As my kids grow bigger, I’m learning to let them make their own choices. Even when I disagree. Like last Saturday, for example, at the grocery store. “Mom, can we get a watermelon? Please? Please? I love watermelon!” My seven-year-old spied a crate of enormous melons in the center of the produce aisle. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and pleaded. “Sure, we can get a watermelon,” I nodded. “If you promise me you’re going to eat it.” “I will, I will! Can I pick one?” “Uhhhh . . . okay.” Now, you need to understand—I’m really …
Let It Go!
Oh how that song from Frozen both inspires and challenges me. You know the song, chances are your kids sing it just about every day, as a matter of fact, some of you are probably singing to it right now in your heads. I actually adore the song, but truth be told it also strikes a very tender nerve for me when I first heard it. You see, my One Word 365 for 2014 (you can find out more here) is “Release”. I prayed over this word and knew that only God would pick this word for me because …
Even Moms Need More Sleep
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 2:2 ESV She’s here, she’s there, she’s everywhere. You’re the mom, which means you are always on the go: groceries, diapers, and carlines are a part of your everyday world and somewhere in the chaos of it all we’ve bought into the lie that we’ve got to be some kind of supermom. You know, faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than…oh, who are we kidding, we’re not super mom, nor should …
What did I do before Facebook?
As a Women’s Ministry Director for nearly a decade, I’ve watched big trends in the lives of women over the last ten years. Communication and technology are in over-drive when it comes to the pace of change. It has been so fast that we’ve have barely had time to stop and learn, much less reflect on how it’s impacting our lives. Social media and our technology habits have changed women personally, as wives and as moms. Family life is different now. It often takes a crisis, power outage, vacation, illness, honest friend, or the Holy Spirit to slow us down …
a letter to the second time mom
Hey there, you second time mom. Here you are, with a baby on your bust and another by your side. Yep, your hands are full yet so is your heart. As you gaze at your new addition, you wonder how you could have ever lived without him. For nine months, you wondered the complete opposite: how am I going to manage having more than one child? You tried to prepare your first child to become the big kid around the house but you were always unsure exactly how she would react when the baby came along. You’ve probably gotten …
Girlfriends, Curfews and Grades…Oh My! Parenting Today’s Teenager!
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:18 NLT Moms of teenagers, buckle up, all the bumps and bruises you went through in the baby, child, and adolescent stage start to prepare you for the adventure of parenting today’s teenager. I’m not trying to scare you at all, just speaking the truth in love from one mom to another. So, let’s put on our safety harness and walk through some of this together, shall we? As the mom of two teenage boys it …
Put a Little Love in Your Voice
My mom has a saying—“put a little love in your voice.” It’s her advice to my sisters and me when she hears us crabbing at our kids. If only she could be in my house at 7:30 every morning to remind me. “Are you done with your breakfast?” I rushed past the kitchen table and grabbed my daughter’s lunch bag off the counter. “It’s time to brush your teeth! Hurry or we’ll be late for school.” Imagine those words poured sweet as syrup from a momma’s lips. The inner dialog sings, “Sweetie pie, did you get your fill of pancakes? …
When Fear Captures Your Heart ~ (Four Ways to Fight Fear)
Has fear ever captured your heart? It has mine many times in the past and even recently. In 1989, I received a call that would forever change the course of my life. See, I had lived in fear through an abusive marriage and thought that after those days were over I would not live in fear any longer. Boy was I wrong. The call brought it all back. It returned in a more vicious way than before. No longer was it about me, but now it was concerning my children. The clutches reached out that day and captured my heart …
When Mom’s Words Hurt
Six words. Only six words, but they flew out of my mouth to the heart of my son before I could capture them and lock them away where the sun doesn’t shine. I was immediately sorry and saw the look of injury on his face. I wanted to take the words back, but they escaped, never to be taken back. Sometimes moms say hurtful things we can’t take back. What’s a mom to do when we regret words we say to our own? If you’re like me, you watch and wait, hoping to see signs your words weren’t really that …
5 B’s to a Great Day…buzzz
Have you heard the buzz? There are 5 Bees that can help you bee the mom you want to be! BEE STILL (are you kidding?) Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Psalm 4:4 Bee still! That’s a B that we often miss. We’re so busy we’re never still. And if we are, it’s when we fall into bed at night and drop off to sleep. However, every word in the Bible has a point and if we miss it, it hurts us. In this B, we’re told to be still and think …