I am working on creating an online book club, and I would love to get your input.

Please take a moment to vote in the poll on my sidebar.

As a participant in an online book club, you would join a forum and participate in conversations about a book we are all reading together.  Right now I am trying to decide between fiction, Bible study, or personal growth books.  Any suggestions? 

Please vote!

A while ago, I was given a copy of SpellQuizzer spelling software to review. When the company first approached me, I wasn’t interested because we are very happy with Spelling Power for Coco (13) and I do not use a formal spelling program for Soleil (6).

However, the creator encouraged me to try it alongside Spelling Power, and I am so glad I did! I can’t get Soleil off of it, and though I didn’t plan to do spelling with her this year, she loves this software so much we have been using it for fun. Coco has been using it as well.

SpellQuizzer has generously agreed to give away a copy here on my blog! At the end of this post, I will tell you how to enter.  If you don’t win, though, you can always check out the 30 Day free trial that SpellQuizzer offers.

It is important to note that SpellQuizzer is definitely not just for homeschoolers. I wish I would have had this back when Coco was in school and she had to practice for weekly tests.

So how does SpellQuizzer work?

It is very simple. You can either enter your own spelling list, or use one of the many pre-set lists. The SpellQuizzer web site has pre-made downloadable spelling lists that you can download and use with SpellQuizzer. For each word, you can record yourself saying the word and a sentence, just like you would if you were drilling your child or giving them a practice test.

Users can easily export and import SpellQuizzer spelling lists to share with other SpellQuizzer users.

The beauty of using the program is the kids can practice their spelling words on their own. Any busy mom will like this, but I imagine moms of large families will especially appreciate this.

The program does require use of a PC microphone, but you can get one for less than $10 at most department stores. We happened to have one already. If you choose to use a pre-set list, or simply a written sentence, then you don’t need the microphone at all. However, I don’t think I would use this program without a microphone. It’s just so fun!

When your child goes to use the software, they click on their list and hear your voice giving them the spelling words. They type in the word, and if it is correct, it goes to the next word. If they spell it wrong, it will show the correct spelling. It’s fun to record the lists, and something you could have older kids do for younger ones.

SpellQuizzer complements any spelling or vocabulary program. If your child is in school, or using a traditional spelling program at home, it is a breeze to enter each week’s list in.

On a personal note, I had some trouble the first week with the software. I emailed the company, and within minutes I received a reply telling me to download their latest update for Windows XP. I haven’t had any trouble since, but it’s nice to know the customer service is there if I need it.

SpellQuizzer has a page on the site specifically directed toward homeschoolers:

SpellQuizzer for Homeschoolers.

Check out the demo on the site:

SpellQuizzer Demo

So, how has SpellQuizzer worked for us? Great! Soleil has learned to spell many new words just through “playing.” Coco, though, has really benefited from the extra practice. It shows in her daily writing and her daily spelling tests. The best part is that they actually ask if they can do it!

If you are interested in SpellQuizzer and would like to win a copy of your own, leave a comment on this post. I will randomly select a winner on Monday, November 16. The winner will be listed here and notified by email.

 Every mom has one of those days.  You know the one I mean.  The day when the toilet gets clogged, the coffee maker breaks down, and Junior discovers the sharpie markers and paints masterpiece in the hallway.   Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to have a mental health day and skip school. Snuggle on the couch with some good books, explore nature outdoors, and wait for the plumber.

But what if you’re having one of those weeks, or worse…months?  What if there are no major disasters, you just have a good old-fashioned case of the blahs?  It happens to even the greatest moms, and homeschoolers aren’t excluded.

For this reason, I have come up with a homeschool survival kit that every mom should have….

read the rest at the Homeschool Classroom!

An interesting thing happened today. I decided to go through my closet, and tackled my shoes first. To fully appreciate this story, you need to know a few things.

1. I used to be a shoe-freak. I had enough shoes at one point to wear a different pair every day for two months. Not just ordinary shoes, I had a knack for finding unique styles, and usually for a great bargain.

2. Not always a bargain, though. I think the most I ever spent was a hundred dollars. Not Jimmy Choos, but pretty expensive in my budget.

3. On the other hand, I once bought designer shoes for $2. I had a coupon.

4. When I went on my honeymoon, I had a separate suitcase just for…..you got it. Shoes.

So, you’re getting the picture. I guess I should tell you now that in the last few years, my shoe collection has dwindled. I am not able to replace ones that are falling apart and it’s been over a year since I bought anything but sneakers.

