“Dear God, please bless my kids and help us have a good day. Keep everyone healthy. Give me strength and peace to get through the day. Amen.” Do you ever feel like you say the same prayer DAY after DAY? Or, almost the same prayer? WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU PRAYED A SPECIFIC & DIFFERENT PRAYER FOR YOUR CHILDREN EVERY DAY CENTERED AROUND GOD’s ATTRIBUTES? Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that the way we are transformed is by looking at who …
Where are the Continuing Education Credits for Motherhood?
Don’t you wish there were Continuing Education credits for motherhood? Back in college there were classes for just about everything: Music Appreciation, English 1101, Calculus, Religion, you name it and it was there. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a college level class on Motherhood. Sure, there are classes you can take while you are pregnant, and even some awesome mommy and me type classes, but where are the classes for: bandaging up boo-boo’s, pre-pubescent anxiety, peer pressure, broken hearts, and helping your child find their identity in Christ. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the …
I Just Want You! – 5 Tips for Parenting Teens
Being a teen is tough. It’s that limbo place between being a child and being a young adult, and it’s hard to figure out where you belong. You want to be treated as if you’re all grown up, yet you still need a parent’s wisdom. Hormones are changing as quickly as your life and you struggle with finding your way. Being a parent of a teen might just be harder than being a teen. It’s hard for a mom to really know what to do during those pivotal years when they seem so independent but they don’t process life like …
Talking Turkey
What comes to mind when you hear the word, turkey? Thanksgiving, a bird, Ben Franklin, bowling, an insult? How odd that one word has the power to present so many divergent thoughts. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I went bowling with a group of family members. I had a crazy streak of skill. I got two strikes in a row! Oh yah! As I clutched the ball for my upcoming turn, my husband called out, “Get a turkey.” I had no idea what to make of that comment. As it turns out, a turkey in bowling is …
Urgent vs Important…Knowing the Difference
I could hear her calling me from upstairs. I really wanted to finish the article I was writing. I only needed 100 more words and I would be done, but my daughter continued to call for me. I saved my document and grumbled to myself as I walked up the stairs to see what she needed. As I walked up the last step to our gameroom I could see what she wanted. My great grandmother’s little round table was set with plastic dishes and a chair was waiting for me. Gracie has invited me to join her and her dolls …
5 Truths for Moms – Because You’re Raising a Mini-Me
There he was gazing up at his daddy, wearing his daddy’s shoes, laughing like he laughed, cocking his hand in his pocket the same way his daddy did, and walking with his flat feet pointing slightly outward – (almost duckish)…just like his daddy. Although very different with unique personalities, like parrots, my boys unknowingly repeated what we said as if they thought of it themselves. Their response to the circumstances of life often was their impression of ours. The good, the bad and the ugly. It’s what kids do. They mimic what they see and hear. That’s how they learn. …
Still We Battle & The Monday M.O.M. Initiative Link Up
My children begin each homeschool day with Bible study. A lesson earlier this week focused on Joshua 10:6-15. The moral of the kids’ lesson was that God can do anything He wants, with or without the help of men, that His power is limitless, and that He is able to do all things. Now, the story was geared toward elementary aged children, and that message is indeed what the story illustrates. However, I, as a more mature Christian, saw something a little startling when I looked deeper into the message. To recap this passage, in the days of Joshua, five …
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 …
Inconsistently Consistent
Subscribe today for your FREE copy of… FACING YOUR FEARS – 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’. Matthew 5:37 Consistency, is a word often associated with parenting. The verse, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’ (Matthew 5: 37) has largely been misunderstood. This statement actually refers to being a person of integrity, one who keeps his word and speaks the truth. Many parents find consistency difficult. They try to give the same responses, rewards, or consequences for similar situations; trying …
eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Kids and Cell Phones – the WHY
Subscribe today for your FREE copy of… FACING YOUR FEARS – 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. eBabies + iTeens + YouToo: Kids and Cell Phones – the WHY I couldn’t wait to see Annemarie’s face as she opened her final 8th grade graduation gift. The video camera was rolling and my husband was strategically positioned to catch close up photos. “You have to guess what it is before you can open it!” I said, handing Annemarie a simple gift bag. When the bag began ringing and vibrating, she almost dropped it in surprise. Shock and comprehension …