Get Pictures with Kodiak T. Bear the Final Two Weeks of VBS!

We have come to our final Summer Lesson: God Loves Me! This week and next will be our two most important weeks of the summer as we share the basic gospel message with the kids, including many visitors who may have never heard the good news of Jesus before! So don't grow weary. Make sure you bring your kids and their neighborhood friends for the final two weeks of our VBS Summer Camp!

Tomorrow Haggis McGonnagle will join us for the final time with a little Gospel illusion to illustrate the message and bring a few gasps of wonder to the kids. We'll also have our final craft of the summer. Of course, Kodiak bear will be with us and we will be giving kids opportunity to get their pictures taken with him these last two weeks, so they may want to dress special for the occasion.

See you tomorrow night at Camp Moosefeather Falls!!

Getting Off To School On the Right Foot

Mornings can be a stressful time for families. As your family prepares for some new routines this school year, here’s a tip to help you get off on the right foot. One of the goals parents have for their children is to teach them to be independent and internally motivated. One single mom told how she addressed this for her children, ages 9, 10, and 11.

“I didn't like what I was seeing in myself. I heard myself nagging and prodding them along, yelling, ‘You're going to be late. You better hurry and brush your hair. Get your shoes on…’ So she gathered the children together one evening to introduce a new plan.

“You three are getting older. Tomorrow begins a new system where you're going to manage yourselves. I've been doing a lot of yelling in the morning and I don't want to do that anymore. So I have a plan. I'm not going to wake you up in the morning. Here is a new alarm clock for each of you. You can decide what time you want to get up and it will wake you.

“I want you to learn to be independent so we're going to have check points each morning. At 7:15 am you need to be down for breakfast, all dressed with shoes on, and your bed made. By 7:50 am you need to have completed your chores and have combed your hair. Those are the checkpoints. This means you have to learn to look at the clock yourself and not wait for me to tell you what time it is.

“To help you be motivated to meet these check points, I have something positive and something negative. Let's start with the positive. First, if you meet your two check points each morning for five mornings then I will allow you to watch a video on the weekend. However, if you miss one check point on a morning you will have to go to bed a half hour earlier that evening, since you must need more sleep in order to get up and get yourself ready.”

They ended the meeting positively as they talked about the benefits of independence and being self-motivated. Mom taught the kids how to set their alarms and they felt empowered and eager to manage themselves the next morning.

The following day Mom was in bed and heard alarms going off and feet shuffling. She wasn't quite ready to get up and began having second thoughts about her great plan. In the end though, it worked. Her children were successful at demonstration independence in the morning by getting ready and Mom didn't have to nag or be harsh. She replaced yelling and nagging with firmness and a clear plan for developing independence in her kids, all in a positive atmosphere of cooperation.
For more practical ideas on parenting with honor, consider the book, Say Goodbye to Whining, Complaining and Bad Attitudes in You and Your kids by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN. For more ideas on developing independence and self-motivation in kids consider the CD series, Everyday Parents CAN Raise Extraordinary Kids by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

This Sunday we continue the Life of Moses with arguably the greatest miracle of the Exodus story: the Parting of the Red Sea! Your kids will learn how God protects his children even in overwhelming circumstances that seem impossible. In fact, overcoming impossibility is God's specialty!

10:30am this Sunday in the C.W. Playhouse!

The Benefits of Eating Together

"Come and get it!" It may be dinnertime, but when was the last time your family sat down and enjoyed a mealtogether? With music lessons, ball practice, play rehearsal, and work schedules, it can be tough. Rounding up the troops for an evening meal can be almost impossible! However, research is beginning to show that eating as a family has great benefits for your children and teenagers. Here are 8 more reasons why you should try to sit down together 5-6 times a week, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Reason #1: Communication and Well-Being Conversations during the meal provide opportunities for the family to bond, plan, connect, and learn from one another. It’s a chance to share information and news of the day, as well as give extra attention to your children and teens. Family mealsfoster warmth, security and love, as well as feelings of belonging. It can be a unifying experience for all. Reason #2: Model Manners (and more) Family mealtime is the perfect opportunity to display appropriate table manners, meal etiquette, and social skills. Keep the mood light, relaxed, and loving. Try not to instruct or criticize—lead by example. Reason # 3: Expand Their World…One Food at a Time Encourage your children to try new foods, without forcing, coercing, or bribing. Introduce a new food along with some of the stand-by favorites. Remember that it can take 8-10 exposures to a new food before it is accepted, so be patient. Trying a new food is like starting a new hobby. It expands your child’s knowledge, experience, and skill.

