Adventures in Parenting

I am so excited! Tomorrow my daughter will be coming home from college for 3 weeks of Christmas vacation!
Christmas holidays gives many natural opportunities to spend time together with our children. My younger daughter and I went Christmas shopping for her friends today. We wrapped Christmas presents together with Christmas music in the background. Decorating [...]

How do you help your children budget for Christmas gifts for their friends?
What do you do when your children want to buy an expensive gift for a friend they don’t know that well?
Is it ok to say, “You can’t spend that much on someone you don’t know that well.”? Does it sound like I’m teaching [...]

“The economy is tough this year, please don’t worry about spending much; I am telling my kids not to expect much from people, it is the thought that counts.”
That email from my sister-in-law reminded me to have that talk with my own kids this year.
How about you? Have you prepared your children yet?
Here is [...]

I’m going out to buy the turkey today…and getting ready to feed 20+ people at my house on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite  holidays. It’s not a huge ado with presents and all that, but it’s enough of an excuse to bake pecan pies and pumpkin bread, get the house cleaned up, and pass [...]

Can you imagine not being busy for the holidays? It’s almost sacrilegious.
But this year, I am determined to take it easy.
1. Easy gifts. I am giving everyone Kiva gift cards. It’s good for me and good for the world.
2. Easy decorations. Hang up strands of of lights, everywhere, indoor and out. Lights always give [...]

In Southern California, we are really feeling “winter” fast approaching…with high of 83 degrees today.
For the rest of those in the Northern Hemisphere, here is an inexpensive cool item to get for the holidays.

Set up and clean up is easy.
This makes a great family night for the holidays. Make a crockpot of chili, [...]

It’s not just turkey and pumpkin pie.
Celebrating the holidays provides a natural avenue to pass on our beliefs to our children.

I highly recommend reading this book together as a family - Thanksgiving - A Time To Remember by Barbara Rainey
This book tells not only the historical story of the Pilgrims, but it recognizes God’s [...]

Beginning of November marks for me the beginning of the holiday season!
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Thanksgiving and Christmas?
Food? Shopping? Stress?
Celebrating the holidays is not merely for the food and fun even though we certainly look forward to those. Holidays are also an effective way to [...]