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Top 100 Mom Blogs 2007-05-07 09:41:34
Hey ladies look at me, I was ranked in the top 100 mom blogs by “Mother’s Day Central”. Check it out! I have no idea how they found me, or how/if I was nominated. If someone out there nominated me, Thanks a lot!
Check out the other blogs listed too, they are some great ones! Read more:Blogs
Happy Mother’s Day! 2007-05-11 13:29:24 I thought, this Sunday being mother’s day, I would feature a few other great mothers. (These are in no particular order)
First: It is the text message we all want to get, and laugh at. It is the main reason we bother to leave our husbands with the kids. Read Holly’s story about leaving her husband for the weekend, and him finding out that “Your life is harder”. It cracked me up.
Second: My friend Tracy, whom I love and adore, has a special tribute to moms. She asked several of the moms in her life to write a special message to all the mom readers out there. Mom, stepmom, mom-in-law, to Spiritual mom, they all have special messages to encourage other mothers today.
So check out “A Message From My Moms”
Third: Rookie Moms everyday has great ideas to keep moms enjoying life no matter what. “Throw an inside-outside party” suggests that we begin to do things again we could not do while pregnant. Ladies, just using my downy is something I enj Read more:Happy
, Happy Mother
Obey First! 2007-05-10 14:13:49 Have you, like me, ever found yourself trying to get out the door, finish dinner, or any task really, and ask your child to do something and they either have a million excuses or they want to argue about it? This is probably the number one thing that drives me to raise my voice (and drives me crazy ). Why? Because I do not have the time in that moment to explain that life is not fair, and that this is why you had to do this right in the moment. We all find that we can be easily pushed to our limits and frazzled when we are trying to juggle several things at once, stay on time schedules, or when we’re just tired of the constant back-talk of children when asked to do something.
How do we stop the disrespectful back talk? “Stop Kids From Whining…” has a great technique that, while not perfected in my kids, is really changing the way we communicate. This concept is called “Obey first and then discuss it”. Here is how it works …
I am cleaning Read more:First
Nursery Rhymes and Silly Stuff 2007-05-15 09:00:08 I stumbled upon this site one day, and thought “oh, what fun”.
Any rhyme you want to know found here, all in one.
If you like rhymes (silly or sweet), you’re sure to like this page.
From princess songs, to kissing frogs, it’s sure to make your day.
Find the ones you have forgotten, and the ones you remember forever.
Teach them to your children, and share some memories together.
NurseryRhymes
and Silly
Stuff
A Mother’s Mark 2007-05-14 12:25:28 “What a rich faith … handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice … to you!” 2 Timothy 1:5 (TMB)
The Bible paints various portraits of mothers, and while they weren’t perfect, each one tells a story. Moses’ mother broke the law to ensure his safety and teach him the faith of his people. Then there’s the mom who came before Solomon, prepared to forfeit her child rather than see him harmed. James and John’s mother loved them so much, she wanted them to sit on either side of Christ in His future kingdom. And Paul saw in Timothy a young man of sterling character because of the faith “handed down from [his] grandmother Lois to [his] mother Eunice…to [him].” The most significant thing we know about Timothy’s mother is that her mom was a believer, because while faith can’t be “inherited” it can be passed on through the influence of godly parents.
A little boy forgot his li
What if Your Child Wanted a Different Religion? 2007-05-18 09:30:02 If your child wants to study, learn and participate in a religion that is quite a bit different than what you have brought them up in, how do/would you react? What would you say to them and would you allow them to do as they wish in their searching?
