Summer School

Sleeping late, sunbathing, movie watching.  These are terms that describe a typical summer at the Archinal house.  School is out - it's time to play!  We believe in maxing out the fun during summer. I crave this time with the kids and they crave time away from a structured school day.  But does this mean their brains have to turn to mush?  Does playing in the pool all summer long mean their little minds have to get watered down too?  I think not!

Summer is my favorite time, in part, because it's MY time to teach what I think is just as important as reading, writing and arithmetic.  It's Mommy Summer School.  Parents can use summer breaks to teach all sorts of important lessons to their kids.

1.  Spiritual -  Have your kids pick out a devotional book and make it a routine to do your devotionals together each morning before turning on the TV.  Pick out a few key scriptures that your kids can memorize - one per week.  You can even tie scripture memory to rewards.  For example, your child is begging you to take him to see the newest movie?  Have him earn the privilege by assigning one household chore and one memory verse.  Use the extra time of being able to stay up late to tell a Bible story and discuss it as a family.  Encourage kids to ask questions and seek applications.

2.  Financial - Have your kids do chores to earn allowance.  Teach them the three parts of income: tithing, saving, and spending.  Our oldest just started babysitting this summer, she's earned enough to open a savings account.  Banks have special accounts for kids which help them establish good financial habits.  Check it out!

3.  Responsibility - Before you play, you must obey!  Establish daily and weekly responsibilities they must finish before doing anything else.  This teaches kids to have integrity in their work and gives them a sense of pride.  They may bark about it at first but if parents are consistent, kids will soon see it as just something they do each day and not as punishment. 

4.  Self-confidence - When children learn new skills it gives them a strong sense of self.  Teach kids how to make their own breakfast and lunch.  Invite your children to help with grocery shopping, planning and preparing meals.  Let kids have one night a week where they help you make dinner.  Use trips to the store to teach them how to checkout and pay for their items.  It's important for them to learn life skills at a young age and kids love it!  Use hotel stays to teach your kids how to check-in and how to call downstairs for extra towels.  This teaches them how to speak to adults and how to take care of themselves.  It gives them a greater sense of self-respect when they can do things on their own while you are there to support and encourage.

5.  Health and wellness - Be sure they aren't spending too much time in front of the TV or technology.  This can sometimes be hard.  Motivate kids to get exercise through family outings.  Get in the pool, take a bike ride, or even go to the neighborhood Y.  Our YMCA allows children as young as 12 to be trained on exercise equipment.  My kids have done this this summer and they love going to the gym and working out with me.  I love it because it's more family time!

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg and I'm sure you've got many more ideas of your own.  The important thing is to take advantage of the summer hours to establish some great learning opportunities.  Who knew summer school could be so fun! 

Lessons from a Lemonade Stand

As a minister's kid, I grew up in the church where I often heard stories of missionaries traveling to far away lands helping the poor.  I remember sitting in a Sunday School room looking at pictures of children my age who lived in Africa.  Their clothes were worn, their faces dirty and their stories were the same - they had no clean water.  As a child I was baffled by this.  Why couldn't the grown ups figure out a way to get water to these children?

Many years later, children in Africa, specifically South Sudan, are still without clean water.  The difference is, now I am the grown up and I am responsible to do something to help.  As a follower of Jesus, I cannot pretend to live in ignorance of those who are hurting, no matter how many miles away they may be.  Jesus taught us to care for the sick and hurting...and he didn't put geographical boundaries around it.

The question was where to start in my efforts to change the world.  The answer was Sister Effect.  Recently, two of my friends established an organization to make a difference in the lives of those living in South Sudan.  They came up with the name Sister Effect (http://www.sistereffect.org/).  The idea being that women and girls will use whatever gifts they have (writing, baking, music, anything) to raise awareness and funds which will result in life-giving change for those in the Sudan.

As a mother of two daughters, I wanted my 'sisters' to learn early that they can make a difference in someone else's life - even someone they have never met.  So, I asked the girls what talents or abilities they have that they could use to help girls in South Sudan.  The result was a bake sale/lemonade stand benefitting Sister Effect.

My own sister and I were holding a garage sale and decided it was the perfect opportunity to help the girls get started.  The girls did all the work.  Mary Catherine baked and baked.  Ellie mixed lemonade.  They made signs and set up their stand.  For two days that sat in the sweltering Houston heat selling their wares.

The result?  They raised a whole $20.  I have to be honest and say that at first I was really disappointed in the small amount of money.  But then I realized I was being short sighted.  There is a much greater effect taking place.  Yes, the money is important.  But more important are the lessons it taught my girls. 

They learned:

• They have special abilities, given by God, that they can use to bless others.
• There is great joy in doing something completely selfless.
• Working together can bring greater results than working alone.
• You don't have to be a grown up to make a difference.

That's a lot of lessons learned just from one little lemonade stand!  I learned something too.  You don't have to have millions of dollars to change the world.  You don't have to move to Africa to help the people that live there.  Sometimes, the best thing you can do is raise awareness in your own little circle of influence - in this case it was influencing my girls.

I have a feeling this won't be their last business venture.  They've caught the Sister Effect bug.  It's amazing what sister's can do together. 

It Could Have Been Worse

I think of myself as a "Pray-er".  I believe in prayer.  I don't always understand how or why God answers as He does but I've lived long enough to see God do amazing things when people pray.  While I pray daily and I've seen God answer many prayers, I am still floored when I see God work!

Yesterday, Chris took the kids to the pool while I stayed home to work on a talk I'm giving at church tomorrow night.  After working for an hour I got sleepy and decided to lay down for a nap.  Just as I was drifting off I had a sudden urge to pray for protection for my kids.  It seemed a little strange that I would feel that way as they are all excellent swimmers, Chris was with them, and they were at a pool with lifeguards.  Nevertheless, I prayed for their safety.

About thirty minutes later I was surprised to hear Chris pulling into the driveway since they had only been gone a short while.  Then I see my son, Jack get out of the car with a large butterfly bandage on his chin.  Apparently he had slipped while getting out of the pool and hit his chin quite hard on the edge.  Chris needed to take him to the emergency room where he ended up getting his chin glued!

You may think my prayer didn't "work" or it was too late.  To the contrary.  I know in my heart that the Lord had me pray for my kids at the exact moment the accident was about to happen and my obedience to pray prevented a much worse accident. 

Moms, we are our children's first line of defense against spiritual as well as physical danger.  Imagine yourself the general in a war.  As you hold your hands up your army has victory but the second you lower them they begin to lose.  This is exactly what happened in Exodus 17 when the Israelites were going to war.  When Moses, their leader, held is hands up the Israelite army advanced.  But, when his arms got tired, he lowered them and the army suffered setbacks.  Two friends had to come and hold Moses' arms up so the Israelites could gain the victory!

This is a physical picture of an equally real spiritual battle.  As we lift our prayers to God on behalf of our children, God will move them forward and give them victory in life.  If we grow weary from praying for them, our children are subject to defeat by forces of darkness that are at work all around us.  (For more on this, check out Ephesians 6).

I'm so grateful that my loving Heavenly Father alerted me to a need for my children.  I am thankful that I recognized it and 'raised my hands'.  I'm also grateful that Jack only busted his chin and scraped up his side.  You moms out there know just as well as I do... it could have been much worse.