What dreams do you have for your children? Proud moms like us can see all the potential stored up in in our offspring. Even before others discover their talents and gifts, we have inklings of what each of these precious ones can become. From their youngest years, it is easy to begin dreaming about what their future holds. My daughter was singing beautifully at age two. My son threw a football across the nursery when he was nine months of age. Each of my little ones displayed qualities for which I knew they had talent. I wondered how they would …
5 Tips for Potty Training Your Toddler
Potty training can be a mom’s worst nightmare or become the best thing since sliced bread for your family. I’ve found five keys to potty training my kids which are patience, practice, readiness, reward, and positive reinforcement. Here are five tips to help you potty train your toddler. Patience Don’t pray for patience because if you do, God will give you a child to potty train. I’m kidding. (Sort of!). When I was potty training my twin girls, it took us almost a year to master going #1 and #2 in the potty. Even though the girls are twins, we still had …
Praying for Your Prodigal – Desperate Cries from the Hearts of Desperate Moms
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:14 I remember when we were on the mission field and we were struggling with some issues in our family. I looked at my husband and said, “I will not win a nation and lose my own son!” No matter how successful I am in life, if my children do not walk with God, I will feel as though I failed in the most important role I’ve ever been given…the role of a mother. I realize that our job is to raise them …
Bite Your Tongue
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, James 1:19 NIV Sometimes it is better for everyone involved if you just bite your tongue. Oh, I know, it’s not easy to do and believe me, this is something that I struggle with as a mom, wife…and well, as a person, but hear me on this- there is strength in not saying everything that comes to your mind. There is strength in not saying everything that comes to your mind. Bite Your Tongue. Click To …
Mama, Don’t Rush Your Babies Growing Up
Do you remember the old song by Willie Nelson called “Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys?” In it the song says over and over why they shouldn’t let their babies grow up to be a cowboy. It gives lots of reasons why the cowboy life isn’t a good one and tells mamas to let them be “doctors and lawyers and such”. What I’ve always wanted to scream is mama, don’t let your babies grow up…and then reality hit me, and I realized that no matter what you do they are gonna grow up. So, instead of …
No Time for Hurry!
“Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come” (John 2:4 NLT). Hurry. Hurry! Hurry!! Life is so often a big hurry! After our children are born we can’t wait for them to sleep through the night. Then we are anxious for them to sit up. Then to crawl. Then to walk. It is so exciting to watch for the next milestone in their development, but often we look too far into the future. It is easy to push our children along too quickly without waiting for God’s timing. When my first son, Luke, was a …
Attention Boy Moms! Make Room In Your Heart For Their Special Girl
Copyright: Olena Bilion / 123RF Stock Photo Attention boy moms, there’s going to come a time when you need to make room in your heart for your son’s special girl. Ouch, I know, that’s a tough one, especially if you have little boys at home right now. As a matter of fact it took me a long time to wrap my head (and my heart) around this, but I’m hoping that through my trial and error your transition might be a little smoother. Over the years it’s not always been easy, as any boy mom can attest to. They are …
Children Are a Blessing: Psalm 127:3
Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (Psalm 127:3 NIV) Make no mistake, children are a gift to us from our Lord Jesus Christ. Children are created by God, and he blesses us with them. They are not just gifts, but precious rewards hand picked and created by God. So Moms, the next time you are tired and run down from a crazy, busy week, remember not to take it out on your precious little gift from God. Slow down, take a few minutes for yourself (even if it’s in the bathroom because that’s the only time …
cravings
I’m sitting in my office eating a tangerine. It’s citrus flavor is bright on my tongue this frigid winter day but what I really want is a warm cup of hot chocolate or the jar of Nutella in my desk snack drawer. I’m fighting the craving to eat right now and trying to consume this sacred opportunity to crave God instead. It’s Thursday and quite frankly, this week has been long and full. School started back for my kiddos and we’ve had our share of tears this week. My girls switched tables at four year old preschool this week and …
When he walks out and you lose your ability to receive
The living room twinkled in hues of blue from our eight foot tall white Christmas tree, decked out in blue lights peppered with homemade ornaments. Tori Grace sat at its feet, tucked in between the tree and fireplace. In all her silly brilliance, I laughed over her funny story when I said, “Baby girl you are so beautiful,” but her response caught my eye. Ever so quickly, she set her jaw and froze over the compliment before smiling and saying, “I don’t like that.” “You don’t like it when mommy says you’re beautiful? What about when I tell you …