Life can be harsh and unrelenting and sometimes the cold is just too much for one person–or ox–to face alone. My boys love watching Wild Kratts, and the other day I overheard an interesting fact about the musk ox (a goat-like animal that lives in the arctic regions). When wolves or frigid temperatures overwhelm the […]
Parenting
Common Sense Has Left the Building
Imagine your neighbor comes over and plants a rose seedling in your yard. You don’t notice it right away, but even after you do see it start to develop and grow, you think, “Man, this isn’t a convenient time to have a rose bush. What do I know about growing and maintaining roses and do […]
Getting Your Kids to Think Deeper
The things my children say–and I in response to them–would never have crossed my imagination prior to having offspring of my own. You just can’t believe the quirky quips they toss….without even trying. At lunch time last week, my youngest–and most talkative–assessed the items on his plate. “What is this orange thing here?”My response: “Um, […]
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Contemplating Halloween
Last year on October 31st, my daughter and I sat in the dentist’s office: she was in the hot seat, while I waited on the bench against the window. Nonchalantly, her dentist asked her, “So, what are you going to be for Halloween?” Knowing we no longer participated in the holiday, she just glanced at […]
Powerful Women Are God’s Plan Too
If you are a mild-mannered woman who delights in sewing baby clothes and reading to your children, rarely disagrees with her husband or others, and doesn’t carry ambitious goals, this post may not connect with you, but if you find your drive competing with your passions, regularly speak out against injustice and sin, and people […]
Balancing Encouragement with Critiques
The other night, I vented to my husband about some doubts and frustrations I was wrestling through regarding one of our children and his learning style. “I don’t want to dumb down the work because he’s having meltdowns, catering to his emotions and laziness, because I know he can do it…he just doesn’t want to. […]
7 Life-Saving Emotional Hacks for Worn-out Moms
“Mom. Mom. Mom?” My five-year-old has somehow turned my name into a nerve-grating curse word. Although I try to smile and respond with patience, my husband will chuckle because he knows…oh man, does he know. Sometimes we just need to hear our name–our real name–and not have a sticky hand patting our shoulder for attention. […]
Amusing Moments for Dad: Yes, You Are Appreciated!
Okay, let’s be real honest here: fathers often get the rotten piece of the pie. That doesn’t even make sense (who has had rotten pie?), but you know what I mean. The masses applaud moms and say, “Thanks for making the sacrifices, thanks for always being there, thanks for loving me when I wasn’t lovable,” […]
Making Summer Count
I initially thought I’d put a tagline on the title–something like, Parenting Your Kids Away from Selfishness–but then I thought, ya know, these concepts are really for everyone. For the first time in several years, I’m not teaching a summer course for Regent U. At first, I wasn’t overly excited, since I get paid per […]
5 Things To Do In Front Of Your Kids & 5 Things to Avoid
Corbin often comes up to me, asking, “Mommy, will you play a game with me?” Although I love to play games, I have to force myself to relinquish my to-do list and sit down in the middle of the afternoon to play cards or Checkers. I know full well that game playing is my son’s […]