When my sons were young, I caught myself doing it over and over again. Saying NO without really thinking about what they were asking. NO just seemed to slip from my lips before I thought it through. I knew I needed to listen, think and then respond, but I just kept saying NO. I had become a NO Mom. Giving a knee-jerk NO to whatever they asked for was definitely not on the “Good Mom” list and I knew it was time to carefully consider my comebacks to their questions. It’s not that NO is always a bad thing. It’s …
Moms are meant to graduate
I’m graduating this week. Sunday was a Baccalaureate service for our oldest child, and the week will wrap up with the commencement of her Class of 2013. While my long-ago-little girl takes exams and anticipates her diploma, I’m doing some evaluating of my own. I’ve been the best mom I could be, but I have not been a perfect mom. Is mommy guilt seeping in? A mom can’t help but ask herself if she did the right things, made too many mistakes, or gave her children a good example to follow. Did my children see me? … read my Bible …
Small Beginnings
When my daughter was thirteen she wrote a letter, sealed it and tucked it away. I thought that was pretty cool. “What are your plans for this letter, Meg?” “I’m not going to open it until my twenty-first birthday.” She smiled. It got me thinking, as a mom, if I could go back in time, what words of wisdom would I want myself to know? What lasting encouragement would I share? It didn’t take long to figure out the message I’d want to leave: Don’t despise the days of small beginnings. Really, Lord? I was blessed with four children. At …
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 …
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, …
Raising kids with the urge to lead
John C. Maxwell said that “Everything rises and falls with leadership,” so if our children are to have a strong future, we must raise strong leaders. In less than a week, the United States Supreme Court will hear the Perry Case to determine if the 2008 proposition voted in by the people of California to protect marriage is constitutional or not. We will all feel the ripple effects. Our children will live and raise their families in the wake of the decision. Moms are raising kids in an atmosphere antagonistic to the family, and the same is true in much …
You Might Have a Strong Willed Child IF…
Do you have a strong willed child? When I was writing, The Plan A MOM in a Plan B World, I asked moms to share some of their experiences with their “strong willed” children. Can you “feel their pain”? You Might Have A Strong Willed Child IF: It’s not your child but you who’s crying when your husband comes home from work. You threaten to throw away all his toys, and he tells you he doesn’t want them anyway. Your child insists on having the last word, even after being warned not to say another word. She weighs the consequences …
What Peter Rabbit’s Momma Can Teach Us About Parenting
My twin two year old girls love The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I’m sure they can relate to mischievous Peter, who doesn’t listen to his mother and goes to Mr. McGregor’s garden anyway to eat carrots. Our version has the pull tabs and it is almost torn to pieces we’ve read it so much. They love finding Peter’s lost shoes and pulling the gooseberry net up and down trying to release him. They explore the tool shed looking for Peter but only finding a ladybug, butterfly and bubble bee instead. Finally, Peter makes it out of Mr. McGregor’s garden and …
Hidden Danger & Get OVERWHELMED & BEGIN A M.O.M. INITIATIVE MENTOR GROUP & MONDAY LINK UP
THIS IS THE WEEK! We’ve got some GREAT STUFF going on at The M.O.M. Initiative! Starting today…Get OVERWHELMED ~ 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. FREE! It’s our gift to you! SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT or LINK UP to win one of today’s great giveaway… Prayers of My Heart prayer journal by Debbie Taylor Williams, so moms can start the year off journaling their prayers for their kids. AND The Christian Mama’s Guide to Having a Baby by Erin MacPherson And don’t forget to SIGN UP to begin a M.O.M. Initiative Mentor Group in your area! Now, here’s today’s post by Tara Dovenbarger: LOOKS SAFE Six legs …
365 Ways to PRAY for Your Children
“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 …