3 Way's we're weaving scripture and Discipleship in to our summer routine

I am so passionate about exposing my kids to the good and beautiful things of this world...classic art, beautiful stories and literature, gripping history, maps and geography, fun and playful poetry, powerful music, etc etc etc! I get excited showing my kids a Van Gogh painting, or putting on Bethoven's 5th symphony for them to enjoy. 

But nothing is more beautiful to me than Jesus. So as I was praying in to the rhythms I wanted our family to have this summer, I knew I wanted to have some weekly habits around scripture memory and intentional times of discipleship. 

Here are 3 ways we're trying to do this....(keyword "trying"! We are NOT parenting experts, these are only just ideas that we've found useful so far this summer!!) 

1) Picking a LIFE VERSE for each of our children 

Kevin and I actually spent a weekend praying through the verses we wanted our kids to know by heart as their life verse. Each verse stemmed from something we saw in their life that needed encouragement. One of our sons has been particularly fearful lately, so we chose 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God did NOT give you a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and self discipline".

 After picking the specific verse for each child, I wrote them out on a notecard. I then planned a special s'more night where we roasted marshmallows around the fire pit in our back yard. We made a little celebration out of handing them each their cards, and challenged them to memorize their verse and hide it in their heart so that they would have it when they needed it most! 

They all memorized it immediately, which was amazing. Hearing them say their verses each morning has been the highlight of my summer so far! We actually all decided to pick a verse a week now with how fast they learned them. 

2) ABC Memory Verse Song

If you're a product of Christian culture from the '80's and '90's, then you probably grew up singing from Psalty the Psalmbook cassette tapes haha! At least I did. My mom has been buying Psalty CD's for my kids now, and they LOVE THEM. On one of the CD's, there is a song that goes through the entire alphabet with a verse for each letter. My kids loved singing it, so I decided to write each verse on a posterboard and put it up in our dining room. We practice daily at mealtimes. It's been a fun and catchy way for them to hide more scripture memory in their heart:) JUST FYI: I took out some of the "thou's" and "thee's" and replaced them with a contemporary word! 

Here are the verses below:

“A!” “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23
“B!” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Acts 16:31
“C!” Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Eph 6:1
“D!” “Depart form evil and do good.” Psalm 34:14
“E!” “Even a child is known by his doings” Prov. 20:11
“F!” Fear not, for I am with thee.” Isaiah 43:5
“G!” “God is love.” 1John 4:8
“H!” “Honor thy father and mother.” Exodus 20:12
“I!” “I am the vine, you are the branches.” John 15:5

“J!” “Jesus wept.” John 11:35
“K!” Keep thy tongue from evil.” Psalm 34:13
“L!” “Look unto me and be ye saved.” Isaiah 45:22
“M!” “Marvel not, ye must be born again.” John 3:7
“N!” No man can serve two masters.” Matt. 6:24
“O!” Oh, give thanks unto to the Lord, for He is good.” Psalm 118:1
“P!” “Praise ye the Lord.” Psalm 147:1
“Q!” “Quench not the spirit.” 1 Thes. 5:19
“R!” “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8
PSALTY: You’re more than half way there!

“S!” Seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Matt 6:33
Time for “T!” “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.” Prov. 3:5
“U!” Unto us a child is born.” Isaiah 9:6
“V!” “’Vengeance is mine,’ saith the Lord.” Romans 12:19
“W!” “Wait on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14
“X!” “Exceeding great and precious promises are given to us.” 2Peter 1:4
“Y!” “You are the light of the world.” Matt. 5:14
“Z!” “Zion heard and was glad.” Psalm 97:8

3) Intentional Dates with our Kiddos

These are not rigid, sit-down-and-have-long-conversation type dates. These are, let's go connect in a way that's fun for you, and then naturally chat about the important stuff. For instance, Everett's FAVORITE thing to do is play soccer so last week Kev took him to the field right by our home to pass the ball back and forth. On the drive to and from the park, Kevin talked about one aspect of being a "good man"....which is essentially just going over different virtues and character traits we want our kids to grow in to. Things like being kind, having integrity, being honest, etc etc etc. Our kids are still so young, but we know that we want to be faithful to expose them to beautiful and Biblical concepts. 

What kind of things have you done with your kids this summer??1 

Ortesei...The Best Home Base in the Dolomites with kids

The Dolomites are unreal. Truly, getting to hike and bike in the Alpine meadows is a dream come true. When my parents gifted all of us kids and grandkids a special trip to the Dolomites, we spent a lot of time researching the best place to stay with 14 people! After much research, we landed on the incredibly charming town of Ortesei...and let me tell you, it has now become one of our favorite places in all of Italy...here's why:

1) Oretesi is conveniently located at the base of multiple cable cars. This means that we did not have to use our rental cars for the entire week! We woke up in the morning and literally walked the 5 minutes straight to either cable car! We couldn't believe how convenient this was! Having 3 small children and being pregnant with my 4th, the last thing I wanted to do was load kids into a car or bus and have to drive somewhere every day! 

2) Oretsei is gorgeous. You will feel like you stepped in to an Alpine dream. The bright colored buildings, the charming architecture, the cobbled streets, and the Tyrolean vibe will transport you to another time. 

Our Cottage Bathroom Renovation on a Budget

This past year we found extensive water damage in the walls of our upstairs bathroom. Water damage led to mold, and because it was toxic mold, we had to move out of our house for 7 months while our home was repaired. While it was a very difficult and challenging season, a silver lining was that we were able to renovate our bathroom. However, because insurance did not cover the water damage, we were on a very tight budget. 

