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 …
Teaching Kids to Guard Their Eyes
Sex is everywhere. It is on the covers of magazines in the check-out line, the subject of T.V. shows, uninvited In pop-up windows while surfing the web, and sometimes graphically plastered on the walls of the boys’ bathroom at a local park. I can turn the T.V. off and put a firewall on my on my internet, but I can’t put blinders on my kids every time we leave the house. I could complain about the way other women dress or the culture that idolizes sex, but I can’t control the world. Instead I must teach my kids to guard …
See Coming Before It’s Coming & a GIVEAWAY ~ by Lynn Cowell
Happy Monday! This is Stephanie and I’m super excited to share with you about Lynn Cowell’s new book, Magnetic! It’s definitely a MUST READ and Lynn is graciously giving away a copy to one blessed commenter to this post! SOOOOO… before you dive into today’s power-packed post by Lynn, let me tell you how you can enter to win. ENTER TO WIN MAGNETIC: Packed with honesty, encouragement and perspective-changing truth Magnetic, by Lynn Cowell, will empower girls and young woman to reach their fullest potential by focusing on becoming who God made them to be! A girl who reflects God’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, …
Never-Failing Accountability
When my son became a tweenager over eight short years ago, a whole new world of temptation opened to him as he discovered (thanks to another peer) certain inappropriate behaviors online that would entice him in a way he’d never experienced before. Because he was our firstborn, a whole new world of fears opened to us too. We were thankful for many parents who had gone before us to give us wisdom and suggestions, as well as a gobload of information on the world wide web. As we talked and prayed him through it, we put boundaries in place with …
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 …
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 …
Sleep-Overs the Pros and Cons
I’m just going to put it out there. I pretty much hated sleep-overs and slumber parties. I pretty much hated sleep-overs and slumber parties. Click To Tweet And not just because of tired cranky kids the next day. Mostly I hated sleep-overs because I preferred to tuck my kids into their own bed at night. And..to be honest, I liked the element of control, knowing what they were watching and what activities they were involved in. If I could choose, I preferred to have kids come to our home to spend the night rather than my kids go to …
But, I Don’t Wanna Let Him Go!
I had to let him go. I didn’t want to, but I had to. I had more I wanted to teach him. Time to spend with him. But it was time. Jordan, my first born child was moving out to set up his own home at his own condo. A high rise. 9th floor, overlooking parts of the Orlando city sky scape. He’s so excited, he’s about to burst. I’m so sad, I’m about to burst. It’s kind of what happens when you raise your child to manhood. He doesn’t need his momma anymore. Well, except for home cooked meals …
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 …
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 …