Religion (when devoid of a personal relationship with the living God) is based on rules, do's, don'ts, consequences, stigmas, and appearances. Religion says you are not a person but a cog in a great machine so do your part and be quiet. Religion says there is no mercy, no help, no pity but simply a ...
What I learned in my [3rd] second trimester
I'm just passing the mark into my third trimester. It is the final stretch but still, 40 weeks minus 26 weeks equals 14 weeks. That is a lotta weeks left. I am always amazed at how different and clear each trimester transitions into the next. If I hadn't known how far along I was I would have been ...
An Ounce of Prevention
While I'm writing over at the Graceful Mom (inspiration and encouragement for the working mom) today, I'm pleased to have Maureen from Childwise Chat drop by today to talk about a little something I've been thinking about ever since I read it on her blog. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION You know ...
Using praise to communicate values
I'm still on this journey and quest to raise little children into adults who rescue others. By rescue, I mean... well... anything. Changing a flat tire is a rescue. Cooking dinner for a busy mom is a rescue. Offering a hug or an encouraging word can rescue someone just in the brink of time. It's ...
Do children really know what’s best for them?
I think there is one concept that - if adopted as fact by us mommies - will make parenting a lot easier. And that is this. Children don't really know what's best for them. Someone somewhere started a rumor that, even from babies, we know what's best for us. This rumor was based on the fact that, ...
Protecting your Children with Prayer
As you are probably beginning to gather, I'm pretty big on protection. I've written on the Difference between Protection and Over-Protection, Mama Bear Instinct, and How Mothers Save Lives. I did a fun personality test once at church to determine the type of woman I was. Out of Leader, Teacher, ...
Exercise and the Busy Mom
I love exercising. I love working out and getting sweaty and physically tired and feeling like I helped jumpstart all of my body's systems. Through most of my adult life I've been a member of a gym and regularly swam, walked, and done aerobics and exercise videos. That is, until I had ...
What I learned as a work-from-home (and stay-at-home) mom
I stay at home, as a mom. And I work from home, in an administration role for a financial services company. I sometimes eat lunch in my pajamas. I sometimes make calls to clients in the backyard while gardening. It is a rare opportunity to be able to provide for your family while spending all day ...
How Mothers Save Lives
The other week I was leading a monthly women's series at our church on Lioness Arising. The chapter was about how lionesses protect and look out for the lions and the cubs in their pride. The example was this. A lion and two lionesses had been kept in captivity and were to be released. They were ...
“Her Mother’s Hope” and “Her Daughter’s Dream” Book Reviews
If you haven't read a Francine Rivers book yet... then you have a few gallons' worth of tears the rest of us have previously shed. This two book series shines a light on how our parenting and our experiences can impact our children for generations. Extremely cold, aloof and unhappy people generally ...
Discipleship + Mentoring in Parenting (do what we see the Father doing)
As parents, it's such a privilege to be able to teach our children the things of life that matter most. What we model and prioritize will have a huge influence on the way develop and how their characters form. They will value no one else's word above yours, nor will they desire anyone else's love, ...
To Spank or Not to Spank… is that really the question?
Most moms would probably say that spanking is saved for extreme offences so the parent can communicate their point with grave importance. Whether spanking is or isn't effective isn't what I'm here to debate, although I'm happy to hear your opinions on the matter. Oh, I love opinions. When opinions ...
What I learned as a stay-at-home-mom with an identity crisis
I've had a hard time of it recently. Not in a pity party way, but in a grieving-what-I-thought-my-life-would-look-like-but-what-it-is-not kind of way. I don't regret decisions that I've made to be a stay-at-home-mom, simply that there is a transition that inevitably happens, and it is perfectly good ...
What’s The Difference Between Childish Behavior and Foolishness?
Is my child simply having childish behavior or are they acting in foolishness? Here is some insight on those behaviors and also how to train in order to prevent unwanted situations from happening. It's a given fact... As a parent, you're going to eventually experience some "less than ...
Developing Trustworthiness: The Do’s + Don’ts
Here are some do's and don'ts to watch out so you can teach trustworthiness to your children. Trustworthiness is an important quality we need to invest time in building in the lives of our children. Think about it, do you like to spend time with people you don't trust? If you were an employer, ...
Raising Starter Finishers
"Finishing is better than starting." Eccl. 7:8a A few years ago now I was at a discipleship school in the UK. The leader of the school often taught us on various subjects and one particular morning she taught us about the importance of being "Starter Finishers." A starter finisher is by definition - ...