Genny Heikka Archives - The Mom Initiative

You Already Have Good Land

We had lived in our house in California for eight years at the time. It was a beautiful two-story at the corner of a quiet court, and we loved it. We loved our neighbors too. But after being there for eight years, I started to get an itch for change. It wasn’t that I wanted to leave where we lived. In fact, thinking about that was the hard part. Our kids had many friends in the neighborhood, and so did Mike and I. It was the desire for something different that drove me: I had grown up in a single …

Where to Find the YOU You’re Looking For…

I was in seventh grade. It was lunchtime at school and I stood in a circle of friends (there were about six of us), talking about music. “What bands do you like?” the friend across from me asked. She asked the whole group–not me specifically–and I remember being glad about that. I wanted to hear what everybody else said before I chimed in. I wanted to make sure I said something that would fit in. And I remember having a strange realization as I stood there silent, that I didn’t even know what music I liked. After another girl answered, I parroted …

Dare to Dream (and just start)

I tried writing my first book before I even called myself a writer. It was a “closet” project that I told almost nobody about. The book was titled Waking Up and, in it, I outlined ten steps on how to live a happier, more fulfilled life. But when I got to page thirty, it fizzled. I simply ran out of things to say. (No surprise. I was about 23 at the time and didn’t have a lot of life experience.) But that seed to write—a seed that was with me as a young girl and forgotten as I grew up and headed …

A little taller, a little older, a little stronger…

The front door opened and closed with a bang. “Hi, Mom,” my ten-year-old called. He was home early because it was a minimum day. I went into the entry hall and gave him a hug. “How was school?” “Good.” He peeled away from me and grabbed his soccer bag from the closet. He pulled his cleats out and started putting them on. “What are you doing?” “I decided I’m reaching my juggling goal today,” he said, matter-of-fact. At the beginning of the soccer season, he set three goals for himself. Juggling the ball twenty times in a row with his feet only (no …

Because You Mother…

This is for you today, sweet mom. As you cradle your baby, read to your toddler, play games with your preschooler, take your twelve-year-old to soccer practice, hurry to cook dinner, pray for safety when your teenager drives to a friend’s house, start the laundry, fold the laundry, start more laundry, help everyone with their homework, clean the kitchen, give the little ones a bath, and finally sink down on the couch to catch your breath, remember… Being a mom is no ordinary job. You are mighty. And it is worth it. Take a minute to watch this video by JourneyBox Media (based …

Six Suggestions to Stop Sibling Squabbles

Any mom with two or more kids has seen sibling squabbles… from the toy snatching of toddlers to the bickering of older kids. And even though these interactions between sisters and brothers are inevitable, they can sometimes be hard to deal with. Here are six things you can do as a mom to stop the squabbles (and increase the love): 1. Get involved. Rather than yelling at your kids to stop fighting (or hiding in the other room pretending not to hear them), get in the mix. If you have little ones, kneel down and talk on their eye level …

On the move this Christmas? How to make a home for the holidays…

“We’re almost home!” my daughter texted me, letting me know she was on her way back from her friend’s house. We were visiting California for Thanksgiving and my husband Mike had just gone to pick her up. When I saw her text, I smiled. Because we weren’t actually home; we were staying in a hotel. Our house–as of five months ago when Mike’s job got transferred–was now in Idaho. Spending time in a hotel over the holidays was a new experience for us and we were going from place to place, trying to fit in as many visits with friends …

You’re a gardener, mom.

AND THE WINNER OF YESTERDAYS TICKET GIVEAWAY IS A BIG SURPRISE! WE HAVE A SPONSOR WHO HAS SPONSORED EACH OF YOU TO WIN ONE TICKET AND THE WINNER OF THE TWO TICKETS IS SUE WALTERS. Sue Walters, Maria, Tanyia Rowan, and Cheryl Stovall… YOU ALL WILL RECEIVE AN EMAIL WITH YOUR TICKET IN YOUR INBOX BY MONDAY! CONGRATULATIONS and a BIG THANK YOU TO OUR GRACIOUS SPONSORS! For Mother’s Day a few year’s ago, my son gave me a hand-painted ceramic pot with a fabric flower inside of it: It was the perfect gift for me because …

Where the bliss hides (and a giveaway that will help you find it)

It’s in the feel of your baby’s sleepy head on your shoulder as you carry her through the grocery store pushing the cart with one hand. It’s in the quiet singing of your preschooler as he sits in the corner during his timeout. And it’s the smile of your eighteen-year old as he walks across the stage to get his high school diploma that–after all the challenges he had in school– you weren’t sure he was going to get. Bliss. It’s there. Sometimes we just need a little help finding it. Being a mom can be hard and the joy that comes with the journey …

On why teenagers are glorious…

Our pastor, who is a dad to three grown kids, has always described the teenage years as glorious. Even when his kids were all teens at one time, he used that description. Glorious. It’s not the typical word you hear when people talk about teenagers. Every time he said it, I clung to the word, hoping it would hold true for my kids when they got to their teenage years… hoping they wouldn’t make some of the same mistakes I made, or do some of the things I did. As I’ve entered the years of being a mom to two …

Page 1 of 2
1
2
→