Tuesday, December 22, 2020

20 Christmas Movies to Watch with Your Family

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  Don't worry, this won't cost you any extra!

When you think of Christmas movies, I bet there are a few that immediately spring to your mind as ones that you absolutely have to watch every year. Maybe they're movies that you grew up watching with your family or maybe they're new ones that you've recently discovered and with which you've fallen in love.   

Every year, we try to watch our favorites along with a few new ones for some variety. I especially like to focus on movies that help my kids and our whole family focus on the real reason for the Christmas season, the birth of our Savior and sharing His love with others. I made a list of my family's favorites along with a few other suggestions from some other moms in a parenting group I'm a member of on Facebook.


I'll share a link to where you can purchase each of the movies on dvd, but check your streaming services too in case they're available to stream for free! I like to use the JustWatch app to find out where movies and tv shows are available to watch. FYI, if you have Hulu Live and record anything to your dvr, they won't necessarily show up on the JustWatch app so it's worth it to check that separately. 

I'm also including a link to the movie's review on Plugged In when available so you can make sure it's appropriate for your kids as well.

The Star

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We Three Kings
Plugged In review not available
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The Nativity Story
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It's a Wonderful Life
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A Charlie Brown Christmas
Plugged In review not available
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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
I recommend reading the book with your kids too!
Plugged In review not available
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The Small One
Plugged In review not available
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Christmas for a Dollar
Plugged In review not available
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The Least of These
Plugged In review not available
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Saving Christmas
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Silent Night
Plugged In review not available
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Christmas Miracle
Plugged In review not available
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Christmas with a Capital C
Plugged In review not available
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Veggie Tales: The Toy That Saved Christmas
Plugged In review not available
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Christmas Manger
Plugged In review not available
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A Christian Carol
Plugged In review not available
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The Man Who Invented Christmas
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The Christmas Candle
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Veggie Tales: The Star of Christmas
Plugged In review not available
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The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
Plugged In review not available

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20 Christmas movies to watch with your family: https://bit.ly/2WB3OeW 
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Is there anything you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments!






Saturday, December 5, 2020

Holiday Gift Guide - Ehlers Danlos/Rare Disease Zebra Edition

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  Don't worry, this won't cost you any extra!

If you're looking for the perfect gift for the Ehlers Danlos Syndrome or rare disease zebra in your life (or maybe for yourself), look no further! I've put together a list of gift ideas with something for every budget. Enjoy!




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Holiday Gift Guide - Ehlers Danlos/Rare Disease Zebra Edition : https://bit.ly/2JtX7IL
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Did you find anything you liked, either for a gift or for yourself? Drop a comment and let me know what your favorite item from the list is!











Monday, November 30, 2020

New Book Release! Yet Will I Praise Him: Living and Parenting with a Chronic Illness

I can't believe I'm finally able to say this, but....

I'm a published author!!!!

My book, Yet Will I Praise Him: Living and Parenting with a Chronic Illness, was officially released on November 17th!


Several people have asked me what made me decide to write a book. It goes back to when I was six years old and I wrote my first three-page story about a shipwreck in a pink, spiral-bound notebook. After that, I continued to write and dreamed of seeing my name on an actual book someday. I never thought my first published book would be a non-fiction one about raising kids while living with a chronic illness. But God had His own plan and it's what I was led to write about so that's what I did! I do have plans for more books including a 30-day devotional companion book to Yet Will I Praise Him and some novels, but those will have to wait until this school year is over since I'm devoting a lot of time to distance learning with my kids right now.

You can find Yet Will I Praise Him at the following places online:




You can also see the trailer for my book on YouTube!

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New book release! Yet Will I Praise Him: Living and Parenting with a chronic illness: https://bit.ly/3lmJszZ
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Do you have my book yet? I'd love if you would take a few minutes and leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads to let me know what you thought of it!




Monday, November 9, 2020

How to Teach Your Kids to Be Thankful

 This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  Don't worry, this won't cost you any extra!

The title of this post is How to Teach Your Kids to Be Thankful, but let's be honest...this is something at which we all could be better. What better time to work on this skill than in November, the month of Thanksgiving?

A few months ago, I added thankfulness to my daily morning devotions and I've noticed that it's rubbing off on my whole day. I notice and am grateful for more of the little things throughout the day. I've been trying to encourage my kids to be grateful as well and wanted to share with you some of the things I've found to help them with that as well as some free printables that you can use this Thanksgiving with your family.

How to Teach Your Kids to Be Thankful

1. Teach by example.
Don't just tell your kids to be more grateful... teach them to count their blessings by counting yours and don't forget to credit the Creator of your blessings!

2. Be purposeful about gratitude.
When one of my kids is having a rough day with lots of whining and complaining, I have them either tell me or write down three things they're grateful for. 

3. Memorize I Thessalonians 5:16-18 with your kids.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
I Thessalonians 5:16-18

4. Start a thankfulness jar.
Have everyone in the family write down their blessings in a scrap of paper and put it in the thankfulness jar each night during dinner (or whenever it works best for your family!) 

5. Say thank you a lot!

6. Have your kids start a thankfulness journal.
I like this one or you can just use a regular notebook. If you're looking for something a little more in-depth, this Gratitude Journal and Devotional are sure to get your kids focused on thanking God for their blessings, while growing closer to Him. 

7. Read this book, Growing Grateful Kids by Susie Larson, to learn more about teaching kids how to be grateful. 

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How to teach your kids to be thankful: https://bit.ly/3n8cuES 
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Don't forget about your free thankfulness printables! Click on the button below to download them.



What are some ways you encourage your kids to be thankful?