Even though I loved shoes before I started getting on the frumpy side, I loved them even more when I could no longer fit into a size two dress. Shoes always fit! Even so, one dreary, gray day, I called my mom.

“Went shoe shopping. Not happy.”

“Why?”

“Well, because, none of them made me look skinny!”

It’s the truth. My love affair with shoes didn’t exactly end that day, but we began to drift apart. My body seemed even larger when towering on skinny stiletto heels. And, staying home with my kiddos, I didn’t have much need for the latest style anyway. Right now, I couldn’t even tell you what the latest style is.

So, back to today. I threw out every ripped, fraying, impractical, and smelly shoe I owned and only kept the ones I actually wear. So what was so interesting?

I now have more slippers than shoes.

Is this normal?

Related Post:

Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy

Today I spent over two hours changing every reference to my daughters on this blog and gave them new nicknames. I listened to an Online Ministry Conference session the other day and the speaker Darcy shared her reasons for giving her kids nicknames on her blog.  (And if you haven’t read her blog, you must.  She is hilarious.)

I never thought about not using my girls’ names. I figure anyone that wants to know can easily find out, and I don’t use pictures so I wasn’t too worried about privacy. Yet, Darcy brought up a great point. She said that she shared much personal medical info about one of her sons and she didn’t want a future employer googling him later in life and reading his history.

Well. I got to thinking about that. I googled my girls, and yep…there they were on Google! One could really learn quite a bit about them just from my little stories here. I talked it over with my hubby and we decided to leave our girls’ names out of my blogging for now.

Since I’m not using their names, I briefly contemplated sharing some photos here, but ultimately decided against it. I have had too many experiences with creepy people in this world to feel comfortable posting their beautiful faces for all to see. As my husband told them, “Maybe if you weren’t so pretty.” I wish I was joking, but he actually said this.

I love looking at the beautiful pictures other moms post of their kids, and I don’t judge anyone who does. I think each family has to make those decisions based on their own experiences and prayers. I’ll just say, once you’ve dealt with a stalker, you’d rather err on the side of paranoid.

So, after I decided, I set about the task of renaming my children.

Coco was easy. It’s been her real nickname at home forever, and she named her blog Coco Around the World.

Choosing a fitting name for my six year old proved not to be so easy. Her nickname at home is a shortened version of her name. Though we did use to call her wreckin’ ball when she was a toddler. That just didn’t seem nice anymore. So, I enlisted her help and we had great fun thinking of options. Her favorite was Sweet Honey Pie. Cute. But, um, no. I wanted to call her Ramona. Because she is so Ramona Quimby. “But Mom!” She cried. “You know Ramona’s a brat! Why don’t you just call me Bratty McBrat Brat?”

Well, I was tempted.

Then, we were watching old home movies that night. In every other scene, my voice (my face always behind the camera) is calling out to my little crawling baby…. ”There’s my Sunshine!” Yes! It fully describes her sunny little self. But Coco had a sort of Frenchy-chic ring to it so I decided to look up Sunshine in French. Soleil! I was sold. I mean, for those of you that don’t know, Soleil is the real life name of no other than Punky Brewster, the ten year old girl who influenced my childhood like perhaps no other person alive. You know, the one with the coolest bedroom ever? Punky Power!

(…a little while later, back from my Netflix queue. Punky on the way!)

I’d appreciate it if those of you that know my little ones kindly call them by their nicknames here on my blog, my twitter, or public facebook page. And please, remind me when I slip and include their real names in a post. ‘Cause I will. I just know it.

But anyway. Back to my Soleil. My little sunshine. And Coco. My soon-to-be teenager.

That’s how they’ll be known around here from now on. What do you think?

Today, I am posting at Homeschool Classroom about a simple way to use anecdotal records in homeschool.

Back in my days as a pre-k teacher at a private Christian school, I was trained to keep anecdotal records on my students.  My school didn’t actually require them, but I found that the parents really appreciated them and, come conference time, so did I.  Not having to rely on my memory is always a good thing.

…read the rest at the Homeschool Classroom.

I wrote about our course of study for my eighth grader here.  Here is what we’re doing for my first grader, Soleil.

Bible

Tapestry of Grace Bible Survey/Church history selections

I love Tapestry of Grace (TOG) at both ages we’re doing now.  We are working our way through the Old testament right now, and I love how it is all connected to our history and literature reading.  Also, both girls are in the same time period!