• Include foods from other cultures and countries.
• Select a new vegetable from a local farmer’s market.
• Have your child select a newrecipe from a cookbook, web site, newspaper, magazine or check out the recipes on SparkPeople.

Reason #4: Nourish Meals prepared and eaten at home are usually more nutritious and healthy. They contain more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products along with additional nutrients such as fiber, calcium, vitamins A and C, and folate. Home cooked meals are usually not fried or highly salted, plus soda and sweetened beverage consumption is usually lower at the dinner table. Reason #5: Become Self-Sufficient Children today are missing out on the importance of knowing how to plan and prepare meals. Basic cooking, baking, and food preparation are necessities for being self-sufficient. Involve your family in menu planning, grocery shopping, and food preparation. Preschoolers can tear lettuce, cut bananas, and set the table. Older children can pour milk, peel vegetables, and mix batter. Teenagers can dice, chop, bake, and grill. Working as a team puts the meal on the table faster, as well as makes everyone more responsible and accepting of the outcome. Improved eating habits come with "ownership" of a meal. Reason #6: Prevent Destructive Behaviors

Research shows that frequent family dinners (five or more a week), are associated with lower rates of smoking, drinking, and illegal drug use in pre-teens and teenagers when compared to families that eat together two or fewer times per week. Even as older children’s schedules get more complicated, it is important to make an effort to eat meals together. Scheduling is a must. Reason #7: Improve Grades Children do better in school when they eat more meals with their parents and family. Teenagers who eat dinner four or more times per week with their families have higher academic performance compared with teenagers who eat with their families two or fewer times per week. Reason # 8: Save Money Meals purchased away from home cost two to four times more than meals prepared at home. At present time the restaurant industry’s share of the total food dollar is more than 46%. Due to scheduling, commitments, and activities, families eat out several times each week. It is time to bring the "family" back to the dinner table. Sharing dinner together gives everyone a sense of identity. It can help ease day-to-day conflicts, as well as establish traditions and memories that can last a lifetime.

SOURCE: Sparkpeople.com

WHERE'S KODY? VBS: CAMP RESUMES TONIGHT AT 6:30PM!

VBS Camp is back! The question is... is Kody the Bear back? He went missing last time and its been two weeks since anyone's seen him. Make sure your kids don't miss out tonight if they want to find out where he's been or if he returns at all. We'll continue with our lesson: You are Special and illustrate the point with snacks, games, and our usual visit from the groundskeeper.

REMEMBER THAT WE DON'T BEGIN TONIGHT UNTIL 6:30PM AND WE'LL FINISH BY 8PM!

See you in a few hours!

Sibling Rivalry

"Dad, she's in my room getting into my things again!"

"Mom, he won't stop annoying me!"

"Me first! Me first! Me first!"

Sound familiar? If you have more than one child, the answer is probably "yes," because these are the sounds of sibling rivalry or sibling conflict.

While many kids are lucky enough to become the best of friends with their siblings, it's very common for brothers and sisters to fight. (It's also common for them to swing back and forth between adoring and detesting one other!)

Often, sibling rivalry starts even before the second child is born, and continues as the kids grow and compete for everything from toys to attention. As kids reach different stages of development, their evolving needs can significantly affect how they relate to one another.

It can be frustrating and upsetting to watch — and hear — your kids fight with one another. A household that's full of conflict is stressful for everyone. Yet often it's hard to know how to stop the fighting, and or even whether you should get involved at all. But you can take steps to promote peace in your household and help your kids get along.

