Tips for Summer Trips and Travel

Tips for Summer Trips and Technology

Somewhere between the first thousand miles and the second, I realized tech could ruin our togetherness. While it didn’t qualify as “vacation,” our travel across America was much needed time with our son before he spread his wings in college. We mapped out our route, activities, and low-budget accommodations, but failed to anticipate one hazard of family travel today: technology. What do we do with summer trips and technology when we travel? Whether you use iPads for little travelers or iPods for bigger riders, technology can be dangerous. If we let it take us for a ride instead of managing it …

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Be the BEST Mommy!

TheMOMInitiative.com Check “YES” or “NO” if you would vote for MY mama as the BEST MOMMY.  She loved me. She tucked me in bed and said prayers. She taught me to dress myself, have manners, and be polite.  We had a jungle gym and she let me play play play outside with my best friend, Debbie, who lived across the street. She let me have friends over to spend the night.   She brought cookies and snacks to help with homeroom parties.  She took me to church and to Vacation Bible School in the summer.  She let me sleep late …

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FREE Printables for a FUN & SAFE Summer!

I LOVE SUMMER! When my sons were young, we spent summers on the go. We went to the community pool, the zoo, the park, the water park, we played putt putt, went bowling, skating and spent countless days at the beach. But it’s easy to let the summer slip by and miss out on doing all of those things we plan to do with the kiddos! We don’t want that to happen to you! So…The MOM Initiative wants to help you have a fun and safe summer and the FREE PRINTABLES below can help! Be sure to print them out …

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spiritual mentoring

The “Roux” Method of Spiritual Mentoring

Born and raised in the “tasty” state of Louisiana, I’ve been making gumbo, etouffee, and jambalaya for my family for years. Our three “mostly grown” kids have learned to love Cajun cooking. A couple of years ago, when our college-aged son Mark discovered he missed out on the Crawfish Etouffee I made for his dad’s birthday, he asked if I would teach him how to make it over Christmas break. On Christmas Eve afternoon, we met in the kitchen and I pulled out my well-worn copy of Paul Prudhomme’s “Louisiana Kitchen” cookbook. I turned to Mark and said dramatically, “First, …

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The ADHD Bill of Rights – A Must Read for Every Parent

Can I be honest for a minute?  I have been lonely, angry, and guilt ridden. I know it’s summer, I know we are all busy, but what made issues for me more intense was realizing I had no one who understood what I was going through. Maybe they didn’t want to. Who knows? But, when you’re a mom of a child with ADHD and processing disorders, it’s a new ball game.  When you’re a mom of a child with ADHD and processing disorders, it’s a new ball game. Click To Tweet The rules of cause and effect don’t apply. Discipline …

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Honey, the Kids Shrunk Me!

“Mom, I think you’re shrinking.” My firstborn stands beside me, the tip of his blonde head occupying the space above mine. He casts me one of his infectious grins as he puffs out his chest and holds his shoulders tall to prove the truth of his declaration. I stretch myself up on tiptoe so I can look my sixteen-year-old in the eye. Then, I return his goading with a playful punch and remind him that “sometimes the best things come in small packages…” But what I really want to say to that growing boy of mine is that it’s his fault. …

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Living With Blinders

Like a horse with blinders on, I put one foot in front of the other, doing the next thing, completely forgetting that there are things going on in the periphery. I tend to live my life this way. It’s my default. If I am not intentional about noticing things around me, I will continue “getting things done” and miss what is past the blinders.      The problem is: the important things are in the periphery.    Directly in front of me is the giant pile of laundry, last night’s dishes that still smell like salmon, beds that haven’t been …

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Surrender! Let Him Call the Shots

Moms, it’s time to surrender! Yes, I’m talking to you. Are you the woman who makes her own decisions, is self-assured, knows what you want and tells everyone including your husband about it? If that’s you…I get it. I’ve been that woman for years. But, I had an excuse or at least I thought I did. I was a single mom who thought she had to do it all by herself…until one wonderful and life-changing day, the day I heard God speak straight to my heart, my life began to change for the better; I began to really listen to God. One of the first …

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A Letter to the Moms of Graduates

Hey Mom, Yeah, you. The one with the camera around your neck and the tissue in your purse. Your child is not so small anymore, is she? I see you watching her with a mixture of pride and sadness. It’s okay, to be both happy and sad all at the same time. Because this cap and gown that she’s wearing, it’s a wardrobe that reminds you that she’s growing up. Whether she’s about to go to first grade, or be a freshman in high school or leave home for college in the fall, she’s made it to this point, and all …

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