Bible Book Club
Donate

Blog Category

Parenting

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 …

Read Post →

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.

Read Post →

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 …

Read Post →

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 …

Read Post →

Parenting

How a Pet Can Bring Your Family Together

When my youngest turned five I knew it was time to get a pet but with 5 kids and the responsibilities that go with them I was not looking forward to adding to my list with a dog. So I researched and found a site where I could put in exactly what I needed — a smart, obedient, playful, patient dog. One that wouldn’t run away every time a child forgot to close the gate! Then I prayed for the best dog ever and we got her–our Gidget–girl midget–Miniature Australian Shepherd. When Gidget died we were all with her. She was so sweet she waited for my girls to get home from college. Everyone of us was painfully aware of her absence. My sons were in high school and couldn’t get used to the emptiness. My daughters in college were reminded every time they came home and she wasn’t there to greet them. It didn’t take long for them to start talking about another dog. My husband was adamant–no dog. He knew we were on the road to being empty nesters. He saw no benefit in having a dog to board every time we wanted to visit kids and travel. …

Read Post →

Parenting

Confession: I Stifled My Child’s Creativity with Correction

I believe I am the director of iMOM just to have a platform to share all of my mistakes in the hopes that you won’t make them! So here I go again with another confession. This confession is along the same lines as my confession last week about expecting too much from my children. I have a creative child–an artiste, with an artist’s temperament. Ever since she was a child I have been correcting her on how to clean/arrange/organize her room. She often drove me crazy with her collections of stuff. Her room seemed, to me, to be a living pictorial of her mood. It constantly changed. A place for everything and everything in its place had no meaning to her. Everything had a different place depending on her creative inspiration that day. Sometimes her ideas were amazingly orderly and other times distractingly disorderly. I corrected that creativity constantly. Honey, your shoes go in the closet, not lined up under your dresser. Sweetie, all of your art supplies go in your desk drawers not in shoe boxes stacked in the corner. I was wrong. I just didn’t see it–her creative mind fighting to find expression in the space in her room. And …

Read Post →

Parenting

Confession: I Expected Too Much of My Kids

Expectations. They can disappoint, discourage and totally deflate a mom. Here is my theory about why we are at a disadvantage when we attach ourself to expectations. Expectations are not well thought out and therefore often unrealistic. Expectations do not provide for unforeseen circumstances. Expectations are based on our control but we are not in control. Expectations most often err on the side of being to high. I err. Often. I expected too much. To convince you of my guilt I would like to present several exhibits. Exhibit #1 is my youngest child. He was adopted at the age of nine. Despite all of the warnings I received about the number of years it would take to recover the first nine years of neglect, I had expectations that I could do whatever needed to be done. Nine years later and I am still not done! Exhibit #2 is one of my middle children. She was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease. Despite all of the medical advice I received, I expected that if we were diligent with vitamins and medicine she could maintain her current level of over-achievement in school. Four exhausting years later she scaled back her commitments and found a …

Read Post →

Parenting

8 Things a Mom Should Teach Her Son to Look for in a Girl

One day my son is going to fall in love, leave us, and cleave to his new wife. Until then, I have the opportunity to teach him to think before he gives his heart away. The girl he loves can either be a distraction or she can be the wind beneath his wings–encouraging and inspiring him. Here are my thoughts on 8 things I want my son to look for in a girl. You may want to add more ideas in the comments for other moms to think about. There has to be at least a dozen that I didn’t think of! If you have a daughter you can find 8 Things a Mom Should Teach her Daughter to Look for in a Boy here. Look for a Lady. Look for a girl that is admired for how she handles herself. A girl who treats others kindly, dresses modestly, and speaks with wisdom will make you proud and help you to find favor with others. Look for Inner Beauty. Look beyond great legs or a pretty smile in order to seek a girl’s heart. Know that her inner beauty will always outshine and outlast her outward appearance. Look for Thoughtfulness. …

Read Post →

Parenting

8 Things a Mom Should Teach Her Daughter to Look for in a Boy

Every young girl dreams of a fairy-tale romance. So what kind of prince should I be teaching my daughters to look for? Look for a Gentleman. A young man should open the door for you, stand when you sit at a table, and carry heavy bags for you. Polite gestures like these reflect an inner dignity you’ll want in a husband. Look for Honor. Be sure to observe the way a young man treats his parents. He should always honor them not because of their performance, but because of their position as his mother and father. Look for Respect. You deserve a young man who will treasure you enough to respect your body as belonging to your future husband alone. He should also know how to respect that your emotions and feelings are special, not things to be played with. Look for Integrity. Look for a young man who lives out his morals daily, not just when you are around. You want someone who will have actions that reflect his words. Look for Responsibility. Don’t expect perfection from the man you’re going to marry. But DO expect him to own up and apologize right away when he makes a mistake. Look for Hard Work. Find someone …

Read Post →

Parenting

Each One, Reach One

This is iMOM Morning! I love it. There is something about moms, kids and breakfast all in one great big room. It is happy and fun and relational. But it rarely happens. Like many parents, I often find myself getting really busy in the mornings and I miss opportunities to connect. iMOM mornings creates that opportunity monthly–it is a planned time to connect with our kids and share a meal together. Being able to speak at the iMOM morning events and to see so many loving interactions has touched me.

Read Post →