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Mason Jar Advent Calendar

Posted on November 19, 2012 by ohamanda

I know it’s the week of Thanksgiving but it’s all Christmas carols and gift secrets in our house this week. I decided to get a head start on our Truth in the Tinsel activities by making an advent calendar from mason jars. It’s not so much of an Advent Calendar as creative way to hold all my craft supplies.

If you’re new to Truth in the Tinsel, here’s how it works…

Included in the book are small clues for each day’s theme and ornament. You can print, cut out and hide the clue inside an existing advent calendar or use the included printable paper chain. Your kids listen for the clue as you read the passage of Scripture. When they hear the clue (or something close to it), they can shout it out and that will lead you to crafting your ornament.

I’m pretty sure we’ll still be using our box advent calendar for the clues. But I thought it would be fun to house the craft supplies inside these cute jars! So, after we read the Scripture we can go straight to the jars and find what we need.

Here’s how you can make your own mason jar advent calendar. It’s so easy it barely needs a tutorial, but I made one anyway…

1. Measure your jar. Mine ranged from 3.5-5.5 inches.

2. Cut adorable Christmas scrapbook paper to correct size for your jar.

3. Roll up paper and drop into jar.

4. Voila!

5. Drop your supplies inside & wait for the craftiness to begin!

I added numbers to the front of my jars (see first picture above), but you don’t have to do that. You could cut out the clues and tape those to the front. Or just drop the clue inside each jar if you didn’t want to add the craft supplies. You could even set the jars up all over the house instead of in a row. It could be like a scavenger hunt. They are just so cute and easy, you could do all sorts of fun stuff with them!

So, what kind of advent calendar will you be using with Truth in the Tinsel?

Posted in Tutorials | 5 Comments

True Love Was Born in a Stable {Red Letter Words Giveaway}

Posted on November 16, 2012 by ohamanda

One of my favorite things about Truth in the Tinsel is that it puts God’s Word as the focus in your home. Every single day you’re reading God’s Word. Every single day you’re talking about God’s Word. Every single day you’re using your hands to create a reminder of God’s Word. Every single day you’re hanging that reminder up for all to see.

God’s Word is hanging in your home.

This is a passion of mine. I believe in putting God’s Word on your walls. I want God’s Word to be all around me. I want it to be easy to “talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. [T0] tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-8)

Dee from Red Letter Words feels the same way. She creates beautiful Scripture art for your home. I’ve admired her work for many years and finally got my own Red Letter Words at the Allume Conference this year.

A few weeks ago, I was perusing Pinterest (totally not wasting time!) when I saw this:

Isn’t that gorgeous? I knew it was Red Letter Words right away (because I recognized its cuteness!) and when I realized she had Christmas art, I got excited. Look at the rest of these:

Oh, my goodness! I am in love! Wouldn’t these be gorgeous on your mantle? Hanging right above your stockings? Or as a gift for a friend? Family member? {For yourself?!!}

I shot an email off to Dee to tell her I think we are BFFs and have the same heart for families to have God’s Word in their home. And guess what? She offered to give away one 12×12 gallery wrap canvas of the True Love print! Wheee! {US addresses only. Sorry!}

To make this even more exciting, all Red Letter Words holiday prints are 20% off!

So, wanna win? Just enter via the RaffleCopter widget below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Posted in More Beautiful Christmas Folks | 13 Comments

It’s here!

Posted on November 12, 2012 by ohamanda

One of the most fun parts of being behind the scenes of Truth in the Tinsel is seeing how everyone uses the ebook. Of course, there are people like you and me who are simply doing the book as written with their kids.

But other people have been all caught up in the tinsel and want to share it with others. I’ve had churches, children’s ministries, backyard Bible clubs, MOPS groups, preschools and more contact me about doing Truth in the Tinsel in a group environment. As a former Children’s Pastor, this totally excites me! I love the local church and ministries that are helping parents raise kids for the Lord!

Truth in the Tinsel Church Curriculum

So, my best friend, Staci and I got together a few months ago to write a 4-week church curriculum to go along with Truth in the Tinsel! You can read all about it on our Church Curriculum page. You’ll even find pricing for bulk orders of the ebook!

If you’re a family ministry director at any level, please check out our curriculum. It’s the perfect way to get the church and families partnering in leading kids to Jesus this Christmas!

