Homemade Baby Wipes

   But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness.  1 John 1:9 NLT        Fifteen years ago our family started using this effortless recipe to clean everything from sweet bottoms to the top of the bathroom sink.  Start using these homemade baby wipes today and save money for years to come!    What homemade helpers do you use on a daily basis? We would love to learn from you! In Christ alone,  Tara Dovenbarger    

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When You Don’t Feel Thankful

Last November, exactly one week before Thanksgiving, my husband and I experienced our fourth miscarriage. That was after months of fertility testing and thinking that this time was going to be different than the previous three pregnancies. Needless to say, I wasn’t very thankful on Thanksgiving.  All I wanted was to hold the baby that was now out of my reach.  I knew I had a lot to be thankful for, but I couldn’t seem to focus on these things. Instead of focusing on the things God had given me, I focused on what had been taken from me. On …

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A Christmas Gift for Daddy

It’s too late.  If you haven’t finished Christmas shopping for your husband, your time is up. Oh, you could fight the crowds, pray for a parking spot, wait in line, and buy him … a bag of jerky, but that’s not really what he wants. On Christmas day, a mom can give her main man what he wants most:  her respect. Christmas can become so focused on the children that a dad can feel like a toy dancing Santa … fun at first, but then only good to be put in a corner and ignored. Add in some holiday-inspired sarcasm …

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Gift of Grace

Nine years ago marks one of the most difficult, yet most important Christmases in my life.  It would become a Christmas that would change my life and how I celebrate the birth of Jesus. In October, we had found out we were having another baby.  This baby would be our ninth child and we were just as excited as if it were our first.  However, our excitement changed to sorrow when we found out two months later we would never see this baby come full term.  We later found out I had a virus that attacked my sweet baby and …

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Preparing Your Child’s Heart for Christmas

by Debbie Taylor Williams I will never forget when I was a child and my Sunday School teacher challenged my class to memorize the Christmas story found in Luke 2:1-14. What seemed a daunting task became manageable as my mother helped me memorize one small section at a time.  “And it came to pass”                                 “in those days”                                                    “there went …

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A Holiday-Ready Heart

Maybe November and December are your two favorite months of the year. Perhaps preparing for, living through, and cleaning up after the holidays don’t phase you in the least. You may have your Christmas shopping all done, your cards ready to mail, and your menus completely planned. If these are true for you, then The PURSE-onality Challenge “A Holiday-Ready Heart” is not designed for you. (But please join us anyhow and give us your best advice!) However, if you…         dread dragging out the holiday decorations… wonder how what should be “the best of times” often ends up …

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Flying with Mom – Airline Travel with Kids

It’s dark and quiet as hundreds around me sleep, now that the small passenger in row 35 has given in. His mother looks relieved, but cautious, slumped under a blanket beside him. Airline travel with small children is not easy, but it can be done well. Before the flight attendant closed the overhead bins, the elderly lady in row 35 found a way to move far from the little wiggling person making demands before we even pulled away from the gate. Early indications showed it would be a long overnight flight with this half sized, yet powerful, passenger. His mom, …

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Five Ways to Impact Your Children & Grandchildren with the Message of Easter

By Featured Guest: Kathy Howard   Rich memories of childhood Easters keep popping up in my mind. I can still feel the cold metal of the folding chair as I sat with my family in the church parking lot waiting for the first rays of the sun to make their appearance. And with the sun, the somber notes of “low in the grave He lay…” became the joyous thunder of “up from the grave He arose (He arose), with a mighty triumph o’er His foes.” After prayer and singing, everyone escaped the chilly air and enjoyed pancakes and sausage in …

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10 Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Kiddos

Do you remember what Valentine’s Day was like when you were a child? Handmade heart-shaped cards, Sweathearts conversation candies with phrases like, “Be Mine” and “LOVE” impressed on the front, and a hollow chocolate heart Momma placed on the dining room table that day. As moms, we love to make holidays fun and even educational for our children. So with Valentine’s Day looming largely over us, The M.O.M. Initiative is sharing 10 Valentine’s Day Ideas for the Kiddos. 1. Go old-school. Have them cut out heart-shaped cards from red construction paper and write a sweet note to their friends and family listing …

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