Kids/Family Archives • Page 7 of 13 • New Nostalgia

Spiritual Health Books For My Girls

Todd Bowman and purposeful Living Series

These posts are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, Todd spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.

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Correct Priority #5 – Social Health- Immediate Family-Children (Spiritual Health)

Goal Set – November 2012

Goal:

Develop a detailed family spiritual plan to better ground my three girls in God’s word. Specific elements of this plan include the items listed below.

Develop a plan to help each girl identify Christian books to read.

Goal Status

Completed

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Thoughts – Updated

The week after Christmas I rounded up the entire family and we drove to Omaha to Parables Christian Bookstore. It is a nice store and they have a large selection of Bibles and books.

I tasked each of my girls to find one book to purchase. My only stipulation is that had to be a book that would spur their spiritual growth.

Amy & I walked them through the different parts of the store and helped them identify sections and types of books they might like. After looking around for a while they all made great book selections.

Teagan selected the book Live To Give by Austin Gutwein. It is biography of a teenager who turned a love and passion for basketball into a non-profit organization with 40,000 members and has raised over $3 million for AIDS relief in Africa. I love that Teagan’s faith is active. Her love for God inspires her to make a difference in the lives of others.

Colsie chose the book From Blah to Awe: Shaking Up A Boring Faith by Jenna Lucado. It is a non-fiction book written for teen girls. It talks about how to have a vibrant and radical faith while navigating the challenges of middle school and high school. Colsie just entered sixth grade and is learning how to navigate challenges that didn’t exist in elementary school.

My little Avery was more ambitious. She picked a book called The Secret Power of Joy. It is a FaithGirlz Bible Study on the book of Philippians. While it is written for children it is a pretty intense Bible Study involving reading Bible passages and then answering a set of questions based on what was ready. Avery seems pretty excited about it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she needs some help getting through it. I will monitor her progress and work through it with her if she needs extra motivation.

{Looking for books and hanging out at Parables}

{Love my girls}

{Money well spent}

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Thoughts – (previous post that spurred on this November Goal)

I spent a great deal of time over the past year planning our family Florida vacation. This planning paid off with an amazing trip. It may have been the best two weeks of my life.

But in the process of planning this vacation I neglected many other things, including being a good parent. I have been convicted since returning from out trip that I need to dedicate more time and do a better job in a variety of areas that are far more important that vacation.

One area in which I know I need to improve is being the spiritual leader of our home and doing what I can to better ground my girls in their faith. Each time they step out of our home they enter a world where many despise the gospel of Jesus Christ. They enter a world that is hostile to God’s word.

When my children our older they will have to decide for themselves what they believe. But there is zero chance I will stay silent while they are bombarded with messages contrary to what God wants for them every day of their life.

My first responsibility is to model for them what it means to live a Godly life and be sensitive to His will. My next responsibility is to make sure they know what is true and right. I will not ignore either of these responsibilities.

Amy’s Thoughts –

I think back on this fun family day trip to Omaha with fondness. We ate out at 5 Guys (Todd’s fav) and hit up my fav (Starbucks) on the way home! I was really proud of the choices my girls made in books. I love the pic of Todd holding up his purchases with a twinkle in his eye…we both know it is investment that will not return void.

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Foundation Post

Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts

Purposeful Living Outline

HOME/ Homemaking/ Kids/Family/ Sponsored

Bringing The Element Of Fire To Our Backyard

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TIKI Brand® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our weather hit a record high yesterday, a 100 degree Nebraska day in May was a pretty big deal! I love the heat, and it made me excited to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors.

We have a teeny, tiny backyard, and I am always trying to think of ways to make it a cozy outdoor area that we want to be in as a family. We are slowly making it into the space we imagine it could be. I have done that with comfortable seating, a few pots of flowers, an in- ground water feature & some fun lighting. We are getting close to having the outdoor space we have imagined, all that is left to add is a hammock, and a table with an umbrella so we can eat outdoors.

One of the things I recently got to cross off my list was the element of fire. I wanted the ambience that fire brings, but did not want to mess with a fire pit. Tiki torches were an option, but I wanted something more simple, that would be easier to store than a bunch of torches. I was not sure what I was looking for, until I saw the new TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures.

These sculptures are great! They are the perfect bridge between a garden torch and a fire pit. They bring the ambience of a large, natural flame but with less mess and smoke than a fire pit. If easy flame is what you are looking for, than TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures are a must have!

