The Blog

Encouragement · June 14, 2011

The Flood Phase I: How Can It Be So Harmful?

On a clear, sunny day for one brief hour, a bizarre, windy storm hit Tampa. In that one hour my roof was exposed to the sky – shingles and paper off, just the skeleton of wood. My dry, 90 year old house received the drenching like a 100% pima cotton towel – soaking it up into every crevice and passing the excess on so that it permeated our two story house and landed in victorious puddles on my wood floors. It was amazing to walk through, and to wonder at the fact that it was raining inside! It was dripping from the ceilings, draining through the light fixtures, dancing on the walls and drenching the beds. The plaster ceilings began to crack immediately with the water pressuring for a place to escape. The walls began to bubble as they filled with water that couldn’t break through the paint. Within minutes the ravenous rain had saturated the house from top to bottom.

Encouragement · June 13, 2011

The Roof Came Off & The Rain Came Down

It filled the attic… And seeped through the ceilings… It splashed on the furniture… And ran down the walls… It puddled onto the floor… And then fell some more – down one more level. It couldn’t be stopped… And that’s when the ceilings began to drop!

Parenting · June 10, 2011

Your Child’s Love Language

Encouragement · June 6, 2011

When You Die

In April Walter Bruening, the world’s oldest man, died at the age of 114. Having seen an entire century unfold he had a lot of wise advice to share. His last piece of advice is the hardest to swallow but the greatest in importance. From Walter: “We’re all going to die. Some people are scared of dying. Never be afraid to die. Because you’re born to die.” I am not even half of Walter’s age but this is a lesson I learned early. At the age of 17 I had a cardiac arrest. Since that time I have had a dozen surgeries, been electrically paddled on multiple occasions and had 3 pacemakers. My heart is electrically challenged! This makes life very unpredictable. When my heart is behaving I am normal, when it’s not, it is life threatening. The one thing that I have learned about life and death is this:

Parenting · May 27, 2011

Sleepovers…What You Need to Know

Love This · May 23, 2011

The iMOM Blog/Susan.Me Merger

Have you ever been in charge of something that evolved into something you never thought you were qualified for? iMOM (the program) is like that for me. I am the director but I often feel the child has outgrown the parent! The iMOM Blog was a lot of different writers but mostly me. But because I was writing for iMOM I didn’t always feel like I could write all of my thoughts. So, I am going to be a little more “me” with you in this blog. It is easier for me to be transparent when you know that “it’s just me”. I am not speaking as the Director of iMOM. I am speaking as a mom from my experience only.

Parenting · May 13, 2011

Booting The Backtalk

Are your children talking back more and more? Here is a trick to help your child stop and think about their responses before a mistake takes place.

Parenting · April 25, 2011

Something My Son Didn’t Want Me to See

How about this? This is a really encouraging story. Last night I got one of those rare and precious gifts that become unimaginable as your children age. You know, when your kids are little you can count on at least one peanut butter and jelly kiss or hand crafted, crayon smudged love note a day, depending on how many kids you have. But when you hit those teen years, love notes are either not on their radar or otherwise directed!

Parenting · April 21, 2011

Let Them Be Little

They grow up so fast… so let them be little and love every minute!

Marriage · April 13, 2011

My Quest to Find My Husband’s Girlfriend

They say opposites attract and looking back I think that was certainly our case. My husband was and is intense and more on the serious side. I was definitely more light-hearted and playful. I planned fun events for us, coordinated our social life and made him laugh. Five kids later and I have become a different woman. Sadly, I am now a lot more like my husband – intense and on the serious side. So I am on a quest to find my husband’s girlfriend. She is in here somewhere and I really miss her more than my husband does. Here is how I have recently encouraged her to come out more. She added emoji to her phone and is now texting cute code pictures to her husband and kids. She is taking pictures of anything humorous and texting that to her husband and kids. I discovered that if she sleeps and exercises a little more, she really is in a better mood (endorphins = inlovephins). She is playing more by saying yes instead of no and trusting that whatever she is in the midst of will get done – later (God can do that you know – expand your …