My Dad's Parenting Secret

My dad always made me think I was the sunshine of his life.

He always told me he was proud of me and that I could do anything I set my mind to. He never let a day go by without telling me he loved me (even when I was an adult). When he was around, I always felt cherished and adored. My picture of God has been established through my father's devotion to me.

When I was a grown woman, I asked my father, "How do you think you made me feel this way?" He let me in on a little secret . . .

"I smiled at you and sighed big as if I had waited hours to see you", he told me.

"I practiced entering a room with you there and smiled every time. It took work, but eventually it became natural".  He continued to explain that the world's troubles would overtake him and he would be grumpy and upset often. He saw he was taking it out on his kids so he decided to practice smiling and sighing happiness when we were around.

It worked. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:30 "A cheerful look brings joy to the heart".

Smiling! Such a simple act has so much power.  

Who knew? In fact, much research has been done on the subject. I have felt convicted myself to smile more at my children and husband too.

Smiles are the first building blocks to a healthy relationship with your baby.

Smiling at your baby plays a part in bonding and helps them feel safe and secure. Chemicals released during smiling and laughing help grow the brain and the nervous system, researchers say.

As children grow, their circles widen, but their parents’ approval still is central to their development. One researcher said, “Smiling stimulates our brain’s reward mechanisms in a way that even chocolate, a well-regarded pleasure-inducer, cannot match.” When we smile at our children, we make them feel like they are eating candy!  It makes them happy and relaxed. They quickly point out real smiles are required, not fake ones. You know the grin that brightens your face and makes the edges of your eyes rise? This is the smile to bring comfort to your children. My dad sighed to let us know he was really happy to see us. Fake or not, it worked on me!

When should we smile at our kids? When he enters a room . . . when he leaves the house . . . when we come home from being away . . . when he wakes in the morning and as he goes to bed at night!

So much smiling, you say?

Here is the deal. Not only will this one act help us raise a calm, intelligent and confident child, but it has benefits for us too.

Smiling is important for our health. It can lower blood pressure, improve digestion and regulate blood sugar. Smiling can lead to laughter, which helps you sleep better. When we delight in another person, we trick our minds into believing we are really happy, even if we are not. Endorphins are released, creating a "feel-good" sensation.

More importantly, we are God's smile to our children.

He is a good father and delights in us. How much more should we show this to our children? Just as my picture of God is a direct result of my relationship with my father, so I am painting a picture for my children of who God is. Let me remember to smile as I see them, delight in the things that delight them and remember to play.

As I type this blog, I am reminded myself to smile at my children as we begin a fresh school year with no surgery to get over or pain to muddle through. I think I have forgotten this very important lesson my dad taught me. Life makes it easy to frown sometimes.

I love this quote from Mother Teresa:

"Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other—it doesn't matter who it is—and that will help you to grow up in greater love for each other."

How will you "smile" more this year?

~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!

Jackie's Journey: Is It Worth It?

In the Princess Parable Series, Princess Hope is the oldest of the five princesses and carries the responsibility of setting a good example and leading the way for her four younger sisters who are watching and learning from her.  She experiences first-hand what it takes to “count the cost” when she sees her grandmother’s priceless ring in a store window in the village. She has to get it back…but how and at what cost?  

How many of us understand what it means to “count the cost” for someone or something that is so important we cannot not hesitate to boldly step up to the plate?

Before you commit…count the cost!  Luke 11:28

Before leaving for the shores of Panama I was cognizant of the cost it might take to leave the U.S. and live in a foreign country, but it was not until Christina, my first daughter, was born that I became acutely aware of the expanse of what it might actually demand.  I was leaving my homeland with my parent’s first and only two year old grandchild. After arriving in Panama, it would take us two days by three different means of transportation to land on the muddy banks of the river Pucuro.  It would include living in an “off the grid” bark-walled house with no running water, electricity and an outhouse that screamed “unfriendly”. 

Would the cost be too great?

Our jungle house was located in an extremely dense and remote area of the jungle. There was malaria and T.B.; there would be harry eight-legged creatures, not to mention venomous insects and reptiles of every kind the imagination could conjure up and worse!  We would be called to cook, eat and drink unidentifiable “chichas”, mammals, reptiles and even rodents!  We would be on the Colombian border where drug runners passed through our village.  My neighbors would speak a different language and have a strange culture; there would be no privacy; there would be no hospital or urgent care facility, no contact with the outside world, except for an unreliable two way radio …and on that first trek in, I would have our second daughter, a tiny three month old nursing baby on my lap…

Getting the picture?

An aerial view of our house with the tin roof in the foreground
Would the cost be worth it?  

I would be the first to admit that life brings serious unknowns, struggles, doubts, fears, and temptations from the enemy, even if you have “counted the cost” in all the light you have.
 
On one of the many rainy days in the rainforest I began to share my heart and woes with a seasoned missionary who was listening intently.  To every comment of comfort she gave me I inserted, “BUT you don’t understand; I know God says that but what about…?”

When I paused to catch my breath, she asked me if, “I thought God’s grace was sufficient enough for me for today?”  

Well, what???… I’m a missionary living in the jungle…I could hardly say “No”!  Of course, I answered, “Yes!” 

She followed up with, “Then… would His Grace be sufficient for tomorrow?!” 

She had firmly and graciously admonished me to keep my BUT on the appropriate side of the word GOD!  Not,  “Ok, GOD, BUT…”(we always have a good excuse for not trusting Him); rather, this is my situation, BUT GOD is more than sufficient and faithful.  He has proven Himself over and over again when I keep my BUT on the correct side of God.

II Cor. 12:9

As a mom, is living for God, demonstrating genuine Christianity, being a “cross-bearer”, and claiming Christ as Lord and Master of my life for His glory too much?  I ask myself:

Can I trust Him for today?  Then, I can trust Him for tomorrow!

A wise woman counts the cost… 

Recapturing a stolen ring and moving into a dense jungle do not, on the surface, seem comparable; yet, the point is, what do you treasure enough to pay, even and possibly, the ultimate price to achieve?  What is important enough for you to “count the cost” and plunge into whatever sacrifice it takes to see it accomplished?

There was no call to the jungle; BUT GOD did call us to respond to the need in that jungle…to open up a work among an unreached group of people who had yet to hear His Name spoken even once, nor His wonderful redeeming message.

“The house of the righteous contains great treasure”! Pro. 15:6
Moms, your house is full of eternal treasure…treasure that will spend eternity somewhere.

It will be worth it all…!

When all is said and done and we have reached the end of this life…what will be said of us?  Did we choose the most important?  Did we succeed in our calling?  Did we “count the cost” for what was on His heart in His perfect will for us or did we do our own thing and hope for the best?  

How does the fruit of your commitment look so far?  
We only pass this way once!

~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 discipling 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. 

5 Character Lessons in a Lemonade Stand

As summer is coming to a close and the days are getting shorter, my kids are still asking to do a "Lemonade Stand". A wonderful American tradition rises on the corners of your neighborhood evoking memories of days gone by.  We can't just pass by, so we stop by to encourage these young souls in their first entrepreneurial endeavors.

Here in Southern California, our summer heat will continue through September and into October. So it is appropriate for the kids to be asking.

As they squeeze their lemons and bake their chocolate chip cookies, I begin to see God at work.  Our lemonade stand brings about teachable moments on character qualities for my children.  I recognize subtle opportunities for them to grow in their character. For as in everything, a simple pursuit can help us grow in the areas God has for us.

Here are five reasons why I love to say "Yes" to a lemonade stand and why you should say "Yes", too.

1.  They meet our neighbors.  Our house is situated on a busy corner with a horse trail and path to the park.  So there is plenty of traffic. Just like anywhere, we are all busy. So are our neighbors. We have to make an extra effort to meet them and stay in contact with them. Making cookies and lemonade invites them to come over and say "hi" and take a minute to chat. This offers opportunities for further interaction in the future and helps my children know those around them. These moments require a smile, kindness and manners from my children, creating a teachable minute for my kids.

2.  They understand what it means to own something. In a small way, this little lemonade stand becomes their first business. They spend about an hour preparing. They use their creativity to bake cookies to perfection so everyone will want to buy them. After a few lessons from me, they are self-sufficient (I always help with clean up). It takes them minutes now to make homemade lemonade with lemons from our tree.  They think up new ways to decorate their stand and how to attract more customers. Painting signs and picking flowers, while grabbing one of my table clothes drives them to be more creative in their endeavor.

