My family recently made a three-day road trip from one end of the country to the other. Stopping for meals, sightseeing and hotels each night still makes for very long days. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but all the moms out there somehow got nominated “Road Trip Queens”. That means, you pack everything, you’re supposed to know where everything is at all times, and you hand things to people in the car when they need them. It’s a very important job. I love being the queen of the road, but it does make reading more than three …
DIY T-Shirt Bags
Written by Heather Riggleman, author of Mama Needs a Time Out. Do you see this? This is what happens when I am not paying attention to my kids or keeping them busy with something…. Yep. That is my son on a trampoline with his big sister’s rollerblades. Take note, the net isn’t up yet…. So today’s craft is T-Shirt bags. We have tons of old t-shirts laying around and I’m forever looking for a bag to tote library books, toys to grandma’s and groceries. Today, the kids get to make bags for the pool and other summer gear! …
Praying For Your Kids: Simple, Specific, Power-Packed Prayers
For years I had heard it said that we needed to pray for our kids. I get that, and I completely stand behind that thought process. What I didn’t always understand was the beauty and wisdom that came from praying simple, specific, power-packed prayers over my kids. It took a lot of reading, praying and talking with my husband, but over the course of all that investigating we discovered there were some very practical things we wanted to pray for over our boys. It actually fit perfectly with my M.O.M. Mission Statement (see my post in May 2013) and very …
Five Things I LOVE About Being a Boy Mom
My desire to have three boys and three girls didn’t last long. After my first son was born I quickly decided that I wanted to be a boy mom. No girls for this girl. At least that’s what my plan was at the time and although I didn’t realize it, it seemed to be God’s plan too. No ruffles, dresses, patten leather shoes or barrettes. No way. Not for this momma. My shopping cart would overflow with jeans, t-shirts, tennis shoes and an occasional dress shirt and tie. And I was happy about that! Still am. Not that being a …
Woman Reveals Herself
I admit it, I was going for a shocker headline! The shocker of this headline is that it is true, but there is no bare skin involved whatsoever! The revealing I am referencing is much more scary than that. This woman has learned to reveal herself, her true self, to a trusted few and I have found that through that revealing lies healing. I actually reveal myself monthly, sometimes bi-monthly. Yeah, during book club – that after several years has become so much more than “book club.” Our husbands even refer to it as “bookless club” because there have been …
Kids & Chores – No Reason to Be Tired
Is your house a mess? Would you be mortified if a friend stopped by without calling first? Are your children at an age where they can go to the potty by themselves? Have they figured out how to use the TV remote DVD player, or your home computer? Then, there’s no reason your little darlings can’t help you around the house. Martha Stewart would not be impressed with my shower, nor would she praise me for my windows –still, my home is in good enough shape for company. I learned early on as a mom of four children, I had four …
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. …
Emotions, Hormones, and Sin
Ever since my children were small I’ve noticed that it can be easy to make excuses for sinful behavior. When they are two we call it “the terrible two’s“. Many behaviors are excused because it is said that they “are normal for that age“. When they turn 13 “their bodies are changing!”. When they are 16 “it’s hormonal” or “they are teenagers“. When they are college age “they are just immature…it’s ‘normal’ to act that way ‘at their age“! What I find interesting is that it doesn’t stop there. Women blame sinful behavior on hormones. When we’re pregnant, “it’s hormones“. …
3 Ways to Prevent Insecurities in Your Kids
DO YOU EVER WORRY THAT YOUR CHILDREN WE STRUGGLE WITH INSECURITIES? This week I’m sharing about insecurities on my website and couldn’t help but think about how many insecurities we develop as kids and what moms can do to help prevent those insecurities from taking root in the hearts of our children. Insecurities can be debilitating. They hold us captive and prevent us from fulling becoming who we were created to be. They give us a skewed view of God, ourselves and others. Children who struggle with insecurities become adults who can never fully live out their dreams, conquer their …
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 …