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Read MoreAre your parenting batteries depleted?
Could you use some encouragement and inspiration to help you on the parenting journey? Would you like some tips and ideas for ways to have fun and to make memories with your child? Then you’re at the right place and we’re glad you’ve joined us! Eighteen years sounds like a long time—but you really have just 18 summers . . . and we want to help you make the most of them.
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Read MoreSo how did the Just 18 Summers® brand come about?
My pastor, Rev. Ralph Sexton, dedicated a baby at church one Sunday. As the parents walked off the platform, he said, “Don’t forget, you have just 18 summers. Take time to make some memories.” Whew, the poignancy of that slammed into me and I knew at that moment that God wanted me to do something with that thought.
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Read MoreWe want Just 18 Summers® to be about YOU.
We’d love to hear from you with your thoughts, ideas, and ways we can help you on the parenting journey.
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Read MorePlease help us spread the word about Just 18 Summers®!
Post about us on Facebook and Twitter. Tell your friends and family. Tell your pastors, family ministry leaders, and organizations about Just 18 Summers. Let’s encourage and strengthen families across our nation and the world!
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Recent From A Happy Home
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Most Recent Articles
Ready for the Snowstorm
Okay, moms and dads. It seems Snowmageddon is on the way this weekend where I live, so I thought I’d share some things I’ve learned from other big snowstorms in case this is new for some of y’all (or in case you’re forgetful like I am). Many of these tips would also work for other emergency situations like hurricanes, etc. Fill your vehicle with gas. If the power goes out, the pumps won’t be working. Move your grill where it’s near the door (but not inside the house or basement) before the storm arrives in case you need to cook on it. Check to make sure you have plenty of propane. Sharpen your chain saw blade and make sure you have oil and gas for it. We’ve often had to cut up trees that fell due to heavy snow. Locate candles, candle holders, lanterns, etc. in case the power goes out. Make sure you have matches or a lighter. Make sure you have cartridges for your camp stove if you plan to cook on that in case of a power outage. Book lights are great to have on hand for those dark (long!) nights when the power is out. Gather puzzles, games, and books to keep the kids (and the big kids)...
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Keeping Your Jingle When the Family Mingles
It’s that time of year – time for stockings, Christmas trees, wrapped presents, cookies, hot chocolate, and even more cookies! Christmas time is upon us, and that often brings with it extra family, church, and community socials and events. From church cantatas to neighborhood caroling and your child’s holiday concert at the local middle school, December is a busy month. When things get busy, we get tired, and fatigue unfortunately tends to bring out the worst in some of us. We get a little shorter with our words and patience, and we’re even tempted to snap at those around us. As much as we love our family members, they still get on our nerves when excessive exhaustion hits. Fatigue, food, and too much fun, even when it’s focused on the Christmas celebration, can bring families to a breaking point; to the point that they really lose their jingle amidst opportunities to mingle. So how do we fix this? How do we protect ourselves and our families during this holy season so that we aren’t guilty of hurting the people we love and care for the most? Solution: Follow these three “December Survival Tips.” Focus on the holiness rather than the hedonistic pleasure of the season Make time every time for the family to be...
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Celebrate Joy Every Day this Month
Aside from Easter, the most special season in a believer’s life takes place this month. In more recent years, the commercialism of Christmas quite often overshadows the cradle of Christmas. Find ways to slow down to smell the evergreens and cocoa and avoid falling into the frazzled-trap. Use every day during the month of December to point your family to the crib instead of the chaos by intentionally talking about Jesus’ birth and the true meaning of Christmas. In...
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We Are Not Called to Escape
It’s hard to believe the holidays are already upon us. We donned Halloween costumes and collected candy, followed by eating turkey, and now we’re baking bell and star-shaped cookies. With the holidays comes pressure. The pressure to be in more places than humanly possible at the same time. The pressure to give the best gifts, bake the prettiest cookies, and wear the ugliest sweater. And the pressure to conform to what’s going on around us at the expense of...
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Netsers in Nazareth!
My wife, Nancy, and I have lived in the same house now for 33 years, and we have no plans of ever moving. We’ve put down deep roots in central Illinois, where it’s hot and humid in the summer, and can be unbearably cold in the winter. Just thinking about the Arctic winters we experienced in the late 1970s and early ’80s makes my toes go numb. During the first year of our marriage, it once got down to...
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Prayer, Peace, and Power
Moms pray. A lot. We bathe our children in prayer from the time we get the blessed news we’re expecting, to the time our children leave home. Actually, we never stop praying. Ever. From nurturing toddlers to teens, to encouraging young adults with families of their own, God leads parents to approach Heaven on behalf of their offspring. But how do we know God hears us? Does our heart-pouring really make a difference in our lives, and in the...
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Prepare for Advent-ure
As Christmas draws near there’s more than gift lists to prepare. We need to prepare our hearts. One way is with an advent wreath. Advent begins December 3rd, so prepare ahead by making plans to focus on Jesus during December. It can be fun to light an advent wreath each day. Each candle has a name and meaning that inspire us to act on the word. Week 1 – Hope Read about the hope of Jesus coming...
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