Family Rules

My sweet husband and I try to teach our children right from wrong in our daily activities, but have found over the years that saying no to everything that was wrong just didn't quite work. Having rules is so very important with children, but I have always found it difficult to have those don't do this or don't do that rules. Yes, and I used to teach in an actual classroom ;-)
We found the Biblical route was the way to go that helped to support what we were already trying to teach our children. I don't have rules, per say, but the boys (and soon Sofia now that she is getting older) know when Momma says something in particular, I'm referring to the Fruit of the Spirit. I had a friend years ago that recommended the use of these rules and encouraged me in my walk to enforce them. She was invaluable to the growth of my children and a great example for me to follow which is always greatly appreciated.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

—Galatians 5:22-23

But Kim, this isn't the Family Fun I tuned in for today, you say? No, discipline is never fun. But it can be peaceful and a way to keep family time fun without the bickering or the battle that sometimes ensues. A gentle reminder of a broad topic is sometimes so much easier to handle than a firm no. I find the children are more responsive when we are softer with our discipline. I'm NOT saying by any means that we don't ever have to be tough on the kids. It's never easy, but with God as your family guide, you can make it less challenging.

I encourage you to adopt our rules as needed for your family and adjust as you see fit. I have used so many different methods with these rules that I would love to see what ideas you can come up with them.

Household Rules

LOVE- Show LOVE and RESPECT to God, your family, and your neighbor.

JOY-  Be JOYFUL and APPRECIATE what God has blessed you with.

PEACE- Be PEACEFUL with one another, do not aggravate, quarrel and tease.

PATIENCE- Show PATIENCE and UNDERSTANDING.

KINDNESS- Show KINDNESS in helping others.

GOODNESS- Show GOODNESS by doing everything with RESPECT and HONOR.

FAITHFULNESS- Honor God with your actions and words. FAITHFULLY go to Him in prayer.

GENTLENESS- Be GENTLE and kind in spirit, show MERCY and COMPASSION.

SELF-CONTROL- Always CONTROL your words and actions to glorify God and to honors others. Take RESPONSIBILITY for all you have and do.

We have used a fruit basket with pretend fruit. The children get to fill their basket as they do good things and follow the Fruit of the Spirit, but they lose fruit when they  misbehave. We would end each day with a special treat if that was earned for the day. And by ending the day as such, we were able to talk about the "rules" that were broken and what kind of changes we can make the following day to improve. My kids have flourished with this and while we don't have it up and showing all the time, we bring it out when we find it is needed. This might be one of those weeks ;-) 

Please remember to share with me how this works for your family.

Family Friday: What can we do for Fun?

Having family time can be so hard with schedules as crazy as they come. Kids have evening practices and lessons. Adults have long working hours. Sometimes family members eat at different times because "the schedule just doesn't allow" for a sit down meal with everyone. Your household ever like that?

Well, I've been wracking my brain to think of some fun things we can do as a family to get us moving together in the Winter and being more active in the new year. Below is a list of 5 of the top activities to get your family up and moving. Join us in trying out those we haven't done yet and enjoying ones we have.

1. Family Dance Off.
       With all the technology around, it's very easy to get more active even when playing video games. First of all, if you watch my children play some of the action games, you would probably see they burn more calories jumping and dodging as they are playing the games. :-) But we love our Nintendo Wii for the action part. There are many things we can do with the games to keep active. One thing I will encourage is Family Dance Off. We have a few of the dance games and love to dance, but we have a rule, you don't have to have a remote to move. All of us have to participate no matter how we are feeling that day. Even our sweet three year old is loving her dance times. Another rule is that everyone gets to hold the remote (we always use one) at least once. If dancing is not  your cup of tea, the Wii has many other games to select, from boxing and tennis to bowling and skiing. It shouldn't be too difficult to grab that controller and pick your favorite sport.

2. Just Hike It.
     It doesn't matter if it is hot or cold outside, nature is still there! It never goes away and neither do those wonderful trails that are made for walking. Look at your local parks to find some Winter Hikes. Our Metro Parks in Columbus has just that. http://www.metroparks.net/UserUploads/UserDocuments/2011-Docs/Winter-Hikes-2012-rfs.pdf.  That is a schedule of the Winter Hikes in my area. You can find yours as simply as typing into your favorite search engine for local parks and Winter Hikes. Ours are as little as one and as long as seven miles long. Bundle up and be prepared for the weather, but enjoy the beauty of the Winter Nature as you show your children that they don't have to be trapped inside because of the cold.

3. Snow Cream.
      Fresh fallen snow on the ground? Snow day from school? How about making Ice Cream with that snow! There are many recipes out there for the looking, but we have our own favorite that we started using years ago.

Prepare the following in a bowl:

• 1/2 Cup Half & Half (or milk)
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Get 4-5 cups of  fresh snow (make sure you get this from a low traffic area where pets have not been. - Yeah, I'm saying no yellow snow!). DO NOT PACK. (Put into freezer if you are not using it immediately.) Start slowing adding snow into your milk mixture, stirring constantly. Once the mixture becomes as thick as the ice cream you like, ENJOY!

4. Shovel Wars
       Sounds dangerous, but can be fun and definitely gives you a workout and accomplishes a task. Freshly fallen snow is not only tasty, but it can be a pain when you find your driveway covered in it. The mailman has to get in to deliver the mail. Pap has to get up the driveway when he decides to venture out, and Dad has to be able to park when he gets home. The task of taking care of the driveway falls on the hands of you. So, put the kids to work! "Divide" your driveway into sections for each of you. Everyone gets a shovel and you have to empty your section. Now, here is the fun thing. You can put your snow on someone else's section to slow up their progress, but you cannot be mean about it! And no one is allowed to gang up on the baby. Sofia doesn't get a large section and no one is allowed to put snow in hers. ;-) Once a winner is declared, everyone is responsible to get the rest of the snow off the driveway. The boys LOVE to do this to see who can clear the driveway faster. And no one has to have a heart attack trying to get the driveway cleaned up! Plus a reward of Mom's Famous Hot Chocolate really helps to motivate my children.

5. Good Old Fashioned Board Games
     Bored of the same old same old? Tired of being stuck in the house for the bad weather? Pull out the old board games. They are just as fun as you remember them. Use any that all of your family can participate in and just have fun. Children don't know and don't want to follow the rules? So what! Make up your own! You'll find the giggles non-stop when you make the rules up as you go.

Enjoy these fun activities. As always, I love hearing your suggestions, so share the fun things  your families do to keep busy!