Godly Parenting
Parenting as an extension of my redemption in Christ, of who I am as a Godly woman, who I am as a saved sinner and how that truth impacts my life and parenting.
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Valentine’s Day Tradition to Show Kids True Love
Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays as a parent. That might sound strange because Valentine’s Day is usually thought of as a romantic holiday, BUT we started this sweet tradition several years ago. My daughter was just old enough to start understanding that there was a holiday, and it involved presents and chocolate. I mean, what else does a girl need to know? She was all in. But I wanted to find just the right way to celebrate Valentine’s Day as a family. When I saw John 3:16 written so the word VALENTINE was created, I knew that was the message I wanted for her, because it is…
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Why I Disappointed my Daughter for Christmas
BYes, I disappointed my daughter for Christmas, and I think it was the right decision. But it was so hard to stick to my guns. Why would I deliberately disappoint her for Christmas? When she was five, she had asked for a $5 set of orange and blue ponies with hair to brush and braid, a minion toy, a Barbie that rides a horse that really walks, and a big white horse like her friend has. Every night for a week before Christmas, she reiterated her list. I had shopped for her gifts months ahead of time. All the gifts sat tucked away, all ready for Christmas. There would be…
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Fewer Toys make Happier Kids
With ads, and discounts galore, I find it hard not to get caught up in shopping this time of year, but . . . is the key to happier kids actually fewer toys? As Christmas shopping winds up, I’m doing my best to recognize the benefits of fewer toys for my children, but part of me just wants to spoil them rotten. I want my kids to remember magical holidays filled with gifts and surprises, so it’s hard to balance my desire to watch her and her brothers’ faces light up with joy on Christmas morning with the knowledge that fewer toys is better for them for so many reasons.…
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3 Ways to be a Happier Mom
Do you want to be a happier mom? Be a Mom without complaining. Did you just laugh? Because momming is soul sucking. You have an MBA but just spent ten minutes arguing with a two-year-old that the strawberry jam in the squeeze bottle is exactly the same as the jar. Cleaning house is pointless. You want a healthy, clean house for a tiny person who leaves messes in his wake like Godzilla in Tokyo. Life is a never-ending cycle of feeding people, cleaning up after people and doing chores over and over and over. And sometimes there is poop – okay, lots of times, there is poop. So how do…
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Preparing for Tooth Fairy Milestones
This week we hit a new big girl stage, the Tooth Fairy milestone. I don’t know about you, but when we were waiting to be parents, I had a plan for the kind of mother I wanted to be. I was never going to neglect her baby book, every tiny memory would be included. I was going to mark every milestone. Yeah, that lasted until the grandmas went home a few weeks into life with a baby. . . So when the dentist told me her tooth was just a bit wiggly, I was thrilled to have the chance to prepare for this milestone, after spending a couple of weeks…