Bible Book Club
Donate

Blog Category

Parenting

Parenting

3 Reasons Why God is Not Answering Your Daughter’s Desire for Marriage

“It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all” was once said by Shakespeare. You may have a daughter who is desiring marriage, but it seems as though God is not answering her as quickly as she hoped. It seems to her that all her friends are getting engaged and married and she is far from those milestones in her own life. Being a mother myself, knowing that our daughters feel like this can be heartbreaking. However, you can bring understanding to your daughter’s journey of waiting for marriage and her lifelong partner by reminding her of these three things.

Read Post →

Parenting

20 Ideas for a Family Fun Night

A friend of mine has a fun family tradition. Every year, he spends one night with his children where there are no rules. I repeat, no rules. This night is crazy! Each No Rules Night is different than the last. The kids can do whatever they want (within reason) and it has created so many memories for his family. His kids talk about it all year and constantly ask when the next one will be. It’s definitely their favorite family fun night. Nights like these are what kids remember about their childhood. Do you ever find yourself running out of ideas for fun family activities? Here is how to do a No Rule Night and 19 other ideas for your future family nights. 1. American Idol Night. Have two people in your family be the judges and the rest can be contestants. If you have a smaller family (and you don’t mind embarrassing yourself), invite some neighbors over to join in the fun. A karaoke machine is a fun way to spice this night up as well. 2. Guest of Honor Night. Have this night be focused on one person in your family or outside your family. Create a unique list …

Read Post →

Parenting

How to Get Kids to Listen

Many a mother has puzzled over this: how to get kids to listen and follow through on what they’ve heard. As a wise man wrote, We want our children to be doers, not just hearers. I know that I have a part in guiding my children from hearing to doing. I know that talking to my son while he’s playing video games does not work. I know that bombarding my daughter with lessons and lectures first thing in the morning doesn’t work. And I know that if I really want to get my kids to listen, I need to consider these 5 tips for how to get kids to listen. 1. Make eye contact. Your children’s ears have a better chance of hearing, and their mind has a better chance of comprehending when their eyes are on you. So before you start talking and directing, ask your child to look at you. If your child looks away, redirect his attention back to you. And, make sure you’re doing what you should to be a good listener, too. 2. Keep it concise. Avoid the Charlie Brown Syndrome—the droning, incoherent voice used by adults in the Peanuts cartoons. That’s exactly how you’ll sound to your child if you talk too …

Read Post →

Parenting

6 Mistakes to Avoid When Raising a Son

I have two sons and three daughters. They’ve grown into awesome young adults, but there were huge bumps along the way. Now that I’ve come out on the other side of the childhood years, I want to warn you about some of the mistakes I have made and some that I have observed other moms making when raising a son. Many of these mistakes are actually born of good intentions – in other words, we over-parent, overprotect, and just overdo it. So if you still have boys at home, it’s not too late to consider what you might tweak in how you’re parenting them. Here are the 6 mistakes to avoid when raising a son. 1. Expecting him to think like you. Your son might think like you, but he probably won’t. Boys’ minds are wired differently than girls’, so he’ll come at problems from a different angle. And once he hits early adolescence, he’ll become more guarded about sharing his feelings. So allow your son to take a different approach to life—whether it’s finding a new way to tackle his homework or choosing the sport he wants to play. 2. Setting up too many boundaries. Boys need boundaries. Let me repeat, boys …

Read Post →

Parenting

6 Mistakes to Avoid When Raising a Daughter

I have entered a new phase of raising daughters. My oldest daughter, who is also my oldest child, got married last year. This daughter of mine has always brought me great happiness, and now, we have a friend relationship, too. I respect her advice. I seek her opinion on work matters. I look to her for fashion tips! I tell you all of that to give you hope in case you’re still navigating the joys and challenges of raising a daughter and wondering if you’re where you need to be on the journey. I also want you to know that my path in raising my three daughters has not always been smooth. There were many times when I faltered and I had to learn the hard way. Here is how you can avoid mistakes when raising daughters. 1. Expecting her to be like you. Even if your daughter looks like you, she still might not be like you. Of my three daughters, the one who looks the most like me is the least like me. Where I am logical, she is creative and free thinking. Yet it’s been in parenting her differences that I’ve become a better mother and a more well-rounded person. So if your daughter …