~The Mom Blogs
This is a tough one for me, especially since I have not faced this (and hope I never do). I suppose the answer to this would depend on their age. If they were older I hope I would not try to control them as they explore and do what they needed to do to find their faith. Joyce Meyers wrote that there was a time when her son said that he did not know if he believed what he believed because it was true or because it was what his parents told him to believe. They had to allow him to go out and find God for himself. Because I do trust God to abide by his word I believe that if I raise my children in the way they should go when they are grown they will not depart (Proverbs 22:6). This does not mean they will not question their f Read more:Religion
Big Girl Bed! 2007-05-17 12:38:02 You may have remembered me talking about starting the process of putting Anna in the Big Girl Bed. Well, when we originally started it took us two nights to realize trying to get her to sleep with her sister was not going to work. So we got a twin bed this past weekend and decided to start again. The first night she was very clear that she wanted to sleep in the crib. I said “o.k.” Then the second day at nap time, again she wanted her crib. By the second night (Tuesday) I put her in the big girl bed, and she did fine! No struggles, and did not get out once. Two nights and she is sleeping in her big girl bed! No power struggles, no in and out of the bed. It was wonderful. Remember it may take longer for some, it took a couple of weeks with Emily, but the process still involves no power struggle. You want to avoid a power struggle with a toddler, if you can help it.
(Anna Elizabeth, on her second night in the big girl bed!)
Traveling Tips for Your Summer Journeys 2007-05-16 09:43:39
Hey Moms! Here are some tips for traveling with your kids this Summer
. With School ending and year end recitals my plate is full. I say lets gear up for rest and relaxation. I'll continue A Marathon Adoption of Epic Proportions next month. I hope these travel tips are useful. Feel free to add some of your own in the comment section.
Have a great month!
Infants and Toddlers: Be prepared and have the essentials at the ready.
1) Prepare a days feedings, snacks etc. Put them in a cooler or separate bag with all your eating accessories. The "take and toss" containers are great for trips and worth the money.
2) Purchase a nice size diaper bag with multiple pockets.
This way you can put a entire day of baby's things in one place. Also, set aside a space for mom's essentials and eliminate your own purse. Backpacks are great for traveling because they keep your hands free to chase down the wayward toddler or handle boarding passes.
3) Purpose to keep your child's main nappi Read more:Traveling
, Journeys
The Importance of Community… 2007-05-23 02:12:14 One of the most thorough research projects on relationships is called the Alameda County Study. Headed by a Harvard social scientist, it tracked the lives of 7,000 people over nine years. Researchers found that the most isolated people were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections.
People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who had great health habits but were isolated. In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends than to eat broccoli alone. ~John Ortberg excerpt from “Everybody’s Normal”
When my Pastor quoted this passage a couple of Sunday’s ago my sister and I quickly agreed that she and I would, together, live forever. Seriously though, WOW! We hear so much about needing to eat right, exercise, and watch our weight. We are constantly bombarded with all the different diet “formu Read more:hellip
Tying Your Shoes 2007-05-22 02:33:31
I am currently working with Emily at tying her shoes. While the book “Red Lace, Yellow Lace” is great for having the laces and shoe cut out for her to practice on, I wasn’t crazy about the poem in the book. I searched for a poem I remembered from my childhood, “Bunny going around the tree” (or something like that), but found nothing, except for others asking if anyone knew the poem. However, I did find these two great poems to help a kid out! If you don’t want to buy the book, you can buy two different colored shoelaces and cut them half and retie the two different colors together. This makes it easier because you can say “Red Lace” or “Yellow Lace” instead of “this string” or “that string”.
PS: If anyone does know the poem about the “Bunny Boy”, please leave a comment!!
Teepee Tying
Build a tee pee
Come inside
Close it tight so we can hide
Over the mountain
And around we go
Here’s
Are you an Alpha or A Beta mom? 2007-05-21 02:36:46 I have found an excellent new resource: Reality Parents. They have a weekly podcast, featuring topics that concern parenting. Their “Week 7″ podcast discusses the issue of working mothers versus stay at home mothers.
I wrote about this here a while back, but wanted to add a few more comments, since it is still such a huge topic.
Terri and Kevin say there is a new term for moms now: “the Alpha
” and “the Beta” moms. The “Alpha moms” are in everything. They work, they do every social thing, they have lots of hobbies, and they are in every bake sale, fundraiser, and on and on. The “Beta moms”, on the other hand, have a much more relaxed approach. They are typically stay at home moms, and focus more on family and not so much on other things. (Personally, I feel I am somewhere in between. We must coin a phrase for “hip” moms, who do what they can, but do not get pressured into doing what they shouldn’t. Hmmmm,
Fun Friday: 1 Smart Mom on MySpace 2007-05-25 06:13:36 Take a look at my new MySpace
page. If you have a MySpace account be sure to invite me to be your friend! Click on the image below:
Read more:Friday
, Smart
Organizing Tips 2007-05-24 08:03:10 It is Spring Cleaning Time! Are you ready? Here are a few tips.