A Little Girl After God’s Own Heart, Elizabeth George

Such a sweet little book!  I just got this, and Soleil and I will be doing one character trait each week with our tea.

Scripture memorization

We use the Charlotte Mason system for memorizing scripture.

Daily devotional time

Read a little about Soleil’s quiet time here.

Language Arts

First Language Lessons for the Well Trained Mind, Jessie Wise. Level 1

People either seem to love or hate this book.  I love it!  Beyond basic grammar, it includes poetry memorization, picture study, story narration, and copy work.  Soleil is always happy to find this book in her workbox.  Often, we sit on the couch together for our “language lesson.”  I love that it feels like we’re just sitting and chatting. 

Abeka Phonics Sounds cards

Soleil reads at a fourth or fifth grade level.  I am using these phonics cards mostly so she learns the rules which will come in handy later for spelling.  We usually just go through two or three a couple times a week.  She loves to be the teacher and go through them with me.

Memoria Press Copybook II

Instead of copying inane sentences about ants on logs, we’re now copying scripture and hymns.  Love this book!  We do use some of the verses for memorization, and Soleil loves the illustration pages that go with each copy page.  Her penmanship has greatly improved with this book.  Something about writing out Bible verses just calls for your best work!

Tapestry of Grace Literature selections

Again, perfect books!  I have skipped a couple that were based on ancient gods.  We briefly covered it and Soleil had a very violent reaction to the whole concept that anyone would worship anyone but the one true God.  Another great thing about both girls being in the same time period in history is that Soleil reads her books to Coco and vice-versa. 

Tapestry of Grace, Writing Aids

I am supplementing our language lessons with this.  So far, we’re making a word bank with the parts of speech.  FLL goes a little slowly for us, we’re still on nouns after 8 weeks of school.  With this, we’re covering adjectives, verbs, and more.

Various readers

Because Soleil is so advanced in reading, I just let her pick chapter books from the library.  She reads daily, and loves it.  She loves the American Girl books, but even those can have some older themes.  Fortunately, she loves reading the Bible, and that is always appropriate!

SpellQuizzer

I had not intended to do a spelling program this year, but the maker of SpellQuizzer gave me a free copy.  It’s so fun, Soleil has been begging to do spelling, so I let her.  I’ll write a full review on this soon!

Arithmetic

Math U See Foundations in Math (through Lesson 25).

This is an old version of Math U See I purchased used.  It has the accompanying lessons that we’ve come to love, only on VHS .  The book is supposed to cover grades 1-3, and I plan to cover first and second grades this year.  We’ll hit everything up to multiplication, and cover that next year.  We’re also still working on money and time.  I do have Soleil watch the lessons with me, then we’ll work on that concept for a couple days or a week, depending on how long it takes her to “get it.”  Love homeschool.

World History and Geography

Tapestry of Grace Year 1 Primary history and In-Depth history selections

Oh man, I love this course.  The history selections are great!  Interesting, fun to read, and I am learning from them, too.  My favorite part of this course is our discussions we have before we even start our workboxes.  We’ll cover the different threads and discuss the culture, Bible history, and other things I learn in my teacher’s notes.  If you haven’t looked into TOG, I highly recommend you do.

Map Aids Geography, Grammar Level

We are doing a very light version of the maps that come with TOG.  Sometimes, I do have Soleil label her own, but sometimes I’ll just have her point them out.  The geography is pretty comprehensive for first grade.  I had to look up many of the terms myself before I could teach them to her.  I like to use a children’s dictionary because we can both understand it

Science

Apologia Exploring Creation With Zoology 3: Land Animals of the 6^th Day

This book is for grades 1-6.  I only wish I had been homeschooling when Coco was younger so we could have done these!  They are absolutely packed with information, and I am amazed at how much Soleil retains.  I read this aloud to her, though she often takes over and reads it to me.  We love the Charlotte Mason methodology.  There’s notebooking, narration, and easy experiments at the end of each lesson.  There’s also a cool map-it and track-it section that has me feeling like Kate on Lost.  Anyway. 

Kingfisher 1^st Animal Encyclopedia

This is just a fun photo-filled supplement.  I was unhappy with some of the evolution references, but we just skip those for now.  I like to stick this in one of Soleil’s workboxes in between some of the heftier science reading days. 

