Jackie's Journey "Life's Relentless Shifting!"

From the look of my neighbor’s yards, my front doors, our Malls and craft stores, the holiday season is in full swing!  Fall is one of my favorite times of year and this one is going to be distinctive with a lot of changes and variables.  We live in a world in which the only constant factor is change…

 “Have you ever thought about change and the collapse of time?  From the days of the Lord Jesus Christ until about 1830, man could not travel any faster than a horse.  In 1960 a man went into outer space and traveled at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour.  Look how far we have come in so short a time(and even more so, the changing world to date)!  Sometimes when I read the papers (or open social media), I think we are trying to run the Space Age (or this day and age)with horse-and-buggy moral and spiritual equipment.

 Technology, you see, has no morals, and with no moral compass man will destroy himself ecologically, militarily, spiritually, or in some other way.  Only God can give a person moral restraints and spiritual strength.  While our world is shaking and crumbling, we need to realize one thing will never change… and that is God. He is the same today as He was ten million years ago, and He will be the same ten million years from today.  We are like grasshoppers; we appear and hop around a bit on earth and then we are gone.” Billy Graham

 The truth is…when we are through changing, we are through!  Bernard Baruch said  “During my eighty-seven years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions.  But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or ability to think”.   SOOO, this holiday season, I choose to embrace change and welcome new adventures…new ways of doing things…but mostly, I choose a new appreciation of my God who never changes…

~Jackie Johnson - I am a former tribal missionary to the Kuna Indians on the Colombian border in Central America.  Fluent in several languages, my husband and I currently pastor a Spanish-speaking church in Southern California.  My passion is mentoring and equipping dedicated young women for life, marriage, motherhood, and beyond. I am the mother of two daughters and the grandmother of three Princesses and four young Knights. 

The Days are Long, the Years are Short!

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As I walk into my laundry room, pencil lines mark the time. We have measured each of my kids over their lifetime on the door. Some of the rough lines are over my head now. I gaze at the ones at my knees. Remember when?

My children are all growing up . . . little by little . . . day by day. The wall shows me the progress – the years are represented.

When they were little, people used to say, “Enjoy this time! It goes by so quickly!”

Somewhere between the dirty diapers and sleepless nights I heard “them”, but it seemed so impossible to revel in those days. For I don’t function well without sleep and I am more of a task-master than a lover of all. So motherhood with all of its daily challenges became more of a checklist of things to do than a season to enjoy.

As more children came, the minutes were swallowed up by the fleeting hours of the day. My to-do list became longer as they grew from toddler to child.  We continued to mark their growth with pencil marks on the wall.

And now some of them beginning to drive. One of my children is just about to bloom into a woman. I spend my days driving all four from activities to classes and shuffling through the many needs each has. After all these years, I am only doing the best I can with this parenting job. I have certainly not arrived. I have learned to love more and be more patient. Is it enough?

But sooner than I think, our home will be an empty nest.

Yes, it has gone by . . . quickly.

“The days are long, but the years are short”, one wise woman told me once.

I can feel just the slightest feel of remorse and sadness, if I ponder these truths.

“Am I doing the best I can?”

“Have a cherished enough of the moments?”

“Did I miss too many working or in ministry?”

“Should I have . . . ? Could I have . . . ?”

Do any of you feel like this? I haven’t always gotten it right. I have been selfish and had my own agenda. I can look back and think of all the mistakes I have made.

But when I stop and ask God about it, He reminds me they are His children. I have been given them for a season. I will not be perfect, but I am who my children need. I feel more and more these days that parenting is really more about me growing to be more Christ-like than it ever was about raising them up in the first place. God’s got them in the palm of His hand.

For now, I will remember to appreciate the little things, like reading a book to my youngest two before bed. I was consistent with my first two, but with busy days my younger two haven't enjoyed this staple routine. I do know those are moments they will remember. Traditions passed from one generation to the next helps me gather memories, too, like our Advent of Books in December.  

We have a new book coming out next Tuesday that will be great for both of these endeavors - A Royal Christmas to Remember. 

My goal is to be able to look back and not feel guilt. I am the queen of “should haves” my husband says. However, I don’t want to “should” all over myself when my children are grown.

So today – with days I have left - I will take each thought . . . each “guilt thought” . . . every “not good enough” thought and ask the Lord His opinion. If I need to change, He will tell me. If I need to rest or let go, He will tell me. But in every moment, I want to enjoy.