	Amanda is the author of Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands. She is a mom of two, former Children’s Pastor, Disney-fan, kids’ book lover and collects too many Christmas ornaments. She blogs at ohAmanda.com on a semi-regular basis.

Posted in Truth in the Tinsel | 2 Comments

Elf on the Shelf Alternatives

Posted on November 9, 2012 by ohamanda

Elf on the Shelf Alternatives from TruthintheTinsel.com

I know people love the Elf on the Shelf. It’s a magical little tradition that gets kids ready for Christmas and apparently, controls their behavior. (It does sound magical, doesn’t it?!) For those who don’t want to incorporate Santa and his elves into their daily December, here’s a few fun alternatives to a Christmas countdown activity.

1. Christmas Mouse

Source: minimocha.blogspot.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

This is the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen! The Christmas Mouse travels the world and takes a mini-vacation at your house during December. Every day he leaves treasures from his travels. {please click over to Mini Mocha and see all her gorgeous ideas!}

2. Christmas Angel

Source: yourchristmasangel.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

The Christmas Angel comes with a cute plush angel, a bag of gold dust and a storybook. The story explains how the angel came to Mary and told her she was going to have baby Jesus. So, like the Elf on the Shelf, when your child wakes up every morning, they look for the angel who has written a message in the gold dust–”hug mom”, “make cookies”, “give a gift”. The idea is to give every day after reading the message from the angel.

3. Book Countdown

Source: vanderbiltwife.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

I’m a sucker for a Christmas book. The day after Christmas is my favorite day because Barnes and Noble puts all their Christmas books 50% off! So, grab 25 of your favorite Christmas books, wrap each one individually and every day of December unwrap one and read it together with your kids.

I love this because it gives your kids quality time, you are reading together and it makes for a surprise each day! My friend Jessie has a great list of 25 Jesus-centric Christmas books for this tradition!

4. What God Wants for Christmas

I got this at a Christian bookstore on an after-Christmas clearance a few years ago. It’s a kit that includes seven boxes which house nativity scene figures. Every night for a week, you pick a new box, read the story and open the box. The last night, you think would be baby Jesus, instead it’s a mirror! The gift God wants is YOU!

I love it because it’s only a 7 day countdown. You can fit 7 days into December for sure!

5. Mary & Joseph’s Trip to Bethlehem

I tried to find a link to this online, but just couldn’t find one. It’s such a simple idea that doesn’t require any crazy set-up or even a big purchase.

If you have a nativity scene, set it all up except for Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Just hide Jesus away and then place Mary and Joseph far far away in another part of the house. Each morning, place Mary and Joseph a little closer to Bethlehem…er, your manger scene. By Christmas Eve, they can set up in the stable and on Christmas Day, place Jesus in the center!

My kids would love to search for Mary and Joseph every day! I think I’m going to do this in December!

6. Advent Wreath

Source: adventtolenttoascensionwreath.blogspot.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

This is a meaningful, beautiful piece of art which doubles as a countdown activity. Each day, move the donkey and Mary figure closer to the center of the wreath adding Advent candles as you go. You can extend it (and use it again) during Lent as you get ready for Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross. You have to click over to see all the gorgeous pictures of this wreath!

7. Light ‘Em Up

Source: lillightomine.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

You’ve heard of Random Acts of Kindness during the holidays, right? Well, Courtney at Lil Light of Mine gives over 50 fun ideas, printables and more to light up December with kindness!

8. Shepherd’s Pouches

Source: blog.jamesandjuliepaquette.com via ohAmanda {impress your kids} on Pinterest

I super love this idea. Instead of stockings, hang up small, unadorned pouches. During December, when your children help someone, do chores, are kind, etc. place money in the pouches. On Christmas Eve, take the money from the pouches and use it to buy a gift from Compassion’s gift catalog or give it to someone in need.

This is cool because it gives the same feel as the elf watching your behavior, but with better motivation. Head over to Julie’s blog to read all her wording and ideas on how to implement this with your kids!

9. TRUTH IN THE TINSEL

You knew I was gonna say that, right? It’s a wonderful and simple idea: read the Christmas story from the Bible, make an ornament to go along with the passage and talk about it with your kids. It includes printables, the words to say and simple tutorials. It doesn’t get much better than that! Get your own copy now!