Decide where to store things based on accessibility.
If you always take your shoes off at the front door, create a center for them. Maybe a chest or decorative item that can also be used as storage.
If you can toss your shoes in there they are more likely to be out of the way, and clutter free.
For easy stacking, buy plastic containers the same size.
Be sure to label each one of them, I use masking tape on top and sides to label. Using plastic containers is much better than cardboard. It keeps items safer, plus cardboard draws bugs, like roaches. (Someone told me roaches can live on the glue from a cardboard box for years….UGGGHH!) I go to places like Big Lots or Fred’s, close out stores, to buy my plastic containers inexpensively.
Be sure to clean out storage areas about once a year.
Every time we go through our things, my husband finds a few more things he is ready to get rid of. (He is the sentimental pac
Chicken Salad 2007-05-30 02:23:50 Ingredients:
1lb. Chicken
Breast
1 - 1 & 1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 cups grapes
1/2 - 1 cup almonds
Salt and pepper
Optional: Serve with Croissants
Directions:
Boil chicken breast, drain and shred.
Mix all other ingredients to taste.
Some like a little more or a little less of mayo, grapes, and almonds.
Delicious! Another family favorite! Read more:Salad
, Chicken Salad
Figuring Out What Works 2007-05-29 02:32:42 I read parenting books, and seek parenting tips all the time. Just like you I am always seeking out the best way to be the best mom.
I have found that some of the best parenting advice does not come from highly educated therapist, but from mothers who have raised their children. Even if their children did not “turn out great” they can tell you where they went wrong, the different choices they should have made. It is the pattern God has designed for us, to look to the elders to guide us.
Thus I share something I have, through trial and error, figured out. (Not that I am an “elder” or anything ) My children are unique. They do not respond the same way to the same disciplines. One is more sensitive than the other. One seems to be more secure than the other. One can be spoken to in a stern voice while the other will need “physical contact” before she yields to correction. This is why trial and error can be so important, because what worked for one chi Read more:Works
Change Begins With Me… 2007-05-28 02:12:57 If I allow God to change me, then those that are around me will also change. Either God will change the people that are in my life, or the people that are in my life will allow God to change them.
~ Angel Cope
There was a time my husband and I were having a hard time in a particular situation. If we spoke about the subject, we would never see eye to eye. Ironically, he seemed to see things as I did until I pushed him to do something about it, and then he would pull back and play “devil’s advocate”. This seemed to pour salt in my insecure wounds. I needed his reassurance, but because it was so close to home for him, it was hard for him. Finally, seeking counsel from a wonderful woman, she told me “Look, you knew what you were marrying when you married him, and you need to decide are you going to be right, or are you going to be happy?” I humbly had to accept that this was the choice before me, and I told him I wanted to be happy. As I prayed for God to hel Read more:Change
, hellip
Fun Friday! 2007-06-01 05:50:24 I think Cathy says it all…
Have a Happy weekend! And may your bathing suit shopping be as tolerable as possible.
Read more:Friday
The Importance of Good Thinking 2007-05-31 02:53:28 “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways.”
Proverbs 14:8 (NIV)
In his book “As a Man Thinketh”, James Allen says, “All that a man achieves or fails to achieve, is the direct result of his thoughts.” Do you believe that? If you do you’ll place a high value on good thinking. It will become a priority in your life. Success doesn’t come by accident. You don’t stumble into it and then figure it our afterwards. Whether you are a business person, a minister, a teacher, a parent, or whatever, your level of success will increase dramatically if you place a high value on good thinking. The better your thinking the better your prospects in life. Playwright Victor Hugo said “A small man is made up of small thoughts”.
