Words are Powerful

Our words can bless or curse. Wound or heal. Build up or tear down.  Words. Are. Powerful. I came across an article the other day about a seventh grade boy who posted on Instagram that he was planning on committing suicide on his birthday. This young boy had been severely bullied. He had been wounded by other students’ words and actions. While being hospitalized for treatment, the boy’s mom got an idea. She asked people on Facebook to send her son words of encouragement. He received THOUSANDS of responses. All uplifting and hopeful. The words of affirmation, affection, and love all …

Share

Heroes at Easter

When Easter comes around some of us struggle with the dilemma of how to approach Easter with our children.  Christmas is pretty easy.  It’s the time Jesus was born as a baby. Children understand that.   But Easter? How do we explain the significance of Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, so a child can understand it?  And then to compound these issues, how do we handle the Easter bunny, which is the part of Easter that children do relate to, but which has nothing to do with the true meaning of Easter?  How do we explain the …

Share

5 Tips for Kids and Daylight Saving Time

It’s only 60 minutes, but Daylight Saving Time can rock a child’s world. That means it rocks OUR world too, mom! About ¼ of the world observes Daylight Saving Time (that’s right – no “s” on the end of Saving), so the slight change hits  ALOT of the world! Not everyone is a fan of the time change. Even in my country, Hawaii and Arizona don’t play along, but most states do. In 2015 Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 8 as we move our clocks forward an hour, and it ends Sunday, November 1st (Fall BACK, Spring FORWARD). Because our …

Share
Safety

10 Safety Precautions for New Parents

With all of the information we receive related to disease, safety standards, defects, and science, it’s hard not to succumb to the virus of paranoid parenting. Ten minutes scanning Facebook can leave us hyperventilating over the latest stomach bugs, unexplained illnesses, and freak accidents. No mom wants to end up as a featured story on Dateline or 20/20 as the parent who wasn’t careful. What perspective do we need to be responsible, but relaxed, in caring for the treasure of our children? Safety is all about being thoughtful and practical. Be THOUGHTFUL Structure of baby’s home: Is the paint safe? Are …

Share

5 Easy & Fun Ways for the Family to Get Healthy

I did it again!  I overate during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. And so did my kids. How about you and yours? Too much sugar? Too many carbs? Too few veggies? Little or no exercise? Is that as true for you and your family as it is for ours? There are a ton of ways to get healthy and stay healthy, but there are a ton of reasons (a/k/a excuses) why we don’t. Some may be legitimate reasons and real life seasons when we can’t fit it all in or get it all done, but if we were honest, it’s …

Share

Why You Should Let Them Cry

My teenage son walked down the stairs with a frown on his face. College classes have gotten the best of him. My pep talk with him yesterday apparently wasn’t as good as I thought it was. My future as a motivational speaker went down in flames.             When I brought my first child home from the hospital cries were immediately met with a soothing rub and my full attention until the whimpers quieted. From baby tears to teenage sulking, I want to make my child happy. I’ve exhausted myself trying to make this happen. I’ve finally realized I can’t make …

Share

An Ever-Present Help for Our Children

It is something we never wish to think about, and yet, we must think about it. And talk to our children about it. And that is…child abduction. I read something recently that brought up a scary memory for me of what happened to my daughter. I lost my five year-old daughter (Merf, nickname) in a large department store at the mall. To say I was freaked out would be an understatement. This happened right after the abduction of Adam Walsh in 1981. (If you don’t know the story, seven-year-old Adam Walsh was abducted from a mall in Florida and later …

Share

20 Foundational Verses for Every Family to Grow

Not too long ago, I saw a photo on Facebook that read “If you don’t teach your children to believe in Jesus, then world will teach them not to.” As I sat staring at my screen, I realized their world revolved around me right now and then wondered what messages my words, actions, and lifestyle reflecting for my kids.  The more I thought about it, the more I thought we’re like everyone else as a typical Christian family, we go to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. We pray at meal times and before bed. We say a prayer as we …

Share

10 Ways to Make Your Child’s Lunchbox a Healthy One

You’ve heard it said before, “You are what you eat.”  So are our children. Recently, statistics have unveiled a startling truth about our children’s eating habits. It seems as though the number one food that children eat is chicken nuggets. Some chicken nuggets aren’t so bad, but I think because we think they are eating chicken, we forget that most of them are deep friend in hydrogenated oil. In The Making of a Mom, I wrote about how loving our children well includes making sure they eat well. But healthy doesn’t always come easily in a world full of drive thru’s …

Share

Hire a professional potty trainer?

Some parenting tasks should really be left to the professionals, right? After all, kids don’t come with a manual. It’s no wonder, then, that people have made a business out of the business of raising kids. In fact, for $925 you can hire a Potty Trainer to teach your child how to “do their business” and take the mess … off your hands! In June New York City’s first professional potty-training service launched, and the phone has been ringing ever since. One honest mom-customer admitted to being “frustrated” and “not having a lot of patience” as her motivation for calling …

Share