(OK. I’m biased. But really, it’s fun.)

10. What’s your favorite fun Christmas countdown, activity or tradition for getting kids ready for Christmas?

	Amanda is the author of Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands. She is a mom of two, former Children’s Pastor, Disney-fan, kids’ book lover and collects too many Christmas ornaments. She blogs at ohAmanda.com on a semi-regular basis.

{elf graphics from zenware designs at mygraphico}

Posted in Uncategorized | 29 Comments

Feliz Navidad!

Posted on November 6, 2012 by ohamanda

It’s true! Truth in the Tinsel is now available in Spanish! Yipppeee! I’m so excited about this. My friend, Edurne translated the whole book for her friends last year and now she’s helped us make it available for everyone!

Truth in the Tinsel en Espanol

If you have a Spanish speaking friend, I’d love for you to let them know Truth in the Tinsel…er, should I say, El Verdad en el Oropel is ready and waiting!

Download Truth in the Tinsel {El Verdad en el Oropel} for $7.99!

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Seven Tips to Teach Kids God’s Word {Especially If You Aren’t Familiar With the Bible Yourself}

Posted on October 31, 2012 by ohamanda

Hi Amanda! I just ordered this to do with my own children, but got to thinking…My only hurdle may be trying to tell the Bible Scriptures in a way that they would understand. Do you have any helpful tips on how I could do this? I didn’t grow up going to church, so I’m not completely familiar with every scripture that is covered. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

I got this question on our Facebook page this week and as I was responding, it became such a long answer, I decided to turn it into a blog post. So, here we go…

How To Teach Kids Scripture from Truth in the Tinsel.com

How To Teach Your Kids God’s Word {Especially If You Aren’t Familiar With The Bible Yourself}

(nice title, huh?)

1. Kid-Friendly Bible Version

Part of what I love about Truth in the Tinsel is reading the Christmas story directly from the Bible. I highly suggest the New International Reader’s Version because it is written on a 3rd grade reading level. It uses very short sentences so even young children can understand.

2. Read With Flair

When you are reading the Bible story, read with drama and style! A simple whisper, inflection of your voice or wide-eyes will add to your child’s understanding. I love Mem Fox’s suggestions for reading aloud.

3. Read It Alone

If you’ve never read the passage before make sure you read it to yourself before you read it to the kids. That will give you a chance to look up any unfamiliar words or read a few verses before and after to get some context.

4. Be OK With Their Understanding

Kids aren’t going to understand the whole story. I don’t even understand the whole story–what was Zechariah doing in the temple? How did the wise men know which star to follow? What are the sacrifices Mary and Joseph had to do at the temple? But that’s part of the fun of Truth in the Tinsel, exploring the story and Scriptures together. Let kids learn on their level. We’re just laying a foundation, a little here, a little there.

5. Know Your Kids

The rule of thumb is one minute of attention span for every year of age. That means your two year old will listen for about two minutes. (This doesn’t surprise you, does it?) Your ten year old might give you ten. When you’re reading or talking, don’t expect them to have big conversations or great listening after their attention span!

6. Repetition

One of my favorite parts of Truth in the Tinsel is that you read the same passage of Scripture several times. Did you know that the first time you hear something you only remember 10%? The second time you remember 25%, the third 50% and the fourth 75%!

7. Living Word

God’s Word is living and active. When we deliver God’s Word to our kids–however bumbling it may seem, God does the work. We read it, we facilitate conversation and activity and God makes things happen. Trust Him and the promise of his living Word!

Truth in the Tinsel will be successful with your kids–not because of how well you lead it, read it or tell the stories, but because God’s Word is alive! Be faithful with bringing God’s Word to your kids and He will be faithful to make it come alive in their hearts!

Posted in Truth in the Tinsel | 4 Comments

Printable Ornaments!

Posted on October 25, 2012 by ohamanda

Printable Ornaments for Truth in the Tinsel

After Christmas last year, I started brainstorming about Truth in the Tinsel 2012. Should we add more to it? Do something different?

I was talking to my friend Vanessa, from Silly Eagle Books about some ideas I had. She said, “You know what would be really good? Some printable ornaments. Then on the days we don’t want to do a craft, we could just color it and hang it up.”

