Today's Thankful Heart - Nov 23rd

I've not posted over the past couple days but that does not mean that I'm not thankful! Today I'm posting for a few things from the past days. I am thankful for, praise God for, rejoice because:

• My 4 year old is now begging me to do devotions every day. I've found it is easier for me to engage him one on one, so each night before bed we do the next letter in the alphabet. We'll talk about the things that describe God that begin with that letter. Then we praise God for those things and sing a song. His favorite right now is "Awesome God" and we've added some hand gestures that he loves.

• Days off and good talks - I had Friday off from work again and helped out at our homeschool co-op. I was in the preschool and had a blast. On top of it I had a really good discussion with two other moms. We really connected. One of the things we discussed was love languages and how this can help in raising your children to be strong in their faith. I had started reading the Five Love Languages of Children awhile back and have decided to pick it back up. Just from us talking and sharing I believe my main languages are quality time and words of affirmation. I may need to go get the original book and see if that helps in my marriage too. If I understand my dear husband's love languages better it will be easier to show him how thankful I am for him and to show him the love of Christ.

• Yummy recipes - my husband found a recipe for a layered pumpkin cheesecake that I made last night. It has to be in the refrigerater for a few hours after it is baked so we just tried it today. YUMMY!!! I'm taking some of it to church tonight. The crust is made of gingersnaps. I love gingersnaps!

• Eggnog - seems people either hate or love this stuff. No real in between. I for one, love this time of the year because eggnog makes it's appearance on the shelves again. I was "good" this year and I bought the low fat version and I'm mixing it with milk when I drink it. (My preferred way is the "full" fat version with nothing to dilute it!) However, it may be a bit strange that considering how much I like coffee and eggnog, I really do not like the two mixed!

Thankful Turkey Hands and Adoration

Today I am thankful for seeing fruit of the Lord in my daughter's life. This evening as I was doing some stuff around the house I overheard my 7 yr old daughter with the boys (ages 4 and 2 1/2). She was teaching them adoration.

At our church house and at our homeschool co-op she has learned about the ABC's of adoration. At the co-op each week they focus on one letter of the alphabet. They discuss words starting with that letter which describe God. They then praise God for these traits through prayer and worship. After they each have a sheet of paper with the letter and they get to color and draw those things on the paper. They are keeping them in a binder and by the time the year is done they will have an entire binder of Adoration.

I happened to help out last Friday in her class - the letter was L. They came up with Love, Lion, Light, Lamp, and Lamb. (I think that was all of them)

I was so thankful that my daughter not only understood the concept of devotion and adoration, but she was teaching it to my sons as well. It warmed my heart to hear them together speaking about God.

She told me later that every Wednesday night she wants to do adoration and a craft with the boys. She wants to do the teaching herself which includes planning the craft, helping them with it, doing the adoration and doing some Bible reading.

Tonight she had them tracing their hands and then cut out the hands to make turkeys which they taped together in a long line. She then asked them what they were thankful for and wrote it on each turkey. It is now hanging on the boys' door. The picture below is the turkey "wreath" she helped them with and her own turkey that she made last night. She had told me she was going to write on it what she was thankful for. Later that night I found it on the boy's door with their names listed on it.