Misunderstood Momma

* A flask of gunpowder and a bag of bullets were absent from this quick-draw-duel with my four-year-old son. One child stood alongside me in the elevator nice and happy. The other stood determined on the outside not about to get in. His glare along with his high-pitched voice screamed his defiance as he stood his ground. He had been testing my authority all morning and saw this as yet another opportunity. Time stopped as the showdown began. Who would win this battle of the wills?  As my mouth told him to get in, my brain cried out a prayer that this time he …

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Special Siblings

Subscribe today and receive your FREE copy of… FACING OUR FEARS – 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M.   “He gets mad at the smallest things.  I’m embarrassed to be seen with him.  I wish I had a normal brother like everyone else.  I feel ignored and resent how much time he demands from my parents.  As much as I can’t stand to be around my brother, I worry about if he is OK without me.  It hurts when people are rude to him and I feel guilty because I am the rudest to him of all.”  “Who will take care of …

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Pure Possibilities

Ephesians 5:3 states, “Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” “Mom, is it even possible for me to grow up being sexually pure?” was the question my 13 year old son asked me that stopped me in my tracks.  As we sat and talked, I was reminded of the real battle each of our sons and daughters have every day.   The sexually tempting billboards along the roads, the relentless commercials flashing sensuality on TV, the constant drumming of sex …

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Flying with Mom – Airline Travel with Kids

It’s dark and quiet as hundreds around me sleep, now that the small passenger in row 35 has given in. His mother looks relieved, but cautious, slumped under a blanket beside him. Airline travel with small children is not easy, but it can be done well. Before the flight attendant closed the overhead bins, the elderly lady in row 35 found a way to move far from the little wiggling person making demands before we even pulled away from the gate. Early indications showed it would be a long overnight flight with this half sized, yet powerful, passenger. His mom, …

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Summer Reader Guarantee

It doesn’t matter the age of your child; every mom hopes her child will spend more of the summer reading than channel surfing. On the same day school ended in our city, an email arrived from the Superintendent of schools. “Please remember that reading is a great way to keep engaged and learning over the summer.  I encourage you to sign up for a Summer Reading Program at one of our local branch libraries – it’s free and for all ages.  I invite our students to read consistently each day, and for our parents of younger children to make sure …

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Just Do It!

By Guest: Lori Wildenberg Before kids – did you have a temper? I honestly didn’t think I had much of one. But…God has humbled me with my four blessings. Once I “acquired” children my false reality was shattered. I’ll admit it- I’m the not so proud owner of a temper. Parenting is the best-hardest job, filled with intense emotions. Because we are so passionate about and invested in our kids, we get annoyed and angry when they don’t do what we say. Cooperation is so much nicer than conflict. How come kids don’t get that?  Most parents are exasperated and …

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4 Solid Tips For Your Summer Road Trips

I couldn’t wait as a teen for summer to be here. Oh the freedom, the road trips, the memories. Flash forward to present day, I still love spur of the moment road trips but cringe slightly at the thought of being locked in my suburban with my three kids. If you dread it too, and are looking for ways to maximize peace and fun; and minimize the potential of world war III–I’m your girl. We have family in four different states and I speak often, in which case my family sometimes travels along.  Your Summer Road Trippin’ Fun Tips Photo …

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Plant a mentee, watch her grow

As the weather warms and growing seasons take root, are you planting anything?  If you want plump, juicy tomatoes, now is the time to plant. If you want bunches of cilantro for guacamole, now is the time to sprinkle seeds. If you want to have a mom with her ear turned to the Lord, now is the time to plant a mentee and watch her grow. While soil is soft and sunshine frequent, lovers of all things veggie carefully dig and plant and water. Summer is the perfect time to nurture a mentoring relationship that will take root, sprout new …

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Making Mentoring Personal

Mentoring only makes a difference if it gets personal.  The way most of us live life today insulates us from getting very personal. In fact, there are more ways than ever to create the profile that we want the world around us to see.  A status update and profile picture present the “me” we choose to show our family and girlfriends. If all else fails, we can add highlights, polish, Spanx, or Photoshop to carefully craft our avatar (That’s the little picture that represents “you” online). But a mentor gets past all that.  A mentor gets personal. The arrival of …

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Facing our Fears

What’s a mom to do when her child who never minded being passed around a room of eager relatives freaks out at the sound of a flushing toilet? Are childhood anxieties real? The day my four year old screamed from the back of our mini-van in the Hobby Lobby parking lot, I hoped everyone around me believed childhood worries are real. Fears are not because of anything moms do wrong; childhood fears are part of being a child. Instead of finding the quickest way to squelch a panic, a wise mom knows fears are not only normal, they are the …

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