Do You Laugh With Your Kids?

Samuel, my ten-year-old, came into the kitchen and held out his hand. "Look mom, I'm double-jointed!" He went on to make motions and wave his fingers around my face in comical ways. 

I tried hard to keep a straight face, while visions of Spock and Captain Kirk danced in my head.

"So, what exactly does that mean, son?"

"It means that no one can ever break my fingers." He said in all seriousness. "Someone would have to smash my hand to really hurt me."

After he left the kitchen, I busted a gut.

Now, there's a difference between laughing at your kids and laughing with them. But, in order to laugh with them you must begin to see the humor in every day moments.

I come from a family of hopeless comedians, and thankfully, I'm married to quite a funny guy as well. Laughter is heard in our home every day. I know it's not very funny to say we're funny...but we're funny.

What about your home? Do you laugh with your children? Do your children hear you laughing with your husband?

Here's a few ways to bring laughter into your home, no matter what your comedic skill.

• Watch a movie together. Our family loves to rent a DVD and laugh out loud. Some of our favorites? Finding Nemo. Summer Rental. Scrooged. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The Princess Bride.
• Watch home videos. At least once a year I'll bring out some home movies. The kids think it's hysterical watching each other when they were small.
• Get a joke book. The library is full of funny books and joke books for any age. Some of the funniest are the ones written for children. When Samuel brought home 101 Jokes and shared a few with us. The punch lines were so pathetically bad we couldn't help but crack up.
• It's okay to look silly every once in awhile. Make faces, dance around the kitchen, talk in a funny voice when you read a bedtime story to your little ones.

Children bring incredible joy into our lives. It's a fair trade off when we can bring a little laughter into theirs.


Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them." Psalm 126:2 esv   

Is the Easter Bunny a Guest in Your Home?

Every Halloween, Christians share their opinions about whether or not it's okay for our kids to dress up like Frankenstein and Dracula and partake in this American tradition.

As a follower of Christ, I've also heard debates for and against Santa Claus, but when I stop and think about it, I recall very few making a case against the Easter bunny.

The holiest of holy days for Christians would have to be Easter. Celebrating the very reason we have hope, faith, and a passionate love for our savior, this weekend we will remember and reflect on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I'm curious. Is the Easter bunny a welcomed guest in your home?

It's true. An adorable pink-nosed cotton-tail who promises jelly beans and chocolate marshmallow eggs can easily bully its way into your family Easter celebration.

When the Easter bunny shows up at our house we let him in. Since Paul and I were not Christians when our children were very small, it was a tradition we continued when we were saved.

But, how do we make it more God-honoring? We wondered.

• Change the Focus. We learned to tweak the baskets and change the focus. Though we still include chocolate and jelly beans in our chidlren's baskets, we make sure to have an Easter DVD like Veggie Tales, or a Christian book ucked away under synthetic grass.

• Faith-Filled Baskets. This year our son David will be receiving Francine Rivers book, Sons of Encouragement. A compilation of great biblical men Jonothan, Silas, Amos, Aaron, and Caleb. Where the Bible is silent, Rivers adds her fictional insight. I think he'll like it.

• Family Crafts & Movie Time. We have made resurrection eggs and watch Easter movies together. We will be watching the Passion of the Christ with our older two tomorrow night.

What family traditions do you have in your home to put the focus on Jesus?

Advent Season - Jotham's Journey

Did you know Advent season begins this coming Sunday?  It falls every year on the first Sunday following Thanksgiving. If you have no idea what Advent is, or need a refresher course—click here: The Christmas Advent Season.

Did you know each color of the candles in an Advent wreath represent something different? Does your family pay attention to this part of the Christmas season?

We didn’t.

Sure, we've heard a few teachings from pastors over the years, but we've never been inspired to do anything more. This year, our pastor shared how his family of six recognizes the coming birth of Christ and celebrates the beginning of a new Church year in his own home.

We were inspired.

They say, imitation is the biggest form of flattery. So, we’ll be Advent copy-cats this year and follow his family’s lead. I thought I’d share what we're doing with all of you, just in case you feel the desire, like our family, to create a new family tradition and make this Christmas season even more God- honoring.

Beginning this Sunday, we will light a candle and read nightly devotions from the children’s book, Jotham’s Journey. I've included an excerpt below:



Over and over Jotham screamed for his family, but there was no one to hear him. They had vanished. He was alone. Where had they gone? How long ago had they left? Through quick, stabbing sobs Jotham told himself, "I must look for my family, I must search until I find them." And so his journey begins. In this widely popular, exciting story for the Advent season, readers follow ten-year-old Jotham across Israel as he searches for his family. Though he faces thieves, robbers, and kidnappers, Jotham also encounters the wise men, shepherds, and innkeepers until at last he finds his way to the Savior born in Bethlehem.

Written as a devotional for parents to read to their children during Advent, Jotham's Journey unfolds day by day until the exciting climax on Christmas Day. Each day's installment of the story is followed by a short devotional which will challenge your family to share in Jotham's discoveries.

Recommended for ages 4 and up.


Softcover, 168 pages, with introductory notes and ideas for celebrating Advent


Head over here and get your own copy of Jotham's Journey today. There's still time!


Does your family celebrate the Advent season?