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From Susan Merrill

The Blog

Encouragement

8 Days of Being Thankful

I. Love. Christmas. But in my rush to get to Christmas decorating/crafting I have a tendency to slack off on Thanksgiving. So do the malls–our mall was decorated for Christmas three weeks before Thanksgiving! This year, there will be no Thanksgiving slacking! Because our team at iMOM had a great idea, an 8 Days of Being Thankful activity. It is a simple little craft (you supply the ribbon and the printable is FREE) to add some fall flavor in your home. Another big plus to this activity is that your kids will spend a little time reflecting on the blessings in their lives. You can use the printable all at once to make the craft, or you can do one each day in the week leading up to Thanksgiving and save the last one to hang as a family on Thanksgiving Day.

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Marriage

The Best Advice for Newlyweds

I am thrilled to have my good friend and social media mentor, Fawn Weaver, guest posting today. She is the brilliant brain of the Happy Wives Club and when it comes to being merry in marriage, she is your go-to gal. A guest post from Fawn Weaver: I love being married. I adore my husband. “Sweeter As The Days Go By,” could definitely be our theme song for the past ten years. As newlyweds, however, I found myself wondering when the bottom would fall out. I remembering saying to a friend one day, “The rug has to get pulled from under us at some point, doesn’t it? This is just too good to be true.” Her response made me realize how silly it was for me to anticipate my marriage going downhill – in advance. I’m an optimistic person by nature so I wondered what would cause me -and almost every other newlywed I know- to do the same thing. It was then that I came to this conclusion: Some people -even those with the best of intentions- give the absolute worst advice! During the courtship phase, everyone asks questions like, “When is he going to propose?” “Has he proposed …

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Giveaways

Listen In, and Live Inspired

Whether you call me friend, mom, sister, acquaintance, boss or wife, you know that I love to chat. And the other day I had the pleasure of chatting with my new friend Tricia Goyer. We had a great conversation on planning, purpose, pondering–and what it means to be a passionate mom. Listen to the live podcast today at 3 CT, 4 EST! You could even win an autographed copy of The Passionate Mom! Listen in, and live inspired.

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Parenting

Mother-Daughter Bucket List

When my daughter Emily was a senior at Samford University, she had big plans for the entire year. To make those plans, she and her roommates made a “Senior Bucket List” and pinned it to the fridge. The list was fun to read and, at the same time, a kick in the gut. Time is a vapor, it just floats away from us. I needed to make moments happen with my girls, but it took really careful planning because they were busy and living in different cities. I realized that I needed a bucket list to make sure I captured some moments with my kids. So I took a stab at this one and a Mother-Son Bucket List. It’s a list with no age limit and no deadline. Personalize it to fit your own interests and your girls’ ages. Just remember: It’s not about how many items you cross off, but rather that you complete them together. This is still a great reminder for me today, as I watch my children become parents. I look forward to capturing moments with my grandchildren, too. Mother-Daughter Bucket List Develop a signature family recipe. See a Broadway play. Get in the car and spontaneously …

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Parenting

Family Football Fun

What time is it?!?? FOOTBALL TIME! Use our iMOM Family Football printable to make this weekend’s game your next fun family night! Whether you enjoy the game or or the food that comes with watching the game, you will have a grand ole time.

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Love This

Apple Pie Comfort Food

Apple Pie. Nothing smells better on a chilly day than cinnamon and apples bubbling in a toasty crust. It’s not exactly chilly yet, but that smell will transport you to sweater weather in no time. Ultimate Comfort Food. Nothing says home, love, mom like apple pie. Simply Delicious. Is also easy to make, inexpensive, and freezable. I usually make 3-4 at a time. What You Will Need. If you want to get into apple pie making–I make them for every Thanksgiving Day and Christmas company dinners every year–then I recommend you invest in this: Apple Peeler Corer. I got mine from Williams Sonoma for about $30. It was a good investment and has lasted for years. About the Crust. Don’t be intimidated. No point when you can use Pillsbury–I do–they are yummy. Buy in 8 pack at Sam’s Club or watch for the BOGO during holidays. About the Apples. Mix it up. Not all apples are good for pies. I try to buy a mixture of at least 3 types of apples for my pies and have used the following: Golden Delicious Rome Beauty Jonathon Jonagold Granny Smith (not too many though–very juicy and tart) Cortland Pippin Decor. With an …

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Parenting

Mother or Martyr?

I am so lucky to call Jill Savage my friend, my inspiration and my guest blogger. Author, mother, successful business woman–she does it all! And she is so good at reeling me into the realities of motherhood. Whether I am in mom or martyr mode, it’s good to have a reminder that there are no perfect moms. Read on, so you too may reap the wisdom of her words. A guest post from Jill Savage: It’s not often that I watch a talk show in the afternoon. However, I caught just 10 minutes of one show the other day. The host was talking to a woman who was exhausted and felt taken advantage of by her family. After listening to her description of how she interacts with her family, the host replied, “So tell me, are you a mother or a martyr?” I thought about that statement for a while. What a great question to ask ourselves when evaluating our role within the family. When we step over the line from mother to martyr, we’re really not doing anyone any good. Here’s the difference: A martyr fixes each child, or one particular child, special food for dinner based upon their likes …

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Encouragement

The Balance Struggle: Home & Work

I was a source of endless energy and I was on a mission to start iMOM. I thought I could do it all, in the beginning. When we started working on iMOM I only had to be in the office in the morning and had the whole afternoon to run errands. All the random little things that pop up daily in a family of seven. Once we were up and running at iMOM, I increased my hours to 9:00-3:00. I thought I could handle it but suddenly I had no time to tie up all the loose ends before I picked the kids up from school. The to do list–laundry, errands and never ending meals spilled over into time that formerly had been reserved for my children. My daily responsibilities were impossible and my endless energy came to an end. Three things became very clear to me: I am not a disciplined: The reality is, all we can get done is simply that—all we can get done. I was undisciplined and I did not ruthlessly prioritize my responsibilities. I constantly allowed myself to be pulled into something that wasn’t a top priority because I hadn’t clearly defined what was a priority. …

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Parenting

Bloom Where You are Planted in Parenting

What does it mean to bloom where you are planted? It means you thrive in whatever comes your way. Life is unpredictable, but with a little sunshine and fertilizer, you can bloom as a mom. Here are five simple ways to help you: 1. Adapt to the climate You don’t really get to choose the climate in which you are planted. Your family may face droughts, floods, freezes or heat waves. Trials come in many forms and every parent faces them. How well you adapt will effect how beautifully you will bloom when the storm has passed. 2. Pull the weeds A weed is any source of irritation that crops up in your garden. It can choke the life out of your joy. Weeding is a continuous process because weeds tend to come back. The weed that can run rampant in my garden is the criticism weed. I can be a bit critical of my kids and I must consciously pull that weed from my attitude every day. 3. Water regularly You won’t bloom without water. The water a mom needs varies. Water is anything that refreshes your body, mind and spirit. For me a little exercise, challenging conversations with a friend and …

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