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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

A much better way to start the day!

It all started during preschool right after we moved into our new house.  Every morning while the kids were eating breakfast I would let them watch Little Bear or Miffy.  And then it gradually turned into The Magic School Bus and Arthur.  And then Sponge Bob. 

I knew eating while watching TV probably wasn't a good idea but it seemed o.k. at the time.  The kids could see the TV from the kitchen table so it wasn't like they were eating in the family room.  And it seemed to help them wake up.

Fast forward several years and now both of the kids are in elementary school. We are getting up even earlier than we had to for preschool and we have a bus to catch.  We only have about 40 minutes from the time the kids get up to the time they get on the bus.  And we have a lot to do in that 40 minutes.

They have to get dressed, eat, brush their teeth and their hair.  All of this is very doable in 40 minutes.  However it seemed that I spent that entire 40 minutes yelling at my kids. "Eat faster!"  "Don't forget to brush your teeth!"  "Put your shoes on NOW!"

About a month ago I decided that this was a horrible way for all of us to start the day. And I realized that the culprit was the TV.  The kids were so engrossed in whatever show they were watching that they didn't want to get ready for school.

So one Friday morning after finally getting fed up with the constant yelling, I told them that on Monday there would be no TV at breakfast and instead we were going to read the Bible.

I started my day with prayer and devotions so it only made sense for the kids to do something similar.

I headed to Lifeway Christian store and I looked through all of the kid's devotional books and realized we just needed to start simple.  So I bought a Bible.  My kids have many children's Bibles but they only contained stories.  I wanted us to read the entire Bible.

So I purchased The Day By Day Kid's Bible by Karyn Henley.



For the first couple of days the kids  were not happy about not being able to watch TV with breakfast but let me tell you it has been a lifesaver. While they are eating I read one 7 minute section.  Sometimes they ask me questions, sometimes they don't.  And sometimes I wonder if any of it is sticking in their sleepy little minds.

All of the early morning screaming has stopped.  (Well except for that one morning when the bus came really early and we weren't ready!) 

I can send my kids peacefully out the door knowing that they have heard the Word.  And really, what better way is there than that to start the day?

"...but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you. - 1 Peter 1:25

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23 comments:

Becky said...

That's a wonderful tradition, and it really does make a difference. I know your kids will appreciate it (even if they don't acknowledge it for years)!

Denise said...

Such an awesome idea sweetie.

Grandma T said...

The Way is definitely, the way! Happy day sweet Mom!

Alicia The Snowflake said...

Oh what a great idea! I have always let my son watch TV in the morning. Now that he's older I am thinking about cutting it out. I'm trying to figure out how to work it. Thanks for the idea!

Momisodes said...

Sounds like your found a great alternative. So glad it's working out for you all.

Susan R said...

Bravo for you! What a wonderful way to start the day and it's a great tradition for your family. You may not know it now or even in a year or two, but your kids will remember and appreciate it.
You will be blessed in many ways.

Jami said...

I love it! I recently decided to turn the TV off as well. It has made a huge difference. They still need a little prodding sometimes but I think that will improve with time. Thanks for the post. I'm going to look into that Bible.

Tracey said...

I so love this idea! I pray with my two daughters before we leave the house in the morning, but had not thought about having a quick Bible reading time. Very glad that this is working for you!

junglemama said...

How awesome! Wakin gup to the Lord's word. What a genius! :) We don't do tv, but we don't usually open up the Bible either. Good idea.

He & Me + 3 said...

My kids do devotions every morning too. I like that you do it with them. I should get that book and start the day out with them doing devotions instead of them doing them alone and telling me about their devotions. Doing them all together sounds better:)

Photosnappinmama said...

WOW, what a great way to start the day! May have to pick this up & give it a go in our home too! Thanks for posting this!

Kate @ The Gaines Gang said...

My family so needed this! Thank you so much for sharing. We to start our morning off yelling trying to hurry and are always late. I plan on going to Mardels today and getting that Bible. Sounds like a perfect fit for us!

Thanks again!
Kate

Jessica Ryan said...

how lovely!

TV is not allowed on in my house in the morning during the week. I have to get Rebecca up at 7:00 and it is a struggle to have her up and ready and out.... I let Christopher sleep until 7:40. He seems to be able to pull it all together in about 40 minutes. If I get him up at 7:00 he can't wake up. I'm scrambling too. I love this idea but it would just not work for us. We have our time at the end of the day.

Gretchen said...

WHat a wonderful idea. Except, who's going to make the lunches and change the baby's diaper and clean up all the spilled milk while mama is reading the devotion? LOL

I would love to do this. I'll check into that book.

Joan said...

Great idea! There is always a season in our children's lives where doing daily devotions seem to work better than at other times. We had a season like that once, now they are teens and do their own but every time I have them both in the car we talk about what we are learning from God's word. Some of our best conversations have been in the car.

Blessings

RR Mama said...

I am so coping you!!!!

Corey~living and loving said...

fabulous! seriously, more folks need to stop, and figure out why things aren't working. If you are having stress, something needs to change. What a great example.

Angelica Bays, TygrLilies.blogspot.com said...

'Atta girl! Way to go!

Jamie said...

Love this idea! A perfect way to start the day.

Love your blog too:)

Jamie said...

Thank you Beth. Keith and I have been saying for a while that we need to get some kind of devotional to do with Anna (and eventually Ella). That's a great idea to simply read the Bible. I plan to check out that particular one next time I'm at one of the Christian bookstores.

Colleen said...

Very cool! Thanks for the book recommendation - my kids need some more Bible exposure on their level.

Kim said...

Awesome plan! What a way to start their day.

Corrie said...

what a great idea! my current threat is I'm throwing the tv out the window...to which my little miss cries not the tv, no mummy and behaves beautifully!

sometimes I wish we had no tv! must look that for that book!

lovely blog too btw!
corrie;)