From Frazzled to Fun

History

The idea of Christingles came from a Moravian Church in Germany in 1747 when minister John de Watteville gave children at the service a lighted candle with a red ribbon around it. He explained that this represented Jesus being the light of the world and the final prayer of that first service was "Lord Jesus, kindle a flame in these children’s hearts, that theirs like Thine become".

Moravian missionaries brought the tradition to the Church of England in the late 1700's and the Christingle was later made more popular in the UK by John Pensom in 1948 at Lincoln Cathedral.

The tradition is often observed either the Sunday before Christmas or on Christmas Eve.

Over the years the symbolism of the Christingle grew into what's known as a Christingle today. What does it represent?

• The orange represents earth.
• The candle gives light to the darkness, just as the love of God and Jesus himself does. (The foil is only there to catch waxy drips from the...

As you consider buying books for your child this Christmas, a book by historically-wholesome American Girl reminds us of the importance of vetting content.

The 96-page book, “A Smart Girl’s Guide: Body Image: How to love yourself, live life to the fullest, and celebrate all kinds of bodies” is written for girls aged 8-13 and promotes, among other things:

• getting "medicine" (puberty blockers) from doctors in order to "have more time to think about your gender identity"
• children contacting LGBT organizations if their parents are not supportive of exploring gender identity

“The way you show your gender to the world through clothes and behaviors is your gender expression,” the book reads, as reported by The Daily Mail. “Your gender expression can be feminine, masculine, or somewhere in between – and it might change! Maybe you’ll experiment with bright dresses and long, feminine hairstyles. Or you might try baggy...

 Nearly a quarter of a million messages were sent to the CDC board about the vote to adopt the covid shot to the recommended schedule of childhood immunizations.

On Thursday, however, the CDC voted to add the covid-19 shot.

The impact of this decision is that every child in order to comply would be required to get this shot in order to enroll in a daycare, school, or play athletics.

Three of the concerns about this:

1. This does not allow a parent to make what they believe to be the best choice for their child.

2. There are still so many unknowns about the effects of the shot and good science in support of them is lacking.
 
3. Shot makers have been granted a blanket immunity from lawsuits stemming from adverse effects.

States often DO follow CDC guidelines, but are not required to.

 So let's make sure our states do NOT accept this.

Please pray with me:

Father, I pray that NOT ONE state would adopt this recommendation. Protect our children and pour out your wisdom on all...

Have you heard about Walt Disney Company's latest anti-family move? Just this last year...

• They posed strong opposition to a Flordia bill that would empower parents
• They vowed to incorporate more LGBT characters and storylines into children's media
• Now the FXX Network, controlled by Disney, is premiering the animated series "Little Demon" (showing on FX and Hulu).

According to pluggedin.com and other online reviewers, the first episode, titled "First Blood", included:

• satanic imagery
• full frontal nudity
• sex talk, including references to bestiality
• animated blood and gore
• pentagrams
• dismembered bodies and melting human flesh
• satanic rituals
• witchcraft portrayed as good
• graphic violence, such as beheaded chickens
• urination on corpses
• extreme profanity
• teens drinking and vaping
• glorified murder

(All this in just the first episode....)

Yet, instead of terrifying, Satan is depicted as an average, middle-aged man with a "Mr. Rogers" look (sweater included!) And Hell isn't...

The battle between darkness and light is fierce these days, and it's out for our children.

In what many would have thought would have been a safe places -- first Disney, and now a major toy company -- they are promoting their perverted agendas to try and twist our children's minds.

End of May 2022, Mattel released a new Barbie doll, fashioned after actor Laverne Cox. "#TRANS IS BEAUTIFUL" is the new Barbie hashtag.

Trans actor Laverne Cox said the new Barbie doll in his image can be " a celebration of transness, and also a space for [children] to dream, understand and be reminded that trans is beautiful," he said. "That there's hope and possibility for them to be themselves."

In a statement shared with PEOPLE Magazine, Lisa McKnight, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel, said the brand "couldn't be more excited" to partner with Laverne Cox on the transgender doll. 

(I wonder if this excitement would wane if we shared this with...

Are you concerned about the "woke" messages trying to hit your kids from every side, including elementary schools'  ABCs of socialist activism — teaching kids terms such as “W is for woke,” “S is for social justice,” and “A is for activist”?

It's up to us as parents to be intentional to help our kids understand freedom and liberty is an important party of society.

I recently heard about a book series, the Tuttle Twins, that was written by a dad who teaches the ideas of a free society through fun stories.

Maybe this would be a great tool for your family?

One parent review said, "Tuttle Twins is a breath of fresh air amidst a one sided educational system that trains kids to be good employees rather than good citizens."

I even read reviews that said the parents learned a few things alongside their kids as they read through this series.

Check out the Tuttle Twins children's book series here.

On another...

"My children are learners."

Did you know that viewing our kids as learners can have a significant impact on their growth?

Check out this video by Trevor Ragan that explains

1. how our beliefs about others change the way we treat them, and

2. how that impacts their growth

Are you ready to give an encouraging word?

Here's to kids who are confident to try new things and grow in their abilities!

P.S. Follow me on Instagram at coachmomtribe.

This month the Coach Mom Tribe mommas are having all kinds of sibling kindness in our home.

See YOUR kids serve up kindness to each other at your next family dinner by doing one of the simple exercises.

Host a Family Gratitude Dinner this weekend!

1. Give each person a piece of paper and have them write their name at the top. (If you have young children who can’t write words yet, you might use full sheets of copy paper or cardstock so they can draw pictures.) A note card size might be good for older children, making it easy for people to keep it and look back on it.
2. Everyone passes their papers to the right.
3. Each person writes down one thing about that person that they are thankful for (If your family has 4 or less members, everyone writes down 2 things.) Prompts:

   a. You are so _______________________.

   b. I like _________________________ about you.
4. Repeat until the papers are held by the person sitting just to the left of the person whose sheet they hold.
5. Starting...

We as parents are always looking for ways to support and encourage our kids, right?

Did you know tweaking one subtle angle in the way you praise your child can make all the difference in their development?

I was stunned this week to see Trevor Ragan's presentation sharing what Carol Dweck's study showed.

What you learn from the above video will likely revolutionize the way you cheer your kids on to be the best they can be.

As the Coach Mom Tribe works through our action steps to organize or homes and families each week this year we will be keeping this at the forefront of our minds.

As we praise our children, we will make sure we put more emphasis on the process and effort rather than their intelligence or abilities.

Here's to raising kids who are always growing toward greatness!

One way we can coach them toward greatness is to train them how to organize their own room and stuff.

To get Brenna's free OAK (Organizing Alongside Kids) Mindmap, click...