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And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them (Luke 2:9)

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

The winter sky is a beautiful sight to behold. And one of the most spectacular meteor showers of the year occurs in December. When the Earth passes through the debris trail from the Phaethon asteroid, as many as 120 meteors per hour can be observed streaking across the sky. This year, the peak time for observing this beautiful event will …

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Family Time Movie Theater: The World Down Under

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

To prepare for your spelunking family adventure (or place of it), here are some movies for family movie night that will take you down into some amazing caves from around the world.  (Do NOT watch any of the horror movies that take place in caves unless you want to have claustrophobic nightmares for months!) Giant Crystal Cave (probably G) In …

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Caving

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

Do the dreary days of winter make you feel like crawling in a hole and hibernating?  Then spelunking may be the ideal family adventure to consider.  Tennessee is home to the largest number of caves in the United States (over 9500).  Caving can be extremely dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.  Luckily, many caves open to the …

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The Ole Swimmin Hole

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

Growing up in Louisiana (the land of bayous, rivers and lakes), my brother, sister and I spent every day of summer in the water.  Our fingers and toes would sometimes bleed from how shriveled and tender they became from all that time in the water.  While I don’t recommend this level of water obsession to everyone, summers are made for …

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Blackberry Pickin’

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

My grandmother LOVED blackberries.  Every summer she would have us out with our buckets in the blackberry patch under a blazing Louisiana sun picking juicy berries until we were worn out.  Then there was the baking of the blackberry cobbler!  If you are looking for something to do as a family that is unique and tasty, blackberry pickin’ can be …

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Celebrate Summer on the Summer Solstice!

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

June is the month when summer officially begins.  The Summer Solstice brings the Longest day of the year.  It is when our hemisphere tilts toward the sun bringing longer and brighter days.  It occurs between June 20 and 22, depending on the year.  Wake everyone up to go out and greet the sunrise!  Do something special!  What better reason could …

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Canoeing Down a Lazy River

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

Canoeing is a great way to spend quality time while engaging in an activity that doesn’t involve passively sitting in front of some sort of electronic device or standing over your kids while they do chores.  But with all good parenting decisions, there are some secret objectives.  Canoeing is one way to: Create a “time apart” with your kids Benefit …

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Family Picnic in the Park

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

Picnics are an ideal way to spend some family time together during the high days of summer. Just look at this happy family in the picture above!  The beauty of a picnic is it can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish to make it. There can be something for everyone since you and your kids can read, …

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Summer Nights

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

Summer nights are a perfect time to hang out as a family. Fireflies are still out in Tennessee, putting on their mesmerizing light show. These little unassuming bugs are one of nature’s marvels. (How do they DO that?!) June is also the month of the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. This year it falls on June 21 …

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Winter Wonderland

In The Blog by Dr James Wellborn

SNOW!  Don’t miss the opportunity to play in the snow with your kids when Jack Frost blankets your yard or neighborhood.  Snowmen (snowperson?), snowball fights, sledding; bundle up, get outside and rediscover your childlike innocence (along with the aches and pains that come with advancing age). For a more sedate activity, there is always taking a night time walk.  Something …