A Backup Plan for Moms

“She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household is clothed with scarlet” Proverbs 31:21 (NKJV) Have you ever felt like your household would fall apart if you were gone for just a couple of days? Moms tend to be the glue that holds the fabric of the family together and keeps everything going according to plan. So, if you’ve ever been on a retreat, a weekend with the girls, had to have surgery and were out of commission for a week or so, you know how chaotic and confusing things can be at home. It …

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Times Tables and Shoelaces: Living with Weaknesses

“What is…4×12?” the app asked my daughter. 48….I will her to answer correctly. “Absolutely brilliant! All your answers were correct!” And my heart longs to hear those words. “Absolutely brilliant! All your answers were correct! You are the best mom with the best kids in the world.” But, I wonder if I can even teach my kids their multiplication tables much less how to love God with their lives. I mean my seven-year-old still can’t tie his shoes! And, how on God’s lovely green earth do I teach my kids that they are not entitled to data phones or days …

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Can Our Children’s Minds Be Protected?

Every parent has to decide for themselves. What will you allow your children to be exposed to? Which books and movies are okay? Which video games are okay? Is social media a good idea? Should they have access to the Internet? So many things are fighting for our children’s attention. With the ever growing range of access to images, thoughts, ideas, and opinions in the world, trying to protect our children’s minds and maintain their innocence is harder than ever before. The truth is we’ve lost this battle. Even before it’s begun. The average parent has no way to keep …

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results-driven-moms

how results-driven moms can celebrate progress

I’m the kind of girl that reads the ending of the book first. I love checking things off my to do list. I’m somehow annoyed by the process … I just want to get to the result.  Closure and completion means that I’ve been efficient and productive. As a recovering people pleaser and perfectionist, that feels good to my “I have to perform” tendencies.  Particularly since I’ve become a mother, those “completion” moments have been in short supply. Being a mom means many unending tasks: disciplining children, helping with schoolwork, cleaning the house, giving instructions… The list itself is endless. This used to …

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When Life Throws Us More Change

  Welling up with tears, I began my apology to my daughter. Seems like I’d been doing that a lot lately. This time I had failed to order her graduation announcements. What kind of mom am I? My girl smiles at me as I blubber my confession. She reassures me: this is not an emergency. Tilting her head, she looks at me as if I’m from another planet. Not because I forgot, but because I’m crying. Who is this woman? I imagine her asking in her thoughts. I know she must wonder about me these days. Lately, I haven’t been …

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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 …

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Helping a Child who Struggles to Fit In

  It’s enough to break a mother’s heart. Your child comes home and declares that no one likes him. Or worse, you witness him being rejected by those he’s trying to befriend. Maybe it’s a maturity thing. Maybe your child is one of a kind. Or maybe their choices set them apart. But, for whatever reason, they don’t seem to fit in with the kids in their peer group. Because we are made for community, feeling like we don’t fit in can be very disheartening. It’s instinctual to be part of a group, and being able to fit in gives …

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Busting 4 Common Mom Myths

Moms, here are a few myths we are tempted to believe … and the truth that busts them: 1. Correction Crushes a Child’s Spirit.     TRUTH:  No. Correction is training. Kids need training. Criticism is the thing that crushes a child’s spirit. Correction motivates and encourages a child to do something better. It is training.       Criticism sounds like: Your room is always a mess. You are so disorganized. How can you find anything?  (negative, personal attack, shaming)      Correction sounds like: Your room needs some TLC. I will show you how you can organize it. I …

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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 …

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Is Your Girl Dieting?

In my interactions with moms, many have shared with me that this really is a scary topic; one many even see as taboo to some degree. I truly believe God when He tells us in James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” He can give us the wisdom we need to speak truth and life into our children, even about those oh-so-tough topics like body image!  You might be thinking, “My daughter is young; I don’t need to be thinking …

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