Raising kids with the urge to lead

John C. Maxwell said that “Everything rises and falls with leadership,” so if our children are to have a strong future, we must raise strong leaders. In less than a week, the United States Supreme Court will hear the Perry Case to determine if the 2008 proposition voted in by the people of California to protect marriage is constitutional or not. We will all feel the ripple effects. Our children will live and raise their families in the wake of the decision. Moms are raising kids in an atmosphere antagonistic to the family, and the same is true in much …

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You Might Have a Strong Willed Child IF…

Do you have a strong willed child? When I was writing, The Plan A MOM in a Plan B World, I asked moms to share some of their experiences with their “strong willed” children.  Can you “feel their pain”? You Might Have A Strong Willed Child IF: It’s not your child but you who’s crying when your husband comes home from work. You threaten to throw away all his toys, and he tells you he doesn’t want them anyway. Your child insists on having the last word, even after being warned not to say another word. She weighs the consequences …

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Mean Girls

The words on Facebook glared back at her. “You are so ugly! You are fat, annoying and I hate you!” Lindsay just sat there, staring at the screen, baffled. “What did I say? What did I do?” Maybe this has happened to one of your children, or in some way they’ve faced this same type of painful rejection. Maybe you have felt it yourself. I recently spotted a t-shirt at the mall that read “You’re no one until someone talks about you.” What a sad state of affairs. Growing up in a world where “Mean Girls” and “Gossip Girl” are movie …

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QbyUand4U: Getting kids to eat fruits & veggies & TMI Link Up

At one time or another, I think every mom wonders if she is mothering a child worthy of an expose on 20/20. Some children struggle with medical or emotional challenges expressed in eating habits that require the help of a trained therapist, nutritionist, or doctor. But when one of our moms asked, “How do we get our kids to eat more fruits and vegetables?” the mom audience collectively nodded their heads. It’s time for a “Question by U and 4U!” Most children aren’t born craving broccoli. If your kids beg for brussel sprouts on their birthday, just go ahead and …

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Hidden Danger & Get OVERWHELMED & BEGIN A M.O.M. INITIATIVE MENTOR GROUP & MONDAY LINK UP

THIS IS THE WEEK! We’ve got some GREAT STUFF going on at The M.O.M. Initiative! Starting today…Get OVERWHELMED ~ 31 STORIES FROM M.O.M. FREE! It’s our gift to you! SUBSCRIBE, COMMENT or LINK UP to win one of today’s great giveaway… Prayers of My Heart prayer journal by Debbie Taylor Williams, so moms can start the year off journaling their prayers for their kids. AND The Christian Mama’s Guide to Having a Baby by Erin MacPherson And don’t forget to SIGN UP to begin a M.O.M. Initiative Mentor Group in your area!   Now, here’s today’s post by Tara Dovenbarger:  LOOKS SAFE Six legs …

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A New Year’s Resolution Tool for Kids

When it comes to New Year’s Resolutions, most of us can show our kids how to start well and fizzle out. Thankfully, we’ve seen how important it is to start this year by Remembering What Went Right. If we look ahead and aim for nothing, we’ll hit it every time.  Goal setting is a skill to be learned. January invites moms to teach their children how to reflect on the past year and smile at the future with some thoughtful planning. You can use a simple pattern to guide your child through basic reflection and goal setting for their new …

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Where are the Continuing Education Credits for Motherhood?

Don’t you wish there were Continuing Education credits for motherhood? Back in college there were classes for just about everything: Music Appreciation, English 1101, Calculus, Religion, you name it and it was there. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a college level class on Motherhood. Sure, there are classes you can take while you are pregnant, and even some awesome mommy and me type classes, but where are the classes for: bandaging up boo-boo’s, pre-pubescent anxiety, peer pressure, broken hearts, and helping your child find their identity in Christ. Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;     teach the …

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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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blue shuttered window

The window of a mother’s influence

As the 16th President of the United States, he brought a broken nation together and freed a persecuted people, yet he said that, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother” ~ President Abraham Lincoln.  A mother has the potential to influence her child to become all God planned, despite the obstacles of life, to nurture greatness from a once-swaddled helplessness depending on her for life itself. The window of opportunity was wide open for so long. From her bassinet, her eyes locked on mine as if she studied my every word and expression. …

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Hurrican Sandy Map Power Outages

Talking to kids about the Storm

You could pull the curtains and claim it’s sunny, but more than 1/3 of the United States will experience Hurricane Sandy first-hand. Anxiety surfaces for some children, and questions arise for others, but all young minds do some mental filing and processing as this “Superstorm” strikes the East coast of the United States. Don’t be fooled; they’re thinking about more than lost Halloween candy. How do you talk to kids about a storm? What God says about the storm God’s word is not silent about storms. This opens the door for moms to use natural questions, to help children understand …

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