It’s almost inevitable. Kids behaving badly in public and moms wanting to hide under a rock. It happens to the best of moms! So what’s a mom to do when her child begins to behave badly in public? How can a mom teach her children to behave themselves? 1. Begin setting very clear expectations at a young age. Even when your children are only about two, you can convey your expectations to them and when you have defined the ‘code of conduct’ for your household, your children will begin internalizing those expectations and make them their own. Remember, clear expectations …
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 …
Sounds Asleep with Sleep Machines?
Most moms have had a moment (or ten or 1,000) when they declared, “I’d give anything for good night’s sleep!” New parents once had to pace the floor, drive the neighborhood, or prop up fans, but that all changed with the invention of sound machines. When parents find themselves battling colicky characteristics, they’re even more desperate to find relief! Babies come home now to sound machines in stuffed animals, clipped on furniture, poised on night stands, or generated by iPhone apps. Are there potential dangers in consistent use of a white noise producer? What should expectant parents consider before they …
Tornado safety for moms
Tornado safety: A message for moms TORNADO SAFETY for moms from Julie Sanders on Vimeo. If you don’t see the video, click here: TORNADO SAFETY for moms from Julie Sanders on Vimeo. Tornado safety: PREPARE BEFORE a storm PRACTICE for tornado safety Know where safe shelters are in public places you frequent like church, the grocery store, or a mall. Spaces under wide, arched roofs are not safe. Teach your children to crouch down on the floor, against a wall, with their hands covering the back of their head. Understand the difference between a watch & …
Even Moms Need More Sleep
And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. Genesis 2:2 ESV She’s here, she’s there, she’s everywhere. You’re the mom, which means you are always on the go: groceries, diapers, and carlines are a part of your everyday world and somewhere in the chaos of it all we’ve bought into the lie that we’ve got to be some kind of supermom. You know, faster than a speeding bullet, stronger than…oh, who are we kidding, we’re not super mom, nor should …
Nascar Moments and Motherhood
It’s often said that motherhood is a marathon not a sprint. Yet I wonder if it’s something else entirely; like Nascar where God is the coach of your pit crew and you hear him whisper directions as you round the bend for another lap. Recently, our church went through a series about needing a pit crew and it ended with a night at the races. Moments volleyed back and forth between snuggling with my son and begging him to calm down as dirt flew up from the track while drivers either lost control of their car or hit another racer in an attempt to make it to …
How Moms Can Enjoy Their Days…Even the Hard Ones (Plus a Giveaway)
We have probably all been there. A sweet grandmother looks longingly at our children squeezed into the cart at the grocery store and utters words similar to these: “Enjoy these moments. Time goes by so fast.” And though we appreciate her sentiment, there’s another part of us that wonders…How can we enjoy these moments full of tantrums, middle-of-the-night feedings, hours of crying, and more diapers than we can count? How can we enjoy these moments that are just plain hard? I have been there (more times than I care to admit). I have been the mom wishing for the next …
EXCITING NEWS from The M.O.M. Initiative for YOU!
It was in a gas station parking lot when the vision for The M.O.M. Initiative and The Making of a Mom was conceived. As I sat and watched a very pregnant teen girl walk by and light up a cigarette, I reflected on my teen pregnancy and how motherhood was like a messy experiment for me and how my kids ended up being the guinea pigs. And how I thought I was ready but didn’t have a clue. I couldn’t help but wonder if she understood the significance of her newfound roll. Did she understand that everything she now did would affect …
Sleep: It is Worth the Fight
Sleep. It is difficult to do without it. And as moms we often get our first real taste of sleep deprivation as our tiny infant wakes frequently through the night. There are many schools of thought on sleep for infants and young children. Most stem from even deeper seated parenting philosophies. And I don’t want to debate the finer points of sleep training, attachment parenting, or baby wise parenting etc. The bottom line is all kids need sleep. Below is a graphic from the National Sleep Foundation. Sleep is connected to our mood, our overall health (adults who habitually …
Becoming Momma K
I’m already “mom”. Thanks to my daughter and son-in-love, I will be Momma K! The richness of the blessing of a grand son is beyond words in description. Often times words cannot convey what the heart feels. Conversation about how much we want to bless this little guy is regular between my husband and I. With sparkling eyes, the younger aunts and uncles make plans for play time with their nephew. I pray that God will bless me with a rich relationship with our grand son. Becoming Momma K is helping me become mom all over again. I’m seeing …