Something happens to time right about when our kids begin Jr. High and High School. Instead of the days creeping by ever-so-slowly like they seemed to in the early years (remember that?!) suddenly there is a shift in the universe; In the blink of an eye, time speeds up. The days fly by. Our kids go from being merely children, to adolescence...teenagers. They grow inches while they sleep...everything changes, and adulthood? Is lurking just around the corner.When we hit these years it is
Parenting and Family
And Still She Laughs: Kate Merrick’s book release (and a giveaway!)
If you happened to be a part of this blog community back in the early days (I was so young! So were you! Weren't we cute?) you may remember a few posts where I shared links to a site called prayfordaisy.com. I didn't personally know the Merrick family then, but our church and some of our friends were very connected to Britt, who is the Pastor of Reality Church in Carpenteria, California, and his wife Kate and their kids Isaiah and Daisy. When I heard that Daisy was diagnosed with cancer at
5 ways to get your kids to put their devices down.
I'm sure you've never said these words before, but if you visit my house...occasionally...sometimes...perhaps you might hear me yell scream gently ask (through gritted teeth): "Would you PLEASE put your phone down?!"And sometimes...when I have to say that over and over and over...it gets on my nerves. Like bad.Of course I know I'm not alone in this--the truth is, I hear this complaint from parents allofthetime.This generation of kids have become more and more attached...(dare I
How to handle it when your kid sees something they shouldn’t on the internet
They might scream out in shock. Or they might quietly close the page. They might look around to see if anyone is near, and then take one more look...They might keep quiet about it until bedtime. Or tomorrow.Or forever.I cannot tell you what your kids will do when they happen upon pornography, but I can tell you that most likely it will happen.And I hate that.I hate with a passion that I just typed those words because I sound like a cynic or a like I'm giving up or
Simple ways you can show love to families with Special Needs
Today's post is near and dear to my heart. The Jelly Telly blog is featuring my writing today, and it's a topic I don't want you to miss. I hope you can click over and read it, but even more--I hope your family can choose one or two of the suggestions and reach out to a family with special needs this week.I am sharing the beginning of the post below, and then you can click over to find my 10 suggestions over at the Jelly Telly blog. Hope you enjoy, and as always it I appreciate it
A little bit of Hawaii to brighten your day.
Aloha and welcome to your February dose of Aloha! I just read in the news that Hawaii is once again ranked the happiest, healthiest state in America, so I figured it's only right to share...I do my best to write posts that are encouraging or useful in some way, but every once in a while I just can't resist one of these...And I was quite relieved after sharing my New Year's post, to get comments from millions great masses at least a few readers who specifically requested I share some
10 simple ways to make your imperfect marriage a whole lot better.
With Valentine's day approaching, I have marriage on my mind. And not just the warm fuzzy, romantic side of marriage, but also the colder, harder, "can-we-really-do-this?" side, too. Because I have friends going through really hard times in their marriages right now, and a few who are throwing in the towel. And it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart for them, the kids, and everyone else that will be affected. And it breaks my heart because much of the time I think they are quitting too
Kids and Manners. {Raising kids other people like to be around}
We all love our own kids, quirks, bad-behavior and all. They're our own flesh and blood, and we know their sweet side, so it's easy to overlook their more, well, annoying sides.But when it comes to being around other people...you know, socializing, it is a good idea to hone in on our kids' behavior a bit. I mean, I hate to sound old fashioned, but manners still matter. It's about making other people comfortable. Or, maybe a better motivation is simply: Keeping our friends.We've all