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It's time for the 25 Days of Christmas here at the Happy Home!

Kids love animals right? So why not use a story about animals to bring Christmas alive to kids of all ages?

One of my favorite AccessMore podcasts is Science and God with Dr. G. Today we have Mrs. G on the podcast! Laurel Guillen has written a new novel titled A Bellwether Christmas starring a spunky sheep named Bart. You'll find out about the real life Bart and the profound effect animals have had in her son's life. You won't want to miss the unique way the Guillen family opens their Christmas presents (it's an idea to copy for sure).

In today's conversation about faith, family and Christmas, you'll learn about:

3:08 Living with Bart the Sheep

4:30 Do sheep really know the voice of their shepherd?

5:20 My sheep, the escape artist

7:20 You adopted your son from a foster home…how did you help him catch up on reading?

9:50 How to make the most of moving around a lot

11:00 Try this on your next road trip

12:46 How nature and animals had a major impact on my son

17:00 A totally new way to give out your Christmas gifts

20:00 The holiday decorations of Dr. G

21:50 Falling in love with Italy and Francis of Assisi

23:00 My first idea of a book never materialized…but it led to a Christmas novel

25:00 How did you and your husband Dr. Michael Guillen meet and find Jesus at Cornell

29:00 How science led Dr. Guillen to God

33:00 Here’s what I would tell a younger mom

Laurel Guillen is a Cornell University graduate and former radio, newspaper, and television journalist who has always loved medieval tales. She helped her husband, Michael Guillen, PhD, produce the award-winning family movie Little Red Wagon. Her novel A Bellwether Christmas was inspired by a life-changing trip to Italy and years of caring for some remarkable farm animals.

Get a 15 percent discount on Laurel's book, A Bellwether Christmas, here: faithfultext.com

Learn more about Laurel here: fb.me/LaurelGblog

It's not too late to pick up a few family activities and family devotions from Arlene's free guide, The 25 Days of Christmas. Just subscribe here to get it today. happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe

Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.