Nature Study Handbook, by Anna Comstock

This is more of a reference for me.  We are still getting the hang of nature study and this book is invaluable!

Latin

Memoria Press, Prima Latina DVD Course and student book

Another lesson I am doing alongside Soleil.  This course is for up to third grade, so we are taking our time with it.  I watch a small portion of the dvd with her and we do lots on the whiteboard.  I plan to finish about half the book this year.  We take a few weeks per lesson, absorbing the vocabulary, English derivatives, and prayers. 

Arts

How Great Thou Art: I Can Do All Things

I wasn’t sure about this book when I saw the pages.  It’s a little cluttered-looking, but we are loving it after all.  I am having fun going through it with Soleil.  There are hundreds of lessons, and we skip around from drawing to painting to markers.  She has taken to drawing during much of her free time and has a sketch book nearly filled. 

TOG fine arts and activities selections

Fun stuff!  I combine our arts and activities for both grades, and the craft books recommended by TOG have come in super-handy.  One of my favorites, Old testament days, I got free at our park day. 

Classical Kids Music Cds

These are fictional CDs about different composers with their music throughout.  They rock!  My kids have started listening to classical music while cleaning their room and playing, and can identify several composers.  We’ll be studying composers more in depth when we come to their time periods, but this is a great way to get their interest going.  Not that we don’t still rock out to Hannah Montana once in a while.  ‘Cause we do.

PE

Swimming, volleyball, workout videos, bike riding

I started Soleil out on a point system this year, like her big sister, but I’ve already let that go.  She is naturally very active, and I just decided not to worry about grading PE for this year.  If I find it becoming a problem to get her moving, I might rethink that.  But I don’t see that happening.  The girl is always moving.

These are just my main resources.  By using workboxes, I can actually fit in many more books, games, and learning activities.  It seems like a lot here, but we do very short lessons.  One of the Charlotte Mason ideas I just love.  We get to cover so much in a week, and short lessons are a good fit for my busy girl.  Using narration and just every day conversation, I am very pleased with how much she remembers! 

I’m not sure that would be the case if we were spending thirty minutes per subject.  That being said, we do read for over thirty minutes aloud sometimes, but that depends on the subject.  If it’s a pleasing story, she could listen for hours.  If it is lots of new information, like science, I will read for no more than fifteen minutes.

I had a couple things in mind for my next post. I still need to share our course of study for first grade. I have a review I’m working on for SpellQuizzer. I was on my blog’s dashboard today, though, and saw that I have 99 posts. Which means…this is my

100^th post!

Thought it should be something special.

Then, of course, nothing I thought of seemed special enough.

Except, then I thought of this: You guys! (Or ladies, for the most part) My readers! Some of you I’ve gotten to know through the comments here, and some of you even send me sweet emails.

For this, my…

100^th post!

I am going to share some of my favorite comments left by readers.  I couldn’t fit them all here, so sorry if I missed you.

Sometimes, they make me laugh out loud, like this one that Jewel left after reading Summer!

Will you adopt me? I’m 37 but I promise to go to bed on time (except during slumber parties) and to pick up any popcorn I drop on the floor.

Sometimes, more than once, they’ve made me cry. Here, Joy (turtle momma) replies after reading Old Memories of a New Season.

Funny. Im reading this as my 10yr old is in time out for her attitude. Its just a season in life, and when shes done, I’ll give her a big hug. Someday, I wont have any kids for time out Someday the hugs wont come every day or evening before bed. But then we will be proud of who they have become and can look forward to grandchildren.
Joy 

My mom (known as mamala) is my most frequent commenter (go figure). I tell her that she practically has her own blog going in my comments section here, and needs to go ahead and start one already! One of my favorites, she wrote in response to Two Words I Can’t Stop Saying:

I just know that ‘be careful’ is the most universal, useless, parental directive around. I also know that until I became an adult (with my eye on the end of my life as it quickly advanced in my direction) did I really become careful.
I have become quite careful not to die and leave my loved ones behind, immobilized by their grief. I’ve become cognitive of the reality of the consequences of picking up hitch hikers, or going with a hippie to a second location.
Sadly, or maybe happily, although I had always promised the parents, “Yes, yes, I will be soooo careful”, I wasn’t, and yet, I’ve lived to tell. At that point of your life you feel invincible, super-hero-ish, and way smarter than those fools whose early demise had made it into the evening paper.
So I’ve said all of that to say this:
I will continue to urge, “Be careful,” to any and everyone leaving me even briefly. And I will continue to expect that the very weight of those words will wrap a thin protective shell around them until they come back to me.

