How to Fight Fair in a Marriage

  One issue that affects many marriages is a lack of strong communication.  We might communicate well when the waters are smooth, but then, if the waters get a little rocky, our communication skills often fly out the window.  I taught a workshop a couple of months ago called Fighting for Your Marriage. In that workshop, one thing we talked about was how to fight fair.  Here are some basic rules.  How to Fight Fair in a Marriage: 1. Stick to the topic at hand. Don’t bring up a ton of other issues that need to be addressed. Whatever was the …

Share

HE IS RISEN! Here’s How to Make an Easter Rock Garden with Your Kiddos

This time of year holds so much sentiment to me. Easter. It reminds me of the gift I’ve been given, a fresh start; a new life because of what Jesus did on the cross. And its what I teach my kids–Grace. Instead of leaving it to the Sunday school teachers to teach my kids about what Jesus did, I try to find hands on examples that my kids will “get.”  Easter isn’t about some cute bunny but how do I hold my kids’ attention to teach this valuable lesson? An Easter Garden, something tangible, real and hands on! Of course my …

Share

Faith in Darkness and Light

I often wonder what this day was like for the disciples. Jesus – their teacher, leader, Messiah – was dead. The earth hadn’t shaken yet, and the stone was still firmly in place. I wonder if they felt betrayed, lost, confused, scared. They were huddled together on Sunday, but did they isolate themselves on Saturday? There was no hint that they remembered Jesus’s words – those that promised He would rise again, that this was not the end. I’m guessing it felt like the end. And moms there are times in our lives that everything around us looks hopeless. Times …

Share

The Old Rugged Cross

I cannot sing and cry at the same time. Therefore, I never sing “The Old Rugged Cross.” You see, I had a precious grandmother whom I adored. She loved to sing the old hymns, loud and off-key. And that hymn was one of her favorites. I can still hear her voice ringing in my memory. Jesus has been listening to her sing for the last 56 years. I’m sure she sings much better now. George Bennard, a Methodist evangelist, wrote the first verse of “The Old Rugged Cross” in 1912 and finished the hymn one year later. It is said …

Share

Help Your Children Find Their Inner Geek

  Let’s face it. There’s something about each of our lives that only we can get excited about. You know what I mean. You wait with baited breath to tell someone the most wonderful thing that has happened to you in weeks and . . . they meet your excitement with a blank stare and eyes darting for another topic. Maybe you’re a rare key collector, a plane engine buff, or someone who loves to discover how other people’s favorite color relates to their personality. Maybe you’re the world’s best Salsa dancer. Or pogo stick bouncer. Or plant whisperer. When …

Share

Top 5 Ways to Become a Foolish Mom

No one starts out their parenting journey determined to make a foolish mess out of things.  But just for fun, what if we did? What would it look like to strive to become a foolish mom?  Here are the top 5 ways to become a foolish mom on this April Fools’ Day: Click To Tweet Give no thought to eternity.  Live each day without considering tomorrow.  Refuse to think about your eternal soul which will give an account of your life.  Live for today…take as much as you can from everyone around you NOW.  Ignore the verse, “Look carefully then …

Share

10 Things We Don’t Want Our Kids to Learn from Church

  Church. It’s supposed to be a safe place for our children to learn about Christ, about His Word, about faith, about love, and about what living for the Lord looks like.  But sometimes the lessons they learn aren’t words of wisdom that will ground them for life. Instead they are lessons that leave scars on their hearts and undermine their faith. Here are 10 things we don’t want our children to learn from church… 1. To think church is a place to hide themselves from the world God calls us to be salt and light in a dark world. Our …

Share

5 Super Cool & Helpful Mom Apps

  “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.” Ephesians 5:16 (NLT) Have you ever felt like there just wasn’t enough time in your day? Like you couldn’t get it all done? Here are 5 super cool apps that can help make your mom life a tad easier.   1. BABY CONNECT ($4.99) A Great way to keep up with your children’s activities, schedules, routines, etc… Track daily information about children: feeding, diapers, sleep, mood, activities, medicines, photos, … Several authorized users can be specified for each child: parents, family, daycare staff, … Entries are immediately securely synchronized on each user account Parents and …

Share

Let the Education Begin

Motherhood. We tend to think of this as a season for teaching. We bear the responsibility for a tiny life and for the next 18 years – or more accurately for the rest of our lives – it is our responsibility to guide, correct, and teach these God-given blessings. That’s what I thought anyway. It didn’t take me very long after giving birth to my first son to realize that the one who was going to do most of the learning was ME! One of my favorite sayings when coming upon a new challenge quickly became, “No one tells you …

Share

What No Mom Wants to Talk About

Don’t TV stations do a great job of pulling you to a must see show? I had seen the ads for Tyra and knew it was one I didn’t want to miss. In her very frank way, the talk show host was dragging all “private” issues out in the open as she interviewed a panel of teen girls. The topic: sexting. The surprise guests: their mothers. Wow were they surprised as these moms heard their thirteen, fourteen and fifteen-year-old girls talk freely of the explicit language and NUDE pictures they regularly exchange with their friends. The shock on the mothers’ faces proved they had …

Share