3. They learn new skills and brush up on old ones.  Owning something means being able to take responsibility and leadership. Not only do they have to smile and be kind, but they must make the right change, which requires math and quick thinking. Sometimes they have a crowd and this demands so many skills from them: attentiveness, decisiveness, and resourcefulness. My children are also learning the art of salesmanship. My dad and my brother can "sell ice to an eskimo", so some of them come by it naturally.  However, I notice how they encourage the customers to add something to their order or invite them to come back another day.

4. They are called to work side by side with their siblings. I don't know about your house, but my house witnesses more than a few disheartening interactions between my kids. I ask the Lord for wisdom so often He must be sick of the request. When they are pulled together striving for the same goal, somehow they forget the argument a few hours before and work together. I love to watch them dream up new ideas for cookies or new endeavors, like when they woke up at 5:00 a.m. to do a "Coffee and Muffin Stand" for Election Day. Each day character is built on small moments like these.

5. They are blessed to be a blessing. One of the requirements in our family is if they do a lemonade stand, they are asked to give 10% of their earnings to the church or a charity.  We feel this standard will set them up for life as they learn to give right off the top of what they have received. The conversation it brings with it reminds me that we are all sinners. Learning to be generous is a character quality that develops over time as we realize how much God loves us. Every time they want to keep "their hard earned cash", we remind them, we are all "blessed to be a blessing".

A lemonade stand is a simple, but fun way to learn with our children. I love that God gives us every day experiences to learn so much from Him. We don't have to wait for the big moments to pour in our kids’ character. We can embrace the opportunities He gives.

How do you help build character into your kids?

~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!

Jackie's Journey: Princess Faith Cries Out

We live up a narrow gorge that stretches from the valley floor with its ocean and sandy beach to the top of the hill overlooking the harbor.  Watching the birds ride the currents is a regular preoccupation. This spring I was watching a hawk sweep down across the pool in our backyard.  As he ascended high up into the sky above the valley below he screeched loudly, over and over.  I watched this magnificent creature ride the current up and down, back and forth.  A short time later he swooped down into our yard again…only this time… he was silent...  

He had a snake dangling from his talon!

It brought to mind what I had been reading earlier in Psalm 147:9:

“God provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens… WHEN THEY CALL”!  

I am that helpless raven that is found “crying out”, totally dependent on God, placing my faith continually on His promises and unfailing love!  Whether with no communication with the outside world in the jungles of Panama or here, in the U.S., with way too many ways to communicate, the most important line of communication to keep open is that with the “King of Kings”!

While in Bible School a young missionary student told me to allow the Word of God to “dwell richly” in me.  Not just read and journal…but dwell richly! 

In the book Princess Faith’s Mysterious Garden, Faith learned the importance of crying out to God, even though she didn’t understand why things happened to her, she learned God uses perplexing things to talk to us and grow our hearts, making us a benefit to others!

Taken from the Parable of the Sower in Matt. 13, Faith learns she can trust her heavenly Father to deeply plant His truth in her heart.  She learned to accept with joy the trials her garden brought her, plus every other circumstance that came her way!

We moms live in a hurricane with endless noise and activity.  Distinguishing between our “little chicks” that are “crying out” needing our immediate attention is a learned skill.  Daddies struggle with it!  Hearing the voice of God speaking to us is a cherished and coveted practice because He whispers in the quietness of our consciousness as His Word is read and dwells richly in us.

While writing Princess Faith, we were mindful of the desperate need moms have for those quiet teachable moments with their little knights or princesses. We included the lesson Faith learned through her facing trials of various kinds in her personal journal in the closing pages of her story (the Parable Thoughts).  It is clear that Faith learned to “cry out” and to see her prayers answered.

Most of us get lost in the harried busyness of one day to another.  Our hearts yearn for that moment when our little one looks up at us with total trust and silently cries out to us for our undivided attention. That moment when we take time to read and respond to their spirit and it tells us, as hard as it is at times, this nanosecond of oneness, peace and complete harmony is worth it all!   

Are we listening?

Time is short!   

Will you hear His silent whisper and allow the Word of God to daily “dwell richly” in you?

or

Will you miss the opportunity of His faithfulness being formed in you and your little one?