If you want one of your own, they are sold exclusively at The Home Depot. They can be used with OFF! /BiteFighter Torch fuel which will provide mosquito repellency, which is a good option for us as our in- ground water feature can attract mosquitoes during certain summer months.

The TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures is a BREEZE to use. I couldn’t believe it was so easy. You simply fill the canister with fuel, screw the lid on, and light it. It could not be easier.

My girls were super excited about the Fire Sculpture. My youngest just came in and saw me writing this post and said “Mom, that is going to be your best post EVER because I love our new fire ‘thing'” Ha. So cute.

I have found that if I want the family to hang out in the back yard, all I have to do is light the sculpture and they come running. It just sets such a nice atmosphere, and is such a simple and minimal way to bring the beauty of flame to our backyard. I love it!

What about you? Is this something you think you would like? If so, you can follow the TIKI Brand on Facebook. They have other styles of Tiki Sculptures that are really beautiful. I’d love to know which one is your favorite and what you like about it.

Kids/Family

My Sweet Family & Touched By Autism

{Recognize that Ampersand Pillow? Laurie wrote a how-to for us here.}

I asked our contributing author Laurie Cosgrove to share a bit about what is going on in her life and the life of her precious little ones. She wrote a post about her little guy (who just happens to be my sweet nephew…yes, Laurie is my baby sister) that made me feel like my heart was gonna burst. I love her and her sweet little family so much. They have been walking through some hard discoveries of our sweet Micah with such grace and love. Her hope is to help and connect with others walking down the same road. She also shares a bit about her little girl Ari. Keep reading to meet my precious nephew and see my adorable little niece with luscious cheeks and wearing a tutu!

{Me and Our Precious Micah. He is such a light in my life! I love him so.}

Here is more from my sis:

I have not shared much about my little guy and his language delays before, but for the last six months or so, our silly-sweet toddler boy has been in early intervention (speech therapy) because he wasn’t talking and interacting with us like a typical 2 year old. In more recent weeks we’ve come to the conclusion with the speech teachers that Micah is most likely on the autism spectrum.

Obviously this changes nothing about the way we see him and love him. Micah absolutely lights up our home with his contagious joy and playful energy. But he processes things differently and it’s been really difficult to teach him or get him to pay attention to us sometimes. It’s not just that he doesn’t talk. He has trouble understanding our words and gets overwhelmed by a lot of social situations, including just everyday playing with us. So this has been the #1 thing on our minds lately – researching all hours of the night what we can do to love on him more and teach him in a way that he understands. The main reason I wanted to share this today was because I found this amazing resource for parents specifically for speech and social skills. I hope you’ll pass it on if you happen to know someone whose little one is in a similar situation with autism or even just a “late talker.”

The name of the website is Teach Me To Talk with blog posts and products by Laura Mize, a pediatric speech-language pathologist. We have the dvd set and liked those but what really helped me were these books… I bought the Teach Me To Play With You book which is full of ideas, games, songs, etc. for getting my little guy to pay attention to me during playtime. This was really hard for us before because we wanted to play with Micah and teach him things but he didn’t attend to us or was just happy doing his own thing. So this book has been awesome with teaching us how to be more fun and gain his attention. The other one by her that I love was the Building Verbal Imitation in Toddlers with SO much info about how to work with your kids at home during everyday life. There are different levels of speech, so I liked knowing exactly where Micah fit and what to work on, what to say, different games to try, etc. I’ll definitely keep researching and even trying out different diets and things but as for his language delays, these books have been so encouraging. They were well worth the cost so I just had to pass them on.

My little Ari girl is getting huge! She’s doing the full out army crawl and she is FAST! It’s been really interesting watching her do things that her brother still doesn’t do – pointing, waving, looking at our faces to check our expressions, showing us things that she finds interesting. She is a quick little learner! It’s so fun to see her and Micah finally playing together. We’re essentially working with them on a lot of the same things even though they are 22 months apart:)

{Laurie and her husband Steve…have you ever seen a cuter family?}

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Amy here again…how precious are they? Can you see why I am head-over-heels? Please keep Laurie and their family in your prayers as they seek out the best options for their little guy. She is truly one of the best Mommies I know, so patient and wise. Her hubs is the same, those 2 little ones were very blessed with wonderful parents.

Please pass this post on to anyone you know who is walking down the same road. Laurie shares her life here at her own blog Beauty Divine, so make sure you click here and follow her there!

