And the most talented author is...

And the most talented author is…

I love a well-written book, with beautiful language and engaging plots, mixed with spiritual inspiration.

Here’s a sentence from an old book I read this summer:

“What a sad change would come over that bright little home when its chief sunbeam was removed from it!"

What a sweet way of saying "They'd miss her a lot." (The Lost Clue by O.F. Walton).

One of my favorite attributes of God is that He is the author of my life. (Hebrews 12:2). When I open my eyes, I see His pen all over my everyday moments.

Just this morning, I was reading the next couple of chapters in Exekial as I trek through the Old Testament. Honestly, I was growing weary of passages on judgment and wasn’t overly enthusiastic about it.

But this verse stood out to me, and I chose to spend time praying about it:

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (Ez 11:19-20)

Moments later, when I opened the book I’m reading, Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick, guess what the theme verse for her chapter was: Ezekial 11:19-20! I laughed! God is so clever!

God, as the author of my life, has a beautiful way of writing that knits all areas together! And it was fun to see it so clearly this morning.

Have you ever seen God’s hand in such simple yet encouraging ways?

81 Activities for Little Kids

While evaluating preschool fun for my 4-year-old this year, I realized he's already naturally learned his letters, numbers, shapes, and colors, just as Charlotte Mason assured me he would, without a heavy curriculum. (Just don't tell her that he watched Dora and Leapfrog and played on the computer!) I like to have some one-on-one time with him though, so what should we do?

Here's my list of 81 fun things to do with my little man this year. My plan is to do our reading lesson and then take 30 minutes to do an activity together. I'll either pick what sounds good to me or have him draw a paper out of a bucket.

I chose activities that take little to no prep on my part, since the bigger kids take the majority of my brain during the school year! :)

You can find photos of some of these activities on my Pinterest Boards: Preschool and Toddlers.

Math/Logic

Play Store

Bake Cookies

Pattern Blocks

Shiller Math Blocks

Clock Practice

Sort Change

Hullabaloo

Twister

Battleship

Cereal Abacus

Memory Game

Candy Cane Ornament

Button Board

Dominoes

Rulers

Jelly Bean Math Chart

Art

Play Dough

Shrinky Dink

Paint

Stickers

Cheerio Art

Magazine Collage

Mosaic Squares

Thumb Prints

Stencils

Card Making

Bead Pipe Cleaners

Side Walk Chalk

Popsicle Stick Matching

Language

Write a Story

Puppet Show

Doctor Kit

Act with weapons

ABC Hunt

Play Dinosaurs

Make Treasure Hunt

Seasons Collage

Make a Yarn Book

Building

Trains

Blocks

Hot Wheels

Legos

Duplo Blocks

Box Building

Games

Uno/Go Fish

Candy Land

Story Maker

Blokus

Quirkle

Sorry

Puzzles

Monopoly Junior

Rummikub

Checkers

Connect Four

Active

Kick Ball

Trampoline

Zip Line

Running Races

Obstacle Course

Dance

Bean Bag Toss

Bozo Buckets

Hide and Seek

Tag

Outside

Sidewalk Chalk

Collect Rocks

Collect Leaves

Paint Rocks

Scavenger Hunt

Ride Bikes

Ride Scooter

Roller Skate

Play Catch

T-Ball

Treasure Map

Cloud Shapes

Hop Scotch

Swinging

Bubbles

Carnival

Ok - your turn! What should I add to the list?