Faithfulness is not allowing busyness or adversity to cause us to be unfaithful to God’s Word and His calling or to be disobedient to His purposes.

~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 discipling 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. 

Making the Most of Every Opportunity?

My life verse is Ephesians 5:15 – 17  “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

If you know me, I run most of my life through this filter.

Am I making the most of this opportunity?

Am I wasting time or redeeming time?

Is this activity worth my time? 

Is it God-honoring?

There are so many good things in this world to spend my days doing.

But are they the BEST!?

I learned this saying years ago, “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best!”

So this is my goal.

Do I always get it right? Nah.

But it is what I strive for and where I aim my arrow and shoot.

So as I was planning this summer, I used this filter.  We started off the summer in Mexico on a house build project.  After that the kids had a week of serving and attending VBS at our church.  We packed our bags for two weeks in upstate New York at a Christian camp my husband grew up at. At Camp of the Woods, God is the center each day.  The last two weeks of the trip, we have traveled down the East Coast on a history field trip.  We wanted to live out the history we had learned about this year. A hands on approach to studies about our founding fathers who loved God and built our country upon biblical principles.  Another goal was to fellowship with friends and family along the way.

I don’t tell you this to brag about what we did this summer, but simply to point out the thought and planning that went into each week.  The question asked, “Am I making the most of my time with my kids each day this summer? Am I being wise?”

These last days of summer will be spent at home more, as we are bringing home a souvenir puppy from our time on the Amish farm in Pennsylvania.  The kids will get an opportunity to raise and train another being.  Right now, he is very sick with "Puppy Strangles" so we are nursing him back to health.  God knows what our family needs. 

As I am looking to the fall, how can we make the most of every opportunity?  Looking at my children's schedules, why are we doing this activity?  Are the days too full?  Do we have at least 5 family dinners a week? Where are my priorities? 

The grid of Ephesians 5:15-17 helps me put things into perspective.

What about you?  How do you make the most of every opportunity?  I would love to hear different ideas on this topic.

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!

Jackie's Journey: The Calling of Princess Grace

I love the name “Grace”, don’t you?   I have a granddaughter named Grace.  I love it so much we wrote a book about a Princess named Grace who was willing to walk through the danger of the Black Forest and face her fears because of the value she placed on the life of her lost little kitten!  Phil. 2:13 gives us the definition of Grace.  It means the desire and power to do what is right.  God blessed Princess Grace with the willingness and power to keep in harmony with the instruction of her authority…even in times of trouble.  This is my prayer today for the princess in your life.

“LIFE is a stewardship, not an ownership; a trust, not a gift!

With a gift you can do as you please; but with a trust you must give an account”! 

“Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God’s sight!  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before HIS eyes and to HIM we must give an account”!  Hebrews 4:13

Personally, these have always been “call to action” words to me!  They have been a strong motivating force in my life.  Those of you who know me, know I am the “little much afraid” in the book,  Hinds Feet in High Places…I am the person who forces herself to walk through the door of fear to find God’s GRACE and freedom on the other side!

The fact that God is holding me accountable has driven me to take the stewardship of my life:  as a woman, author, missionary, pastor’s wife, mother, and grandmother very seriously.  This God of love is going to hold me accountable one day…and there will be no excuses, no escape!

Scripture tells us children are a gift to us that come from the Lord with stewardship.  They are a trust given for a short time and our responsibility for that life is enormous!  Our failure to take that trust and do it God’s way, not our own way in our strength, (which is our natural inclination) will, of course, result in total failure…

I hate failure!  I am afraid of failure!  I am a failure…apart from Him!

We, moms, are commissioned by God to guard our every word, thought, action, attitude and motive.

WHY???  Why can’t we just be “ourselves” and say and do what we want?  We are thoughtful and mature women!  Right? 

Could it be because we are bent on evil… apart from him?

We are NOT full of Grace… HE is!

We are to:

Watch our Thoughts, they become words.

Watch our Words, they become actions.

Watch our Actions, they become habits.

Watch our Attitudes, they become character.

Watch our Character for it becomes our destiny!

Children are the seeds of all our finest hopes in this life.  They are our heritage. Moms…our children are watching, listening, and learning…we are the first book they read…all the time!  We cannot allow the enemy any entrance into their lives.  They deserve the opportunity to grow in grace and to become all that He has predestined them to be for His glory and purpose.  