There are days when I think of quitting blogging.  I stink!  Why bother…are frequent thoughts.  Inevitably, something like this comment from Rhonda will pop up and make me smile.  And keep going.

Hey Angela,
I don’t have any ideas for you, but I just wanted to say how much I love all of YOUR ideas. Every time I read your blog I am so proud of who you’ve become. I wish I knew your girls. I imagine they are amazing young women.

Awww!  Rhonda was my youth pastor’s wife, when I was growing up, and a good friend and mentor to a young me, so this was extra-special to read.  By the way, she has an awesome photoblog.  Check it out.

I never asked readers what my blog should be about, but two comments here have really given me something to think about as I write. This first sweet comment was from my Aunt Nancy after reading Ministry of a Mom, and she unwittingly gave me a defined purpose in writing here:

Dear sweet talented Angela – you have always been an inspiration to me and our family. You are loving and giving beyond belief. I appreciate that you are writing this blog and letting us be a part of you and your thoughts. You make me believe I too can be a better mom, wife and family member.
God bless you.

To make any mom believe she can be a better mom, wife, and family member is a worthy goal!  This coming from my super-aunt who could give Martha Stewart a run for her money…but stayed home and did it all for her family instead….ooops now I’m crying again!  Good stuff. Sniff.

Another comment that worked its way into my philosophy of writing, is this one–also from Joy–on 10 Date-Gifts to Give Your Husband:

This is great and another reason why I like your blog. All your fun ideas for home and the wholesome ideas for our hearts.

I have been thinking much lately about what makes its way into this blog, and the two comments above have given me direction for filtering.  Fun ideas for home, wholesome ideas for hearts, and to make every mom believe she can be a better wife and mom.  Great goals indeed!

In fact, I have some exciting new things planned for my blog in the next couple of months and the comments I get here are shaping my new venture…so keep ‘em coming!  If you’re a reader, regular or new…won’t you leave a comment and say Hi today?  Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but you might help me out if you mention what you’d like to see more or less of.  Or is there a need in your own life you’d like to see addressed?  Maybe you just want to pop in and say Hi!  That’s fun, too!

If you have something you’d like to say and you’re just to shy to say it here, shoot me an email!  angelamills@verizon.net I promise not to print it here if it’s via email ( )

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Today I am posting an idea to get your family involved in giving while celebrating a fun holiday at Heart of the Matter. 

On November 11^th, countries around the world will celebrate Martinmas, the holiday honoring St. Martin of Tours, a Roman soldier-turned monk.  According to legend, St. Martin came upon a scantily clad beggar one night in the snow, and having nothing to offer, he took his sword and cut his cloak in half to share with the man.  That night, St. Martin had a dream in which Christ was wearing half a cloak and said, “Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptized; he has clad me.”  The next day, Martin ran to be baptized and became a Christian.

In European countries today, festivities range from children parading with paper lanterns behind a man dressed as St. Martin to families eating a feast featuring goose, but the heart of the story is selfless generosity.

Why not hold your own spin-off on Martinmas and round out the celebration with a new tradition that will foster warm, giving hearts in your family?

 

Read the rest here:  A Family Giving Project

Let me know if you try it!

Her little hands hold the china pot carefully.  Biting her lower lip, she pours the boiling water into our dainty cups and gives me a grin.  This is big stuff.  Soleil, my six year old, has been able to use my previously-forbidden tea set for the last year or so.  She plops just one cube of sugar in and barely dips her tea bag before removing it.  She’s basically going to drink hot sugar water.  But I don’t care, because in the next forty five minutes, she’s going to share her heart with me and listen a little as I share some new things about our mighty God. 

Tomorrow, her sister will have her turn.  She likes her tea a little stronger, but still sweet.  She’ll take a little longer to start sharing, but once she does…just try stopping her!  She shares dreams, reflections, answered prayers.  She is so excited when God shows her something and often jumps up from the table to get her prayer journal and share it with me.

Every week, each of my girls has an appointment with me for tea time.  In the past, their tea time was the same day every week, and we would do it before we started school in the mornings.  Since I started the workbox system, I now just make sure I add a tea time note to their box each week.  This special time has become one of my favorite times, and theirs, too.

