May 2nd, 2010

It’s never too early to begin talking with your children about things they’ll need to know as they enter the world of peer pressure. Things like integrity, responsibility, and trustworthiness…drugs, tobacco, and alcohol…and yes, even sex education. (Don’t panic! You can do this.)

While it’s normal to feel uncomfortable talking with your children about tough issues, it’s unwise to put it off. Children are facing peer pressure much earlier than we anticipate, and if you don’t establish yourself as the “go-to” source for information, someone else will.

Talking with your children everyday will strengthen your relationship and increase the level of trust, making it easier for your child to approach you when they’re ready to engage in a touchy subject.

Arm yourself with current facts and suggested talking techniques, then take that first step. The websites listed below provide useful information to help you teach your child about choices that will keep them safe, healthy and happy:

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

· Talk With Kids

· Drugs & Youth

· Tobacco & Youth

· “Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drug Prevention” (after clicking on this link, find report  #FS1461, located second from the bottom of the list)

Values & Virtues

· Values Parenting

· The Virtues Project

Sex Education

· Focus On the Family.com

· Mayo Clinic.com

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Posted in Family, Home |
March 4th, 2010
Getting Dinner on the Table Every Night

(…um, cold cereal doesn’t count.)

For many of us, just as we’re ready to throw in the towel for the day we realize there’s another hurdle to jump: getting dinner on the table. No easy feat when your children are bouncing off the walls, and you’re thinking about joining them.

The cookbook Desperation Dinners! has been a lifesaver for hundreds of families, offering recipes that get dinner done in “20 minutes flat”.  The authors also have a website with fresh menu ideas (including DD recipes), tips on saving time and money, and even entertaining. Check it out here: www.kitchenscoop.com.

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December 31st, 2009
coun·ter·in·tu·i·tive Pronunciation: \-in-ˈtü-ə-tiv, -ˈtyü-\ : contrary to what one would intuitively expect

Everybody looks to January 1st as the time to initiate change. I disagree. January’s not the time start something new; it’s time to get back to the three Rs of parenting: routines, routines, routines.

Yep, time to focus, once again, on our family routines, our priorities, our agendas; the elements that make our households run smoothly…

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Posted in Family, Home, Living Simple |
December 5th, 2009

check listI used to associate that question with job performance, not marital partnership. During a stressful season in our marriage, however, I discovered that attitude lodged in my heart, provoking an explosion of anger toward my husband.

In my mind I was a wonderful wife; the proverbial woman in the expression behind every great man is a great woman. One of my biggest claims to marital fame was

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Posted in Anger Management, Family, Home |
November 28th, 2009

Christmas imageCreate cherished memories and strengthen your family relationships with the help of annual holiday traditions.

Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around family traditions. I love to reminisce through rich, vivid images that take me back, bring me joy and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Now, as a parent, I’m committed to filling my children’s lives with precious moments, silly rituals and time-honored traditions, in the hopes that they, too, are blessed by their collection of memories, and the strong family ties that have grown over the years.

While it sounds like a lot of planning and hard work, it doesn’t have to be. Here are suggestions for easy, fun and frugal traditions you can initiate with your little ones right now:

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Posted in Family, Home |
November 7th, 2009

smileWe shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. ~ Mother Teresa

Let’s remember to smile in the midst of our stress. Really. Not only will we experience a little relief, but we’ll be blessing others along the way.

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Posted in Living Simple |
July 28th, 2009

Look what I found hidden in the draft category in my blog! Don’t ask me why I never hit “publish.”

It feels like summer lately — not just because the weather turned hot almost overnight, mostly because I’ve been reading a lot, and enjoying every indulgent minute. Some of the books I’ve chewed through recently: So Long Status Quo: What I Learn from Women Who Changed the World, by Susy Flory; Stubborn Twig by Lauren Kessler; Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore; and most recently I finished The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver and Priscilla Warner.

They’ve all been great reads and each has left its mark on me. There may have been a scene so perfectly and poignantly detailed, a subtle comment with powerful innuendo, factual information that completely took me by surprise and observations I found thought-provoking.

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Posted in Prayer |
January 9th, 2009
It’s a good time to rerun this blog. A follow-up blog, “Resources for Praying for Your Children”, can be found in the September archives. Happy New Year to you all!

New Year’s resolutions…it’s amazing how three simple words cause us to shrug and roll our eyes, and maybe even cringe a little at the thought of something so seemingly futile and so powerfully guilt-producing.

We’ve all been there; resolving to lose weight, cook more, eat less, save money, spend more time with family, start exercising, volunteer, etc. There’s not a goal we haven’t strived for, yet there’s a mountain of opportunities we’ve yet to conquer.

As an annual tradition, we stand in the forefront of a new year and ponder, what will it bring? What do I wish for and (more realistically) what will I get? What will I actually do?

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Posted in Family, Living Simple, Prayer |
January 3rd, 2009

one precious thingThis is my plan. Every night, I will jot down something praiseworthy that happened that day. So far I’m two for two.

I know it seems simple; that’s part of the lure for me. It’s something I can do, something I can actually look forward to doing, as opposed to dreading some looming obligation that’s poised and ready to unload a burden of guilt if I don’t follow through.

I imagine this will become a favorite part of my day, and night, as I focus on the good things in my life. I look to the day when I realize I’ve got so many choices that perhaps I’ll get really ambitious and write about two, three or many good things.

So, that’s my plan for 2009. What will you do this year to make it better than the last?

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Posted in Living Simple |
December 25th, 2008

As I type this title I realize how provocative it is, hinting at all kinds of possibilities. What kind of game? A social game? A dating game? A power struggle? Ah, so many interesting situations to explore.

This blog, however, is not about strategy and subtle innuendo, it’s about the nuts and bolts of playing those family games we received this Christmas.

At my house, we’re not very good at keeping things in their original boxes. It started when my kids were toddlers,

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Posted in Family |