Tips for Teaching Kids Manners by Penelope Carlevato

Today, I invited my good friend and fellow author and speaker and lover of all things tea related, Penelope Carlevato, to share with us some tips on teaching our children and grandchildren manners and etiquette–not something we hear much about today. I gave my grandchildren Penelope’s book First Class Etiquette and it was quite enlightening for them. Born in England, Penelope was raised in an English home on the plains of South Dakota. Her English mother loved to have friends and family in for tea. Penelope grew up with an apron tied around her waist and continued the tradition of …

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Keep Telling Family Stories

“Grammie, who are the people in that picture frame?” my ten year-old granddaughter, Katelyn, asked as she and her seven year-old sister climbed into sleeping bags to spend the night in the loft at our house. Katelyn was pointing to black and white pictures of my grandparents and my parents, all who died before she and her sister were born. As I tucked the girls in and explained who each person was in the picture, Katelyn whispered in my ear, “Wasn’t your dad murdered?” Katelyn’s mother, my daughter, never knew her grandfather—my dad. My father was a California highway patrolman …

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Parenting Tips to Help Your Family Remember God

“My kids are driving me crazy. I’ve tried everything . . . reasoning with them, yelling at them, taking away privileges, sending them to their rooms. Nothing is helping! My husband and I are exhausted and frustrated and on the verge of losing it.” That’s a paraphrase of one mom’s cry for help on Facebook. She was so desperate that she aired her parenting problems to the world and admitted she and her husband were close to the breaking point. All their usual parenting efforts had failed, and I could tell that she felt like a failure as a parent. …

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Ways to Help Your Children Remember God

In my new book, releasing today, Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, I discuss the vital importance of raising up the next generation to not only know God, but insure they have a relationship with Jesus. That means parents must follow biblical guidelines in raising their children. The results will be immediate. parents must follow biblical guidelines in raising their children. The results will be immediate. Click To Tweet Ways to Implement Deuteronomy 6:6-9 in Your Home In the Generation to Generation section of Forsaken God?, I discuss Deuteronomy 6:6-9, where Moses instructed the Israelites …

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How to Have a Birthday Party for Jesus

Our Christmas Tree I posted the above picture on my Facebook timeline and received many questions about the Birthday Bag for Jesus in front of the Christmas tree. At our house, that Birthday Bag is a reminder that we are celebrating the birthday of Jesus. Christmas is Jesus’ Birthday! Celebrate Click To Tweet A Christmas Party with Purpose Have a Purpose for Your Christmas Party Click To Tweet The tradition of celebrating Jesus’ birthday at Christmas started early in our marriage. Since our anniversary is December 19th (22 years this year!), it’s already a packed month for us, but we …

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Little Visits with God

“My grandkids are coming this weekend. Could you please pray for grandpa and me to have wisdom when we need to discipline the kids or they exhibit bad behavior.” That was my prayer request one week at our small group, prior to our grandkids’ visit without their parents. One of the group members then told me about a little book that she used when her kids were small called Little Visits with God. She said if it was just one of her kids acting out, she read it with that one, but if it was both of the kids, she …

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When Your Child Recognizes the Need for Prayer Before You Do!

This summer, we enjoyed a wonderful family reunion with seven of our eleven grandchildren at our mountain home. We floated the river, played in the river, swam in a geothermal pool, played ping pong and badminton, jumped on the trampoline endlessly…well I didn’t do that … went to an outdoor play of Cinderella, played games, roasted s’mores, ate, and fellowshipped together for an amazing week. At the end of the week, we headed down the mountain to spend Father’s Day at my daughter’s house, a little over an hour away. We had to take two cars. So, my husband drove one …

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Spiritually Dressing for School

My good friend was distraught. Her daughter was starting middle school and every morning she threw up on the way to school. This daughter had never shown signs of anxiety before and always did very well in school. She was a “star student.” My friend was at a loss of how to help her daughter. There didn’t seem to be anything medically wrong with her. I asked my friend if she prayed with her daughter before she left for school. She said yes they had tried that, but she was still throwing up. I then suggested she pray the spiritual armor of …

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Celebrate Grandparents Today

 Did you know that today is National Grandparents Day? It’s a day to celebrate all grandparents and thank God for our heritage and the legacy these precious grandparents have passed down to us and to our children.  My husband and I are the proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren, who are spread all over the United States. We make the rounds at least once a year to see them all, but even though I can’t be with them face-to-face on a regular basis, I do come face-to-face with the Lord daily praying for these special gifts He has blessed us with …

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A Prodigal’s Plea to Parents: Never Stop Praying!

Following is a testimony that will encourage every parent of a prodigal. Alycia Neigbours is a professed prodigal who put her parents through years of worry and pain throughout her childhood, and for eight years, they lived the nightmare of not knowing if she was alive or dead. In her own words, Alycia shares her prodigal story and why it’s so important for parents to never stop praying for their prodigal child, even when they don’t see any change and things may look like they’re getting worse. Prodigal On the Run by Alycia Neighbours I Ran From My Family and …

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