Wearing White In The Everyday

I never got to wear a real wedding dress. Instead, three weeks after my 18th birthday, I walked down the aisle resembling a big piece of pink cotton candy with a rain coat. I was seven months pregnant with the groom’s child. Each step was supposed to be joyful. Instead, I remember vividly how ashamed I was. As I looked at my friends and family dressed in T-shirts and jeans, I remember the wedding of my childhood dreams. I wanted to be wearing a big stark white, ball gown princess dress. My hair up in a knot with ringlets of …

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4 Solid Tips For Your Summer Road Trips

I couldn’t wait as a teen for summer to be here. Oh the freedom, the road trips, the memories. Flash forward to present day, I still love spur of the moment road trips but cringe slightly at the thought of being locked in my suburban with my three kids. If you dread it too, and are looking for ways to maximize peace and fun; and minimize the potential of world war III–I’m your girl. We have family in four different states and I speak often, in which case my family sometimes travels along.  Your Summer Road Trippin’ Fun Tips Photo …

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10 Summertime Safety Tips

I’ve always loved the fun in the sun that defines summer. But it’s also a time when children experience more injuries and make more visits to the emergency room than any other time of year. Before the last bell of the 2011-2012 school year ushers in the approaching summer season and before a momma starts filling her days with a plethora of plans for the kiddos, it’s wise to consider safety first. The M.O.M. Initiative wants to help your summertime be filled with fun and accident free, so we’re offering 10 summertime safety tips to help you have the best …

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Avoiding The Summer Meltdowns, 8 Tips How!

Tis the season for whining, crying, complaining and more. It’s summer time! Usually that means fun in the sun, but if you and you’re kids are like mine, meaning they strive on downtime, structure, and routine; I’ve got some timely tips to help you and your kids ease into summer! In fact, you could be the next ‘child whisperer’ among your peers! STOP and HALT No I’m not talking about stop signs, I’m talking about listening to the instincts that God has graciously instilled in us as mothers. Okay, so you’re trying to get stuff checked off on that fabulous to-do list …

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Abide in Me

When I am asked, “How many children do you have?” I don’t know how to respond. “Three,” I answer, while I finish the sentence in my head, “…here with me and one in Heaven.” I will never forget my daughter, Rachel Faith, even if the only life she experienced was in the womb. She is always with me. As beautiful as she was at birth and at death, those images are not what flutter through my mind. I imagine her dancing with her sister. I twirl her dark curls. I embrace her, though she’s not physically here. Rachel died at …

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Recalls Moms Should Know About

The M.O.M. Initiative loves y’all like crazy and we want to offer information to help you in your journey. Today we want to share with you some current recalls that you may or may not be aware of. Recalls may seem silly to some but they arm moms with information they may need to protect their children. So, here are some current recalls: Lakeshore Feels Real Baby Dolls On 2012-03-27, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced a recall on Lakeshore Feels Real Baby Dolls due to a potential choking hazard. This product sold new beginning in May 2011 for approximately $20. About …

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I’m Pregnant – Now What?

Whether pink lines, a plus sign or a doctor’s diagnosis is the way you discover you are pregnant, a multitude of thoughts and emotions are sure to follow. Some women are excited and receive the news with great anticipation. Others are afraid of what their future might hold and aren’t sure how they are going to deal with the days ahead. Pregnancy is different for everyone and so are the circumstances associated with it. A thousand questions run through every expectant mom’s mind as she begins her journey down an unfamiliar road. Even if she’s had a baby before, each …

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Why Having “The Talk” Is Not Enough

There is no question the culture in most developed nations is sexually charged. Sex sells everything from shampoo and deodorant to lawn mowers. According to a report by Harris Interactive in 2007 68% of TV shows have explicit sexual content. The “wardrobe malfunction” of the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show reminds us that even sporting events are not safe. In a world where our young girls are being sexualized (see Toddlers and Tiaras), is it reasonable to think that one sex talk is enough to combat what our culture throws at our kids daily? Instead I challenge you to begin …

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Packing a Young Person’s Heart

Last Friday we took our daughter on a college visit. Serene lawns and still hallways echoed the time  year:  Spring Break. As we toured the campus, thoughts about our sweet girl’s future exploded in my mind like kernels in an air popper. I longed to see some students as evidence that when kids grow up they’re okay. But they were on Spring Break. Inside the dorms, our guide was kind (bold? crazy?) enough to show us several rooms where it looked like the Rapture had taken place. Books, guitars, clothes, pizza pans, and shoes littered the floors and beds. There …

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Parenting Teens thru Spring Break

What will your teen do over Spring Break? Maybe you’re in the sippy cup years,  looking ahead with fear and trembling to the Facebook years. How can we watch out for our teens in today’s world? Last night I feel asleep to the sound of laughter drifting upstairs from young women in our basement. Two are on the threshold of college;  two others are are signed up for the ACT. All are counting the days ’til spring break. If the teen years are such a vibrant time of life, why do we dread parenting through it? You can prepare yourself …

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