EXPECTANT Gaining a baby, losing a lover

A Flying Carpet for Two … or More

Last week we heard from awesome dads as we prepared to celebrate Father’s Day. Let’s hear it for the Daddies! Becoming a father brings a pick up truck load of transitions for a man. In about as long as it takes for a season of Duck Dynasty to unfold, a daddy-to-be may  watch helplessly as his lover is stolen away by a fuzzy cheeked bundle who melts his own heart and steals that of his bride. What’s a dad to do? One of the best gifts a mother can give her child is to love her little one’s father well. …

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Leadership Begins at Home by DAVE STONE

By Special Guest: Dave Stone Why do some of the sharpest leaders step up in the workplace but flake out when they walk into their home? Is it fatigue? Work overload? Or are they just out of their element? With Father’s Day approaching, this blog is written from one dad to another. Moms, I encourage you to keep reading, too, because you’re our partner, and often our greatest supporter. Hopefully, the single parents who read this will also be encouraged and challenged. Most of us tend to view leading as something that’s work-related—it’s something we do with and for our …

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Survival guide for taking kids to restaurants

Kids are not born knowing how to behave in public. In fact, “public” manners vary greatly depending on the culture you’re in and the setting within the culture. When I posted a recent observation on Facebook about a mom wrangling two boys at a coffee shop, it stirred up a flurry of comments. Strong feelings came out from non-kid-toting adults who feel impacted by children in public places like restaurants, church, and stores.  Equally strong feelings came out from moms with fresh memories of the challenges of getting out with children. I sensed both groups asking, “Don’t they get it?” …

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Mom Mission Statement…and why it’s important to have one

4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.[a] 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Deuteronomy 6:4-7 NLT Mission Statements — Most businesses have them, ministries have them, and so do …

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EXPECTANT: Growing a life while growing a family

A track-mom friend stood by the fence as we cheered our senior girls across the finish line in their last high school race last night. And then my friend did something I didn’t expect. She reached over and hugged me, smiling with teary eyes. Then I did something I didn’t expect. I had a flashback to bottles and blankets. Swallowing a surprise gulp of my own, I reminded myself that this growing up and moving on thing is good. We don’t have children to keep them forever, but when my husband placed our baby girl in my arms over eighteen …

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Do You Laugh With Your Kids?

Samuel, my ten-year-old, came into the kitchen and held out his hand. “Look Mom, I’m double-jointed!” He went on to make motions and wave his fingers around my face in comical ways. I tried hard to keep a straight face, while visions of Spock and Captain Kirk danced in my head. “So, what exactly does that mean, son?” Looking up at me, he stared straight in my eyes and said in all seriousness. “It means that no one can ever break my fingers.” After he left the kitchen, I busted a gut. Now, there’s a difference between laughing at your …

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Why Moms Should Keep Their Promises

“The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them,” (Proverbs 20:7, NLT). I spent fifteen dollars on a snow cone. Crazy, right? Of course this wasn’t just any snow cone. This was a super-sized, rainbow flavored, tantalizing treat scooped into a commemorative Tinkerbell mug. Yes, my husband and I took our girls to the Disney on Ice show, and one glance around the arena told us we weren’t the only parents forking over ridiculous cash for souvenirs. Why? What kind of mother buys a fifteen-dollar snow cone? A good one, I think. Not because good mothers pay …

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How to get kids to help with Spring Cleaning

There was a day when I imagined that when our children could drive, apply for college, and deposit a pay check, they would help with Spring Cleaning without even being asked. I was deluded. There will never come a time when the woman of the house doesn’t have to get her hands dirty in guiding her family in the care and cooperation of her home. If you want to get your kids to help with Spring Cleaning, you have to throw out your rotten habits and bring in some fresh ones. Kids of every age need moms to encourage, equip, …

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Did She Just Say That?

“Satisfy us with your faithful love every morning. Then we can sing with joy and be glad all of our days.” Psalm 90:14 (NIV) When my daughter made a statement one day that didn’t line up to God’s truth, I knew the day had come  where  outside influences were pressing on her heart and mind and she didn’t know what was true to combat what was false. Instead she was operating on what others were telling her. This generation (those born between 1982 and 2002) has been called the Mosaic generation. Taking bits and pieces from friends, media and their own …

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Mean Girls Come From Mean Mamas

Standing in line for the concert gave my family plenty of people-watching time. As girls and guys made their way to the back of the line, I pointed out all the immodest clothing. “Why would she wear those in public?” “Oh my! I can’t believe she feels comfortable dressed like that!” I commented as one-by-one they passed us. I must have shared quite a few of these statements because my oldest teenaged daughter finally said, “Mom, you are being mean!” I felt so small. I hadn’t thought I was being mean. I was simply pointing out to my girls how not …

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