Bible Book Club
Donate

From Susan Merrill

The Blog

Parenting

Princess and the Pee…

…(or in this case Pee-Pee) When I was potty-training my kids, they didn’t have light-up, musical, transforming, or animal shaped potties. They may have come in different colors, but that was about the extent of it. Recently, a friend of mine entered into the potty-training phase with her child. After reading what she went through, I’m glad I didn’t have to deal with these potty issues! It just goes to show you that more bling doesn’t equal better. Here’s what she shared… After an entire day and a half of either sitting in wet pants, or holding it until her belly was about to explode, my big (little) girl (baby) finally let out a little tinkle on the potty! Not without a little drama though. See, at age 2, my little girl is all about the Princesses–if it has a princess on it, she wants it. Following suit, I purchased a throne-shaped…ugh, potty throne for her. And to top it off, once her pee-pee hits the bowl, this potty instantly rewards her by playing an enchanting little celebration song and lighting up! I was certain that once she heard the music play, it would be a Princess Potty & Pee-Pee …

Read Post →

Encouragement

Are You Happy?

Unhappiness can often be linked to unmet expectations; we expect our husband, marriage or children to be a certain way, and when they’re not, we become disappointed. My friend Jan and I , share our experience with unmet expectations, and how we learned to live, and thrive, in spite of them.

Read Post →

Marriage

I’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.

But I’m going to find it. This is not the first time it’s been lost, we have both lost it from time to time. This time I lost it. I am sure I just misplaced it. It has got to be here somewhere between that college paperwork, sport schedules and report cards. I have excuses for losing it. It’s been such a busy spring. Megan was home for a month then I had to get her off to an internship in Atlanta with Chick-fil-a™. Emily graduated, and we had celebration after celebration amidst finalizing college scholarship decisions. And the boys needed a lot of extra motivation to finish that last quarter without blowing their GPA. To make matters worse, not only did I misplace that lovin’ feeling-I replaced it with a grudging feeling-Why doesn’t he (Mark) help me more? He never notices how pressed I am. I am slammed at work and at home and he wants me to do what? Grudgin’ is a bad feeling, but at the time it feels…good. Today my hunt for that lovin’ feeling becomes a priority. Grudgin’ is out. Mark is going to be in shock! He probably won’t recognize me. I am going …

Read Post →

Parenting

Perspective

Yesterday, in the midst of a whiny mood about the business of my life, I opened this email from a friend. My mood melted away in shame as I read about the reality of her unexpected guest – cancer. Please read and soak up Lisa Hayes’ wisdom and perspective. Here we are finally at the end. It’s different than I thought it would be. The end comes with little comfort or relief and no closure . . . only a pause and the knowledge that for the next 6 to 8 weeks we have only two appointments. The end comes with more questions – did any of this work? We know that chemo drugs do not work on this type of cancer and that it was used just to break down Rich’s body to allow the radiation to work harder. Will anything grow, spread or get worse during these next weeks of no treatment? Is anyone working on a cure for this? We’ve been told repeatedly “no cure, only remission.” Isn’t there an exception to every rule? How long will the radiation continue to eat away at Rich after these last treatments? What is the next treatment? Will God chose …

Read Post →

Encouragement

Happy 4th of July!

It’s week 4 of iMOM Operation Summer and we are loving it! My family just finished the 4th of July Trivia Flag Cake Game. My husband won the game, but I won with the cake! Check out iMOM Operation Summer! This game was from Mission 4.

Read Post →

Marriage

Still Holding Hands

I’ve always held my husband’s hand (well almost always, except when I am mad at him). It is just a habit that I did not consciously plan. I do it because I love him. But after a recent conversation with my grown daughter I discovered that holding hands is an accidental habit that has far reaching benefits. My daughter’s boyfriend noticed (read her take below) and commented that he thought it was wonderful that my husband and I were still in love. He said he could tell because we were still affectionate. Then I noticed kids “in love” (I use that term loosely) hang all over each other. Newlyweds hang all over each other. But a lot of married couples my age don’t. When does it stop? Perhaps you stop being affectionate at the age of 40 or after kids or 15 years of marriage. I am sure every couple is different and their reasons for diminished affection equally different. But I hate to think that younger adults look at marriage as the end of love and affection. So now when I hold his hand I get the extra pleasure of knowing that I am sending a message to him …

Read Post →

Parenting

Role Playing

Role playing is a great way to help children learn and understand, especially when it comes to learning how to better get along with others at home. Recently my husband Mark and I used role playing at our house with one of our sons. Here’s how it went down…

Read Post →

Parenting

No, no – It’s Dangerous!

It’s hot! It’s sharp! It’s poisonous! It’s dangerous! It was so easy when they were little. But the older my kids get, dangerous gets a little more ambiguous. Can music be dangerous? Movies? A computer? Yes, yes and yes! It takes a lot of monitoring—and I am just not a detail person. Then I heard this speaker. She was younger than me and didn’t even have kids – but she worked with them. She said, “I talk to a lot of parents that are so worried about what their kids are watching and listening to. They all seem so helpless about what to do about it. This baffles me. You are the parent – turn it off.” It became my motto. When in doubt turn it off! That took a lot of pressure off of me. If I am in a rush and don’t have the time to analyze what’s on an iPod or TV. . . I turn it off. If the kids give me a hard time about turning it off, I just take it away. This , of course, can really frustrate my kids so I have to make time sooner rather than later to analyze the …

Read Post →

Parenting

Thoughts Through Tears

G raduation means you’re ready and going away. R eally, I would much rather that you choose to stay. A ll eighteen years have skipped by me so fast. D o you remember the times I treasure from the past? U are beautiful, accomplished and amazingly wise… A s you walk, this thought dawned on me with such surprise. T hough you’re clearly equipped, I fear I’m not prepared. I know, from a breaking heart, I will not be spared. O n you march anyway, like your sister before. N ew people, new places… new tears on the floor

Read Post →