Family Time

I am reflecting back on 2010 and find myself realizing how blessed I am to have so much family time with my children. My children do some sports or music related activities if they are free at school but otherwise they pretty much just go to school, come home do homework and that's about it. They have very limited activity with friends mainly because they don't have very many whom they do things with outside of school. My oldest Jakob never goes anywhere that is not school or church related and Zekaryah just has one friend who either in the past year stays here or he goes to his house. Mekenzei she is a little more social then the boys- she has two friends who she shares time with. One more than the other since she is just about 10 minutes away.

I really value their sheltered lives. I treasure the fact that they spend so much time at home and that they are not so busy they do not have time to be children. They do take full coursework- meaning they are in advanced classes where they can be. Jakob and Mekenzei are in advanced classes for every class. It does require more time and effort. Zekaryah probably spends just as much time in his non advanced classes as the other two because they are more difficult for him. He did start advanced Math and Science this year and is doing pretty well.

I love to watch movies with them, we often do marathons- pizza nights, snack nights or just a lazy afternoon in PJS with a flick. We do love to play games too. This can be a problem at times if all three want to play because its hard to find a game everyone loves. I brought Yahtzee back this Christmas. It is a game my husband and I would play during date nights when the kids were little. We did not leave them with babysitters, rather we put them down a little early. I would make a wonderful dinner and we would play a game then watch a movie on DVD- or at the time VHS. The kids hestitated at first but I think it might be a monthly traditional game this coming year. We love card games. I looked for one this Christmas called Swap because the one we have is missing a few cards. I can't seem to find it in any of the local stores. I am hoping to locate it online over the next couple of months.
In the summer I would say we spend alot of time at the beach. Paul and I like to fish, more so Paul then myself. Then the kids love to use the waveboards and play in the sand building all sorts of things. The benefit of the drive is conversation. We find ourselves talking about all sorts of things- some of it more just to reemphasize our values like waiting to have sex, others just about goals, dreams or ideas in the world.
I think its so important to have grounded children. Our children don't know the exact dollar that Paul makes but they do realize the income level in which we live in. They realize that we try very hard to not use credit cards, that couponing is a must in order to eat and that we want them to go to college, get good jobs and hopefully not struggle as much as we do.
The bible tells us a few things about how we are to instruct our children,
Deuteronomy 6:7
⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
Deuteronomy 11:19
¹⁹ Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your children, and they will give you peace; they will bring you the delights you desire.

Proverbs 22:6

 ⁶Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

I am sure there are many other verses, but these are some that came to mind.