Because the days are long, and the years are short!

What do you do to remember and make memories?

~Jeanna Young - When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!

How to Host a Princess Camp, Day 4

The following post is part 4 of a 5 part series by guest blogger Aimee Mae Riley. Aimee held a princess camp for her church. Aimee used the Princess Parable Series in her camp curriculum and shares the details of the camp below for our benefit. Enjoy!

Thursday- Princess Charity’s Courageous Heart

When the girls arrived, they found a plain princess dress on card stock to decorate as they liked.  We then helped to cut out the dresses and provided them with princess cut-out dolls and more cut-out dresses to play with. Let me say that these were a huge hit, but they are also the most time-consuming thing we had to prepare.  Cutting out dolls and assorted dresses for fourteen girls takes a couple of hours, and I had my 7yo daughter, 9yo son and my two camp helpers assisting with the project over the course of the week. In my opinion, it was totally worth it, though.

We sent each girl home with a doll, which each of them named (Princess Grace was a popular choice, but I particularly liked Princess Rainbow Blossom and Princess Patience), and the dress they had decorated.  I meant to send an extra outfit or two along with them, too, but I forgot.  This craft alone took up the first 45 minutes of our day, and we had to coax the girls over to story time.

Our story involved Princess Charity, the youngest of the five sisters.  She is impetuous but has a big heart, and by saving a young boy who is hurt on the other side of the road- which is also the neighboring kingdom’s forbidden territory- she brings peace to the two kingdoms.  Her story echoes the familiar Good Samaritan story found in Luke 10:25-37.  We talked about who was the youngest in their families, if any had ever been horseback riding (Charity’s pet is a horse), and we covered some of the discussion questions available with the story.

We then made ribbon wands out of dowels, washi tape (I found sparkly dark pink and gold washi tape in the clearance bin at Michaels), and ribbon, along with these adorable sparkly styrofoam balls (I found a bag of them for 50 cents at Goodwill- score!)

This was a putsy project that required the three of us camp leaders to do all of the work; the girls simply selected the colors they wanted for their tape and ribbons.  Here’s a tip, though: instead of wrapping the tape around and around the dowel, wrap it once lengthwise around the dowel; you will save on tape, and it turns out much smoother.  It is an exact, tight fit around the thinnest dowel available at Michaels.

For snack, we had apple slices (since horses love apples) and pretzels (since all the girls like them).  The girls ended the day with their coloring sheets.

Tomorrow, we will cover the last day of princess camp, with Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing and a party!

For more princess camp or party ideas, check out my Pinterest Princess Camp board.

Aimee Mae Riley is a mother of 5 children from Wisconsin. You can read her blog at Whispers of Worth. 

How to Host a Princess Camp, Day 3

The following post is part 3 of a 5 part series by guest blogger Aimee Mae Riley. Aimee held a princess camp for her church. Aimee used the Princess Parable Series in her camp curriculum and shares the details of the camp below for our benefit. Enjoy!

Wednesday- Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure

Today, we started with our story.  Princess Hope, the eldest of the five princesses, finds her grandmother’s lost ring and is determined to buy it back.  She is willing to sell all that she has- even her pet lamb!- to reclaim it.  Once it is in the possession of the sisters, they discover a riddle inscribed on the band, which leads them on a treasure hunt through the castle.  The story is inspired by the parables found in Matthew 13:44-46.

Following our story, we embarked on our own treasure hunt.  We sent one table of girls at a time, while the girls at the other two tables remained and colored pictures from the story. Those hunting followed three, simple clues which led them to a special box (I just used a pretty photo box).  Inside, each girl received a “treasure”: a sparkly compact mirror (I bought them in pink and purple for $1.50 each at Michaels), a fancy plastic ring (like the ones in their sand dig from Monday), and a scroll featuring the parable verses (printed on plain paper and wrapped with ribbon).

The girls LOVED the mirrors!  I was truly surprised; in fact, I almost didn’t use them, thinking perhaps they were too young for such things.  I reminded them that when they look in that mirror, they would see one of God’s princesses, who is beautiful both inside and out.

We made ribbon necklaces for our craft, and again, our trusty glue gun saved the day.  The Mod Podge Acrylic Shapes did not all have holes to pull the ribbon through, so Caitlin (our summer camp intern) took the time to hot glue the ribbons to the back of the shapes while I took the girls outside to play on the playground. The necklaces turned out beautifully, and I am now in love with Mod Podge Waterbase Sealer, Glue and Finish (8-Ounce), CS15066 Extreme Glitz, although it did leave us with sparkly hands. :)

For snack, we made the most adorable fruit castles, which Kira (my other helper) assembled for me.  Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my phone, so I don’t have any pictures from the day, and Kira’s castles were even prettier than the one pictured here.  The girls ate them all up, along with pretzels and water.

Tomorrow, we will look at Day 4: Princess Charity’s Courageous Heart.

For more ideas, check out my Pinterest Princess Camp board.

Aimee Mae Riley is a mother of 5 children from Wisconsin. You can read her blog at Whispers of Worth. 

How to Host a Princess Camp Day 2

The following post is part 2 of a 5 part series by guest blogger Aimee Mae Riley. Aimee held a princess camp for her church. Aimee used the Princess Parable Series in her camp curriculum and shares the details of the camp below for our benefit. Enjoy!

Last week, I had the special privilege- and challenge- of coordinating and leading Once Upon A Time Camp at our church.  For two hours each afternoon, I welcomed fourteen adorable girls, grades PreK-2, to celebrate being God’s princesses. You can read about the theme and outline for our camp, as well as our first day’s activities here.

Tuesday- Princess Faith’s Mysterious Garden

Today, when the girls arrived, they received a small clay pot, a disposable plate dotted with paints like an artist’s palette, a cup of water, and a paper towel.  They then set about painting the pots with great enthusiasm.  Caitlin and Kira (my helpers for the week) helped to paint small flowers on some of the girls’ pots, while I oversaw the project, cleaning up inevitable spills and replacing paper towels.

Pre-painting set up as the girls began to arrive.

We left our pots to dry and headed over to our story time area.  First, we reviewed Princess Grace’s story from yesterday, which the girls remembered with alacrity, before beginning Princess Faith’s story.  The mysterious garden is a parallel to the parable of the seed and the sower found in Matthew 13:1-23.  We chatted throughout the story about our favorite animals (each Parable Princess has her own pet), flowers (roses were a clear winner), and other topics related to the story.  We finished by reading the corresponding parable, which several of the girls were familiar with, before heading outside for our activity.

Here’s a few of our princesses ready for story time.

Today, we played Pass the Magical Wand (aka: Hot Potato).  We used bubble wands (one for each girl), and when the music stopped, the girl holding the “magical wand” got to take it and make bubbles in the yard.  The music we used for the week was a beautiful CD that set the tone perfectly.  It is called … such stuff as Dreams: A Lullaby Album for Children and Adults – 2 CD Set; I was fortunate to find it at our library.  We played it everyday, and both the mothers and the girls commented on how lovely it was.

Once all of the girls had a wand and were joyfully running around the yard making bubbles, Caitlin entertained them further with her giant bubble maker.  The girls took turns making humongous bubbles, even dumping out their own wands for more bubble solution.

As they tired of the bubbles, I gathered them in groups of four or five and helped them plant flowers in their painted pots, in honor of our mysterious garden story.  They dug out soil with small, plastic shovels and selected a flower from the packs I picked up at Stein’s.

We then headed back inside, where we colored our story pictures for the day and ate snack.  After yesterday’s disappointing effort, I kept it simple with Pepperidge Farm Princess Cheddar Goldfish(they are pink), pretzels, water, and carrots (I coaxed the girls into eating carrots by reminding them of Faith’s pet rabbit who loves to eat carrots- they were sold!)

Soon after the parents arrived, and the girls went home with their potted flowers and pictures.  It was a wonderful day and went without a hitch, making it one of my favorites.

Tomorrow, we will look at Day 3: Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure

For more ideas, check out my Pinterest Princess Camp board.

Aimee Mae Riley is a mother of 5 children from Wisconsin. You can read her blog at Whispers of Worth. 

Celebrating Passover Seder Dinner

The table was set with gilded table linens and pillows to recline. 

The lamb was roasted and the Seder plate full.

Our children dressed in costume to make it a full experience.

Last year, we invited another family over with kids the same ages on the Thursday before Easter.  We took all the leaven out of our house and began to decorate.  We put tables on the ground with pillows to sit on so we could “recline” like Jesus did in the Last Supper.  We dressed in traditional-feeling clothing for an added effect.  We ate lamb, read the Haggadah, drank the “fruit of the vine” and ate the bitter herbs.

Ever since I was in my twenties, I have enjoyed hosting and attending Seder dinners during Easter week.  Keeping “the ordinance in its season from year to year” (Exodus 13:10).  As a mom now, we have incorporated the Seder dinner into how we celebrate the Resurrected King. So much imagery and scripture fulfillment make it a “must” for our family.

Now some of you may be wondering what is a Seder dinner?

The Seder, a festive Jewish holiday meal, actually means "order." It is called this because the meal is done in a certain order, which takes us from slavery to freedom. The Haggadah—which means "the telling"—is the book used at the Passover Seder. The Haggadah explains the foods on the Seder plate, recounts the highlights of the Exodus, and includes songs, prayers, questions and vignettes. A Christian Seder dinner shows the fulfillment of the Messiah and how Jesus is our Passover lamb.

The dinner is full of faith lessons and connects the Old Testament with the New.  One can easily see how Jesus came to fulfill the prophesies of old when one participates in the Messianic Seder dinner.  I love how the tradition incorporates our children by asking these four questions during the Seder dinner:

Why is this night different from all other nights?

Once we were slaves in Egypt, but now we are free.  God asked us to set aside this night each year to remember—just like Jesus did at the Last Supper. We are to remember we are free, but bought with a price.

On all other nights we eat either bread or matzah, but why, on this night, do we eat only matzah?

The yeast represents sin. So we have cleansed it from our house.  See the stripes on the matzah? They remind us how Jesus was beaten for us and we break the bread to cherish how He was broken for us.  We were delivered from slavery and given new life.

On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once, but why, on this night, do we dip twice?

As they wept for their lives as slaves, so the salty parsley represents their tears.  But they also painted blood on the doorposts of their home with hyssop branches so the angel of death would pass over that fateful night.  They were miraculously delivered because the Passover Lamb, Jesus, has become the sacrifice for our sins.

On all other nights we eat either sitting up straight or reclining, but why, on this night, do we all recline?

Before we were slaves, but now we are able to recline as free people.  The price has been paid for our lives. We are no longer bound and chained.

Can I encourage you to celebrate the Seder dinner with your family this year?  You can find it at a local church or Messianic Jewish temple. You can also look online to find everything you need to create the experience at home.

I hope we can all celebrate next year in the New Jerusalem!

~Jeanna Young

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!

Slowing Down this Easter

We live in such a fast paced world. As I write this article, Easter is just around the corner. Holidays seem to bring out the “hurry” in all of us. There are usually plans to make, meals to prepare, activities to organize, errands to run, and on the list goes. Busy! It’s hard to be purposeful about slowing down. 

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. There are so many wonderful things to celebrate as a Christian! New life! Forgiveness! Grace! Love! Eternal Life! I’m sure I could come up with quite a list here.

This Easter season I was so blessed as I sat down to read a new story to my kids. I purchased the newest book in the Princess Parables series, A Royal Easter Story, at a conference I recently attended. The story is a perfect example of the blessing we can be to others when we take the time to slow down. I really love are all the conversations I’ve been able to have with my girls about why serving others is so important.

3 Ways to Teach Kids the Importance of Slowing Down this Easter

For me, slowing down started by taking a break from all my busyness to read to my littles. It’s so easy for me to put it off. I’m trying to get better at saying “yes” to my kids whenever they ask me to read to them. Here are a few more ideas for slowing down.

1) Take time to sit down as a family and think about the blessing of the cross. There is so much focus on Jesus, the cross, and His tomb at Easter. Do our kids really understand the importance of Jesus dying for us? Sometimes we become so comfortable with seeing crosses everywhere that we forget to slow down and truly remember what Christ did for us on that cross on top of Calvary.

2) Looking to the needs of others and not what we are trying to accomplish. It’s easy to hurry by and not notice the needs of others around us. Maybe there is someone who needs a little extra love and encouragement this Easter. Just like the princesses in the story who decided to make helping a lost little girl more important than winning a race.

3) Make Easter your time for rebirth! Forget about the resolutions of January that may or may not have made it to March. I love taking time at Easter to really do a heart check and see what things God may be asking me to lay down. This is such an important lesson for our kids, too. Teach them to allow God to really search their hearts and bring anything that needs to be repented of to light. Sometimes even our prayer time gets hurried. Take time this Easter to slow down and listen for His still, small voice.

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting!
–Psalm 139

Fun Easter Basket Gifts…& a Giveaway!

My girls have enjoyed their Princess Parable books so much. I’m a huge fan of them! The character, virtue, and the biblical life lessons that are incorporated in each book is so refreshing. Ashlyn and Caitlyn have loved looking through the pages. Honestly, I just love the character and modesty aspect of the books. There is always a biblical lesson to be learned. For that reason, one idea I had for this year was to tuck a Princess Parables princess into my girls Easter basket. I think they would really love them.

…OR you can enter to win a FREE Princess Parables Easter Basket!

The giveaway ends in a few days–March 20th! So, be sure to sign-up! Just click the picture above or HERE and you’ll be entered into the contest. This giveaway is hosted by Princess Parables. I’m just excited to be able to tell you about it! 

May the Lord bless you and your family this Easter! 

Kristi Clover is homeschool mom of five blessings ranging from teens to tots. She spends most of her days watching over her "castle" and attending to the needs of her loyal subjects. She is married to her Prince Charming and resides in southern California. She records her royal adventure in motherhood at www.raisingclovers.com. You can also find her at YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, — &Periscope as @RaisingClovers!

Fairy Tales: A Mom's Perspective

Once upon a time . . .

A fairy tale stirs within most of us the vision of childhood.  Images of a land filled with princesses, knights, dragons and castles fill our minds.  Here is where God had us build the Princess Parable stories.

Tomorrow is “Tell us a Fairy Tale” Day for our nation.  Yes, there is such a day! The founders of this day encourage us: “From classic Grimm tales to modern-day stories, this day is all about letting your imagination roam free. Read fairy tales to your kids, or just read them for fun!”

As a Christian, fairy tales hold both cautions and benefits for our children.  I am a mom of four who lives 20 minutes from Disneyland.  We are annual pass holders and enjoy “The Happiest Place on Earth” many days of the year.  So I am not anti-fairy tales, but I have come to grips with how I feel about them.  I hope my findings will be helpful for you.

As the author of the Princess Parables, I have wrestled within my own heart and mind about traditional fairy tales for my kids.  While most Grimm fairy tales are written for adult audiences, Disney took them and made them into childhood favorites.  I made up a list of pros and cons for our family just to keep me on the right track.

The “Good” in fairy tales

I love a good story, and fairy tales capture our imaginations.  First of all, most fairy tales are good literature.  Written with elegance and enchanting vocabulary, they stretch the minds of young readers.  Second, they encourage our children to dream and think beyond their day-to-day life.  Encrypted within the words, visions of lands faraway beckon our children to explore and grow.  They can face a ferocious beast, climb the sides of a castle or join a ship of pirates from their own home. Next, most fairy tales introduce a hero to our children that they relate to and look up to. Nothing makes me smile more than seeing a little girl dress up in a shimmering gown or a boy in a super hero costume.  Those kids see greatness in these heroes and want to be like them.  Lastly, some stories offer a setting where good is against evil. We can take our own Biblical examples and interface them with the storylines.  Teaching good always wins shines through fairy tales.

The “Bad” in fairy tales

Many parents tell me the problems with traditional fairy tales.  I agree we must be cautious when introducing our young ones to many of the stories.  I cringe when I hear parents tell me they had set their 3 year old down to watch Sleeping Beauty and their sweet girl has had nightmares ever since.  First, fairy tales have an abundance of evil characters who are “too evil” for a child’s young mind.  At the ages of 2-7, most children believe these characters are real and do not understand even if we tell them they are not.  Second, as a Christian, I struggle with the world of “magic”, but fairy tales are full of magical creatures, spells and witches.  So much conversation must be had with our children in this regard.  I don’t believe we can just ignore it and our children will be fine.  Next, most of the parental examples are questionable in most of the stories.  The heroes can encourage us to disobey our parents and follow our hearts.  This has not been the way I have raised my kids so I always want to address counterproductive influences.  Lastly, I haven’t agreed with the portrayal of women in most fairy tales.  While I believe women to be feminine, I don’t believe they just have to wait around for a prince. . I certainly believe some fairy tales encourage relationships much too soon. I also see the attention to physical beauty is accentuated where I want to inspire my children’s character instead.

Why do we love the Princess Parables?

So now you can see why God picked me to write the Princess Parables!!!  I love all that fairy tales offer; however, there are just a few bumps that need to be ironed out along the way!  God created all of us to be royalty.  I know each of us is a daughter or son of the King.  I think we took the best from fairy tales – developing imagination, giving them a good story and a hero to emulate – while leaving the “bad” out of our stories. I hope you will enjoy our stories, especially our new story, A Royal Easter Story.

Take some time today, snuggle with your kids and tell them a fairy tale.  After all, it is National Tell a Fairy Tale day!

They love to sit in our laps enjoying “happily forever after”!  Have fun!

~Jeanna Young

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!

Love Is the Foundation

Bickering floats through the air as we are on our way to Awanas.  My children, who are blessings from the Lord, argue and complain to each other.

“Mom, she is humming too loud!”

“Mom, she is on my side and is leaning her arm against me!”

“MOOOOM!  He just stuck his tongue out at me!”

I sigh.

Do you ever sigh? 

I want them to love each other.  To love our little family.  To love the church. To love others. And most importantly, to love God.

Sometimes, when these daily episodes of selfishness and irritation creep in, I have to remind myself that they are learning.  They are sinners, just like me.  So I will sigh and recall this truth.

I don’t always respond the way I should either, even though I love all of them deeply.

As we go into this weekend, I am prodded by this verse in Matthew, where Jesus tells us the greatest commandments.  There are only two and they both involve LOVE.

“You shall LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second like it is this, you shall LOVE your neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:36-39

As we roll into Valentine’s Day, I know it is a consumer holiday.  But I can’t help it, I want to buy my kids candy and gifts because I love them.  Remember, my love language is “gifts”.

But more than that, I want them to know God’s love, which they will learn from me first, before they know it is God.

By a kind word.

By a helping hand.

By time spent with them.

By a smile when they come in the room. 

By a kiss and a story before bed. 

By daily prayers for them.

They will never know how much I love them until they have children of their own.

Until then, Bruce and I will be God’s love to them, until they own their faith.

One way we help them see how to love others is my surrounding them with great examples.  We hang out with cool people who serve and love Jesus.  We discipline them when they do something wrong because we love them.  We engage with community in love and generosity.  We watch movies that bring out the good and love in others.  We READ BOOKS that focus on the love of others.

If you are looking for a good Valentine’s Day present for your princess this Valentine’s Day, may I suggest one of our Princess Parables books?  Each of them was birthed out of LOVE and teaches Love.

Princess Hope and the Hidden Treasure shows the love between a child and her grandmother.  She would sell everything she owns to buy her lost ring.

Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing teaches little girls to love their family and to be generous towards others because she is blessed to be a blessing.

Princess Charity’s Courageous Heart demonstrates love by the princess rescuing a hurt boy.  She cared more for another person than herself - showing love in her actions.

Princess Grace and the Little Lost Kitten presents the opportunity to love her father by being responsible for the kittens.  When the kitten is lost, she not only loves the kitty enough to search for her, but she brings her home to show her father her devotion.

Princess Faith and the Mysterious Garden lays out the dilemma of the never-ending problem garden.  The princess shows her love to her family and her father by persevering and having patience.

A Royal Easter Story focuses on saving a little girl in the woods and finding her family.  Love is the central theme of this story from the little girl to the Easter Celebration where Christ is center.  The greatest love is Jesus dying for us on a cross.

There is still time to order these books off of Amazon or from your local Christian bookstore for Valentine’s Day.  We hope your girls will love them and learn to LOVE because of them.  Our prayer has always been to give you moms tools to train up your kids in righteousness.

As for loving our kids and teaching love, I am right there with you.  I pray for each of us an extra dose of grace as we speak into this generation.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

~Jeanna Young

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!

What My Princesses Taught Me

I was raised without a sister in a world of boys.  I, myself, was a tomboy.

I never wore dresses as a child.  I played tackle football on the beach with my brothers and their friends.  I refused to wear a bra until 7th grade. (I needed one in 5th grade).  I had a Dorothy Hamill haircut (need I say more?). I never wanted to really be a girl.

I didn’t have lavish tea parties. I didn’t like pink. I was not into sparkly glitter at all.  Somewhere inside I hated all the silly girlie stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, my parents loved me and my mom tried.  Somewhere along the line, I missed the grandeur of being a girl.