Counting Gifts/ Easter/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Our Easter Sunday & A Powerful Video

I didn’t know what to expect this Easter, as I have not been feeling well and our usual family extended family plans didn’t happen this year. I did have a sense of relief that I could rest if I needed to, but I wanted the day to feel important…because it is.

The Easter bunny usually is on top of things at our house and has the baskets ready and waiting when our girls wake up. This year I woke up in a panic, realizing I had completely forgotten to get their baskets ready. I made an announcement that they would receive their baskets after they got ready for church to buy myself some time!

Our baskets contained jelly beans, some chocolate, & a golden egg with a few bucks in it. Our girls are getting older and prefer cash instead of junk food or gifts, so that makes things easy.

Church this morning was amazing. Our 2 older girls sat in with us this week. I loved having them next to me. We also got there early enough (miracle) to say hello to my in-laws. I love them so much and it was good to see them on such a special day. The service was beautiful & a highlight for me was a video that they showed, which I will share below.

Another highlight for me was listening to my sister-in-law play the violin. She played through the whole service, but her part in the song “In Christ Alone” was my favorite. It gave me chills.

I felt a bit lightheaded during the service and had to hold on to my Todd or sit down for a few of the songs. I didn’t like that and hoped that food would help.

We went to the early service, so we were out of church by 10:30. We planned to go out for brunch. My goal is to only cook hard boiled eggs for coloring later this afternoon, so going out to eat was perfect.

I enjoyed my veggie omelet. My little one loved her silly face pancake. I definitely felt better after eating and continue to feel better this afternoon than I have in days. Maybe eating all this high-potassium food is working?!

My middle girl was not too into having her picture taken, so I had to be sneaky. Isn’t she cute?

We got home and it has been a beautiful, super chill afternoon. We have the windows open and everyone is just hanging out. I put some eggs on to boil and my girls are dipping them as I type. I plan on using the extra eggs to make egg salad sandwiches for tonight’s dinner, which we plan on eating while watching recorded episodes of The Bible. Seems appropriate for the day, don’t you think?

I’m sitting by an open window and I hear my Todd busy outside. One of my girls just told me he is getting our bikes all pumped up and ready to ride. This makes me very happy and eager to get my energy back up!!

Oops..got girl drama at the Easter egg table so I need to sign off. It is a good reminder of how broken we all are, especially me, as my blood pressure starts to go up at the first sign of bickering.

I’m also reminded of this beautiful video that was shown this morning at our church service. It shows how broken is made whole in such a beautiful way. I’d love if you took the time to watch it.

I would love to know what you think of the video.

I’d also love to know what you are up to this Easter day!

Counting Gifts/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Valentine's Day

Captured Life Tidbits – Our Life In Instagram Photos Valentines Edition

So thankful for these moments– these tidbits–that make up life.

Capturing the moments visually is a gift.

It keeps me present, it keeps me thankful, & reminds me to live NEW!

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I went to kiss Lil’ One goodnight and had to walk through these first. I love how she gets so excited and has to decorate before a holiday!

More decorations by my girl, she surprised me and had this all waiting for me when I got home.

{no our Christmas tree is not still up, that is our small ‘winter’ tree}

Had a lovely date with this middle child the day before Valentines day. I took her to her favorite Noodles & Co. & then for a brownie at a coffee shop.

Valentine sweets from our local health food store.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 9 year old.

Valentine breakfast place setting for my 12 year old.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 13 year old.

“Chevron” Brownie making with dear friends. Pretty huh? So easy. They actually made these for our super bowl party, but I thought they looked pretty Valentines Day-ish, too!

I pulled out the high heels for my Valentines date night.

I found an ombre shirt at Target and a fun necklace that matches the bracelet that was given to me by a special little girl in my life.

I’m a lucky lady. The cucumber lemonade is so fresh and light. I could drink gallons!

Pepe’s. A local vegetarian restaurant, perfect for our Valentine dinner out.

Todd had the Sweet Potato Quesadilla. I had the Vidalia Zucchini Enchilada plate.

I had Strawberry Coconut Cake & he had Chocolate Cake with Coconut Fudge Frosting.

Pepe is an incredible chef and just relocated his restaurant (my fav in town) to my neighborhood!

FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Goal Setting & Reflection – January 2013 – Purposeful Living Series

Goal Setting & Reflection-January 2013 – Purposeful Living

These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.

………………..

