How to Be the Perfect Christian Mom (Sometimes!)

ow to Be the Perfect Christian Mom (Sometimes!) - Parenting Like HannahSeveral years ago, I decided it would save our family quite a bit of money if I learned some basic cake decorating skills. We were in the middle of those “I want a birthday cake that looks like Cinderella” years and those specialty cakes can cost a fortune. So, I went to Michael’s and took the class. I baked many unusual cakes – one of which even won a “prize” at my daughter’s Odyssey of the Mind competition. (Don’t ask. I’m still not sure why that was a “thing”.)

I will never be a professional cake decorator, even though those cakes turned out just fine. Why? Partially because I’m not an artist. Mostly though, because I’m just not willing to put in the time and effort to get really good at it. “Good enough” is okay with me when it comes to cake decorating.

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Fun, Flexible Family Devotional

Fun Flexible Family Devotional - Parenting Like HannahFamily devotionals are great. Many families don’t do them because they take time and energy they don’t think they have. Others hesitate because they aren’t really sure what to do. Unfortunately, by not having family devotionals, you are missing out on great opportunities to teach your kids about God and what He wants from them and for them on a regular basis.

There are great family devotional books you can purchase, but not everyone has that kind of disposable income. So, I want to start sharing with you some fun family devotionals you can do with your kids. The best part is that they will be flexible. There will be one activity, but I will suggest multiple Bible stories and applications you can use with that activity. Then you can choose which story or application lesson your kids need the most.

Ready? Here’s what you need:

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The Hopeful Family

The Hopeful Family - Parenting Like HannahI don’t know about you, but if I watch a news channel for very long, I begin losing hope for the future. It’s easy to believe the world is getting worse and there is little if anything we can do to stop it. If you are a student of history, you know that isn’t the case, but even knowing the world has had periods of time equally bad or worse is still of little comfort.

The danger for Christian parents is losing hope for the future of our children and generations of our family yet to be born. If we lose hope, why bother to put the extra effort into raising kids who will be active Christians, living their faith in this Fallen world? Yet, the message of God’s Plan, of Jesus and of the Gospel message is hope. So how do we remain hopeful raising our kids to be Christians in an openly Fallen world?

I was interested when offered the chance to review the book God of Tomorrow by Caleb Kaltenbach. Kaltenbach has a rather unique background for a Christian author. At some point in his life, both of his parents came out as homosexuals. Caleb had to find a way to love them, while still teaching them what God wanted from them and for them. (Ultimately, both of his birth parents converted to Christianity.)

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When Your Christian Parenting Is Interrupted…

When Your Christian Parenting Is Interrupted - Parenting Like HannahDid you know a transmission water main break can deprive an entire large county of water in minutes? I didn’t until this morning. The massive lack of water meant an emergency unplanned grocery run with the rest of the county and took a large chunk out of my well planned, well intentioned morning. And my kid is in college!

You’ve probably had days which are much worse. If your kids are passing the latest mystery illness back and forth, those stretches can last weeks. You are in survival mode – with little to no sleep and no energy reserves. So you finally get two seconds to look online and chill, only to see the latest Parenting Like Hannah Christian parenting blog post.

Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to throw your iPad against the closest wall in frustration. Believe it or not, I get it. My kid got sick. Our cars broke down. We even lost all sewage capabilities the day before a huge Thanksgiving at our house, requiring emergency plumbers and thousands of un-budgeted dollars to get back.

Whether you realize it or not, you are indeed Christian parenting while in survival mode. Don’t believe me? Here’s what you are teaching your kids about God and what He wants from them and for them during those rough seasons of parenting.

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What Bible Should Your Kids Own?

What Bible Should Your Kids Own? - Parenting Like Hannah

 

 

One of the most frequent questions I hear is, “What Bible should I give my kids?”. It’s a great question, because giving your children the wrong Bible can discourage them from wanting to read it independently. Or it can be printed in such a way that perhaps it doesn’t ground your kids as well in scripture as other Bibles might.

There are three factors you need to consider when buying a Bible for a child (or anyone really):

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