02Jun 2018 by Krystal 6 Comments

Laughter is the Best Medicine!

Teaching Your Children
Today my children and I were enjoying gorgeous weather, running through the sprinkler to keep cool and picnicking outside. We like to make up our own "knock knock" jokes sometimes while we eat. My one son begged me to look up jokes about poop, and we ended up finding a web-page where baby bibs had the funniest sayings. Here are a few:"I'm going green, in my diaper.""Poop loading. 80% complete.""I'm smiling because I pooped." "Want to see my compost pile?""I'm on all liquid diet.""Yes it's full and yes, it's your turn!"I started to recall things my kids have said that have cracked me up, the few that I can remember off the top of my head:Luke at age 3, after learning about Jesus' resurrection: "Mom, look at this fish by the river."…
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01Jun 2018 by Krystal 15 Comments

~Practicing Hospitality~

Faith, Personal Testimonies
My husband is from Ecuador, his city in the mountains. There, as in other places around the world, you can visit your friends' houses without calling beforehand! Yes, you can simply go, and as long as someone is home you will immediately be invited in for coffee or tea and bread, which lends itself to conversation and wonderful fellowship.As a whole, Ecuadorians practice hospitality. They don't hesitate to let others in for an unexpected visit, taking time out of their day to listen to and bless another. While in Ecuador, my husband and I made "surprise" visits to many families from our church in the evenings, and we were never turned away. How would we react to an unplanned visit? If you live in the United States as I do, the…
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29May 2018 by Krystal 3 Comments

Memorial Day–A Day to Remember My Testimony!

Faith, Personal Testimonies
Yesterday we celebrated Memorial Day and it was a sunny, gorgeous, and patriotic time. Attending a parade, cheering for service men and women, and celebrating with a cook-out and family time made our day joyful and meaningful.Memorial means "remembrance," and just as we remember those who served and are serving our country, I was remembering how I came to faith in Jesus as my personal Savior. I would like to share my story with you.My first remembrance of beginning my journey to belief in God was when I was probably only four or five years old. My family and I attended a Christian church, and in my Sunday school class one morning the teacher shared that Jesus loves me, died for my sins, and wants to come into my heart…
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28May 2018 by Krystal 2 Comments

Summer Teaching Ideas For Your Kids!

Teaching Your Children
This is officially my tenth post, and it's a pleasure to use this outlet as a way for some of us to communicate with each other and to uplift one another. Always feel welcome to comment and ask questions if you have any. Thank you for being here!Well, I started the journey of homeschooling a few years ago with my children, and it is the most wondrous and challenging experience (and I'm not even close to being done)! This year by the time May rolled around, I was completely wiped and ready for summer vacation. To get my kids and I through the last two weeks of school, this was my plan:1. Pick topics that are easy to learn about outside.2. Make sure it doesn't require a lot of planning!In…
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26May 2018 by Krystal 12 Comments

Friendship and Forgiveness

Faith
Friendships come and friendships go.Have you ever met someone that you thought you could stay friends with forever, only to find out it all came crashing down perhaps when you least expected it? Maybe it was a best friend you had growing up, a parent who has deeply hurt you, the heartbreak of divorce, or a sibling you no longer keep in touch with. It's like a death of a person in a sense, the betrayal of a confidence. I have a lot of friends that I have lost, some seemingly unnecessarily. It stings to feel a rejection, and my first reaction can naturally be bitterness and anger. However, what I've found is praying for those who I feel have wronged me brings about a softness in my heart, a compassion…
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26May 2018 by Krystal 2 Comments

Is there a God? What is LIFE all about? Our Purpose…

Faith
Read below the following verses in Ecclesiastes chapter 1 from The Bible written by King Solomon, son of King David.Everything Is Meaningless1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”    says the Teacher.“Utterly meaningless!    Everything is meaningless.”3 What do people gain from all their labors    at which they toil under the sun?4 Generations come and generations go,    but the earth remains forever.5 The sun rises and the sun sets,    and hurries back to where it rises.6 The wind blows to the south    and turns to the north;round and round it goes,    ever returning on its course.7 All streams flow into the sea,    yet the sea is never full.To the place the streams come from,    there they return again.8 All things are wearisome,    more than one can say.The eye never has enough of seeing,    nor the ear its fill of hearing.9 What has been will be again,    what…
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21May 2018 by Krystal 9 Comments

Less is MORE!

Personal Testimonies, Teaching Your Children
I have come to love and embrace the saying, "Less IS more." I never knew exactly what that meant completely until I came to experience so much busyness as a mother, wife, friend, daughter, person, that I had to find a better way to survive and THRIVE.LESS is MORE means saying NO to many GOOD things. NO to a mom's group that I had served in for years and wished I could continue in many senses. NO to extra-curricular commitments and activities that initially seem exciting until you are living and breathing the day-to-day of the burdensome schedule. Having four kids in four years did it for me. It forced ME to SLOW DOWN and do LESS. Because I'm the one that would have been doing a million things, and then…
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18May 2018 by Krystal No Comments

Refreshing-SHINE YOUR LIGHT!

Faith, Personal Testimonies
I have not been posting as regularly as I would like, and sometimes it can be hard to think of what to share and write. Today I had my idea early on, inspiration that came from a complete stranger.It was about noon and my crew of four children and I were headed home from a park, a fifteen minute walk back to our house. We were only a few minutes into our journey when we passed a house, and outside a guy with a long beard was putting what looked like some sports gear into the back of his trunk. It's strange that I don't remember exactly what he said, but rather how he said it; he was intentionally trying to be friendly and show God's heart and love as…
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15May 2018 by Krystal No Comments

Mother’s Day

Faith
Mother's Day can be filled with such joy and sorrow. Moms who have passed on and their children left to remember them, others who long to be a mom and are struggling to or maybe never will be. Of course still others will relish in spending some special time with their mom, and those moms-to-be or young mothers who are beginning to experience the self-sacrifice required in motherhood themselves.Mom. How many times have you said that word in your lifetime? Countless. Perhaps now you are the one hearing it 24/7 from your little ones! A mother can be a priceless instrument in God's hand for the using if she is so willing. Take time to reflect on that in your own life, and remember and speak about the grandmas and…
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04May 2018 by Krystal No Comments

They call me “mommy”

Personal Testimonies
Today I was reminded that much of the time I feel like I am one step behind in life, trying to keep up with the rhythm of the day, the responsibilities before me, and the energy of my sweet children. They run carefree, laugh, cry, fight, and crave attention, affection, and togetherness. In a moment I feel so incapable, but they call for "mommy," and I am the only one who can fill that special role in their lives. It is a privilege. Let me not feel resentment or overwhelmed when I hear them say my name countless times, for it means they trust me to meet their needs. My biggest fear is one day not being with my little lambs, and having to say goodbye. Praise Jesus for the eternal…
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