One Word At A Time: Home

By Ginny (MAD21)

Home: The place in which one's domestic affections are centered.

We've all heard the saying: "Home is where your heart is." But what does that mean, really? I currently live in Maryland, but I have always considered my "home" to be in Idaho because that's where I grew up, I said for years it was where my heart was. But honestly, my heart is wherever my husband and kids are. So I ask myself, since they are here, does that make my home in Maryland? I still won't concede.

I lived in seven different dwellings before I got married. I loved the little house I rented in the years just before I got married. It had so much character and potential. I had a lot of good memories there. I bought my first house with my husband just before we got married, we've been in that same house ever since. It's the longest I've ever lived in one place, 11 years. It feels odd at times, especially since a lot of our furniture has also been in the same location since we moved in, too. So since we own this home, and it's where I've lived the longest, does that make it home?

It calls to you.

Perhaps our general definitions of home are a bit shallow. It has to be more than where you currently have an address and more than just where you sleep or keep your belongings, or even where you grew up. I believe "home" is a place that calls to you. It's a longing or desire to be somewhere or with someone. A place where you are surrounded my memories and feel secure. A place where you are loved and wanted.

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One Word At A Time: Road

By Ginny (MAD21)

Getting real with the road we are all on.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how often I write about the fun things we do as a family; ways that we as parents help grow our children; ideas regarding how to organize our lives; and make our family and faith stronger. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. It is, after all, the mission of my blog to cover all of those topics. But after the last few posts I've written about Fun Fridays, playing games, and strategies that generally work for our family, I have felt the need to make sure you all knew that my family wasn't living in a realm of perfection where the sun is always shining, my house is always clean and organized, my children are always well behaved, and my hubby and I are always on speaking terms. If you've been thinking that, I'm sorry to shatter that image for you! Haha

We all talk a lot about our families, and our experiences as parents to children of all ages. We discuss how things should be in the world and how strong our faith should be, and how big our God is. Talking about all of these things is important, but I wonder if there is something else, something that is just as real that needs to be addressed.

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One Word At A Time: Games

By Ginny (MAD21)

I've written before about how you can use games to teach your kids. But in general, I love to play. When it comes to family entertainment and children's ministries, I am commonly known as the "game keeper." It probably has to do with the fact that for years, whenever there was any kind of gathering whether family or ministry, you would usually find me playing with the kids. Generally it has always been where I felt the most comfortable.

I was the recreation director at a summer camp for seven years where I spent the week doing such things as filling water balloons for a wet version of sharks and minnows, playing caterpillar kickball, and providing an afternoon of fun on a 100 foot slip-n-slide; we had an annual kid's night out at our church where I built a maze out of about 12 rolls of duct tape and 24 wardrobe boxes that filled our sanctuary (it even had dead ends!). I could go on and on about all the fun I've had over the years in ministry. But honestly, even though it was a great time, the bottom line was that playing games with the kids helped to build relationships and trust between themselves and the leaders.

The same is true with family. I have found that the more time I spend just playing and talking with my kids, the more likely they are to listen to me, and the better they treat each other overall. We all learn about patience, taking turns, and being a good sport. The more face-time we all get, the better.

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One Word At A Time: Adventure

By Ginny (MAD21)

If I were to choose a few words to describe my family, one of them would surely be adventurous. We love to go on adventures. Yes, we have also chosen that word to describe an everyday occurrence in hopes that by changing a certain child's perspective about it might make them more motivated to participate, but really, we do love them. One of our most favorite ways to add adventure to a road trip is that we don't usually have a map or a time line.

We have two different kinds of trips we like to take. One has a specific location as our destination, the other is "just pick a direction."

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One Word At A Time: Treasure

By Ginny (MAD21)

"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being." (Matthew 6:21, The Message)

I believe every family should make a list of what is most important to them. Husbands and wives need to have a list needs and things they value just between the two of them, but there also needs to be one for the family as a whole. The list should be kept somewhere it will be seen every day, in our Bibles, on our refrigerators... Somewhere we can see it as a reminder. I know if I get to the point when I am overwhelmed, my priorities are out of balance.

I believe it's important to periodically look at how our family is spending our time and money. These are both easy to measure and will quickly show you what things you spend the most on. It holds us accountable to our family's priorities. I never want to look back and regret what we chose to do with our lives.

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