With many parks, pools, playgrounds, and other entertainment options severely limited this summer, you might be finding yourself wondering how to keep your children occupied on days when it's too hot to stay outside or on long road trips. We've put together a downloadable activity pack filled with coloring pages, crafts, mazes, and more to take with you in the car or keep the kiddos busy around the house for a few hours. And the best part? It won't cost you a dime. Download your FREE ... [keep reading]
6 Ways to Become an Intentional Mom
My childhood was difficult and filled with sadness. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, so when I became a Christian, and soon after a mom, I had no idea what I was doing. I felt so lost. I remember going into my daughter’s room night after night, kneeling beside her bed, and crying my heart out to God for help. To make matters worse, my fears and frustration caused me to get angry and often lose it with my kids. I felt like a horrible mom, but I kept asking God for help. You know ... [keep reading]
Embrace the “Good Old Days” This Summer
I remember the day my parents bought our first desktop computer. It was a bulky white box and displayed less than six colors. As a young girl in the middle of my elementary years, I was fascinated and addicted from the first time I used it. When I look back at my childhood, you know what’s funny? My favorite memories have more to do with real life than looking at the computer screen. Playing outside with the neighbors for hours on end. Jumping on trampolines. Swinging on swings. Watering ... [keep reading]
How to Build Trust and Create Connection with Your Child
If you had told me years ago that I would have twelve children, I doubt I would have believed you. But God’s plans are so much bigger than mine. My husband, Russ, and I recently celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary. We married in college and began our family a few years later. We loved children and believed they were a blessing. A big family sounded good; maybe we would have six kids, although that might be excessive. We were blessed to have those six and then we added one more in ... [keep reading]
Rediscovering the Value of a Dad’s Presence
During this lockdown, I have had more face-to-face time with my kids than I ever have in their entire lives. While I’ve been working from home, I’ve had lunch with them every single day. With no commute, we’ve used the extra time to create hilarious games to play and read through exciting books together. If there’s a question about schoolwork, I’ve been able to just walk over to the dinner table to help them out. And with all other social gatherings cancelled, our weekends have been filled to ... [keep reading]
Making Memories with Your Kids This Summer is Simpler Than You Think
What do you remember most about childhood? Take a moment and reflect on that question. I’d guess, like me, you’ll have flashes of memory, like seeing a scene from a movie. Perhaps your scene is sitting around your dining room table, eating dinner, or a family vacation. Perhaps you will recall something fun you did, like playing sports or hanging out with a special friend. You might remember the color of your mother’s drapes or the smell of the BBQ in the backyard. When I reflect on my ... [keep reading]
Here’s a Simple Way You Can Be a Mentor
I am the mom of eight children—two adults, four teenagers (as of today) and two tweens. Because of the uniqueness of adoption, I have been parenting children from newborns to adults for the past 17 years. During that time, I have had some amazing women as mentors, most important, my own mother. I have been so grateful for the advice, direction, and encouragement of other women as I have walked this strange and confusing journey of mothering. What is a mentor? A mentor is one who goes ... [keep reading]
None of Us Have Done This Before
If I’m being honest, I’m worn out from hearing the word unprecedented in the news. It’s used so much that I’ve become numb to it. Unprecedented times, unprecedented situations… Does anyone else want to go back to normal times and normal situations again…and soon? I recently decided to overcome my dislike of the word and look up its definition. Dictionary.com describes it as “without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled.” Do you know what I found ... [keep reading]
9 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Think Globally
News about the pandemic is reported from continent to continent, country to country, state to state, and city to city. A microscopic virus has quickly spread around the globe; our world has never seemed so small. In all of God’s great beautiful earth, we are now currently homebound, glimpsing one another from afar and from our devices. If you turn on the TV or the news on your phone, you access the world. Current headlines include a teenager being bullied because she looks Asian while a ... [keep reading]
Who’s your Mommy Mentor?
I never went to Mommy School. Did you? (Chuckle.) There’s no such thing, but somehow as women and as mothers, we are supposed to be experts in this motherhood thing. I had the privilege of having a wonderful mother, but when I became a parent, all of the sudden I felt helpless and stuck. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t have a clue! One of the things I love about the Lord is that he always provides what we need at exactly the right time. I have not had the privilege of formal mommy-mentoring, ... [keep reading]
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