TV Shows you WANT your Kids to Watch
We all know the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend TV for ages blah, blah, blah. Well, that’s just fine & dandy if they are willing to come watch my kids for a few hours so I can make breakfast, lunch & dinner for said children!
Seriously, though, I do try to limit the amount of screen time my kids get. But when you hear your 3 year old counting backwards from 10 and realize you didn’t teach her that, you let up on the “mom-guilt” and allow your kids to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
The following are a few shows I can feel good about my kids watching…
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
PBS, Netflix, Amazon Prime
This show kind of annoys me. I can’t stand Katerina and her “meow meow” after every single sentence! BUT I love how relevant this show is to kids. It teaches tots and preschoolers how to handle their emotions and new situations. Every episode has a phrase put to music to help kids remember what they learned. For example, “When you get frustrated, take a step back, and ask for help.” On a side note, my kid doesn’t take too kindly to me when I sing this to her in her moment of frustration. Heh heh. Another side note: this is an animated spin off from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood with all the characters you remember watching when you were a kid.
Wild Kratts
PBS, Netflix, Amazon Prime
I WANT to watch this show with my kids. There’s so much to learn! The animal-loving Kratt brothers have been around for a while. I remember watching Zoboomafoo with my little brother when he was a wee one. This show introduces some animals at the beginning of the show and the Kratt brothers have a “what if” moment where they enter the animated world and continue the adventure. I love that this show teaches facts about animals that I don’t know and therefore could not teach my kids. Lots of shows teach counting and shapes and colors, but Wild Kratts is unique in that you probably won’t find this info on any other kids show.
We were in the store the other day and G saw a picture of an eagle and says, “Look Mom. It’s a harpy eagle” I was like, “Huh?” I thought she just wasn’t making sense until she said it a few times, and I remembered she had watched Wild Kratts that morning and learned about a bird. The harby eagle? Harpy eagle? I didn’t even know! Are you smarter than a 3 year old?
Cooking Shows
Giada at Home, Giada in Italy, Pioneer Woman
It’s strange I know, but hear me out. My kids love watching the Food Network with me, and it gets my 3 year old excited about trying new food. She says, “Ooh let’s make that Mom!” About everything. If you have a picky eater a cooking show might be worth a try! Kids are more likely to eat food they help you make.
I have no idea why my kids like cooking shows so much, but they do. My favorite chef is Giada DeLaurentiis, and just yesterday G told me, “I like watching that lady.” Then Barefoot Contessa came on and she said, “No! I don’t want to watch her!” Haha! My sentiments exactly G. They seem to like the Pioneer Woman too. Both shows have kids in them at least occasionally, and I think that makes a difference. I absolutely LOVE being snuggled on the couch, watching Food Network with my kiddos.
Magic School Bus
Netflix
My third grade teacher used to record episodes to show us during lunch. It was such a treat to watch the Magic School Bus. I loved the eccentric Ms. Frizzle and her unusual field trips. I was so excited to find it on Netflix. That being said, the science may not be up to date. In episode 1 the class goes on a field trip to outer space and visits all 9 planets. That’s what I was taught in school, but kids these days are being told there’s 8 planets. Of course, then I heard they (whoever they are) are changing it back to 9 planets, and Pluto gets to join the club again. C’est la vie.
What about you? What shows have you found that your kids like? Share in the comments!
Fervent Strategies 5 & 6: Your Past & Fears [Online Small Group]
Fervent Strategy 4: Your Family [Online Small Group]
Fervent Strategy 3: Your Identity [Online Small Group]
Fervent Strategies 1 & 2: Passion & Focus [Online Small Group]
Fervent Intro: How to Pray [Online Small Group]
Why You Need Girlfriends: from the Girl who Hangs with the Guys
I used to dislike “girlfriends”. There was a time in my life when I just hung out with guys, because they were easier. I didn’t have to worry they were judging me for not being pretty enough or funny enough or just… enough. Some of this was based on my own insecurities, but you know full well my fears weren’t completely unfounded. Girls can be mean.
Let me also state that I hate “fake”. I hate when people are fake with me, and I hate when that, in turn, forces me to be fake with them. I despise it. This cut out about two-thirds of all girls as potential friends growing up. (I always had one close friend who was a girl, but otherwise I surrounded myself with guys – it was safer.)