Luckily for me, God had begun to refine me in my teen years.  I had become quite sophisticated.  I had come a long way from my custom Vans tennis shoes and Jordache jeans.  I had begun to like the finer things in life and the beauty in event planning in my 20’s.  In some circles, I was down-right “girlie”. Eventually, I got married and did get all girlie for the big day. Not that any of these things are the end-all-be-all, for sure, but the Lord was softening me for what came next.

I was going to have a girl.   

A daughter.

Not only one, but eventually, two.

Deep down inside, I was still the greasy haired, arm-twisting spitfire in 6th grade with a fresh coat of paint and fancy clothes on.  I was sure I was not prepared to raise girls. In 2 Peter 1:3 it says God has given us everything we need for this life.  But I was a skeptic, at best.

The baby years were pink.  She was darling, and I began to relax thinking, “I can do this girl thing”.  Then one day when my daughter was almost two, it happened. 

My little girl became a princess overnight. 

She wanted everything glittery, everything pink and every fluffy tulle item to wear.  She twirled and danced around like the world was her oyster.  These were uncharted waters for me.  Her singing lit up my life and her imagination made me smile.  My life would never be the same.

As I watched her naturally glide into this world of make-believe with ease, I felt the Lord pulling at the cords of confusion in my past.  You see, my daughter was not taught how to “be a princess”, she just came out that way.  Something inside her knew she had come from royalty or at the very least, she wanted to know she was beautiful and loved by the King of Kings.  At two years old, she was more confident in who she was than I ever had been.

I was somewhat jealous.  I wanted what she had. I had felt awkward and confused growing up.  I was always trying to fill this big giant hole of uncertainty with things, people and life.  You never would have caught me dead in a princess dress. 

But raising two princesses made me a fan of all things royal.  Not because Disney had fun princess stories or I like to be girlie now, but because GOD is the author of royalty.  He is the one who made it up in the first place.  He is the one who fills scripture with these noble examples.  And it was in these days of discovery that the Princess Parables were birthed.

 With God ushering me along, I began to see His love for me through my girls.  I never before owned the fact that I am a daughter of the King, who reigns on high.  I was still clinging to the “I’m a tomboy, and are you sure they are really going to let me in the gates of heaven, Lord?”

Here is what I learned about God’s love having princesses: 

• As a daughter of the king, I share in His glory as one of His heirs (Rom. 8:17).
•  He calls me beautiful (Ps. 45:10-11).
•  I am chosen to be His girl (1 Peter 2:9).
•  I am valuable because He has made me and woven me together.  He calls me wonderful (Ps 139:12-14).
• He has made me a crown that will last forever!  I get to be a real princess forever! (1 Corinthians 9:25)
• I am a treasured possession.  His Princess!  (Ex. 19:5)
• He created me – His Princess – for a purpose (Eph. 2:10).

I have started to own this royal calling He has given me over the years.  It is not about wearing the dress or donning the crown.  There is nothing wrong with being a tomboy.  As long as in your heart, you are HIS girl, God’s princess.  As long as you know whose you are and whom you serve.  There was a disconnect for me all those years, but today, I have come a long way as the author of the Princess Parables.

Thank you, my King of Kings, for entrusting me with princesses who have shown me your love in a royal way. This unrelenting love lavishes upon me a new confidence in my position as your girl.

As my girls mature, they may take off the princess dress, but may they never forget the King’s love for them.  Here is a blessing from my friend and mentor, Sally Clarkson for your family as you raise them as children of God:

May God’s richest blessings be with you as you dream, create ideas for your own family, and flourish in the creativity of mind and soul that comes with being God’s child, made in His likeness, and destined for an eternal home with Him.- The Life-Giving Home by Sally Clarkson

May God’s richest blessings be with you as you dream, create ideas for your own family, and flourish in the creativity of mind and soul that comes with being God’s child, made in His likeness, and destined for an eternal home with Him.- The Life-Giving Home by Sally Clarkson

 How are you teaching your princesses and knights God’s love for them?

~Jeanna Young

When Jeanna is not writing, speaking, event planning, or homeschooling, she can be found scrapbooking her life, redecorating her home, loving on her husband, planning fun events for her kids or eating healthy to stay cancer-free!