Christmas Countdown (25 Books)

Posted on December 2, 2015 by fromthecommittedheart

We did this a couple a years ago and I decided to do it again this year. Basically, you pick out 25 Christmas books and you wrap them up. We are wrapping a mixture of books because we don’t have 25 Christmas books. Each night, one of your kids will choose a book to unwrap for the family to read. If the child is old enough, and they would like, they can read it out loud, instead of the parents. We are also going to switch up the times we read our book. Most of the family readings will be at night, around bed time, but other days we will read at breakfast time, around the table. Last but not least, you can make your collection of books mixture Jesus’s birth, winter time, Santa, or just the good old classics.

Below is our book list, some are new that I just purchased this year and others I pulled off our bookshelves. I actually pack away all the Christmas books each year, so it’s like they are opening a new book each day!

The Christmas Countdown Book List:
1. God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Bergren
2. The King’s Christmas by Eldon Johnson
3. The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
4. The Pine Tree Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs
5. Isty Bitsy Christmas: You’re Never Too Little for His Love! by Max Lucado
6. Living Lights: The Berenstain Bears and the Joy of Giving by Jan Berenstain and Mike Berenstain
7. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
8. Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones
9. Who’s Hiding?: A Christmas Lift-the-Flap Book by Vicki Howie, Krisztina Kallai Nagy
10. Humphrey’s First Christmas by Carol Heyer
11. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
12. Every Which Way to Pray by Joyce Meyer
13. Mickey’s Christmas Carol
14. The Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop
15. Dance Me, Daddy by Cindy Morgan
16. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae
17. Just In Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado
18. You Are Special by Max Lucado
19. The Mitten by Jan Brett
20. A New Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert and Anita Lobel
21. The Story of Ferdinand by Robert Lawson
22. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
23. The Christmas Story by Patricia Pingry
24. Christmas is Here! Flap Book
25. The Christmas Story by Nick Page

So go pop some popcorn, grab a couple of blankets, snuggle up close with the family on the couch, and start a new family Christmas tradition!

School Supplies with a Purpose

Posted on July 29, 2015 by fromthecommittedheart

I was running some errands yesterday and one of my stops included Wal-Mart. I was walking pass the school supplies when something caught my eye…”There’s no one else on earth like you.” ~Sadie Robertson. Sadie has teamed up with Day Spring Cards and designed a whole collection of notebooks, folders, and composition books with encouraging quotes and scriptures. I picked up a few for my girls…. I love surrounding them with positive and encouraging words. Our girls need to know they are one of kind, precious, smart, strong, and talented. They need to know God cares for them more than anything in this world.

My girls don’t attend a public school, so they don’t deal with bullying from fellow students, but they are apart of extra curricular activities where kids can and do make rude and judgemental remarks. I want their minds and heart filled with truth of who they are and God’s love for them that those remarks bounce off them. These books are just another tool towards better self-confidence.

Just a little FYI: These items weren’t on the top shelf, they were actually on the bottom, and a little hidden.

Here’s a few STATISTICS to put things in perspective:

7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in some way, including their looks, performance in school and relationships with family and friends. – Real Girls, Real Pressure: National Report on the State of Self-Esteem, Dove Self-Esteem Fund

74% …of girls say they are under pressure to please everyone (Girls Inc, The Supergirl Dilemma)

98% … of girls feel there is an immense pressure from external sources to look a certain way (National Report on Self Esteem)

92% … of teen girls would like to change something about the way they look, with body weight ranking the highest. (Dove campaign)

90% … of eating disorders are found in girls (National Association for Self Esteem)

1 in 4 girls today fall into a clinical diagnosis – depression, eating disorders, cutting, and other mental/emotional disorders. On top of these, many more report being constantly anxious, sleep deprived, and under significant pressure. (The Triple Bind, Steven Hinshaw)

By age thirteen, 53% of American girls age 13 are “unhappy with their bodies.” This grows to…78% by the time girls reach seventeen. (National Institute on Media and the Family)

Reading with Purpose

Posted on June 24, 2015 by fromthecommittedheart

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”
~Amy Carmichael

The last sentences in the book read, “The family had promised not to mark her grave with a headstone, but they hoped she would forgive them for placing a stone birdbath over her grave. It bore a single word: Amma.” Amma stands for mother in the Hindu culture and Amy Carmichael had become an Amma to hundreds of girls and boys, something she didn’t welcome at first. Her hesitation came from an old saying in the Tamil language, “Children tie the mother’s feet.” It means that when a woman becomes a mother she is no longer free to do all the things she had done before. It is as though her feet are tied together and she cannot go far from home. Amy’s heart was to minister to the people of India and she didn’t know how she would be able to carry out that call with kids, but God did!

As you plan for your upcoming homeschool year, I highly recommend the Christian Heroes: Then & Now. They are inspiring true stories of men and women who answered God’s call. I choose one or two a year to read aloud to the kids. We have completed George Muller, The Guardian of Bristol’s Orphans, Gladys Aylward, The Adventure of a Lifetime, and today finished Amy Carmichael, Rescuer of Precious Gems. These stories will make you laugh and cry. Your children will learn about different cultures, countries, and the hardships many faced aboard. Chapter after chapter you will read about ordinary men and women whose trust in God accomplished extraordinary exploits for His kingdom and glory.

