Family Update: 
Josh & Sarah Brown and Family
December 14, 2014

After 2 years living and serving in Europe our family is back in the states for 5 months. We are spending the holidays with Josh's family, and welcoming a new baby in February. Life is full, and we are enjoying being part of Calvary Chapel in Estero, Florida. Our plan is to return to Europe March 31st, we have our tickets. 

Today Ember (our Italy baby) is turning 2, and now she shares a room with her big sisters, she thinks that she is 13 and is always trying to do everything Esther does.  I have never washed so much lip gloss of one child before, she seems to think that my lipstick is the best way to get a new hair color, and she is always proud of her work.   Rachel and Isaac are loving the ice rink down the street, they train 6 days a week.  Naomi and Laura are starting horseback riding lessons next week - a lifelong dream for both.  Estera LOVES the public library and brings home 40 pounds of books every week, she is also becoming an excellent photographer.  Anna keeps finding people and events to bake for, she has blessed just about everyone in our entire neighborhood, with cookies, fudge and gospel tracts. Susie and Joseph are prolific artists and love the results of having a big box craft store down the street.  Josh is playing music at church, and loving it, he is also helping with the youth group a bit.  He and Anna are doing music together, Anna can sing so beautifully.

I am finally realizing that a baby is due in 7 weeks, so I went baby shopping for the first time, and started working on a blanket. I bought some cute gender neutral newborn cloths at Marshall's and then went to a few yard sales... I thought I would put together a set of baby boy things and a set of baby girl things.  I filled a bag with adorable newborn girl clothes and toys at one sale, but couldn't find anything for a boy.  Well, I usually have girls anyway.  :) The girls want to put on a baby shower, they love babies and parties. They are so excited about the 10th baby, you would think it was their own, they can't contain the joy... I don't have many friends here to invite... but I do have 7 daughters and that's always a party... there would be hundreds of cookies! Josh's sister and brother will visit for Christmas time, it will be a blessing to have his family all together. Josh's parents just got back from a trip to Indiana to see Joe's doctor, and he is doing great!  He is even playing golf again, and recovering from the bone marrow transplant. Isaac is his golfing buddy now.

Looks like it will be really nice 5 months in America, I just miss the most important thing about America - my friends in Indiana.  I just can't travel anymore because flying is not an option this late in pregnancy, and a drive would be hard on me...  Coming to visit Indiana after the baby isn't going to work out well, as soon as I recover we are planning to pack up and head for Rome. Josh is praying about making a trip alone, but he knows that when babies are due, he is needed around here.  When we go back to Europe in the Spring we think our first destination will be Ukraine, where my parents are living. Please pray for us to know the next step as we live life to the fullest today.  

We are very thankful for the Lord's abundant provision, and blessing on our family business -www.DyslexiaGames.com - through God's blessing on our business He is giving us the freedom and provision to live and serve anywhere on earth with an internet connection. So as we pray about where to serve we just see so many opportunities and open doors. With hearts for evangelism, music ministry, hospitality and orphans we seek Jesus to show the way. 

Last year started off in Ukraine, but while we were in Hungary extending our visas, war began to break out, and going back into the country and extending our visas became less of an option for us.  So we spent 5 months in Croatia sharing the gospel with anyone who crossed paths with us.  Where we were living was a vacation spot for people from all over Europe, so we bought gospel tracts in almost every language in Europe, it was a joy.  While we were there I as very sick (baby coming! surprise!) for over 3 months, and that slowed us down... just a tiny bit.  The time of rest forced upon me gave we time to finish writing a book that I have been working on since age 16!  In November we published it! It is a book about our adventures, missionary stories, and family life - "Windows to Our World" it's on Amazon.  http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Our-World-Crossing-Children/dp/1502510111

QUESTION: "We have 14 children in our small group and we try to come up with different games or activities for them when we get together at parks or at homes. You have worked with a lot of children throughout your life. Are there any fun games you can share with us? 

ANSWER: I love games that can be played anytime you need a fun and spontaneous activity for little ones. I also love games that build skills, character, and relationships.  Here are 11 of our favorite “Anywhere Games” that children Ages 2.5 and up really love. None of these games require much planning, reading, or small game pieces, so you can play them anywhere and anytime you need to entertain children of all ages.  The most you will need is a pencil, paper, and stuffed animal or toys that you already have.  A few of these games can be played with no props at all, just imagination and conversation.

1.     What do you like best?
Little Children love to ask questions, and they love to answer questions too.  So we made up a game where we take turns asking questions that help us get to know each child better, and we laugh a lot! 

To Play:  I ask the first question: “Joseph, what do you like best: Bubbles or Squirt Guns?” 

He will give his answer, and then it is his turn, and he will ask someone else in the group his question: “Anna, what do you like best planets or watermelons?”  Then Anna will ask another child “What do you like best lunch or breakfast?”  Then that child will ask another child a question: “What do you like best cookies or cake?”   “Green or Blue?”  “Trees of Flowers?”  “Snow or Sand?”  This game is endless. You may need to tell the kids the rules, we only have on: No Potty Talk.

2.     Should We?
 I made up this game for Joseph to help him to learn right and wrong, and to make good choices in a variety of unexpected situations. This game can also bring lots of laughs! Once again it is a game of questions. My kids love to come up to me and say “Let’s play Should We!”

To Play: Just ask questions to make your child think about the right thing to do in an interesting or everyday situation. Sometimes the kids will enjoy making up their own questions.

“Joseph should eat someone else’s cookie?”

