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Parenting Sep 22, 2013

8 Things a Mom Should Teach Her Son to Look for in a Girl

One day my son is going to fall in love, leave us, and cleave to his new wife. Until then, I have the opportunity to teach him to think before he gives his heart away. The girl he loves can either be a distraction or she can be the wind beneath his wings–encouraging and inspiring him. Here are my th

Encouragement Sep 19, 2013

Suddenly Single

Christy is a dear friend of mine. I was with her on the night she lost her husband. She was suddenly, without any warning, the single mom of three of cutest pea-pops, ever . Her walk since that night has been nothing short of courageous and inspirational to me. She has been a beautiful picture of co

Encouragement Sep 16, 2013

Serving Family Meals with Laughter And Love

I have to smile inside every time I think about Family Week. It makes me smile to think of how I would explain this to my grandmother. She would look surprised and, in all honesty, probably confused too. I chuckle because my grandmother would not understand why there is a family week. Both of my gra

Encouragement Sep 15, 2013

10 Ways for Busy Women to Make and Keep Friends

I missed a college reunion. It killed me, it still does. It was my fault. I had plans to go. I had a reservation, I had roomies from college to go with and I paid. But I didn’t go. I didn’t get organized enough to get my kids ready for college early, I didn’t get ahead at work and I didn’t allow any

Parenting Sep 12, 2013

8 Things a Mom Should Teach Her Daughter to Look for in a Boy

Every young girl dreams of a fairy-tale romance. So what kind of prince should I be teaching my daughters to look for? Look for a Gentleman. A young man should open the door for you, stand when you sit at a table, and carry heavy bags for you. Polite gestures like these reflect an inner dignity you’

Parenting Sep 10, 2013

Each One, Reach One

This is iMOM Morning! I love it. There is something about moms, kids and breakfast all in one great big room. It is happy and fun and relational. But it rarely happens. Like many parents, I often find myself getting really busy in the mornings and I miss opportunities to connect. iMOM mornings creat

Parenting Sep 8, 2013

5 Mom Lessons You Can Learn from Little League Coaches

1. Tune in and take time. As a coach you must tune in to the emotions of your players. Take the time to talk to your child. 2. Expect kids are not little adults. Remember they are just learning the game of life and expect errors. 3. Play loose. A good coach, and a good mom, helps kids keep challenge

Passionate Mom Aug 29, 2013

3 Reasons To Grow Patience

Most moms struggle with patience. I am no exception and I boldly confessed that weakness in The Passionate Mom. I have studied, prayed and diligently tried to master patience. I have even turned to quotes from wise sages for inspiration as you can see below. If you struggle with patience too, you ca

Parenting Aug 26, 2013

Love Language: Do You Speak So They Can Understand?

Sometimes we love, but not in a language that the one we love can understand. When I saw this it reminded me that I must speak so that my husband and my kids can hear. Sometimes we discover someones love language by accident and that makes me smile…like this video.

Parenting Aug 25, 2013

Sibling Kindness Can Be A Reality

For all you moms with multiples this is a dream printable. The Glowing Words Printable/Jar will help you coach your child in kindness in a way that is positive and inspiring. Cuddle up every night and let your child choose a glowing word kindness card from their glowing jar. Soon your child’s words

Encouragement Aug 20, 2013

When Life Happens

When you have a blog there is pressure to, well, blog. Regularly. But when life happens you can’t always do that. Like now. You have to do really important life stuff like college shopping for comfort away from home… and first time freshman, don’t leave me, college goodbyes…

Encouragement Aug 7, 2013

Connect to Life

You will know where this video is going within seconds. But it is a beautiful reminder. Watch. Learn. Change…for the better.

Encouragement Aug 7, 2013

Mom’s Secret Life

While a mom is keeping up appearances, buying groceries and driving carpool in her SUV, major problems that can destroy a family can easily brew under the surface. So how can you, as a mom, protect yourself from developing a dangerous secret of your own? Set up and respect important guardrails that

Marriage Aug 6, 2013

6 Ways to Adore Your Husband

My friend Fawn at Happy Wives Club is a huge cheerleader for marriage and I love that. Today I am blogging at her place about a lesson I learned early from a friend…. In college I had a roommate who always had a boyfriend—always. Boys just liked her, lots of them. She was cute, smart, and fun but th

Parenting Aug 1, 2013

Forgiveness Lessons for Kids

Your children will mimic exactly what they see. Your role as parent is to lead by example. In this case, you are called to practice forgiveness instead of walking away angry from situations. Remember these guidelines to keep the practice of forgiveness alive and well in your family. 1. Show forgiven

Parenting Jul 31, 2013

How to Balance Your Helicopter Tendencies

I saw a very funny skit on helicopter parents. At the time I laughed, even though the skit kind of convicted me about a couple of things I do for my kids. Days later I started to get annoyed because my laughter had turned to paranoia. Was I a helicopter mom? What exactly is a helicopter parent? Wiki

Marriage Jul 29, 2013

How Your Husband’s Friend Can Help Your Communication

It is amazing, seriously, miraculously amazing what an objective point of view can do for your marriage. Mark and I have had communication struggles forever. We have earnestly tried different ways to make each other see our point. We have made progress but nothing compared to the “communication epip

Parenting Jul 25, 2013

How You Can Prepare To Help Your Child In School

If you want to be prepared to to help your child do well in school, it is important that you have good relationships with all of the people who intersect with your child’s life at school and after school. They will help you prepare a plan for your child by guiding you with information about your chi

Parenting Jul 22, 2013

It’s What A Mom Must Do: Poop Clean Up!

I met Chrystal a year ago. Her father, Tony Evans, was the speaker at our Family First Dinner and Awards. Her sister, Priscilla Shirer, was also there to receive the iMOM award and her brother Anthony Evans sang. Amazing family! That night each of them had a memorable take-away for me, but it was Ch

Parenting Jul 18, 2013

Do You Have A Plan For Your Child?

No matter where your parenting path takes you, you must know that you would not have been given the privilege if you were not up to the responsibility. And that responsibility includes having a plan for the life of your child. Without a plan you are leaving your child to chance. According to author

Parenting Jul 17, 2013

How To Know When Your Child Is Ready To Make Choices

Choices–lots of choices. Too many choices. I get confused by the multitude of choices, so kids must be uber confused! Whether your child is 5, 10 or 15 years old they will be required to learn to choose and choose well from the oodles of options surrounding them. No child will escape the forceful th

Parenting Jul 11, 2013

Love Your Child By Praying For Them

It happens more than I would like. I shift from praying for my kids and trusting God for every aspect of their lives out of my control to worrying as if I alone can do something about it. I always end up shifting back. I want to enjoy my children before they are grown. Worry kills the joy. So I shif

Encouragement Jul 10, 2013

Bouncing Back When You Are Overcome

Sometimes I am overcome. Thoughts press down on me. My failures as a mom and a wife and a daughter and an employee and a friend grow vaporously before my eyes until they tower over me. I am overcome by the dark shadow of knowledge of what I have failed to do. I have spent time in this dark place. I

Parenting Jul 9, 2013

Teaching Children Patience

Teaching your kids patience. It sure doesn’t come easy, but it’s an important lesson you’ll teach your kids for the rest of their lives! Use these simple actions to help your child or children develop patience. Start a Conversation: In the calm moments, ask your child important questions like, “Why