our father

By Karen Brown

Last spring, Julie wrote a blog post about memorizing scripture with her children. It seemed like such a simple and easy concept to incorporate, but it wasn't something we were currently doing as a family.

At around the same time, REUNION was teaching a series on the Lord’s Prayer. Since our kids didn’t already know the Our Father, we thought this would be a perfect time to teach them.

This has become Owen’s prayer of choice. He says it just about every night. He doesn’t always get all the words right, but he melts my heart every time I hear him.

Owen- age 3

“I have hidden God’s word in my heart that I might not sin again thee.” Psalm 119:11

Why the City is a Wonderful Place to Raise Children

By Karen Brown

A friend recently forwarded me an article from The Gospel Coalition. It is written by Kathy Keller, wife of Tim Keller, lead pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan.

Her perspective on raising children in New York City is both thoughtful and insightful. I appreciate her point of view on darkness and light in the city. As a mom who has already raised her children into successful adults, her wisdom is invaluable. I really like what she has to say about the abundance of sin surrounding children in urban settings, since this is often a deterrent for city living. “In the city your kids see sin and its consequences while you are still with them and can help them process it. Eventually they're going to encounter it for themselves, usually when they leave the protected environment of home for the big wide world---just when you are no longer around to discuss things.”

You can read the full article here article.  

Photo by Mikhail Glabets

 

Photo by Mikhail Glabets

scriptures in pictures

By Karen Brown



I came across the shop Scriptures in Pictures recently and think these frames would make lovely gifts. I can image giving them for baby gifts, child dedications and baptisms. I know our grandparents would love them too...especially if they came with the kids’ picture already in them.

You can pick the frame and then also pick what scripture to include and what font. They can also be completely customized with a scripture of your choice.

Here are a few favorites...

This rustic brown frame feels fresh and masculine.

The verse “You are the light of the world.” Matthew 5:14 seem quite fitting for a frame with pictures of the kids in it.

You can read more about Paula, the owner of the shop here.

From Two Ellie

First Response

By Karen Brown

I woke up to my six year old crying. He had made his way in a sleepy stupor to my bedside to tell me he was sick. He climbed onto the pillow next to me as I asked him what was hurting. It was hard to really make out his words, but I did understand he was in pain and wanted me to snuggle him back to sleep. He told me, “I woke up and I prayed to Jesus to feel better, but it just isn’t working yet.”

In that moment, I wanted to be more like my child. I wanted my faith to be as simple as his. I wanted my first response to be one of turning to my Heavenly Father for comfort and healing. There are so many times, in both distress and in joy that I turn to others first. I turn to my husband or my girlfriends to sympathize with what I am going through, or just to complain. I turn to others to celebrate with me, before giving thanks to God for the blessings He has bestowed on me.

I thank God each day for the joy and privilege it is to be a mom. And today I thanked God for the reminder from a six year old to make Him my first response. 

As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you...  Isaiah 66:13 

School for the Arts

By Karen Brown

If you are local to Boston---and looking to get your family more exposure to music---this is for you.

REUNION is kicking off its School for the Arts next week. This is an amazing opportunity for your kids (and you) to take some great classes and workshops at really affordable prices. They are offering private lessons in drum, percussion, violin, acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and piano. And the teachers are top notch...lots of Berklee College of Music grads. My son is taking drum lessons and as excited as I am for him to learn to play an instrument, I am equally as excited for him to spend some time with Christian guys that are fantastic role models---and are men that he really looks up to. They are also offering kids dance, theatre, and preschool music lessons. Adult workshops are coming soon and will be in special interest areas like photography, Photoshop, creative writing, and the like.

You can check out the School for the Arts website for more details and registration information.

No bake energy bites

By Karen Brown

Source: smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

 

My kids love sweet treats and most anything we bake together.  I still feel like we are coming off the sugar high of the holiday season though.  One thing we are trying to improve on as a family is fueling our “temples” with healthier food choices.  I found this recipe via Pinterest recently and we have been making these No Bake Energy Bites quite a bit.   The kids really like them and they are super easy!  And since the ingredients aren’t all processed carbs, I don’t feel nearly as guilt dishing these out as after school snacks.  Be warned though, they are completely addicting!

Beanies and Bags

By Karen Brown

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, you know how much we love Craft Hope. You can read about previous projects here and here. Craft Hope is all about creating and distributing love and hope in the form of handmade items to those in need.

This next project is for the littlest warriors...kids fighting cancer. Craft Hope is collecting beanie hats and bags for kids to wear and take on hospital visits. Hats to keep their little heads warm and bags to bring goodies in to occupy little ones time during treatments. Any kind of beanie hats and any kind of bags will do. You can get as creative as you want. You can even fill the bags with surprises like stickers and such.



For Christmas, my daughter received an upcycled beanie hat made from old sweaters. She has hardly taken this hat off since she got it. I can imagine that she would really love it if together we could make some more hats like hers for these kids battling for their young lives. I can imagine her picking sweaters that she would love to wear as a hat. (I heard somewhere recently that this is a great time of year to shop thrift stores since many people are cleaning out closets for their new year’s resolutions.) My boys would even like picking fabric for bags to sew up for other little boys and choosing gifts to fill them with.... fun bandaids, Matchbox cars, and stickers. My three year old hardly goes anywhere without a bag or backpack filled with “treasures”!

The deadline for this project is March 12th. You can read more details about where to send gifts here. Drop us a line in the comments if you plan to participate. If you’re in the Boston area and would be interested in getting together with others to create, let us know that too and we’ll put together a party.

A quick Google or Pinterest search should give you some inspiration and tutorials. Here are some of my favorites

via Noodlehead

via I Am Momma - Hear Me Roar

Here’s a no-sew bag embellished with fabric paint and freezer paper stencil, via Twoellie. For instructions on freezer paper stencils, see here.

Via Twoellie