LIGHTBULB!

What a fabulous idea! It would work for so many ideas–if you were doing Truth in the Tinsel on vacation (like we did last year at Disney World!), at Grandma’s when all your relatives are there, for toddlers who don’t have the attention span for a long craft, when you don’t have the supplies or just don’t want to pull all the mess out!

I buzzed Jason at Buzzhive.net who designed the original Truth in the Tinsel to see if he could make some printable ornaments for us. And he did! He designed them to look like a traditional ball ornament and used our clues from the original book as a guide for the pictures.

Printable Ornaments for Truth in the Tinsel

My husband and kids colored some tonight and had a great time. When my 4 year old son was finished coloring he said, “Mommy, look at my sheep. I gave him a space helmet.”

Hey, whatever works, right?

Truth in the Tinsel Printable Ornaments

These printable ornaments are not mandatory for using Truth in the Tinsel. They are an additional supplement for when you need a quick craft or a break from your normal activity.

Truth in the Tinsel Printable Ornaments

Download all 24 printable ornaments for $3.99 now!

Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Make it a Big Deal!

Posted on October 22, 2012 by ohamanda

Truth in the Tinsel: An Advent Experience for Little Hands ebook

Christmas seems bigger every year. Bigger presents. Bigger parties. Bigger trees. Bigger decorations.

Sometimes I just want to hide from it. I want to give gifts only to Jesus. I want to have a simple Christmas. I want to make popcorn garlands and get a penny and a peppermint stick in my stocking like Laura Ingalls.

I don’t want my kids’ eyes as big as saucers when they come down the stairs on Christmas morning. I don’t want them overly tired and cranky from too much Christmas candy and too many Christmas parties.

I want them to know the big deal of Christmas is Jesus. I want to stack up everything that Christmas “requires”: trees, gifts, parties, cards, wrapping and matching outfits and make sure it looks small compared to the gift of Jesus.

When we make a big deal of Jesus by focusing on Him for 24 days, reading His story for an entire month, meditating on His gift to us, we’ll make Him bigger. The big deal of Christmas will become big in the hearts of your children. It will be a big deal that will stay with them their entire lives–making Jesus the Big Deal of their lifetime.

Let’s do it–make Christmas a big deal. Go all out—focusing on Jesus, making His name great and honoring Him this year. I think Truth in the Tinsel is a great way to do this (of course!), but what’s another way your family makes a big deal of the Christ of Christmas?

Posted in Truth in the Tinsel | 12 Comments

Let There Be Light!

Posted on October 11, 2012 by ohamanda

My favorite part of reading the entire Christmas story with Truth in the Tinsel is discovering the “light” imagery and descriptions. Jesus is the Light of the world!

Posted in Truth in the Tinsel | 6 Comments

The Countdown Begins!

Posted on October 8, 2012 by ohamanda

The holiday season is sneaking up on us. Only 77 days till Christmas–which means only 53 days until we begin Truth in the Tinsel for 2012!

Traditional advent begins on Sunday, December 2nd. But for ease of use (and to make sure we get all the crafts in), we’ll begin Truth in the Tinsel on Saturday, December 1st!

If you’re new to our super-fun Truth in the Tinsel community, make sure you join our Facebook page to get tips and share your advent experience with other families like yours. And take a look at our Pinterest boards for reviews and fun ideas to use with Truth in the Tinsel!

And of course, grab your own copy of the Truth in the Tinsel ebook if you haven’t already!

Happy Merry almost-Christmas! And to all a good night!

Posted in Truth in the Tinsel | Comments Off

Mason Jar Advent Calendar

True Love Was Born in a Stable {Red Letter Words Giveaway}

It’s here!

Elf on the Shelf Alternatives

Feliz Navidad!

Download Truth in the Tinsel {El Verdad en el Oropel} for $7.99!

Seven Tips to Teach Kids God’s Word {Especially If You Aren’t Familiar With the Bible Yourself}

Printable Ornaments!

Make it a Big Deal!

Let There Be Light!

The Countdown Begins!

Quotes from Readers

Buy the ebook now $7.99!

How To Use Truth in the Tinsel

Join the Truth in the Tinsel Facebook Challenge

See more on the blog!

With Forward by Jim Wideman!

Hang Out With Us All Year Long!

Hire My Designer!