Correct Priority #5 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Children (Emotional Health)
Goal – January 2013
Support my daughter Colsie in her desire to become a strong volleyball player and join a volleyball team. Specific things I can do include the items listed below.

Research and purchase an effective youth volleyball instructional video.

Thoroughly review the video and develop a volleyball skill development program for Colsie.

Thoughts
My sixth grade daughter recently communicated a desire to play volleyball. She has never expressed an interest in sports before, but she assured me this is a genuine interest. She has been hitting a ball around a lot at school with friends during recess and really enjoys it.

Volleyball is a huge sport in Nebraska with large numbers of children playing from a very young age. Even playing in a youth recreation league Colsie will be way behind without some help.

My plan is to assist Colsie in the same way I have assisted my other two daughters – Teagan (basketball) and Avery (soccer) – in the sports they play. I will find quality instructional material, learn the game, and teach Colsie how to play volleyball. Specifically I am interested in teaching Colsie proper technique, not just the rules of the game.

I understand the rules of volleyball, but I don’t know the first thing about volleyball technique. I don’t know the proper way to set, bump, serve, or pass a volleyball.

But I can learn. The key is finding quality instructional material. There are many resources, but most of it is junk. I will find as many websites as I can that sell instructional material, identify DVD’s that focus on technique, read the descriptions and reviews, and then make a purchase.

It was so much easier when it was just Avery playing soccer. Supporting three girls in their athletic endeavors takes a considerable amount of time.

But it is a fun way for me to participate in their lives. And athletics are a fantastic way to build resiliency in children.

It is worth my time.

Correct Priority #5 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Children (Social Health)

Goal – January 2013
Provide ongoing encouragement of healthy friendships for all of our girls. Provide support wherever appropriate and possible. Specific items are listed below.

Discuss with Amy the possibility of allowing our girls the opportunity to invite friends over and spend the night more often.

Discuss with Amy the idea of turning our basement into a teen hangout area.

Consider additional ideas to help our girls build healthy and positive friendships.

Thoughts
Encouraging healthy relationships for all of our girls is a huge priority to me and one that never ends. It has become even more important as they enter the teen years. It is a routine topic of discussion with Amy during dates.

Children and teens who surround themselves with positive influences are far more likely to make healthy choices. Children and teens who surround themselves with negative influences are far more likely to make destructive choices.

I can’t choose friends for my girls. But there are many things Amy and I can do to nudge them in the right direction.

Two of my girls have close friends who do not live in our neighborhood and do not attend the same school. Allowing them to come and spend the night on a regular basis would allow them to spend more time with these friends than they are currently able.

Turning our basement into a teen hangout area would better ensure that as our girls enter middle school and high school that everyone will want to hang out at our house. Having everyone at our house improves our ability as parents to positively influence their activities.

Either/both of these ideas would place additional demands Amy and myself. These are items I want to thoroughly discuss with her and get her input.

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Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts

Purposeful Living Series

Related Posts

Goal Setting & Reflection

November 2012

December 2012

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Leaving A Legacy/ Love/ Parenting/ Spiritual

Leaving A Legacy For My 3 Girls – Whiter Than Snow

As a 2-time cancer survivor, I look at life with tangible knowledge that life could end at any given moment. None of us know how long we have here on this earth. This legacy series to my 3 girls…my lovelies… is my way of attempting to leave a legacy for them. To speak of what is most important for them to know from me, their forever Mom.

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Hello Lovelies,
It is a January snow day today and you 3 are just thrilled! It is 11:30 and we are all still in our jammies. You are all having fun on your iPods & I’m just sitting here thinking about what it is I want to tell you.

I will keep it short and simple.

The snow is beautiful outside, everything covered in white. I think of just yesterday when I stepped in mud on our walkway, tracking it all the way up our stairs, spreading the mess. Everything was brown, grass dead.

It seems like I just blinked, and woke up to all the mess now covered in pure white. It is so beautiful. I know when it melts the mud and gunk will be washed away, and the dead grass will be nourished to spring green again, come spring.

And it reminds me.

This is what Jesus does for us. He takes our mess, washes it clean on the cross, makes us pure white and new. Gives us life.

It is so easy to get stuck in our mess and forget that we have been washed clean. HE SEES US CLEAN. Our mess is removed “as far as the east is from the west.”

God sees us, covered in white by His Son. Pure.

Next time you are down on yourself, feeling funky & a mess, remember how your Creator sees you!

All sparkly white and made NEW!

I Love You More’n,
MOM

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