Tornado safety: A message for moms TORNADO SAFETY for moms from Julie Sanders on Vimeo. If you don’t see the video, click here: TORNADO SAFETY for moms from Julie Sanders on Vimeo. Tornado safety: PREPARE BEFORE a storm PRACTICE for tornado safety Know where safe shelters are in public places you frequent like church, the grocery store, or a mall. Spaces under wide, arched roofs are not safe. Teach your children to crouch down on the floor, against a wall, with their hands covering the back of their head. Understand the difference between a watch & …
How to Help Your Children Make Wise Choices
Today, we’re honored to have a precious sister who has become dear to me very quickly. Her heart for God, to minister to women, and to be bold for Christ has been obvious from the moment I met her and I’m so glad she is sharing these words of wisdom about wisdom with us today! Welcome Dawn Wilson, sweet moms! Ask parents, “Do you want a wise child?” and they’ll likely all say, “Yes!” But how do we cultivate that wisdom? It doesn’t just happen. When my two sons were in high school, people often asked me, “How did …
Even Moms Need More Sleep
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 2:2 ESV She’s here, she’s there, she’s everywhere. You’re the mom, which means you are always on the go: groceries, diapers, and carlines are a part of your everyday world and somewhere in the chaos of it all we’ve bought into the lie that we’ve got to be some kind of supermom. You know, faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than…oh, who are we kidding, we’re not super mom, nor should …
5 Ways to Assure that Your Kids Will Rebel
It’s a lie. Not every child rebels when they hit that magical age of 13. But some do. In fact, statistics tell us that the majority of kids rebel in one way or another. There are so many physical, emotional, hormonal and social changes that take place during those very crucial years that there are bound to be times when they balk at the boundaries their parents place on them. But resistance doesn’t have to become rebellion. Parents have the opportunities to sow seeds in their children’s heart, and to cultivate an environment that fosters faith, integrity, responsibility, morals and wisdom, …
The “UNPLUGGED SUNDAY” Family Challenge
Recently, my hubby and I headed to Chili’s after church. As I stood in the restaurant waiting to be seated, I noticed a young family sitting in the waiting area. The mom and dad were busy text messaging or checking their latest Facebook status while the daughter, who was sandwiched between them, slouched down with a very exasperated look on her face. Sunday. The day we take our families to church and we worship the risen King, the Savior of the world, the Great I AM. The day we gather together with our forever family to sing praises to His name, …
5 Ways to Cultivate Confidence in Your Child’s Heart
Catherine of Sienna once said, “Be all God created you to be and you will set the world on fire.” We all want our kids to be who God created them to be. We all want them to be men and women of God who set the world on fire. But their level of confidence is a huge factor as to whether or not our kids will step into their God-given identities and their God-given destinies. Confidence. It’s the stuff that risk takers are made of. And risk takers are the stuff world changers are made of. But confidence …
3 Key Questions to Ask Before Adopting a New Pet – Part 1
Today, I’m starting a 3-part video series on making proactive choices regarding family pets. In today’s video, I look at two pet-related goals I wish I’d been more intentional about when our children were younger. And I focus on the first “Key Question” to ask before adopting a new pet. Of course, if you’ve already brought home a furry family member, you can still discuss this question with your family now! (Can’t see video? Click here to watch it directly on YouTube!) Download our free Pet Care Contract: Join me – and Rafik!i – next month when we’ll look at …
Nascar Moments and Motherhood
It’s often said that motherhood is a marathon not a sprint. Yet I wonder if it’s something else entirely; like Nascar where God is the coach of your pit crew and you hear him whisper directions as you round the bend for another lap. Recently, our church went through a series about needing a pit crew and it ended with a night at the races. Moments volleyed back and forth between snuggling with my son and begging him to calm down as dirt flew up from the track while drivers either lost control of their car or hit another racer in an attempt to make it to …
TMI asks our readers 5 Questions about Being a Mom of Young Children
As a mom of three kids under the age of four (we have twins and a newborn) I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers when it comes to parenting little ones. I love getting advice from friends with kids just a few years older than mine or even reading stories from my fellow M.O.M’s here at The Mom Initiative. Today, I’d like to ask YOU, our readers some of the questions I hear most often from younger moms: 1. How do you get your child to eat something besides chicken nuggets or a …
How Moms Can Enjoy Their Days…Even the Hard Ones (Plus a Giveaway)
We have probably all been there. A sweet grandmother looks longingly at our children squeezed into the cart at the grocery store and utters words similar to these: “Enjoy these moments. Time goes by so fast.” And though we appreciate her sentiment, there’s another part of us that wonders…How can we enjoy these moments full of tantrums, middle-of-the-night feedings, hours of crying, and more diapers than we can count? How can we enjoy these moments that are just plain hard? I have been there (more times than I care to admit). I have been the mom wishing for the next …