Let the Forest Echo with Laughter (Marghanita Hughes) - Video and Commentary

A beautiful video about the importance of play and exploration for children...  

Title: "Let the Forest Echo with Laughter"
By: Marghanita Hughes

The Vimeo video has a different song, and is also amazing: https://vimeo.com/60349873

When I was a child, I loved to play in the woods. I have fond memories of exploring, and playing under the emerald awning of leaves. I rarely wore shoes and loved the feel of the earth beneath the soles of my feet. I would slide down the red, sandy cliffs..laughing as I tumbled, and skipped like the stones pushing me along. One time I found some crumbling pottery at the bottom of the ravine, and was convinced it was treasure. Then there was the time I tried to follow my cat to see where he went...it was funny how my cat gave me this look like "leave me alone!". I kinda felt like the pesky sister following her brother.

Playing outdoors really help to grow my creativity. To this day, I turn off the TV and try to get my kids outside as much as possible. My kids are getting older but still love to run and play outside. We explore back roads to discover small towns and interesting sites. No matter how far we roam, all roads lead back home. 

~ Daylen Swift

Fun Ways to Bless Your Children (Parenting Tips)

Mom and Blogger, Carlie K., shares 25 tips on how to bless your children. These fun and inspirational ideas are not things that will cost a lot of money, but rather involve investing love, time and energy into your children in a variety of creative ways: 25 Ways to Bless Your Child(ren)

Here are a few ideas of my own... 

1) Teach them how to cook a favorite family recipe

Remember the "Green Buffet" - haha! When my daughter was little, I would tell her that there is a buffet that serves ONLY green food, called the Green Buffet. We would have fun thinking of menus of all green food, and imaging what we would eat. 

2) Let a child plan a fun or special activity to do together (may need to set limits on costs)

3) Let your child run around in a costume or their pajamas all day

4) Listen to music videos together. Bonus points if you sing and dance together.

5) Ask your child how to play their favorite video games, then join in.

6) Tell your child the story or special meaning behind their name, or how you chose their name.

7) Teach your child how to pray. Or, alternately, praise dance or other meaningful spiritual celebration.

8) Do a make-over with your daughter.

9) Volunteer together. (My kids had a blast packing boxes at church for Operation Christmas Child).

10) Play charades - act out what you love about your child or a favorite family memory, and have them guess what it is

Any other ideas?? Please post yours in the comments!

xoxo Daylen xoxo

Not Your Average C-A-T (Cute Pets)

My son, Bear, looks out for his 'lil brother CJ by finding educational games and toys for him to play with. Bear is always teaching his little brother something new, opening his mind to the endless possibilities, and adventures of life.

Bear got CJ the Gyro Bowl that would not spill over no matter how hard little hands tried... the bowl spinned but always righted itself, saving the carpet from an avalanche of cereal bits. Baby food smudged all over his face, and stained his hair orange but was held securely in the Gyro Bowl. This baby tested that bowl every which way, and still it held fast.

And Bear wanted to get CJ a set of read n' learn cards so his baby babble could form into real words, the cards would help CJ learn to read by using phonics. Bear got the set early on, and only now is CJ using the cards. My daughter Nora is always reading to CJ, and now teaching him how to write books. So their gift of love has been a tremendous blessing.

Someone else is learning to read as well, can you guess who???

~ Daylen Swift, 2015