Why Do My Kids Fight?

Many different things can cause siblings to fight. Most brothers and sisters experience some degree of jealousy or competition, and this can flare into squabbles and bickering. But other factors also might influence how often kids fight and how severe the fighting gets. These include:

• Evolving needs. It's natural for kids' changing needs, anxieties, and identities to affect how they relate to one another. For example, toddlers are naturally protective of their toys and belongings, and are learning to assert their will, which they'll do at every turn. So if a baby brother or sister picks up the toddler's toy, the older child may react aggressively. School-age kids often have a strong concept of fairness and equality, so might not understand why siblings of other ages are treated differently or feel like one child gets preferential treatment. Teenagers, on the other hand, are developing a sense of individuality and independence, and might resent helping with household responsibilities, taking care of younger siblings, or even having to spend time together. All of these differences can influence the way kids fight with one another.
• Individual temperaments. Your kids' individual temperaments — including mood, disposition, and adaptability — and their unique personalities play a large role in how well they get along. For example, if one child is laid back and another is easily rattled, they may often get into it. Similarly, a child who is especially clingy and drawn to parents for comfort and love might be resented by siblings who see this and want the same amount of attention.
• Special needs/sick kids. Sometimes, a child's special needs due to illness or learning/emotional issues may require more parental time. Other kids may pick up on this disparity and act out to get attention or out of fear of what's happening to the other child.
• Role models. The way that parents resolve problems and disagreements sets a strong example for kids. So if you and your spouse work through conflicts in a way that's respectful, productive, and not aggressive, you increase the chances that your children will adopt those tactics when they run into problems with one another. If your kids see you routinely shout, slam doors, and loudly argue when you have problems, they're likely to pick up those bad habits themselves.

What Can I Do When the Fighting Starts?

While it may be common for brothers and sisters to fight, it's certainly not pleasant for anyone in the house. And a family can only tolerate a certain amount of conflict. So what should you do when the fighting starts?

Whenever possible, don't get involved. Step in only if there's a danger of physical harm. If you always intervene, you risk creating other problems. The kids may start expecting your help and wait for you to come to the rescue rather than learning to work out the problems on their own. There's also the risk that you — inadvertently — make it appear to one child that another is always being "protected," which could foster even more resentment. By the same token, rescued kids may feel that they can get away with more because they're always being "saved" by a parent.

If you're concerned by the language used or name-calling, it's appropriate to "coach" kids through what they're feeling by using appropriate words. This is different from intervening or stepping in and separating the kids.

Even then, encourage them to resolve the crisis themselves. If you do step in, try to resolve problems with your kids, not for them.

When getting involved, here are some steps to consider:

• Separate kids until they're calm. Sometimes it's best just to give them space for a little while and not immediately rehash the conflict. Otherwise, the fight can escalate again. If you want to make this a learning experience, wait until the emotions have died down.
• Don't put too much focus on figuring out which child is to blame. It takes two to fight — anyone who is involved is partly responsible.
• Next, try to set up a "win-win" situation so that each child gains something. When they both want the same toy, perhaps there's a game they could play together instead.

Remember, as kids cope with disputes, they also learn important skills that will serve them for life — like how to value another person's perspective, how to compromise and negotiate, and how to control aggressive impulses.

Helping Kids Get Along

Simple things you can do every day to prevent fighting include:

