 weeks, than 4 more weeks, than 6 more weeks, each time the restrictions became lighter, she was getting stronger, working harder and was able to start playing ball with a brace after only being off for a very short time. By the 6 week visit she was told that everything looked great and she had worked hard enough to earn full clearance to play. Praise God!
Now you might be wondering what this has to do with the fly? Well, although I would not wish a torn meniscus on anyone, this experience has given our daughter clear direction to where God is calling her and is excited about the future. God used a potentially horrible and scary situation to guide her through the open door that He had provided. She no longer needed to "beat her head" against the glass trying to create her own path. It is a beautiful thing.
Let me encourage you to step back and take a look at your circumstances. Is there a place in your life or in your children's lives where you are try to "go through the glass in the window" instead of "flying out through the open door?" Are there situations that seem to be devastating or extremely difficult right now that God could be using to direct your path? The scriptures are filled with people who were facing extremely hard times and God used them for His glory....Joseph, Daniel, Moses, Mary, the Maccabees, Matthew and on and on.
To be a competitive athlete and told that you have torn your meniscus can truly be devastating. However, when we remain faithful and trust God to lead us through our difficult circumstances we may see the great plans that He has and how He can take seemingly bad times and turn them into good. May God bless you and give you strength to see His hand guiding you through, especially in the hard times!
Now normal people will have an incident like this and just move on with their day. Not me, I of course need to take this simple situation and see a God lesson in it. Humor me for a minute.
Aren't there times when we are all like the second fly? I know I can look back and see many times in my life where the second fly and I have lots in common. God has opened a door for me, but instead of going through the open door I insist on staying on my current path and beat my head against the glass. When that happens, I wonder if God looks at me the way I looked at the fly? "Over here, silly, there is lots of room for you to soar over here."
What about our children? Are there times when they feel like they are just beating their heads against the glass? Are we praying for guidance to help direct them through the open door that God has provided? Are we giving them opportunities to discover the path God has for them on their own, or our we just pushing them down the path we like the most? Boy, these are all tough questions!
When I look at our children, they are all so different. They have different talents, different gifts, different interests and different passions. It is hard to imagine where God might be leading them, or what situation God is going to use to direct them.
Currently, our oldest daughter is looking at colleges and universities. She has been looking at career choices and narrowing the list of jobs she might like and might not like. It is an overwhelming task at times, there are more universities than either of us ever imagined, and even more career choices. These are some big decisions we are asking a young person to make. It is certainly important for them to be looking to God for guidance.
Our daughter is a good athlete. Playing ball is one of her passions and one thing she is considering when looking at schools. So, a few months ago when she tore her meniscus her world seemed to be turned upside down. Typically a torn meniscus means surgery and sitting out her sport for four to six months, sometimes longer. There is not a time of year when she could sit for even four months and not miss either her high school season or her club season. So, we were anxiously waiting for the test results and the doctor's recommendations.
When we went to the doctor to discuss the test results and our options, we had already spent many days in prayer and had several discussion about what we thought some of our choices might be. However, we were surprised by his evaluation. She had only a partial tear of her meniscus and the tear happened to be located in the back of her knee. By God's great design, this area of the knee is the only area of the knee where the meniscus receives enough blood flow that it could possibly heal itself. Yes, heal itself, without surgery. He was however, very cautious, using the words "possibly" and "maybe" and "closely monitor. "
She was put on some detailed restrictions and enrolled in physical therapy. We went back to the doctor after 2 weeks, than 4 more weeks, than 6 more weeks, each time the restrictions became lighter, she was getting stronger, working harder and was able to start playing ball with a brace after only being off for a very short time. By the 6 week visit she was told that everything looked great and she had worked hard enough to earn full clearance to play. Praise God!
Now you might be wondering what this has to do with the fly? Well, although I would not wish a torn meniscus on anyone, this experience has given our daughter clear direction to where God is calling her and is excited about the future. God used a potentially horrible and scary situation to guide her through the open door that He had provided. She no longer needed to "beat her head" against the glass trying to create her own path. It is a beautiful thing.
Let me encourage you to step back and take a look at your circumstances. Is there a place in your life or in your children's lives where you are try to "go through the glass in the window" instead of "flying out through the open door?" Are there situations that seem to be devastating or extremely difficult right now that God could be using to direct your path? The scriptures are filled with people who were facing extremely hard times and God used them for His glory....Joseph, Daniel, Moses, Mary, the Maccabees, Matthew and on and on.
To be a competitive athlete and told that you have torn your meniscus can truly be devastating. However, when we remain faithful and trust God to lead us through our difficult circumstances we may see the great plans that He has and how He can take seemingly bad times and turn them into good. May God bless you and give you strength to see His hand guiding you through, especially in the hard times!
Thursday, August 18, 2016
First, Read The Book
Disclaimer- I am uncertain when this idea occurred to me; I honestly believe it was my own, but truly apologize if I falsely take credit for one of my friends ideas :-)
"First, read the book." This is a phrase heard on occasion in our home, but more during the summer months when we have more unscheduled time. It seems that in the summers we have more time to make trips to the movie theaters or to borrow movies from the library. There are so many movies available, it is often difficult to curb a child's appetite for the latest and greatest adventure.