Are you a godly steward of the trust you have been given in the life of your child?

What are your children observing?

We all fail… but what is your pattern??

I still have the privilege of looking into the face of the most precious Mother that ever lived and I see her responsibility for me wasn’t just those first years until I went away to college…she still “sets the bar” for me at 97!  I continue to watch her words, actions, habits and observe her character… and I listen and learn!  Christina and Kim, my two daughters, are still holding my “feet to the fire” and looking for an opportunity to use me as an excuse for their wrong choices (It’s always mom’s fault, isn’t it?!).  And my seven grandchildren are watching their grandma to see if her God is real!

But most importantly, God has His eyes on me and is listening, and He is holding me accountable! 

Grace is an attribute of God.  All God’s attributes are active, not passive!

     ( Love – gives; Joy- refreshes and is the reward of giving; Peace- governs, etc…).

Grace IS NOT:

·      God’s passive indulgence in letting us do what we want!  (Our present cultural philosophy – everyone is entitled and we are the exception to every rule!).

·      God’s removal of consequence when His laws are broken! (We reap what we sow!  No escape!)

·      Freedom to reject God’s commands!  (God’s law’s are NOT a “Smorgasbord”…I like this command; it works for me; I’ll keep it!....That one does NOT work for me…throw it out!

Grace IS:

·      The desire, willingness and power to do what God wants!  It is ACTIVE!

 “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  2 Tim. 2:1 

Is God’s grace ACTIVE in you? 

Have you taken stewardship of your life? 

What about the life of your child?

When God calls you into account…will you be ready?

My prayer for you is that, like Princess Grace, you will fulfill your calling, take the stewardship of the trust God has given you in your children, keep in harmony with the instruction of your heavenly authority and lastly, that your little prince and princess will follow your godly example.

~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 discipling 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. 

Jackie's Journey: Words and Wounds!

“Language is the dress of thought”. Samuel Johnson   I have two very precious friends who live in Tucson, Arizona.  I don’t get to see them as often as I would like but they are the eternal connection we all hope that we are fortunate enough to find just once in our lifetime of relationships.  While on furlough from the mission field these girls were eager to encouragingly nurse me back to health while I was crumpled on their living room sofa and they had just the right words that would lift my spirit and keep me going.  Most of all, they offered total and complete acceptance accompanied with a joy of just sensing refuge in their presence.  I recently found an encouraging note they sent me shortly after the first of our books in The Princess Parable Series was released.  This is the note…

I loaned your books to a friend, Jackie. Her granddaughters are named Daity and Caity Belle.  This was my friend's comment on them: 

‘Thanks for the loan on the books – they are GREAT! We had to reenact the Princess Birthday one – we baked a cake and invited the dolls—dressed up—it was quite a production.  Daity really liked it and Caity Belle liked the one about the dog—now when they dress up they have to be those Princesses.  So I would say they are a hit! I love that there is a great theme and then the stories at the end of the book—great illustrations and inspiring and encouraging.’ 

Thought you would like to hear another review.  Keep up the Lord’s work on your writing.  Love, Jane

There are many ways we express ourselves, but, as women, we are exceptionally prone to WORDS…all kinds of words… lots of words…soothing words…volatile words…we love words…

“The power of life and death are in the tongue.”  Proverbs 18:21  

Do you speak LIFE with your tongue… or DEATH?

“Speech is the index of the mind”. We have a nanosecond before every choice we make each time we entertain a thought…should I say this or should I not???  Often we disregard the warning at that point of decision and blurt out exactly what should have been kept in the “box of better timing” or not at all!

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks…” Lu. 6:45

and too many meaningless words mark you as a fool!  Ecc. 5:3

In Proverbs 15 there are 21 references to words in only 33 verses!!!  There are cutting words, crude words, slanderous words, piercing words, biting words, poisonous words, burning words envious words, healing words, deceitful words, wise words, mocking words, cheerful words, timely words, prayerful words and….you fill in the blank!

Being a person of many words, I used to think if you isolate me in a remote jungle village with people who speak a different language then the tongue would be much less of a problem…How much damage could I do…I couldn’t speak the Kuna language…?

How many times have you been “ensnared by the words of your mouth”?