“Should we play in the road?”

“Should we eat dirt?”

“Should we eat carrots?”

“Should we put the cat in the bathtub?”

“Should we hit little babies?”

“Should we help mommy sweep the floor?”

“Should we make cookies with grandma?”

“Should we put cookie dough on grandma’s windows?”

3.     Family Questions (You can play this with any group, the kids love hearing the answers that the adults give too!)

We usually play this conversational game at the dinner table.  With a family of 11 this one can take a lot of time.  It also helps everyone to get to know each other.  Once again it is a Questions Games. 

To Play: Mom or dad usually asks the first question, and everyone takes turns giving their answer.  We usually only get through 3 questions at a meal.  One Rule: No "Yes or No" questions.

We ask questions like these:

“What would you buy if you had $20?”

“What country would you go to if you could go anywhere?”

“What is the most beautiful animal?”

“What do you think we should have for dinner tomorrow?”

“Name one important thing you should think about before you marry someone?”

“If you could have any super power what would it be?”

“What is something you like about the person to your right?”

4.     Drawing on the Ceiling
My husband plays this game when he tucks in the kids at night.  He points to the ceiling with his finger and draws a picture or writes a letter.  The kids try to guess what he is drawing.  They all take turns drawing a picture.  They can give clues like “This is an animal.”

5.     What Animal is It?
My kids love learning about animals, and happen to know the sounds of many interesting and exotic creatures.  All we do is take turns making an animal’s sound and the first one to guess the animal correctly gets to go next.

6.     What Comes Next?
Like most parents, we read the same stories, sing the same songs, and repeat the same rhymes and Bible verses over and over with each child.  Once the words of the story or verse are familiar to the child I will  give the child a chance to finish each line. Children ages 2 to 5 love this. When you are teaching or entertaining a group of children use this activity when telling a story or memorizing a verse.  With older children you can increase the number of words for them to fill in until the child can recite the entire verse alone. This works well for groups, because the children can all shout out the missing words together. 

“For God so loved the _____________.”

“Mary had a little _________.”

“How much is that doggie in the ______________.”

“In the great green room there was a telephone and a red _______________.”

"Jesus Loves ____ This I ________."

Traditional Games for Little Ones:

Those are the games we made up with our children, though I’m sure they are not original, they are our favorites!  And you don’t need to buy anything, and there are no losers, like in musical chairs.  

 7. I spy – The child says “I see something blue” and everyone tries to guess what it is, winner goes next.

8. Telephone – When you have 5 people or more everyone sits in a circle and one person whispers a sentence into the ear of the person to their right.  Everyone passes along the message, the last person says the sentence loudly to the whole group, and everyone laughs.

9. Hot or Cold – Mom hides a toy in the room, and the child tries to find it.  Mom gives a clue – as they move towards the location of the hidden toy mom says “Warmer... Warmer... Hot!” Then is the child veers in the wrong direction mom says “You are getting colder... colder... freezing... you are turning into an ice cube!”  My mom played this game with me when I was little.  This works best with just one child.

10. Nature Scavenger Hunt – Give each team (or player) a list of items (words or pictures) that can be found in a park or back yard, and a bag to collect the items. Everyone goes looking for common items like:

Yellow leaf
Acorn
Seed
Flower
Round Stone
Twig shaped like a letter
Something red
Something tiny
Something that smells good

Set a timer if you want to. When everyone finds their items, gather the group together to see each collection.  When you are finished with the hunt, you can use the found items to play memory, what is missing, sorting games, matching games! 

11. Memory - Collect an assortment of any 7 to 10 items.  Arrange all the items on a tray, everyone looks at the objects and tries to remember each one.  Take the tray away and remove one item.  Who can be the first to remember what is missing?  That player gets to remove the next item.

Just for You:

12. Mommy Questions - Wait! I thought there were only 11.  Well, this game is for you. 
To Play: Write your "Mommy Question" for me in the comments section, and when I (a mom of ten) have some free time I will post my answer.

Here are some of the Mommy Questions that I will be answering in the near future:
1. How do you deal with sibling rivalry?

2. What methods do you and your husband use to discipline your children? 

3. Do you make special time to spend with your older daughters? If so, how?

4. What does homeschooling a kindergartner look like at your home? 

5. How does a mom find her limit with time spent online? (Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!) Or should we even spend our precious time on such things? 

6. Please share some tips on how to find alone time with your husband, even to just talk without little people around who always need to be a part of your conversations :)

7. How do you manage to give equal amounts of time and attention to your husband and to the children?

By Sarah Janisse Brown - Homeschooling Mom of 10, and author of "Windows to Our World" 

Windows to our World is a love story - but not just between a husband and a wife. From one adventure to the next, Sarah Janisse Brown tells the story of God’s love for her and how that love led her to an adoring husband, ten talented and creative children, and a life of both settling down and going abroad. From her early stories about learning to read and building a cabin in the woods, to her first-hand experience with two wars in Eastern Europe, to her family’s appearance on a reality television show.

 Windows to our World will keep you turning the pages and wondering what the Lord could possibly have in store next for the Brown Family. The journal entries and poetry woven throughout the book also provide a more personal glimpse into Sarah’s inspiration as a wife, mother, artist, home educator, and entrepreneur. Don’t miss this epic adventure story of God’s love and providence in one family’s life. Review by Charity Singleton Craig, co-author of On Being a Writer (Dec. 2014, TS Poetry Press) and editor of Windows to our World.  Start Reading!