YOB: #21. Visit Geppi's Entertainment Museum

By Lara

I have been curious about Geppi's Entertainment Museum since last fall. I heard an advertisement on the radio that they were having a murder mystery dinner party to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the board game Clue. I thought that was super. I probably would have gone if I'd heard about it in time to buy tickets. Alas.

Since I missed my opportunity last year, I suggested that Beth put "Go to Geppi's Entertainment Museum" on the Year of the Birthday list. She did. That brings me to June 15, 2009.

Beth and I are both avid Harry Potter fans. I may have mentioned that there is nothing I love more than a good story. Although that is certainly true, I especially love a well written story. As we can no longer be terribly excited about the new books in the Harry Potter series being released, we have started becoming excited about the new movies instead.

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Keeping Up Appearances

By MH, Age 14

Being a teenage girl you go through life trying to fit in. You want to be apart of the "popular crowd" or apart of the "bad girls." The clothes we wear to try to fit in. The way we act to get people to like us. Have you ever wanted to fit in so badly that you would do anything? Well if you have I just want you to know that it is not a good way to live. I used to think that people wouldn't like me if I didn't wear this, if I didn't act like that.

A year ago that all changed. I realized that it doesn't matter what people think. I now don't care if people don't like me because I don't wear this or don't act like that. All that matters to me is how God is showing through me. God will always love us no matter what we wear or how we act. The "popular crowd" or "bad girls" only like us for who we pretend to be. For whom we are not. They only like us because we wear this or wear that.

God loves us unconditionally. Life is like trying on clothes. "That shirt makes me look fat, those clothes are too big, those shoes are last year, those pants are too dorky." We shouldn't go through life trying on clothes. Loving a shirt we just bought then throwing it away the next because someone "dorky" was wearing it. We should go through life showing people that God is in us. That He is yours and no one or anything can take that away. Not a "popular crowd" or the "bad girls." If you ever come across these struggles remember that God loves you because you are you and you are not trying to go through life trying on clothes.

Fighting Childhood Cancer, One Cup At A Time

By Megan (Steps For Brady)

We’ve all heard the expression, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right? What about when life gives you cancer? What then?

Thanks to a little girl named Alexandra Scott, those of us who have been touched by pediatric cancer can take our experience and use it to make a difference. Alex had cancer, life gave her that lemon, and she decided to make lemonade.

Alex Scott was an amazing girl who was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma just before her first birthday. In the year 2000, she decided that she wanted to have a lemonade stand to raise money to help doctors find a cure for childhood cancer. Tragically at the age of 8, Alex lost her battle with cancer, but at the time of her death, she had raised 1 million dollars towards cancer research. The Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has since raised over 25 million dollars through the hard work of children and families all over the world who hold lemonade stands in their community.

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When I Fail

By MAD21

How many times have you found yourself feeling like a total failure? Especially parents who have really young kids who test their boundaries just about every minute of the day (though I guess it could be the same for parents of kids of any age!). We have two amazing little girls in our house, but there are those days. You know them... the days when they have forgotten all the things they've learned in their short years; sharing; politeness; loving one another; the importance of good attitudes; etc. We all have standards that we've set for ourselves. How many days have we not only failed our own, but also failed to meet God's?

It gets me wondering, maybe we need to step back and look at who's standards we should be following. Are we putting more pressure on ourselves than God had intended? We think we are failing ourselves and God when our children aren't making good choices in their lives, but what is really happening?

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YogaKids

By MAD21

YogaKids was founded by Marsha Wenig. The program "recreates traditional yoga techniques and poses in fun and educational ways...The classes incorporate [their] unique 14 elements to reach a variety of learning styles. Reading, storytelling, music, creative arts, science and earthcare blended seamlessly with yoga poses to educate the whole child ages three through teen."

This group also has some really great videos and books on doing yoga with kids. Some are better than others, but the poses are really fun to do with your kids (my kids enjoyed YogaKids 2). They have stories for each of the poses, and the poses themselves have names the kids will remember. You can also sign up to receive emails with the "pose of the week."

Check your local library, ours had some of the videos so we could try them out to see if we liked them before we bought them.