When my son became a tweenager over eight short years ago, a whole new world of temptation opened to him as he discovered (thanks to another peer) certain inappropriate behaviors online that would entice him in a way he’d never experienced before. Because he was our firstborn, a whole new world of fears opened to us too. We were thankful for many parents who had gone before us to give us wisdom and suggestions, as well as a gobload of information on the world wide web. As we talked and prayed him through it, we put boundaries in place with …
5 Reasons Why You Should Read to Your Children?
Do you read to your children? When my children were young, I loved curling up against the headboard with my boys in my arms and a book in my hand as I read a story to them before I tucked them in. I LOVED story time – and so did they… even when they were older. But to be honest, with dishes to do, baths to take, teeth to brush, homework to finish and laundry to fold, I often struggled to settle down long enough to read to my children. Maybe you feel the same way too. Always something to …
Why You Should Let Them Cry
My teenage son walked down the stairs with a frown on his face. College classes have gotten the best of him. My pep talk with him yesterday apparently wasn’t as good as I thought it was. My future as a motivational speaker went down in flames. When I brought my first child home from the hospital cries were immediately met with a soothing rub and my full attention until the whimpers quieted. From baby tears to teenage sulking, I want to make my child happy. I’ve exhausted myself trying to make this happen. I’ve finally realized I can’t make …
For the Over-Taxied Mom
I’m in the heavy duty taxi driving season of mamahood. No matter how simple we try to keep our calendar as a family, it seems the engine stays running. I think that’s one of the reasons why this C.S. Lewis quote touches me so: “God made us; invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed …
21 Family Conversation Starters
Meal time is about more than a meal. It’s about making memories, laughing together, crying together, discovering each others fears, failures, trumps and trials. It’s about diving deep and laying the foundation for a life time of open conversation. Today, I want to share with you 21 table-talk family conversation starters to help you begin a dialogue with the ones you love most. I’ve also included a FREE PDF for you to download to make it easy, peasy for you and your family. CLICK THIS LINK for your 21 Family Conversation Starters. What’s your favorite movie and why? Tell us …
3 Keys to Teaching Your Children Money Management
“I want that!” My daughter’s eyes widened as she grabbed a colorful stuffed animal at the toy store. At that moment, a wave of frustration came over me. After I just bought her a toy the day before, I could hardly believe my ears when she wanted something else. Doesn’t she have enough? I thought to myself. Surely she can’t be that consumeristic, could she? As her face changed from jubilation to disappointment at my refusal to buy the toy, a startling reality came over me: I caused her selfish attitude. I didn’t do it intentionally. My husband and I …
Sleep-Overs the Pros and Cons
I’m just going to put it out there. I pretty much hated sleep-overs and slumber parties. I pretty much hated sleep-overs and slumber parties. Click To Tweet And not just because of tired cranky kids the next day. Mostly I hated sleep-overs because I preferred to tuck my kids into their own bed at night. And..to be honest, I liked the element of control, knowing what they were watching and what activities they were involved in. If I could choose, I preferred to have kids come to our home to spend the night rather than my kids go to …
What to do about your stretch marks
Before we get into today’s post, we want to share with you that Stephanie Shott is sharing her testimony today on The 700 Club! If you know someone who has struggled with abuse, rape, brokenness, are in a difficult marriage or struggle in their quest to know God, PLEASE be sure to have them watch The 700 Club at 9:30 a.m. (ET) on ABC Family Channel. Jesus really does change everything and Stephanie’s desire is that God will use it to speak hope into those who are watching. And here’s a link to the interview if you didn’t catch it …
How to Conquer Your Child’s Fear of the Dark
BEFORE WE GET STARTED, WE WANT TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNER OF DR. GARY CHAPMAN’S AND ARLENE PELLICANE’S NEW BOOK, GROWING UP SOCIAL! DRUM ROLL PLEASE…. AND THE WINNER IS – Arianne de la Torre! Arianne de la Torre, you’ll be receiving an email from The M.O.M. Initiative today! CONGRATULATIONS! ———————————————————— S Supposedly a family of bears lives in my daughter’s closet. People-eating bears, I’m told. And when the bears take the night off, a monster steps in. Sometimes an alligator. Funny, but none of these critters show up when the sun is shining. (Silly Mom, bears are nocturnal. So are alligators. Sometimes I …
Connecting or Disconnecting Because of Technology & a GIVEAWAY?
Today, we have a treat for you! A giveaway of GARY CHAPMAN’s and ARLENE PELLICANE’s new book, GROWING UP SOCIAL! Arlene is a guest who has shared here at The M.O.M. Initiative several times and I love her heart to minister to women! Today’s post is an adaptation from Growing Up Social and Arlene has graciously offered to give away a copy! SOOOOO… be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win. Winner will be announced in Sunday’s post. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – …