Start 'em Off: Kickoff Sunday

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Today I'm starting something crazy and ambitious and fun.  This is the first of what will be many posts throughout the coming months aiming to share ideas about how we can "start our children off on the way they should go".  I'm kicking off "Start 'em Off" this Sunday with a few family favorites around here and hoping y'all will join in the fun and share some ideas too.  I want to know what you do, have done, or hope to do with your kiddos to introduce them to, and walk them through, the beauty of loving God and loving others.

I'll go first so it's not as scary.  =)

I'm going for a double-whammy this week because I've been chomping at the bit to do this post, and I've got two goodies to share.

First up: Seeds Family Worship

The Hubs and I adore this CD.  Well, this line of CD's actually.  They put Scripture to music in a completely corny/cheezy-free way and are a fantastic way to teach Newbie (and Mama!) some memory verses.  These suckers get stuck in my head, and I end up repeating encouraging words from Scripture to myself and Newbie and, let's be honest, Opie, all day because I am a belt-it-out-at-the-top-of-your-lungs kinda gal when it comes to singing along. 

Our little family plays this music all the time, and I've found it to be a fun tool to help memorize Scripture in a really non-overwhelming way.  I'm easily overwhelmed, and this music makes it a piece of cake. =) And the best part?  Each CD comes with two full CD's so your kiddo can share with a friend!  Love love love. Click here for the link to our favorite one so far...it's a winner!

Start 'em Off tip #2: Prayer Page

I wish I prayed so much more often than I do, and I wish I didn't toss the 'ol "Lord, please be with the people we love and the people that need you today" at God as much as I do, but busy becomes a habit, and I end up blanket praying a lot.  I want to become better about praying intentionally and more often in my own prayer life, and I want to teach Newbie how to have a healthy and active prayer life as well.

[Enter: awesome get it all in Prayer Page.] 

In hopes of filling our day with intentional prayer, I filled several 12x12 scrapbook pages with family and friends and all kinds of people and things we want to pray for, then hung it up in our dining room where we plant ourselves at least three times a day.  Each time we sit down, I point to the pictures on the Prayer Page and we pray for those people.  We rotate the pages each day or multiple times a day depending how on top of my game I am that particular day, and multiple people get prayed over each week. Wah-la! 

It's super easy to make:

Just grab yourself some scrapbook paper, tape, and pictures.  I added a small plain white piece of paper to write down anyone we didn't have a picture of.  Stick the pictures on the paper, like so:

Then find a fun clip that will hold a good chunk of paper.  I used a binder clip we had laying around. 

Decorate it for funsies, because a decorated Prayer Page is more fun than an undecorated one. =)

Clip your pages together, hang your clip on a nail on the wall somewhere in your home where you will see it often and TA-DA!  You have yourself an awesome Prayer Page ready to rock and roll!

 I would love to pick your brains and your thoughts and come up with some fun and enriching ways to teach our kiddos how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. (Ephesians 3:18-20) There's nothing I consider a higher calling as a mother than to pass on a love for God and a love for others to my son.  I believe God has entrusted him to me for that purpose, and all our children to us for that purpose, and I am head over heels in love with the mission of starting them off right so that when they are old, they will not turn from it. 

I have hopes.  High hopes.

Hopes of harnessing the wisdom, creativity, and fun of others out there who have some brilliant ideas to share. So pretty please with sprinkles and sugar and a cherry on top jump in with your ideas about how to help "start 'em off" with a heart of love for God and for others.  No idea is too small or too big or too simple or too fun!  A craft, a prayer, a verse, a song, a book, anything.

Calling all creative hearts and minds out there: If you've got something to share, leave it in the comments below or, better yet(!), post about it on your blog and comment with a link so we know where to find your ideas!

Help a girl out, will ya?! Don't be shy! =)