I think the girls appreciate the one-on-one time and I love hearing about what God is doing in their hearts.  Surely, this is something you can do with boys, too.  Maybe a manly tea pot and mugs, or even milk and cookies would be preferred at a certain age, but the routine of having a regular time set aside just for you is a priceless.  Boy or girl.  My girls know they are not to interrupt while their sis is having tea with me.  I usually keep little sister busy with a project.  Coco can keep herself busy.  That doesn’t mean that they don’t chip in from time to time with a comment from the other room.  But for the most part, they respect each other’s time and stay out of the kitchen.

Wouldn’t you like to set aside a little time each week to focus wholly on each of your kids, and more specifically, God’s work in their lives?  I didn’t have a solid plan when I started this routine, but this is what it has turned into.

1.  We pray

I ask my girl if she’d like prayer especially for any specific thing.  Even though we share all our days, I am sometimes surprised at what is fresh in their minds.  For a grandparent to have a good day, or for a friend to be more loving.  I then pray for them and their week.  Often, they’ll pray for me, too.

2.  We chat

We pour our tea and usually enjoy a small treat.  I told them when we first started that we might not always have a snack on hand.  Yet, there is always something.  Sometimes it is just a slice of toast with cinnamon sugar on it cut into a heart shape.  While we drink our tea, we just talk for a while.   My girls are both big talkers, so this is their time to shine.

3.  For Soleil, I read a story

We have a couple of books that I read from, and then we ask each other questions. The focus is most often either on who God is, or who we are in Christ.  We like Just Mom and Me Having Tea (but all I use from it are the stories).  Sometimes I’ll read right out of the Bible.

4.  For Coco, I will ask her…

“What has your quiet time been like?”  She is working her way through a couple of devotional books and Bible studies, and she’ll share with me what she’s learning.  Sometimes, she’ll have questions.  Often, she’ll share prayers God has put on her heart or scriptures He’s shown her in answer to prayer.  We talk a lot about His will.

5.  I’ll offer my two cents

While our time isn’t super-structured, I will usually end up sharing a story or an insight that relates to what we’ve talked about.  I didn’t actually think of it this way until I went to write this post, but God has been so faithful to bless my mind during these times.  I try to listen more than I speak, and towards the end there is usually something I can say that encourages my girls, or helps them find an answer.  Always, we end up at how to live for Christ daily. 

Tea Time Tips:

Don’t have an agenda.  Once in a while, I’ll have a specific plan, like creating a morning routine. But that is very rare.  More often, I come with no expectations other than to let the girls share their hearts.  There are plenty of opportunities in a normal day to direct, teach, and prompt with questions.  Tea time isn’t about that.  It’s about listening, and then gently guiding as the Lord leads.

Keep it simple.  This way you will be more likely to repeat it every week.  Every once in a while, we’ll have a “celebratory tea,” complete with a tablecloth, multiple treats, and fancy decorations.  Our regular tea time is pretty simple.  Just us, the tea set, a small snack, and our Bibles.

Tune-out distractions.  I don’t answer my phone or anything else during tea, unless it’s my husband.  Usually, I will call him before hand to say hi and see if there’s anything he needs.  Then I can tell him, “Ok I’m off to tea with Coco now, so I’ll talk to you later.”

Occupy younger siblings before-hand.  I think this is one of those times a short video would be a perfect distraction!  Setting up an independent project or task is another way to cut down on interruptions.  Another trick is to let your younger children have their time before the older sibling.  Then you can praise “how nice big sister is being, letting us have this time.  Isn’t that so kind of her?  I know you’ll be just as kind when it’s her turn for tea!” 

Enjoy yourself.  Yes, this is all about the kids.  But the fact is, if you’re bored or checking your watch, your kids will sense that and they’ll begin to dread it, too.  If you say often, “Ooh!  I can’t wait for our tea time!” and show them how much you enjoy spending time with them, they’ll have a better time.

Be creative.  For our first tea time, I sent an invitation to each girl.  I often say that invitations just make everything more fun.  The girls could hardly wait.  Sometimes, I’ll put a tea bag in their workbox, or cut out a card in the shape of a tea pot that says, “Time for tea!”  Other times I’ll just wake them in the morning and the table will already be set so when they come out, they’re surprised.

One of the many blessings of being a mom is that you get to be the person to teach your children how awesome our God is! Don’t you just love it?