There are many things not getting done in our house or in our lives because we have children. Kids have a way of being all-consuming, particularly when they are young. We wouldn't need to learn to find time to ourselves in the every day or process the stresses of life if it was simple. I've ...
How To Give Your Child A Great Birthday Without A Party
You don't need a lot of friends or family around to give your child a lovely birthday. Here are birthday ideas for toddlers. As many of you know, we currently live far from both of our families. This is a constant challenge for me and never more so than on birthdays and holidays. I did better ...
Character training: Compassion
I debated finding a guest to write this post on compassion, since it hasn't always been my strong suit. However, the point of my character training posts are not that we are perfect - by any means - but that we are all on a journey to high character and taking our children with us. In college I ...
How to help your children have their own spiritual journey from an early age
Hello and welcome to my new subscribers.For those of you who didn't know I posted on spiritual things… surprise! God is not insecure about His existence. Just because people think He doesn't exist, doesn't make Him doubt it Himself. So why do we - when thinking about discussing ...
Why to Let Children Take Risks & Experience Failure
Children grow when given the opportunity to take risks and experience failure in a healthy way. Inside you'll read how to let them do this through balance and thoughtful parenting. I remember when I was in my mid 20's and lived in Italy. There was a stereotype going around. At that time the ...
Traveling With A Newborn – Prep Plus Do’s & Don’ts
Traveling with a newborn doesn't have to be hard work. Here are some ways you can prepare beforehand and make it a trip to remember. I have traveled with a 6 week old overseas. Then with a 12 week old on a 36 hour airplane journey. Then again, months later, and again with a baby, ...
How to help kids deal with stress
Here are some tips on how to help kids deal with stress. A few weeks ago I was losing patience, and sat the kids in front of the television so I could get some things done. After a bit I sat down and joined them. Then I noticed the music from the kid's show was particularly menacing, ...
Can I get mad at my kids?
Even the best moms get mad at their kids. Living under one roof it's impossible to be happy all the time, here's how to cope. I was speaking with a friend the other day going through a very difficult time. Mother of four, pastor's wife and her son had a brain tumor. She said life was hard ...
The problem with leftovers
A while ago I got the anxious dinnertime feeling that comes when there's nothing good on the menu. I opened the refrigerator and saw that we did, however, have plenty of leftovers. As I started heating them up I began to feel guilty. Guilty that I didn't have something planned for dinner that ...
Character training: Delayed Gratification
I think it is pretty much part of human nature to hate waiting. If adults who have spent years learning how to wait have a hard time with it, imagine how hard it is for your children to wait. It's dang hard. And it's particularly hard if they haven't learned how to wait from the beginning. Actually, ...