Whether you're hosting a big group or just getting together with a couple of friends this New Year's Eve, this is a quick free printable you can throw into the mix for a great conversation-starter. Easy, non-threatening questions you can answer together and maybe even learn something new about your friends!
Two.
This article is very uncharacteristic for me to share, but I am, because I think there are a lot of truths in it. It's actually written by a friend of ours, but that's beside the point. I want to be clear that in sharing this, I'm not bashing college, but I absolutely agree that it is not the best option for everyone and for those who would excel in trade work rather than something of a traditional education nature, I think they should be encouraged to pursue it, not shamed for it. One of the main reasons I prayed to get out of my higher ed job years ago was because I could not (in good conscience) continue to suggest the insane amounts of debt I had to push in order to help students pay their bills. And one other note that fits in with this topic: a friend of mine is married to a man who runs a heating and cooling business. He cannot find help, because no one wants to work that kind of labor job. She told me he has even offered to pay for schooling for someone who might want to work there, and still - no takers. As a fan of both heating and cooling in my home, I would love for someone with that natural inclination to want to do that kind of work. I'd happily pay them well to provide services to heat and cool our home!
Two.
This article is very uncharacteristic for me to share, but I am, because I think there are a lot of truths in it. It's actually written by a friend of ours, but that's beside the point. I want to be clear that in sharing this, I'm not bashing college, but I absolutely agree that it is not the best option for everyone and for those who would excel in trade work rather than something of a traditional education nature, I think they should be encouraged to pursue it, not shamed for it. One of the main reasons I prayed to get out of my higher ed job years ago was because I could not (in good conscience) continue to suggest the insane amounts of debt I had to push in order to help students pay their bills. And one other note that fits in with this topic: a friend of mine is married to a man who runs a heating and cooling business. He cannot find help, because no one wants to work that kind of labor job. She told me he has even offered to pay for schooling for someone who might want to work there, and still - no takers. As a fan of both heating and cooling in my home, I would love for someone with that natural inclination to want to do that kind of work. I'd happily pay them well to provide services to heat and cool our home!
Three.
I have not tried this personally, but it looks fun! Audrey at Putting Me Together is starting a challenge to help you figure out your style. You can read about how it works here and registration is open here. If you need a jump-start with your closet for next year, it might be worth the registration fee! (And if you need a last minute gift idea for someone who loves clothes, this could be the ticket!)
Four.
One of my Facebook friends shared this video from Riley Children's Hospital. Last year around this time, one of the high school students at Eastern (where Ryan and I went to school) was battling cancer and wrote lyrics for "The Twelve Days of Chemo." He was part of the school's show choir (which Ryan was also part of back in the day) and they actually went to Riley and sang it with him there. This year the choir went back to sing at Riley again and Austin, the patient, is now declared cancer-free. It's a sweet video, even if you don't know anything about Austin's story!
Five.
Lovely Christmas article...hope it helps put God's gift into perspective for you and reminds you to receive the gift He gave!
Six.
Well this was certainly not the review I thought I would be leaving on the book I read this week. In fact, I didn't even finish the book. (GASP.) That never happens.
Because I'm trying to grow a library of children's books for when kiddos come to visit, I asked to review 365 Classic Bedtime Bible Stories inspired by Jesse Lyman Harlbut's Story of the Bible. I chose this because one of my absolute fondest memories of my own childhood is the bedtime Bible stories my dad told me every night. Yes, you read that right. He told me the stories. He didn't read them from any book. He told them from his memory and made them full, rich, and memorable.
One issue I have with many Bible story books for kids is that they all tell the same main stories and skip some of the "lesser known" parts of the Bible. Dad never skipped. He told all the stories, and I think that was so wise of him. I think kids should grow up with a more complete understanding of the Bible. (This is all very important background for what I'm about to say.)