• Set ground rules for acceptable behavior. Tell the kids that there's no cursing, no name-calling, no yelling, no door slamming. Solicit their input on the rules — as well as the consequences when they break them. This teaches kids that they're responsible for their own actions, regardless of the situation or how provoked they felt, and discourages any attempts to negotiate regarding who was "right" or "wrong."
• Don't let kids make you think that everything always has to be "fair" and "equal" — sometimes one kid needs more than the other.
• Be proactive in giving your kids one-on-one attention directed to their interests and needs. For example, if one likes to go outdoors, take a walk or go to the park. If another child likes to sit and read, make time for that too.
• Make sure kids have their own space and time to do their own thing — to play with toys by themselves, to play with friends without a sibling tagging along, or to enjoy activities without having to share 50-50.
• Show and tell your kids that, for you, love is not something that comes with limits.
• Let them know that they are safe, important, and needed, and that their needs will be met.
• Have fun together as a family. Whether you're watching a movie, throwing a ball, or playing a board game, you're establishing a peaceful way for your kids to spend time together and relate to each other. This can help ease tensions between them and also keeps you involved. Since parental attention is something many kids fight over, fun family activities can help reduce conflict.
• If your children frequently squabble over the same things (such as video games or dibs on the TV remote), post a schedule showing which child "owns" that item at what times during the week. (But if they keep fighting about it, take the "prize" away altogether.)
• If fights between your school-age children are frequent, hold weekly family meetings in which you repeat the rules about fighting and review past successes in reducing conflicts. Consider establishing a program where the kids earn points toward a fun family-oriented activity when they work together to stop battling.
• Recognize when kids just need time apart from each other and the family dynamics. Try arranging separate play dates or activities for each kid occasionally. And when one child is on a play date, you can spend one-on-one time with another.

Keep in mind that sometimes kids fight to get a parent's attention. In that case, consider taking a time-out of your own. When you leave, the incentive for fighting is gone. Also, when your own fuse is getting short, consider handing the reins over to the other parent, whose patience may be greater at that moment.

Getting Professional Help

In a small percentage of families, the conflict between brothers and sisters is so severe that it disrupts daily functioning, or particularly affects kids emotionally or psychologically. In those cases, it's wise to get help from a mental health professional. Seek help for sibling conflict if it:

• is so severe that it's leading to marital problems
• creates a real danger of physical harm to any family member
• is damaging to the self-esteem or psychological well-being of any family member
• may be related to another psychiatric disorder, such as depression

If you have questions about your kids' fighting, talk with your doctor, who can help you determine whether your family might benefit from professional help and refer you to local mental health resources.

source: kidshealth.org

NOT FAMILY WEEK YET!!! VBS TOMORROW NIGHT!

THIS IS NOT FAMILY WEEK! Remember that Family Week always follows the first Sunday of the month so since the first was on a Monday we have a full week in August before we start Family Week. That means that tomorrow night we have VBS again! So don't stay home this week!

REMEMBER THAT WE START AT 6:30 NOW, NOT 6:15!

Tomorrow night we start lesson 4: You Are Special! Haggis McGonagle, the absent-minded camp Moosefeather Falls Trail Guide, will be with us again and there will be crafts again! It will be fun as always! See you then!

Teaching "Why" Helps Children for the Future

We encourage parents to ask their children a series of questions after every discipline experience. One of those questions is, "Why was that wrong?" Some parents like this question because it appears to be a set-up for a parental lecture. Resist this urge. You may have a desire to lecture but your child may quickly turn you off.

Furthermore some children answer this question by saying, "because you shouldn't do it." Again, this is an opportunity to help children understand some of the deeper issues involved.

Use this question to address heart issues directly. Through dialogue you can point out the bad attitudes like pride, selfishness, anger, or disrespect. Also, you can help children understand the values behind the rules. If you tell your four-year-old son to stay in the back yard and he violates that rule, you can teach him about living within limits. The same value will be taught to him at seventeen years old when he wants to stay out past curfew. By talking about the values, you prepare children to handle a variety of different rules and to translate those rules from one situation to another.

Help your child learn that behavior is only a symptom of something deeper. Parents and children see the behavior but it's important to look at the heart. The Bible is full of principles that will help a child be successful. You may refer to the scriptures or even tell Bible stories that are appropriate. The question, "Why was that wrong?" helps you do significant teaching every day as you work with your kids.

If you'd like to know more about developing a good correction plan for your child, consider joining Biblical Parenting University. Or, learn more about ending discipline times well in our book, Home Improvement, by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.