People who don’t develop and practice good thinking usually find themselves at the mercy of circumstances – or other people’s thoughts. They’re unable to solve problems. They
My Self Examination 2007-06-05 02:17:40 Recently I have been analyzing myself, as I sometimes do, and in the process my relationships. The ones that are not good, the ones that have gone bad and are not on speaking terms, the good ones, the great ones. Specifically, in looking at self examining myself, I have had to take a look at those relationships that are bad or not on speaking terms. I ask myself, where did I go wrong? What part did I play in that separation of relationship? Because, let’s face it, no matter how bad someone hurt us, we all had a part in the relationships death.
Maybe it was lack of communication, maybe we tried to control the relationship too much, maybe we let them control us until we exploded. Somewhere we allowed the relationship to come into a unhealthy balance and bring separation. Separation is not always a bad thing. If it is an abusive relationship, for example, there needs to be separation. One friend that I have had since I was six has experienced many phases in our lives where we d
Organizational Slippery-Slopes (and How to Get on Solid Ground!) 2007-06-04 02:29:34 By: Aby Garvey
Imagine yourself climbing a hill. A steep hill. At the top of the hill is everything you’ve ever wanted…happy and loving relationships…. a sense of peace and well being…time to enjoy the things you truly love to do…an organized home that nurtures you, recharges you.
Now, imagine that this hill is made of glass. And you’re wearing socks. And cotton gloves. Everything you want is in sight, and sometimes, when you try really hard, it’s even within your reach. And yet, you never make it to the top of the hill, constantly sliding back down the slippery slope.
Whew. Frustrating isn’t it? And if you’re like so many, getting organized can feel this way. You just about make it to the top of the hill when, whoosh! back to the bottom you slide. So let’s get that thought out of your head, and imagine there’s a rope hanging from the top of the hill…someone has thrown you a life line. You grab the rope, pu Read more:Slopes
, Solid
Why Can’t God Use You? 2007-06-07 02:37:01 Have you ever felt like you had made so many mistakes in your life that it was too late? I have heard people say they were too old to do what they wanted to do with their life. I have heard others have excuses that they had made choices that stopped them from the path they wanted to pursue. My husband has been a great inspirational motivator in my life. No matter what circumstances we have faced, whether our fault or not, he has always had a strong attitude for success. Our family philosophy is: “it does not matter how we got where we are, what matters is how from here we get where we want to be”.
So many times, we forget that “there is no condemnation in Christ” (Romans 8:1), both with judging others and judging ourselves. The truth of the matter is if you have made mistakes, if you find yourself in a place you were not meant to be because of choices you have made, or if you have never been positioned for success, God says all the better. When you are not &ldq
Separation Anxiety 2007-06-06 02:34:34 If you have children older than one, for some not even that old, you have probably experienced separation anxiety. Separation
anxiety is difficult for the child as well as the parent. Sometimes I think it is harder for the parent than the child. We feel extreme amounts of guilt and we feel as if we are abandoning them.
I have seen parents deal with this problem in some very interesting ways. First there is the parent that just can not allow themselves to leave until the child is calm. The problem with this is that every time the parent leaves, the child will begin to cry all over again and the parent will never get out. In essence you have only prolonged the inevitable. Then there is the drop, distract, and run tactic. This is better than the first (from a childcare providers perspective). This is where the parent pretends to be staying with the child, waits until they are distracted, and then makes a beeline for the door. Hoping the child does not see him/her leaving. The problem w Read more:Separation Anxiety
Conquering Depression/ Renewing Your Mind 2007-06-11 13:50:35 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2
Way before cognitive therapy, God said that we could renew our mind to live a healthy life. Replacing the thoughts that are not healthy or good and thinking on things that are positive. Phillipians 4:8 says “…whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Why? Because as cognitive therapy suggests, replacing the destructive thought patterns with positive thought patterns will change your attitudes, your emotions, your life.