I launched into reading this book with great expectations, and at least where illustrations are concerned, it immediately impressed me. The cartoonish illustrations are cute and tastefully done, which is important when the book is geared to ages 3 and up. The stories are very short, which is also very important when you're dealing with 3 year olds and bedtime, right?
Now, I will say that one good thing about this book is that it left very few stones unturned on Bible stories. That was exactly what I was looking for, right? Wouldn't that make my day? Well, normally, yes. But the execution of the stories appalled me.
And yes. I chose the word execution on purpose. I have never seen a children's Bible storybook more fixated on all the deaths in the Bible than this one. And not just mentioning them, but describing them. And then after chronicling such a death, the story ends abruptly and apparently you are supposed to say a bright "Good night!" to your child and put him or her to bed.
Abrupt is actually another word that describes these stories very well. They aren't embellished at all. They are clipped and void of any kind of emotion or exciting description. And sometimes the words chosen are way above a three year old's vocabulary.
Let me give you a couple of examples:
There is a chapter about Israel's Cities of Refuge, and in part, the story says, "People sometimes kill others by accident. If this happened in Israel, they could be safe in these cities. This was a law of God that had been given by Moses. Before that, if someone killed another by accident, they too were killed. The dead man's relatives would kill them. It didn't matter that it was an accident." (The story goes on, but I think you get the point.) While all those things are true, this would not be what I would want to fill a kid's mind with right before bed.
Not long after that chapter is the one about Sisera the Canaanite general who fell asleep and "Jael drove a tent peg into Sisera's head and killed him."
I read half the book before realizing this just isn't one I want to add to my library. I appreciate the illustrations. I appreciate the inclusion of forgotten stories. I appreciate the full Scripture reference listed at the top of each chapter so parents can read the full story themselves if they want. But I think the storytelling lacks excitement, and I think the intense use of murder stories in a bedtime book is misplaced, especially for kids as young as three.
I think if parents wanted to tell these stories and encase them in words that offer the truth without offering fear, it would be better. Parents know their kids, know what they can handle, and could hedge the information age-appropriately. Then, as the kids grow, they can offer more detailed bits of the stories.
I like the idea of this book, but I just couldn't feel at peace with the presentation. I'm sad about that, but it's the truth.
* Barbour sent a copy of this book to me at no charge. All opinions are my own. *
Four.
One of my Facebook friends shared this video from Riley Children's Hospital. Last year around this time, one of the high school students at Eastern (where Ryan and I went to school) was battling cancer and wrote lyrics for "The Twelve Days of Chemo." He was part of the school's show choir (which Ryan was also part of back in the day) and they actually went to Riley and sang it with him there. This year the choir went back to sing at Riley again and Austin, the patient, is now declared cancer-free. It's a sweet video, even if you don't know anything about Austin's story!
Five.
Lovely Christmas article...hope it helps put God's gift into perspective for you and reminds you to receive the gift He gave!
Six.
Well this was certainly not the review I thought I would be leaving on the book I read this week. In fact, I didn't even finish the book. (GASP.) That never happens.
Because I'm trying to grow a library of children's books for when kiddos come to visit, I asked to review 365 Classic Bedtime Bible Stories inspired by Jesse Lyman Harlbut's Story of the Bible. I chose this because one of my absolute fondest memories of my own childhood is the bedtime Bible stories my dad told me every night. Yes, you read that right. He told me the stories. He didn't read them from any book. He told them from his memory and made them full, rich, and memorable.
One issue I have with many Bible story books for kids is that they all tell the same main stories and skip some of the "lesser known" parts of the Bible. Dad never skipped. He told all the stories, and I think that was so wise of him. I think kids should grow up with a more complete understanding of the Bible. (This is all very important background for what I'm about to say.)
I launched into reading this book with great expectations, and at least where illustrations are concerned, it immediately impressed me. The cartoonish illustrations are cute and tastefully done, which is important when the book is geared to ages 3 and up. The stories are very short, which is also very important when you're dealing with 3 year olds and bedtime, right?