My vision for this space was a bright and airy cottage bathroom that was whimsical, sweet, and peaceful. Some non-negotiable for me were...

A deep bathtub where I could put a tray across it for my candle and tea cup! 

A timeless floor tile along with romantic shower tile for a soothing bath experience

A light wood vanity 

I wanted the fixtures to be unique and sweet, not dark and bulky like so many builder grade bathrooms today. 

I honestly love how it turned out, and to know we did it on a budge was even more satisfying! While I still have dreams of wallpaper and beadboard, towel hooks and art on the wall, that will come as I curate and collect pieces I love. 

Here are the links to everything we used (All the items names are linked!):  

Bathtub- We actually bought this bathtub at a local store in town, so we got an even better deal than what's listed on the website. But I will tell you, I LOVE THIS TUB. It is deep and wide (which was noticeable when my kids all go in for their bath time!) AND it has a lip on either side so that I can put a tray across when I take long baths (gotta have a place for my tea, candle and book!) 

Mirrors - Holy Moly, these mirrors from Moon Mirror are stunning. I first saw them on Pinterest, and stared at them admiringly for 5 minutes. I was shocked at how affordable they were. I got a discount for signing up for their email list. 

Vanity - I had my heart set on the Pottery Barn Sausalito vanity, but we literally could not swing the price tag. I spent hours scouring the internet and this had the same look and feel as the Pottery Barn one, but for half the price! I swapped out the faucets for a more vintage feel (and plan to spray paint the hardware brass, but haven't done that quite yet!) 

Faucets - I really wanted a a vintage faucet feel, and these are such a great price and have the cottage look I was going for! 

Sconce - Ok, is there anything sweeter than this ruffled sconce? I adore it. I actually have matching ones in my kitchen and sitting room. I couldn't resist adding one more:) 

Window Curtain - We have a privacy window in the bathroom, so didn't need a curtain for privacy, but I still wanted one for a dainty aesthetic. This was not only affordable, but very easy to put up!  

Shower Curtain - I had my eye set on one from Amber Interiors but there was no way I could spend over $100 on a shower curtain. So...when I saw this $19 curtain, which was both adorable and affordable, I knew it would be a great starter curtain for the bathroom. I actually loved it so much I bought it for our downstairs bathroom too.  

Shower Tiles - These are just so dreamy to me. And the great news is that they are a really affordable Zellige option! 

Floor Tiles - Every time I look at these tiles, they make me happy. I love them, they give the whole space a personality of its own! Again, another very affordable option. 

Runner - I'm not a Wal-Mart shopper, but this rug surprised me with how much I loved it! 

Hand Towel - World Market is my favorite for towel, this one especially! 

Shower-head & Bath Faucet - A lovely but very user friendly bundle from Delta. 

What do you think? 

What questions do you have for me?? 

Thanks for coming along today on a little tour of my bathroom:) 

                                   

 

Biking in the Dolomites with Kids

Truth be told, you certainly get the most bang for your buck on bikes in the Dolomites! There is literally so much to do and see in the gorgeous alpine meadows, and with a bike, you can cover twice as much ground in this gorgeous heaven on earth! And...the good news is, the Dolomites are incredibly kid friendly when it comes to all the kid bike gear.


My dad's dream has been to take his entire family to the Dolomites and do a bike ride with everyone. In the last 20 years my dad has become a HUGE Tour de France fan, has taken up cycling as a hobby, and has even carted his cycling bike on an airplane to Europe with him (on one of our trips to France a few years back haha). So...this day was a dream come true.

We stayed in the town of Ortesei (see my post about this magical home base here), and walked to the bike shop at the base of the Alps di Suisi cable car. The bike shop is called Ski & Bike Rental Bamby. They were able to outfit our entire crew of 14 with the appropriate bikes and helmets and all the baby gear.

The adults all had electric bikes (with turbo boost! thank God haha), and then the kids were given each a Helmut and were buckled in to either a bike seat on the back of the adult bikes, or a bike trailer. My sister-in-law and I had our babies (ages 15 months and 8 months) in a bike seat on the back of our bikes. My two older kids (ages 5 and 3) sat in a bike trailer on the back of Kevin's bike.

Once we all had our bikes, we proceeded to the cable car where they put your bikes inside the cable car with you. Unloading them all at the top was fairly simple. Once all the kids were strapped in, our crew of 14 took off down the mountain.

The ride was glorious. Definitely make sure you rent the electric bikes as the hills are no joke. Having the "turbo boost" allowed the bike to do the heavy lifting on mountain climbs. With a baby on the back of my bike I was especially grateful for this!

We rode to the base of Compatch and stopped at a restaurant and all ordered a drink. We sat outside on the gorgeous grassy patio and stared up at the magnificent view. Then we hopped on our bikes for a while longer, stopping shortly after at a grassy meadow to have a picnic lunch and let the kids run around. Back on the bikes we went to ride even further.

AFter a while, my parents and siblings went on ahead, and Kevin and I stopped at a hut to let our kids play and get a snack. Then we headed back up the hill to ride the cable car back down with our bikes.

An amazing day! If your family is in to biking, this is the absolute best place in the world to soak in glorious views all around you!

As usual, don't hesitate to reach out via comment, email or on IG (@worlds.of.hope). Have a great day!