Parenting Tips from Justin Bieber

I recently stumbled on this blog post about Justin Bieber and I like it. A lot.

I like the call to be courageous parents.

I like the call to raise courageous kids.

I think one of the added blessings to putting together this after school group called KWAV's has been that we have seen a group of parents stand up to say, "I'm all in on this whole raising kids who are quality people."

Because it is easy to find a sea of people who want their kids to be brilliant, or a stellar athlete, or even "well-rounded" in the college application way.

But, to find a group of people who want their kids to be kind, and thoughtful, and humble, and who love God and try to put others before themselves - well, that may not be quite as easy.

Truly, we are grateful to have found parents with the same vision as us.

Thank you.

Weekly Recap and This Week

We will be collecting gently used sporting goods or dance & gymnastics items again this week. Feel free to drop off items at the Phase 2 Clubhouse anytime from noon to 3 PM.

We are looking forward to another fun week with our KWAV's kids.

Next week (the 15th) will be our last week. We plan on having a party!

Operation Flag Delivery ...

Mission Successfully Completed.

[who can resist these brave soldiers?]

There were about 45 children who made these at our KWAV's group this week. We delivered them to the local VA Hospital today and it was pretty darn sweet. We had a group of preschoolers handing them out. They would smile at the Veterans in the cafeteria and hand them a flag with cute shy voices saying, "Thank you for your service to our country." The Veterans were so touched. It was such a simple thing to do and they were very touched. We were asked not to snap any photos of the Veterans, but here is a picture of our handy helpers:

My two favorite moments:

1. My son handed his flag to an older Veteran who was wearing his marines hat proudly and the gentleman said, with tears in his eyes, "You just made my day. Thank you, son."

2. A group of fellas were sharing lunch and 2 of our preschool boys handed them all flags. They smiled at our boys and then saluted them. Then, they taught the boys how to salute. Precious.

It was a blessing to see these individuals feel appreciated. My son was beaming with pride and felt super happy that he made them happy.

Go bless someone this weekend.

Veteran's Day Craft Project

In honor of Memorial Day this weekend, we wanted a project for the kids to do that would bless Veterans. It was very simple, fun for the kids, and turned out really sweet.

How To:

Print the "Dear Veterans" template - click here to download the google doc

Use a paper cutter to cut into 4 postcard sized letters

Punch two holes along the right side of the "Dear Veterans" side

Have the kids sign their names and their ages on the letter

On the blank side, have the kids sketch a flag with the rectangle in the upper left corner, and then the stripes.

Color the rectangle blue, and stripes red and white

We had stickers for them to apply to the rectangle

Thread the straw through the holes in order to complete the "Flag"

Beaded Saftey Pin How To:

Have the kids thread red, white and blue beads onto safety pins, and then pin to the front of the letter.

Mail or deliver to Veterans you know!

Weekly Recap

Today was another great day for the KWAV's. We kicked off our time together with a great minute to win it game. Claire and Ryan challenged each other with the "angry bull dog game". It was pretty awesome!

Our story was about the Prodigal Son and forgiveness. We should all have ample opportunities this week to practice cultivating a forgiving posture for one another.

I love the definition of forgive that the kids learned - "Choosing to forget if someone has hurt me."

Our small group activity this week was to make something for Veterans, in honor of Memorial Day. The kids made a beaded safety pin that we pinned onto a letter to Veterans. The other side of the letter was made into a flag. We are delivering these to Veterans at the VA Hospital in Long Beach this week.

The highlight of our day was our guest speaker! We had Mr. Coleman, a father of two KWAV's, and fellow neighbor, come in to share with the kids about his experience as a Veteran. His story is powerful and the kids were captivated. He opened it up to questions and one of our girls asked if the kids could sing the national anthem for him.

All the children stood and proudly belted out The Star Spangled Banner. It was a very special moment! Thank you, Mr. Coleman, for your service to our country and for sharing time with us.

Just a reminder for next week - we'd love to have the kids bring a gently used sporting goods item, or dance or gymnastic item to donate to kids in the inner city.

The "love" Bracelets are Loved

Last Wednesday the bracelets that the kids made for the homeless women staying at The Isaiah House (a homeless shelter in Santa Ana) were delivered.

I'm pretty sure it is safe to say that these are loved.

Love Notes How To

This idea was inspired by the Love Notes boxes that Becky Higgins made for her friends. We modified it slightly to fit our project, but she is the genius who came up with the idea!

If you are interested in making some Love Notes boxes for a family you love, this is what you need:

a small box of some sort - either a take out box like we used, or small container

post its

the "love notes" label, for on top of the box - Click Here for the google doc

the "love notes" verse for the front of the box - Click Here for the google doc. We attached the verse with a small brad, but you could tape it, staple it, or use a cute sticker or japanese masking tape.

the "love notes" description for the inside of the box (or it could be tied to the box with cute ribbon or twine) - Click Here for the google doc

These would be super cute to give out at Christmas or Valentine's Day to families you love. You could put some Hershey's kisses in the bottom of the box to sweeten the deal.

Now, go love on someone.