You can purchase these at Christianbookstore.com or YWAM Publishing.

JJ’s 3rd Birthday

Posted on March 19, 2015 by fromthecommittedheart

Today you turn three! And I’m still amazed I have a little boy. My prayer was to be a mama…Boy or Girl, was never of importance to me, until I had you! You’re a rough, tough, fighting machine, that doesn’t like to share (we’re working on that), but my heart melts every time I look into your big brown eyes.

Thank you God for giving me my own little boy, I pray now that you will give me wisdom in discipling him without crushing him and encouraging him in the gifts you have blessed him with. I also pray your protection over his life, with every step he takes. Guide his decisions and may he grow to be a man after your heart. ~Amen

Turtle Power in a Half-Shell!

*FYI: Walmart has almost everything Party City has for a TMNT party and it’s 25% to 30% cheaper!

Live in the Central Florida area and are in need of a BOUNCE HOUSE, check out Leaping to Fun. I’ve used this company for seven or eight years now. They have great prices and great customer service! Schedule one today and don’t forget to mention Bethany 🙂

*Eight of the ten boys were sick the day of the party so, he just rocked out with the girls!

Thanksgiving Crafts (Finally)

Posted on November 24, 2014 by fromthecommittedheart

We have dedicated this week to crafts, food, family and fun. Here are few things we did today.

Our inspiration came from Ankle Biter Art

This fun activity I came from Crafty Morning

Click here to get your Free Printable Thanksgiving Bingo Boards from Crazy Little Projects

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Homeschooling During the Cold

Posted on November 20, 2014 by fromthecommittedheart

My favorite thing about homeschooling during the cold weather is all the time we have to snuggle! We are Florida girls, that can’t take anything below 70 degrees so, half of our schooling is completed with lots of blankets!

*Does your schooling change during the winter?

Pray and God will Meet our needs…

Posted on November 10, 2014 by fromthecommittedheart

Just finished our second Christian Heroes: Then & Now by Janet and Geoff Benge. George Muller was not always a man of God, he was far from it actually. This past month we watched God call a man of brokenness and use him for greatness! George is a man of noble character and a true hero.

I recommend this book for good independent readers or for a read aloud with the family. Watch God answer George’s prayers day after day!

You can find the entire collection of Christian Heroes: Then and Now, here at YWAM publishing or here at Christian book store.

Strawberry Girl

Posted on September 27, 2014 by fromthecommittedheart

“It don’t matter what happens, if you’re only strong and have great courage.”-Strawberry Girl I started reading this book to the kids last summer, online! After a couple of chapters life got busy with the move to our new house…I didn’t pick it back up until this school year, when I bought it! Yesterday, we took advantage of the pouring rain and Alayna having strep again, everyone cuddled up on my bed and I read more than half the book to them. This morning I finished the last chapter. What a great lesson on neighborly love and forgiveness.

Eczema Relief

Posted on September 25, 2014 by fromthecommittedheart

Our little Hummingbird has suffered from Eczema for over five years. The doctors encouraged us saying, most kids grow out of it.

In July, we went on a family vacation, Siesta Key, plenty of sunshine, and warm salty water…Kayla’s eczema went from manageable to out of control, with so much scratching and even bleeding. Again, the doctor explained that applying Cetaphil or Sarna was the best thing that we could do for the eczema. This Mama wasn’t satisfied with that answer, so I requested an allergy test. The results came back and showed that Kayla is allergic to dust and dust mites. Ha! Dust…are you kidding me? Dust is everywhere! I started researching and found some simple things to help decrease the exposure of dust mites. For one, getting a anti-dust mite cover for her bed and pillow. Kayla’s grandmother was able to pick up both at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Next, make sure all blankets are washed once a week and the house is vacuumed twice a week. All of these suggestions were great, but the damage had already been done! Kayla’s skin was bleeding and needed to be repaired. It was time to try something new. Kayla’s other grandmother came across Puremedy at our local Whole Foods Store. The sale associate went on and on about how incredible this product is, so we gave it a try. After four days of applying it morning and night, the results were unbelievable! Kayla stopped scratching, therefore stopped bleeding, and her skin was able to heal! Puremedy Intensive Skin Repair, is made of Echinacea Angustifolia, Wild Harvested Elderberry Bark, Organic Elder Flower, and Organic Calendula Flower.

Puremedy is:
• Anti-inflammatory
• Increases blood circulation – imperative for skin health and wound healing
• Regenerates and rebuilds skin tissue
• Aids in the growth of new skin
• Rebuilds tissue “from the bottom up” (like a natural collagen booster, but real)
• Makes skin soft and supple, rebuilds sub-dermal facial tissue
• Rich in Vitamin C, E, antioxidants and fatty acids

To read more about his product click here. If you or someone you know suffer from Atopic dermatitis, also known as atopic eczema, I would give Puremedy a try!

Corn Maze FUN!

Posted on September 10, 2014 by fromthecommittedheart

Last year we conquered our first corn maze and right NOW livingsocial.com is having a GREAT DEAL. If you live in Central Florida, I recommend Scott’s Maze Adventure. Click HERE, to take advantage of Livingsocial.com’s offer.

*To see our first corn maze adventure, click here.

From The Committed Heart

Category Archives: Children