 Proverbs 6:2

“IF ANYONE CONSIDERS HIMSELF RELIGIOUS AND YET DOES NOT KEEP A TIGHT REIN ON HIS TONGUE, HE DECEIVES HIMSELF AND HIS RELIGION IS WORTHLESS”!  Jas. 1: 26

I am reminded of the old adage:

Watch your Thoughts, they become words.

Watch your Words, they become actions.

Watch your Actions, they become habits.

Watch your Habits, they become character.

Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.

Watch how your circumstances change when you change the way you speak! 

“The power of LIFE and DEATH are in the tongue”! Proverbs 18:21

~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 discipling 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. 

How to Host a Princess Camp, Day 5

The following post is part 5 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!

Friday- Princess Joy’s Birthday Blessing

Our last day of camp was almost like a first day, since we had to switch rooms to accommodate another unanticipated event.  We stayed after camp for an extra hour and a half on Thursday, transferring all of our decorations and setting up our princess party room.  Here is a picture of the new room, which we ended up loving even more than our first room.  One thing that made it better was having a water fountain- or bubbler as we say here in WI- and bathroom right outside the door instead of down the hall.

Don’t you love the display shelf for our Parable Princesses books?

All week long, the girls had been anticipating our special dress up party day. All the girls were invited to wear their prettiest dresses, and we planned to paint their nails and faces and eat cupcakes and ice cream.

As they entered, we took pictures of each girl in front of the castle decoration.  Once everyone had arrived, we played Pin the Gem on the Crown.  We simplified our approach by drawing a crown on a big piece of paper and having the girls design and cut out their own gems.  Then, we blindfolded each girl and had the other girls safely direct her to the crown, where she stuck her jewel on with double-sided tape.

After our game, all the girls sat in the middle of the room for our story time.  Today’s story was about Princess Joy; it is actually the first Princess Parables book, but we saved it for last because of our party plans.  Joy is a lovely princess, and she is so looking forward to the party her sisters are planning for her, only none of the guests can come!  At first discouraged, Joy instead decides to invite all of the children from the kingdom, be they poor or rich.  She finds that it is indeed better to give than to receive.

As a group, we discussed how we can give without expecting anything in return, and the girls offered up answers about helping around the house, giving money to those less fortunate, sharing their toys, and the like. In that moment, I realized how much I would miss these special girls and their sweet hearts.  It was a busy week, full of fun and activity, but on this last day, I determined to slow down and just take time to enjoy the girls, and that is what I did.

We directed the girls back to the tables and distributed our party food.  The girls chatted happily as they ate their cupcakes and ice cream, fruit salad, and apple juice.  This Wilton Princess Cupcake Stand Kit (which includes the cupcake liners and crown decorations) was perfect for our party, and it is affordable and reusable.

After we got the girls all cleaned up, it was time for the beauty treatment!  Kira, Caitlin, and I divided up: Kira and I painted toenails, and Caitlin became the master face painter (I found a Princess Face Painting kit at Michaels on clearance from $24.99 to $9.99-hurray!)  Here are a few pictures of our pretty princesses:

The face painting took longer than our camp was scheduled, but the few remaining girls and parents were happy to stay a little longer.  As the girls left, we gave them each a gift bag (I just used clear cellophane bags with pink and purple tissue paper) filled with foam stickers, play rings, Ring-Pops (I got them for 30 cents on clearance at Walgreens!) , balloons, and these Princess Stationery Sets.  Those that remembered also took their fancy drinking glasses which I found for 50 cents each at Goodwill; it was so cute to see them acting so dainty with these as they drank their water and juice throughout the week.

Final Thoughts

So much of our week involved doing and organizing projects with the girls that it wasn’t until Friday that I finally knew everyone’s name without hesitation and got to really relax.  The one-on-one time I got to spend with each of them as I painted their toenails was a special blessing.

My highlight of the week came when we talked about Jesus being our best friend, and a few of the girls called out, “Jesus is my best friend!”  My prayer is that He will continue to be just that as these precious girls grow into godly young women who love and serve Him.

I hope you enjoyed this series and that it sparked some inspiration for your own princess party or camp plans.  I highly recommend the Princess Parables books.  Be sure to get one, or the whole set, for your special princess. They are a wonderful way to introduce them to being a daughter of the true King.

For more ideas that I didn’t get a chance to use (but wish I had), 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 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.