I wasn't a reader when I was young. I didn't grow up in a home where we read books each night or made weekly trips to the library. To be honest, I didn't even read most of the books that the teachers asked me to read in school. There was no passion for reading in our home and I had no idea that there was another way to live.
In high school, I read a few of the school novels and found that I actually enjoyed them. However, that did not lead to a new found passion for reading. Then in college, I was working hard and read what my teachers asked, but discovered that there was more. I was missing out on so much. You see I was studying to be an middle school teacher. In one of my literature courses they were talking about all these books that "everyone" had read in school. I seriously was the only one in the room that hadn't read most of these books. So I took the list and started my reading adventure.
Wow, there are some great books out there! I found that almost every book became my new favorite. I fell in love with Heidi; with the Rats of Nimh; and the adventures on the Side of the Mountain. I had no idea that reading could be so much fun!
I still wouldn't classify myself as a reader. Especially now that life is so busy, I read very little for pleasure. Most of what I read are devotion books and curriculum guides. But, I have learned the importance of reading, loving to read and loving the adventure that comes with reading. And this is something I desire to pass along to our children. I want them to have a passion for reading.
As a whole, our children are good readers. They read for enjoyment, not just for school. They enjoy our trips to the library and the new adventures that those trips can bring. However, what I found is that our children were getting into "reading ruts." For example, our oldest daughter has read the entire Nancy Drew serious. The entire thing, starting with book one and even moving into some of the newest versions. It is awesome, but she was reading very little of anything else.
This is when we started the rule: If you want to see the movie, you have to read the book. I have found that the books are almost always ten times better than the movies and if you see the movie first, it ruins the book. So, you need to read the book. Narnia movie, read the book....Ramona and Beezus movie, read the book....The BFG movie, read the book.... etc. Now sometimes I fail! Because I wasn't a reader as a child, sometimes I have no idea that there was even a book first, but we watch the movie together and the children really enjoy the fact that I let them watch a movie before they read the book. Live and learn. :-)
We have seen some great blessings from this rule. Aside from our children reading a larger variety of books, they are reading together so they can see the movie together. The older children are reading to the younger ones so they can see the movie too. It warms my heart! Now it is not all smiles and roses, but I have an easy answer for why we can't spend our entire summer at the theater and a great suggestion for when the boredom bug sneaks in. This is truly one of my favorite "rules."
What are some rules or guidelines that bless your family?
I pray that you might find this idea helpful and that your family will be blessed by many years of adventures in reading!
As a side note, I do not make them read the book if the movie was made first.
"First, read the book." This is a phrase heard on occasion in our home, but more during the summer months when we have more unscheduled time. It seems that in the summers we have more time to make trips to the movie theaters or to borrow movies from the library. There are so many movies available, it is often difficult to curb a child's appetite for the latest and greatest adventure.
I wasn't a reader when I was young. I didn't grow up in a home where we read books each night or made weekly trips to the library. To be honest, I didn't even read most of the books that the teachers asked me to read in school. There was no passion for reading in our home and I had no idea that there was another way to live.
In high school, I read a few of the school novels and found that I actually enjoyed them. However, that did not lead to a new found passion for reading. Then in college, I was working hard and read what my teachers asked, but discovered that there was more. I was missing out on so much. You see I was studying to be an middle school teacher. In one of my literature courses they were talking about all these books that "everyone" had read in school. I seriously was the only one in the room that hadn't read most of these books. So I took the list and started my reading adventure.
Wow, there are some great books out there! I found that almost every book became my new favorite. I fell in love with Heidi; with the Rats of Nimh; and the adventures on the Side of the Mountain. I had no idea that reading could be so much fun!
I still wouldn't classify myself as a reader. Especially now that life is so busy, I read very little for pleasure. Most of what I read are devotion books and curriculum guides. But, I have learned the importance of reading, loving to read and loving the adventure that comes with reading. And this is something I desire to pass along to our children. I want them to have a passion for reading.
As a whole, our children are good readers. They read for enjoyment, not just for school. They enjoy our trips to the library and the new adventures that those trips can bring. However, what I found is that our children were getting into "reading ruts." For example, our oldest daughter has read the entire Nancy Drew serious. The entire thing, starting with book one and even moving into some of the newest versions. It is awesome, but she was reading very little of anything else.
This is when we started the rule: If you want to see the movie, you have to read the book. I have found that the books are almost always ten times better than the movies and if you see the movie first, it ruins the book. So, you need to read the book. Narnia movie, read the book....Ramona and Beezus movie, read the book....The BFG movie, read the book.... etc. Now sometimes I fail! Because I wasn't a reader as a child, sometimes I have no idea that there was even a book first, but we watch the movie together and the children really enjoy the fact that I let them watch a movie before they read the book. Live and learn. :-)
We have seen some great blessings from this rule. Aside from our children reading a larger variety of books, they are reading together so they can see the movie together. The older children are reading to the younger ones so they can see the movie too. It warms my heart! Now it is not all smiles and roses, but I have an easy answer for why we can't spend our entire summer at the theater and a great suggestion for when the boredom bug sneaks in. This is truly one of my favorite "rules."
What are some rules or guidelines that bless your family?
I pray that you might find this idea helpful and that your family will be blessed by many years of adventures in reading!
As a side note, I do not make them read the book if the movie was made first.
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