FUN IN A BOX: CRAFTS TOGETHER

It is the new thing, check this out! Most kids usually like crafts/projects, and specially girls, don’t they? Well, now you can get a few kits delivered to your house by subscribing monthly (or you can get them separately too).

Here we have a few links for you to look into the options and figure it out the one you like the best. Remember though, that the most important gift you can give to your kids is quality time (no cellphones around, please); look into their eyes, ask questions with love, listen, hug, hold, sit in the floor, run around…

Be there with them with your whole heart, that you will never regret ♥

• Kid Wonder: http://www.kidwonderbox.com
• Toucan Box: http://www.toucanbox.com
• Kiwi Co: http://www.kiwico.com
• We Craft Box: http://www.wecraftbox.com

KIDS: BASIC LIFE SKILLS TO TEACH THEM

With so many things we should teach them, here’s a few of the things we want to share (by the way, they are not in order you guys). If you have some more, feel free to share ♥.

Here we go:

• Basic first-aid
• How to say “no”
• How jump-start a car
• How to use a credit card
• How to budget and pay bills
• How to send a professional e-mail
• How to grocery shop in a budget
• How to write an essay
• How to cook something (but hey… from scratch)
• How to change a tire
• How to study
• How to proofread
• Basic home and car repair and maintenance

 

 

OUR CHILDREN: NURTURING THEIR SOULS

I know, this might be another article to remind us mothers that just as we are so careful to feed our children’s bodies (buy organic products and all kind of fresh produce to prepare healthy meals) we should keep in mind that we are also in charge of nurturing their souls, how? Here’s some ideas:

• First, run to God and be filled by Him. YOU NEED to go everyday to His presence and ask for wisdom, strength and joy to be able to serve Him as a mother that loves and honors what He has entrusted you. I’ve tried to do it in my own strength (without even thinking about it sometimes) and let me tell you: it doesn’t work. That path would only take a mother to eventually become very uptight, perfectionist, have no grace, judgmental and eventually frustrated because the amazing call of motherhood can only be accomplished fully and joyfully if we have God’s grace and help for it.
• If you love, worship, seek Him and read His word that genuine lifestyle will be a truth that speaks much more than many words you can speak to your children. If they see a genuine woman (not a “perfect one”), who prays, repents, seeks God and lives by faith, that will very nurturing and will definitely influence their lives.
• Have a devotional with them every day. Also, read together other books that will point them to God. Pray for them every day and remember that you can’t save them, BUT you can be a testimony of His power and grace.
• Take your time to buy good books, DVDs and any other items for your kids with edifying themes. It is totally worth the investment. Also, look for content with sound doctrine (we all know that just because it’s in a Christian store doesn’t always mean it has good doctrine, right?).
• Keep walking by faith, dear friend. His grace is sufficient. ♥  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

BONUS: Play with them! For many children, this is one of the ways they feel loved ♥

Some interesting quotes:

“You are called to be [an] . . . influential ambassador of a glorious King, but you must resist the desire to be a king. You are called to trumpet God’s glory, but you must never take that glory for yourself. You are called to a position of leadership, influence, and prominence, but, in that position you are called to ‘humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.” – Paul David Tripp

“This is not a formula! Kids from wonderful gospel-centered homes leave the church; people from messed-up family backgrounds find eternal life in Jesus and have beautiful marriages and families. But it’s also not a crap-shoot. In general, children who are led in their faith during their growing-up years by parents who love Jesus vibrantly, serve their church actively and saturate their home with the gospel completely, and grow up to love Jesus and the church”. – Jon Nielson

“God didn’t give you your children to build your reputation but to publicly proclaim his”. -Paul David Tripp

“In every moment when you are parenting, you are being parented. In every moment when you are called to give grace, you are being given grace. In every moment when you are rescuing and protecting your children, you are being rescued and protected. In every moment when you feel alone, you are anything but alone because he goes wherever you go.” – Paul David Tripp

INSPIRATION, COME TO ME

Some days feels like I am waiting for “inspiration” throughout the day, sounds funny but it is true. As a mother of a toddler, it doesn’t seem like I could just ignore her needs and go back to sleep or pretend she is not hungry, so every morning, I have the privilege of starting a new day, ready or not. But again, something inside me, some days, is waiting for “inspiration”.

There are some mornings where I really think that if I just go back to bed, maybe at some point under my cozy blankets I would somehow feel a strong happy energetic desire to get out of bed and “conquer the world” (that actually used to happen to me when I was 16 or 17 years old, not anymore, at least, not as often I guess). That is why I’ve been thinking about “inspiration” lately and here are some thoughts I’ve come up with:

• Real inspiration can only come from something TRUE and that would only come from God. Scripture is where we can truly find strength and “inspiration” and… hope, no matter what our days look like. So the most important thing is to meditate on God’s word, His promises to us and get to know Him daily as we pray and read our Bible. Christian author Gretchen Saffles uses the phrase “Word before world” reminding us to start our days going first to God and filling our minds with His Word before anything else. We need to set our lives in something true, otherwise, a lie will be the “momentary inspiration”, something superficial and ephemeral that won’t last.
• As a wife and a mother, it inspires me to think that my role is about serving God and honoring Him, it is about trusting that He is using every moment, blessing and struggle to shape me to the image of Christ. It is encouraging to think that we are serving Him first, our wonderful and merciful God.

As we “start” the day and move on with the activities and busyness of daily life, as we keep walking and doing what we need to do, the “feelings” follow most of the time, we just need to start and go by faith in Him.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. – Romans 15:13

 

BIBLE STORIES WITH STICKERS FOR KIDS

My almost 4 year-old has enjoyed so much the “My Bible Sticker Bakcpack” by Thomas Nelson. A while back, I went to the Christian bookstore to see what else can I get to keep teaching the stories from the Bible to my little daughter and found this colorful book.

Together we’ve read her Bible ♥ (“A Child’s first Bible” and “The Bible in pictures for little eyes” by Kenneth N. Taylor) almost four times now so… I decided to get a little more “crafty” and get something with stickers… yay! (over 1,000 stickers).

So that’s what I did and I have to say, we loved it… I would suggest to keep this book in a place your kids can’t reach, that way, when the time comes, they’ll get excited to actually sit for a few minutes with you, listen to the story, decorate and complete the scenes with the stickers. Have fun learning together! ♥

THE BIBLE FOR KIDS: START WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG

At Revista Arielle we will always encourage you to share the Gospel to your little ones as soon as you see they understand things a little better, around 3 maybe?, meanwhile, talk to them about the Lord and how He made everything.

Also, look for books that help them understand what you are telling them. One of my favorite books is “Jesus: The Storybook Bible”.

I love this: “Every story whispers His name”… so true, for sure!

You can get their complete collection with DVDs that your child will love.

Here is more information: www.jesusstorybookbible.com