Bob Gass says to change this pattern we must first identify the cause of deppression: “Unconfessed sin is like a stone in your shoe. Get it out! No va Read more:Conquering
Do You Know What Kind of Friends Your Friends Are? 2007-06-14 02:56:49 Recently my husband and I met a sweet couple and had dinner with them this past week. She was sharing how God began convicting her of certain areas in her life. The place she started was with her friends. She literally went through her cell phone and would look at a name and ask herself, “Does this person lift me up or do they bring me down?” She would then delete their numbers if they did not lift her up. This reminded me of Tracy Hurst’s post: Friend Check.
You may find that maybe you do not need to cut people out of your life, but you need to protect your most sacred thoughts and feelings to only a choice few. My disappointment in my friends and family comes when I try to share my excitement about something in my life, and they do not share it back. Instead protect that, and share it with those you know will share in it with you.
You need someone who will be honest with you and be willing to confront you on your junk, but you also need someone who will always be u Read more:Friends
The “Prevention Technique” 2007-06-13 02:53:50 An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ~Ben Franklin
Ever heard this one before? It applies to so many aspects of life. From managing money, to dealing with relationships. Specifically, the one I want to talk about today, with our children. Knowing how to discipline is important. Knowing discipline techniques, logical and appropriate consequences, are all important to parenting. However, there is another aspect to consider which can bring balance to parenting… Prevention.
There are many times when my child is misbehaving that I can usually attach the behavior to a chain of events. Not every time that our child misbehaves are they simply being rebellious, or &ldquo
;the little deviant&rdquo
;. We forget that, like us, their attitudes and reactions may stem from external circumstances.
When you face that moment where they are being unreasonable, and you can not understand why, ask yourself these questions…
What is going in there life?
Have they been getting enough
Organizing Your Time 2007-06-12 04:20:54 We all have busy schedules, and the more kids you have, the older they get, the more activities accumulate. It is a slippery slope to find yourself running here and there and everywhere. With soccer on Monday and Dance on Tuesday, Church on Wednesday, karate on Thursday, and sleep overs on Friday, when do you stop as a family? When do you take time for yourself? When do you have a date night with your spouse? The answer, you don’t.
“If we fail to plan, we plan to fail”. When we fail to plan our time appropriately we allow life to get the best of us, and we forget to schedule the most important things…Us! So how can we avoid letting “life” get the best of us?
The first thing is to create a family calendar. Everyone’s activities, appointments, and meetings should be on one central calendar. This allows for you to not overlap activities. It is especially useful for spouses because I can easily see if he has any appointments or meetings as I am tr
Fun Friday..Evolution Of Dance 2007-06-15 02:31:31 This has nothing to do with parenting, just hilarious! I have seen it many times, and realized some may not have laughed at this yet. May you find yourself somewhere in here, and laugh at yourself. Happy Weekend!
Read more:Friday
, Evolution
, Dance
Household Cleaning Tip: Getting out Ink Stains 2007-06-21 02:52:33 I have had several ink stains since my toddler has discovered pens. One was on my fabric covered footstool. She wrote all over it. I looked for how to get the stains out and found this, ehow.com.
While it gives great instructions, the best one I found for me was in the comments section. One person used dishwasher detergent. It doesn’t matter what kind. (Although I did ruin a shirt of my daughters because the particular brand I used had bleach in it, so stay away from that if you have colored fabric.) However, on my green footstool which is color safe I assume, it came out like magic. I wet the stain with water, put a dab of detergent on my finger and rubbed it in. With no effort it came right out. Then I rinsed it again and soaked it up. It was good as new! It saved my footstool, because I was ready to throw it out. Read more:Household
, Cleaning
A Personal Testimony: 2007-06-20 02:58:35 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Timothy 1:7)”Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
(Phillippians 1:6)
My husband just got home from traveling to conferences the last two weeks. We have not really been away from each other for more than about a night or two since before we got married almost five years ago. He was gone for a week, home for a few days, and then gone for another week. Though I was blessed to have in-laws (My sister in-law Corrie, and mother and father in law) that traded off with the girls so I only had one at the time, I was glad to see all my family home last night.
With him being gone for so long I was able to see how much God really has changed in me. In the last year I knew God had been dealing with certain things in my life; Loving not judging, forgiving hurts, letting go of control over ce Read more:Personal
, Testimony
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