Fast forward to tonight. Five women. Different cultures, different walks of life, different situations, gathered in a Starbucks being totally REAL with each other. Walls down. Hearts open. Talking about life and God and love and there is not a hint of “fake-ness”. Not a drop. Nor a smidgen. Just 100 percent real-ness and we are having the time of our lives.
We’re hitting every topic from loving God to inappropriate ways to wear bikini bottoms. And I love it. God, I love it! So much. I love that we can all be real and open and there is no judgment. I love that we can all be godly, christian women and yet no one is pretending to have it together, and no one is playing the holier-than-thou-card. It’s just so beautiful. So gloriously beautiful. This is what girlfriends are supposed to be.
It’s figuring out life together. It’s having someone to relate to. It’s someone to text when your day has gone down the crapper and you just need some prayer and an encouraging word. Oh my word! I don’t know what I would do without my girlfriends now! Thank God for them. Thank God I didn’t stay the way I was. Thank God I didn’t let the fear of rejection or judgment keep me from making friends. I would be missing out on so much! I’d be missing out on the fun, the laughter, the support, the quality time. I would be missing out on LIFE!
Don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t let insecurity steal your friendships. The beautiful thing about women is that we are all different. We are different shapes, sizes, and colors. We have different strengths, talents, and abilities. It’s what makes us strong. Together we are unbeatable – a force to be reckoned with. Find yourself some girlfriends, and go do life with them. We are not meant to go it alone.
Live Generously
Last night began our 6 week study of the book Story of Marriage by John & Lisa Bevere. A group of women married 3 years to 30 years. We were discussing the chapter, what we liked, what stuck out to us when a little tidbit of truth revealed itself… When we give to others, when we live selflessly, it feels good, right? We’ve all heard it’s better to give than to receive. And you’ve probably experienced that feeling of joy when you’re able to help someone and give of yourself. But there’s a double bonus here. When you give to others, they want to give back to you. The selflessness we exhibit is attractive. It draws people to us. They want to be generous with us and invest in us.
“Selflessness is attractive”
This works wonders in a marriage. If I’m pulling on my husband all the time, drawing on him, thinking only of my needs it 1) drains him and 2) makes him resent me. He starts thinking, “What about my needs, and what I want?” Or he thinks, “All she does is nag me all the time!” But if I’m giving of myself, being selfless, focusing on Josh’s needs instead of just my own, he totally recognizes it. It softens his heart towards me, and he wants to give back to me. He starts thinking “What can I do for Lisa?”
You can have a marriage with two people both thinking of themselves and pulling on each other.
Picture: Tug-of-war. Nobody wins. Both parties usually end up in the mud.
OR
You can have a marriage with two people living selflessly, constantly giving to each other.
Picture: A cycle (I give. Then, you give. So, I want to give, so you want to give…) Everybody wins.
In the first scenario no one’s happy, and no one’s getting what they want. Stalemate.
In the second scenario both people are happy and both are getting what they want. It just takes one person to make the first move.
Conclusion: When you think only of your own needs, they don’t get met.
When you put your spouse’s needs first, YOUR needs are met.
Mind. Blown.
So why aren’t we generous, selfless people all the time? It goes against human nature – look out for number one. We can try and override that, and do a halfway decent job. But there’s a better way than striving to do it on our own. It’s through Jesus. When you love Christ and live your life immersed in Him, it is SO much easier to live selflessly. When I’m focused on Christ – not on myself and not on the things that are temporary (this world and all the stuff in it) – then loving others is easy. It doesn’t feel like a “HAVE to” anymore. Loving and living selflessly is a “WANT to”. You probably know the old hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
The temporary things that will all pass away – the things that I let get to me that don’t really matter – all of it grows so dim when I’m focused on Jesus. Then I can love my husband, my kids, my friends, my family, the poor and broken, because I’m focused on something of SIGNIFICANCE. I’m focused on the things that matter. When you turn your eyes upon Jesus, living selflessly just flows out of that.
Turn your eyes upon Him. Live Selflessly. Live Generously. LIVE life!
What can you do to live generously, today? Test my theory. I’m confident you’ll like the results.
Dreams and Interpretations
It’s taken me a long time to write this. I don’t want people to think I’m crazy or prideful or… crazy, but I can’t keep quiet because I’m am overwhelmed with gratitude, and Jesus absolutely deserves the glory for this.
It began 6 years ago… Continue reading “Dreams and Interpretations”