Translating Love Letters & Another GREAT GIVEAWAY in Our WEEK of LOVE

  TODAY’s GIVEAWAYS… 21 Ways to connect with Your Kids by Kathi Lipp Still I Will Praise Thee by Renee Bondi ENTER TO WIN by COMMENTING, SHARING this POST through Twitter or Facebook, and get EXTRA BROWNIE POINTS for sharing a BLOG ON YOUR SITE about the CONFERENCE (bloggers are added to our BLOG PARTNER LIST when you email us and let us know when and where to find the post!)  *WINNERS will be announced in SUNDAY’s LIST OF WINNER of our WEEK OF LOVE! __________________________________________   I’m learning that sometimes when I try to do extra-nice things, extra-unpleasant things …

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Loving the family table

WEEK OF LOVE at The M.O.M. Initiative ~ BUY 1/GET 1 or BUY 1/GIVE 1 Tickets to BETTER TOGETHER  TODAY’s GIVEAWAYS! Mama Needs a Time Out by Heather Riggleman Christian Mama’s Guide to Baby’s First Year by Erin MacPherson ENTER TO WIN by COMMENTING, SHARING this POST through Twitter or Facebook, and get EXTRA BROWNIE POINTS for sharing a BLOG ON YOUR SITE about the CONFERENCE (bloggers are added to our BLOG PARTNER LIST when you email us and let us know when and where to find the post!)  *WINNERS will be announced in SUNDAY’s LIST OF WINNER of our …

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Surviving December With Small Kids

What do you get when you mix two young children, one tired mom, and a Christmas to-do list? Definitely not peace on Earth. “Don’t step there!” My hand jerked toward my toddler’s ankles, but too late. Her foot crunched a row of Christmas ornaments arranged meticulously on the rug, prepped for hanging. “I sorry, Momma!” Her sock hovered over a sparkly blue star, crushed into five pieces. “I told you to stay on the sofa! Sweetie, if you want to help Mommy decorate the tree, you need to be very careful around the ornaments. Now it’s broken.” Her bottom lip …

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Thankful to be a Mom

  Lord, Today I am thankful for my life as a mom.  It isn’t the life I planned. Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” You brought me a godly husband I don’t deserve. Psalm 1:1, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked; nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” You set aside my prayers for success & fame and gave me a houseful of children. Psalm 128:3, Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; …

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Why You Should Get Involved In Your Kids Ministry

  When we, as parents, partner with our local churches we can make an even bigger impact in the spiritual lives of our kids. No, I’m not just saying that because I work in Kids Ministry but because I have stood on the front lines every Sunday for the last ten years watching families come in and out of the church and miss the connecting piece between church and home. Can I speak the truth in love for a minute? Families want us, as the church, to teach their kids about God, His love, His grace, His mercy and His …

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Lunchbox Love Notes For Your Kids

It’s that time again. The kids are back in school and with that our mommy calendars immediately start to fill up. New routines. New bed times. New nightly stress about homework and even after school activities. Oh how I love the smell of a freshly sharpened number two pencil (no really, I do) and also dislike all the anxiousness that surrounds the back to school season. Did we get all the supplies on the class lists? Are we going to miss the bus? What about classes, did they get the classes they needed or the teachers we wanted? Breathe in …

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EXPECTANT Gaining a baby, losing a lover

A Flying Carpet for Two … or More

Last week we heard from awesome dads as we prepared to celebrate Father’s Day. Let’s hear it for the Daddies! Becoming a father brings a pick up truck load of transitions for a man. In about as long as it takes for a season of Duck Dynasty to unfold, a daddy-to-be may  watch helplessly as his lover is stolen away by a fuzzy cheeked bundle who melts his own heart and steals that of his bride. What’s a dad to do? One of the best gifts a mother can give her child is to love her little one’s father well. …

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See the BOID!

“My sister was carrying my daughter, Kim, down the hall of a hospital. Little Kim was looking back and saying, “See the boid!” (bird – she couldn’t yet say her Rs). Gail turned to see what bird could possibly be in the hospital, and there stood three nuns. Kim thought they were penguins.”* My friend, Sandra Chapman, shared this story in the “Laugh Out Loud” section of  The Plan A MOM in a Plan B World.     IT’S GOOD TO LAUGH, DON’T YOU THINK? I remember the day when my children, Taylor and Lauren, were little and the milk spilled …

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Who’s Your First Love? And Monday LINK UP!

Before we begin today’s post, we want to announce the winner of yesterday’s giveaway that Julie Gillies is so graciously providing. PAMELA GRADY, you are the winner! Congratulations! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ February is the month of love and romance. Red and pink hearts are everywhere in honor of Valentine’s Day—the universal day for showing and sharing love. Of course, we don’t just love in the month of February—or one day a year—but it is the day we focus on finding ways to demonstrate our love. Little children certainly don’t limit their display of love to just one day! Whenever my grandkids come …

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Love is Not a Doormat

Doormats are handy things–dusting off the snow before entering a somewhat-clean floor, wiping off the mud from the now-melted snow, stomping your tennis shoes to get the ever-living sand out of them, especially if you live by the beach. Doormats are weathered. Doormats can be pretty and decorative–that is until the above happens and they become grubby. Doormats are lasting. We usually keep the same doormat by each door until we move, then we finally throw the things out, like old rags. Sometimes, whether it’s learned behavior, taught behavior or even caught behavior, we decide that Christians must in every …

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