From the hosts

The Blog.

Page 20 of 26.

Encouragement Nov 14, 2011

Tool.Me Tuesday: A Thanksgiving Tool For Family Sharing

I love this tool. My children love this tool. My IN-LAWS love this tool. Need I say more? This is a free downloadable from iMOM.com. It is very easy to use and a great way to turn Thanksgiving into a delightful time of thanks. Consider this the whip cream on your pumpkin pie! Thanksgiving Story Card

Encouragement Nov 8, 2011

Say Yes To The Dress

I was asked for an update on the house. This is a tempting question for me because I am trying to stay out of the circle of Fear-Worry-Anxiety (see post below). And when I think about the house it is easy to fall into the circle. When one is abstaining from the circle of fear it is rather interestin

Parenting Nov 7, 2011

Stop The Morning Madness

Here are a few suggestions for moms to keep the morning madness at bay in their home. Stay calm, organized, and get your kids to school on the right foot!

Encouragement Nov 6, 2011

The Circle of Fear-Worry-Anxiety

The circle begins with… Fear – a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, whether the threat is real or imagined; it is the condition of being afraid. When the fear is fertilized it feeds and grows into… Worry – To give way to fear; allow one’s mind to dwell on troubles. To torme

Parenting Oct 31, 2011

Techy Tuesday: Keeping Up With The Kiddos

Love this App – it makes keeping up with the kiddos a game. I am trying it out now – so far so good. It’s kind of fun. Let me know what you think. It’s called I’mOK. The kiddos check in by phone with any or all of the who, what and where and a picture. The more info they give the more points they ge

Parenting Oct 27, 2011

Parenting Plan – Keeping It Simple

Sometimes or most times the best plans are the simplest. Right now my kitchen plans are way too complicated. The myriad combinations of cabinets, colors and contraptions have culminated into a mass of cancerous confusion in my brain. Should I get the GE Monogram 48 inch refrigerator with the Wolf 48

Encouragement Oct 20, 2011

Do Not Disturb – Nesting Mama!

Every day this week – not exaggerating – Madison (see Belly Questions for an idea of what I am dealing with working with this girl everyday) has informed me that I have not blogged in 5 days…6 days…7 days… Enough already! Do you see this picture? I am nesting! Madison is trying to get preggers, as s

Marriage Oct 9, 2011

Confessions: I Killed The Date Night

I stand before you a humble, convicted date night killer. Nine times out of ten, if the date goes into sudden death, it was my fault. I have no excuse. It is a simple two-count misdemeanor so deceptively innocent that it can snuff out a date faster than a baby can spit up on a silk blouse. Misdemean

Parenting Oct 6, 2011

Anxiety in Children

Anxiety in Children

Parenting Oct 2, 2011

To Quit Or Not To Quit?

Ah, now that is the mom question of the decade! In the last ten to twenty years, there has been an explosion of extra-curricular activities. And it is a multidimensional, 3-D explosion. There are now a million types of activities, offered for more ages and with an alarmingly intense level of competi

Parenting Sep 29, 2011

Helping Your Child Make Friends

Make Friends iMOM has some really cute Friendship Quote cards to help your kids see the importance of developing healthy, meaningful relationships.

Marriage Sep 28, 2011

Conflict! Rate It To Resolve It

We are strong-willed people, my husband and I. And we are not timid about sharing our opinions. So, when Gary Oliver taught us the Rate It Method for resolving conflict, it was a game changer in the Merrill household. (click to tweet) Gary Oliver is not just a psychologist, he is a man with a wife a

Encouragement Sep 26, 2011

The Elusive Quiet Time

It is a mystery to some and as easy as breathing to others. It can be a life long struggle or life saving comfort. My experience with the illusive quiet time has been…a rocky road. In the beginning I spent several years grappling with a nagging feeling that I just wasn’t quite doing it right. I was

Encouragement Sep 20, 2011

Wanna Be: Like My Friend, She’s Crazy

This is my crazy friend. Her name is Leland and I love her because she makes me laugh. All the time. Every time I run into this woman she’s very seriously doing something crazy. The funny thing is she doesn’t think it’s crazy and that really makes me laugh. Her boys think it’s crazy, but she doesn’t

Parenting Sep 18, 2011

Does Your Child Know How to Work?

At an appointment this summer, the doctor, being polite, asked my Emily what she was doing on her time off from school. She launched into a dissertation of sorts on her activities – a job at J Crew, some babysitting, two classes at the community college, etc, etc. The doctor, rather surprised at the

Parenting Sep 15, 2011

Manners Make Better First Impressions

Manners

Parenting Sep 14, 2011

Does Your Child Need A Friend?

If only my child had one good friend… Ahhh, how many times I have thought this! A good friend, a really good friend – is worth their weight in gold—a childhood friend that is loyal in the face of peer pressure, like-minded in values, kind and thoughtful, and… I could go on and on. My oldest has that

Parenting Sep 13, 2011

Tweens Aim For Fame Above All Else

Because I work at iMOM, I read so much about the negative effects of media on children. Sometimes, parents don’t like what they read and choose to believe that TV, movies, music, and videos really don’t impact children as much as we think they do. But it does, according to what I read today.

Encouragement Sep 12, 2011

Techy Tuesday: ZipList – Best Grocery Shopping App

The grocery list. It’s on the bulletin board in the kitchen. Good place? NOT. It is never with me! I go to work, run late, need to shop on the way home and I NEVER HAVE THE LIST. Ugh, I hate that list. Or my sweet husband calls, knowing I am pressed for time and offers to stop at Publix, BUT, he wan

Encouragement Sep 10, 2011

Tampa Remembers 9/11

Parenting Sep 8, 2011

Nothing Cuter: Boys in Football

Earlier this week Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman – great blog) posted that there was Nothing Cuter than a bunch of little boys in football uniforms. She had such precious pictures of her little boys. Sigh…my Marky was once that little. I couldn’t resist. Camera in hand (old, not a Nikon, and totall

Parenting Sep 8, 2011

Keeping That Back To School Budget

Back to School Savings

Parenting Sep 5, 2011

Techy Tuesday: Skitch

Skitch is an App that is just picture clipilicious fun! They were recently bought by Evernote and that’s how I heard about it. The App is very easy to use. Not sure what all it can do but for now it is really helping me get past my uncreative memories guilt. I tried scrapbooking but I couldn’t keep

Parenting Sep 4, 2011

I’m A Whack A Mole Mama

Just picture me, mallet in hand, furiously whacking away at a myriad of problems that relentlessly pop up out of know where at a never ending pace – treats for Grant’s class, physical for football, tuition for UF, sorority bill for ADPi and Zeta, laundry, laundry, laundry, flat tire, sick dog, inter