Now, I will say that one good thing about this book is that it left very few stones unturned on Bible stories. That was exactly what I was looking for, right? Wouldn't that make my day? Well, normally, yes. But the execution of the stories appalled me.
And yes. I chose the word execution on purpose. I have never seen a children's Bible storybook more fixated on all the deaths in the Bible than this one. And not just mentioning them, but describing them. And then after chronicling such a death, the story ends abruptly and apparently you are supposed to say a bright "Good night!" to your child and put him or her to bed.
Abrupt is actually another word that describes these stories very well. They aren't embellished at all. They are clipped and void of any kind of emotion or exciting description. And sometimes the words chosen are way above a three year old's vocabulary.
Let me give you a couple of examples:
There is a chapter about Israel's Cities of Refuge, and in part, the story says, "People sometimes kill others by accident. If this happened in Israel, they could be safe in these cities. This was a law of God that had been given by Moses. Before that, if someone killed another by accident, they too were killed. The dead man's relatives would kill them. It didn't matter that it was an accident." (The story goes on, but I think you get the point.) While all those things are true, this would not be what I would want to fill a kid's mind with right before bed.
Not long after that chapter is the one about Sisera the Canaanite general who fell asleep and "Jael drove a tent peg into Sisera's head and killed him."
I read half the book before realizing this just isn't one I want to add to my library. I appreciate the illustrations. I appreciate the inclusion of forgotten stories. I appreciate the full Scripture reference listed at the top of each chapter so parents can read the full story themselves if they want. But I think the storytelling lacks excitement, and I think the intense use of murder stories in a bedtime book is misplaced, especially for kids as young as three.
I think if parents wanted to tell these stories and encase them in words that offer the truth without offering fear, it would be better. Parents know their kids, know what they can handle, and could hedge the information age-appropriately. Then, as the kids grow, they can offer more detailed bits of the stories.
I like the idea of this book, but I just couldn't feel at peace with the presentation. I'm sad about that, but it's the truth.
* Barbour sent a copy of this book to me at no charge. All opinions are my own. *
5 comments:
Yes yes yes to #2. Matt and I have talked about college at length when it comes to our boys and have so many thoughts about it. So many thoughts. It's too early for me to type much but man, it doesn't have to be college is the only worthwhile option!
Great article about colleges. We will spend over $20,000 a year to send our kids to state colleges (and of course we live in a state- Ohio- where state college costs are way higher than average). We've been saving for their college tuition since the day they were born and have managed to save/ build up quite a bit of money for them; of course it's still not enough :(. One of our kids is thinking about an alternate route to college. It scares me because I guess I've bought into the "You have to go to college" concept. I need to read more articles like this one and consider changing my way of thinking.
Totally agree with #2. I am very pro higher education but include trade work in that!! I want my mechanic educated in their passion!
Leslie - It is too early and too holiday to think TOO hard! :) I overslept, so I hear you on that!! I can only imagine how overwhelming it is to think about it when having little ones right now!
Maria - Are in and out of state tuitions different in Ohio? I remember parents used to ask me what the tuition cost was for out of state students, and at our school, it was the same for everyone, but I guess that wasn't the case everywhere! I'm not sure most people can possibly save enough (especially for multiple students) and actually LIVE in the process. It's so overwhelming!
Tamar - YES! My goodness, I know NOTHING about cars except where to add gas, so I really need for someone to know and love car repair!
You need to go to Ollie's! Not sure if they have one in Kokomo but we have one in Lafayette and it's awesome! Not only can you buy just about anything you can think of, at rock bottom prices. But they have a HUGE book section. For all ages, and for a secular store they have a very impressive selection of Christian books for kids and adults!I get my nephews books there all the time, prices run 99 cents to 4.99 usually. Some of the really big fancy books might be 7.99 but usually the ones i buy are 1.99 or 2.99!
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