Many people get a chuckle out of the flower girls and ring bearers at weddings. I have been to many weddings where the ring bearer would start saying something silly or the flower girls would dump out all their petals right at the end of the aisle. They always look darling in their nice outfits and they are a sweet reminder of how Jesus loves us. But, if you’ve ever been the mother of a flower girl or ring bearer, you know how rewarding and difficult it is to have your children in a wedding. My brother recently got married …
when time is fleeting
Time. There never seems to be enough time and it always seems to be in a hurry. Click To Tweet Like summer, for instance. Where did it go? How is it already time to buy the new shoes, meet our teachers, and begin the busy days of fall? It amazes me that at the beginning of the summer, my girls’ hair was just below their shoulders and now it is flowing down their backs, desperate for a trim. And my baby boy, he’s already outgrown his six month clothes, some barely worn. Wasn’t he just born? I blink, and …
What God Wants for Moms in Ministry
Are you a mom in ministry? Moms in ministry come in all forms, from leading your child’s Sunday School class, baking brownies for the Easter Carnival, to volunteering for Vacation Bible School, a mom in ministry is a woman who gives back to her children, church, and community. While all this volunteering sounds so noble and just, it’s also really hard work. Because on top of your “good deeds” in ministry, you still have to juggle all the other needs of your family like finding the baseball jersey in the pile of dirty laundry for the All-Star game this evening …
the bittersweetness of graduation
May was a whirlwind, her days busy with graduation parties, end of the year programs, and final exams. For seniors, it was the month of goodbyes to school, teachers, and friends. It’s hard to believe the last day of school has already come and gone, that this year has hugged its’ last hug and given its’ final gifts. Moms of kindergartners all the way to moms of seniors still can’t wrap their minds around how fast time goes or wrap arms around their children tight enough to make everything slow down. For moms, graduation was a bittersweet victory. In her book Bittersweet, Shauna Niequist …
mourning your maternity leave {how to go back to work after baby}
I zip him up in his footed pajamas, the one that has the little smiling dinosaurs all on it. The house is quiet, not yet filled with our girls’ bedtime stories told by my husband. I hold my baby close to my chest in the silence of the dusk, soaking in his infancy. This was the moment I had been yearning for since I said goodbye to him nearly eight hours earlier. No one can really prepare a mother for the day she goes back to work. For weeks, the day had been stuffed in the back of my mind. …
TMI asks our readers 5 Questions about Being a Mom of Young Children
As a mom of three kids under the age of four (we have twins and a newborn) I will be the first to admit that I don’t have all the answers when it comes to parenting little ones. I love getting advice from friends with kids just a few years older than mine or even reading stories from my fellow M.O.M’s here at The Mom Initiative. Today, I’d like to ask YOU, our readers some of the questions I hear most often from younger moms: 1. How do you get your child to eat something besides chicken nuggets or a …
a letter to the second time mom
Hey there, you second time mom. Here you are, with a baby on your bust and another by your side. Yep, your hands are full yet so is your heart. As you gaze at your new addition, you wonder how you could have ever lived without him. For nine months, you wondered the complete opposite: how am I going to manage having more than one child? You tried to prepare your first child to become the big kid around the house but you were always unsure exactly how she would react when the baby came along. You’ve probably gotten …
more than family
My sister-in-law, Kari Beth, is more than family to me. She’s my friend. Before she and I married brothers, we shared a suite in our freshman dorm. It was totally arranged by God that we would be suitemates because we had actually met as little girls through a mutual friend who had moved from Kari Beth’s hometown to mine. So, when her dark ponytail bounced through our bathroom door to say hello on a blazing hot August day ten years ago, I knew that this was someone meant to be in my life. Since then, we’ve shared pizza together in …
When Mom Isn’t So Merry
It happened again this morning. I was irritated at my children; desperately trying to get them to school on time. The twins are only in preschool but some mornings I feel like I have two teenagers on my hands. And, I do what I hoped I wouldn’t: I snap. It doesn’t help that it’s December, one of the craziest months of the year. It doesn’t help that I’m pregnant and working and quite honestly tired. It doesn’t help that my husband is traveling and the dishes are piled up in the sink and those crazy fruit flies have appeared again …
3 Ways to Teach Kids Outdoors
Before we start on today’s powerful post by Christen Price, we want to announce the winner of NOT ALONE by Dineen Miller and Lynn Donovan. CONGRATULATIONS to Jennifer Gearheart! You will be receiving an email today! Thank you for participating in the giveaway! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Fall is here and its a great time than to get outside to teach our kids. I have preschoolers and some of our favorite activities recently have all been taught outside. Here are three fun ways to teach your kids outdoors: 1. Teach Kids About Farming It is harvest season and there are so many crops being …