Read Post →

Parenting

Family Christmas Bucket List

Every year during the Christmas season my husband and I watch a particular movie together. If a year went by without doing it it would feel like a loss. It’s the small moments involving loved ones that makes this time of year so special. Are you a bucket list family? Add even more joy to your holiday season by making Christmas memories with these 12 simple ideas for family fun from our Family Christmas Bucket List.

Read Post →

Parenting

8 Christmas Life Hacks You’ll Love!

If there was ever a time moms could use some really good life hacks—it’s the Christmas season! {Tweet This} Short of having your own work crew of eager elves, these Christmas life hacks are the next best thing! So here are 8 Christmas Life Hacks that I love. 1. Wrap as you go. There’s not much worse than exhaustedly wrapping gifts into the wee hours of Christmas morning. Every time you buy a gift or at least every few days, grab your tape and wrap those babies up! 2. A bag for every kid. One of my best life hacks is having an extra large trash bag to store the presents for each of my kids. Once the gift is wrapped, it goes into the appropriate bag. 3. Stocking stuffer bags. Into every child’s big bag, I put a smaller bag for stocking stuffers. That way, little gifts don’t get lost among the big stuff. 4. Use a planner. Before you spend one more dollar on gifts, make our Money Saving Christmas Gift Planner part of your routine. You’ll have all of your shopping to-dos in one place and that will make things a whole lot easier for you. 5. Peppermint Power. Crush up some candy canes, …

Read Post →

College

Why Your Child’s Education is at Risk

A few months ago, I got a raise of sorts. My fourth child graduated from college and got a job. I have just one child left on my payroll! So I got a raise, and he got a gift — a college degree debt-free. There are many things that go into the training up of a child, and one of them is education. Many parents are putting that education at risk because they aren’t planning for it. When you hold a little one in your arms, college seems so distant. But it is not. And when there are 2, 3 or 4 children to educate, it is amazing how much it can cost and how quickly 18 years fly by. We were shocked at the dent it made in our budget when we ended up with three of our five kids in school at the same time. Two things saved our family from having to borrow money for college — Florida Prepaid College Plans, and scholarships. Watching our kids graduate, get jobs, and plan their own budgets to pay for cars, apartments, clothes, and food was amusing for Mark and me (they just had no idea how much everything costs), …

Read Post →

Parenting

How to Prepare Your Kids for the World

From the time my children were born, I have been overcome with the need to protect them. I remember the first time flying with my newborn daughter in my arms. I have never been so afraid to step on a plane, a place where I had no control! As a mom, I am the wall of protection between my child and the world. As my kids grew my fears changed and I stopped hovering like a helicopter. I learned to trust in God more and instead of worrying over my kids, I took up my role as their wall, or protector, and their gatekeeper: The one who thoughtfully trains her child for opportunities beyond protection and how to prepare them for that independence day. Are you a gatekeeper or a helicopter mom? Our children have so many opportunities, or gates, to good things like having a cell phone, driving, dating. As moms we must know when they are ready for us to open that gate. You are so many things to your child. You are a wall—the one who will vigilantly protect your child. And you are the gatekeeper —the one who will diligently train your child for a future …

Read Post →

Parenting

5 Ways to Keep the Meaning in Christmas

As the Christmas season approaches I’m reminded of my childhood. I always felt excited about everything: the decorations, the food, the shows, and especially the presents. It was easy for me to focus on the festivities and lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. Now that I have children of my own I don’t want that to get lost. The other day I turned on the television and saw a commercial for a new movie called The Star. I thought it was refreshing to see a kids movie about the true meaning of Christmas. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Rudolph’s and Frosty’s, but when it comes to educating kids about what Christmas is really about there are few options out there. As parents, we must be intentional about restoring and maintaining the real Christmas story in the way we approach the season. How you choose to do this may depend on the ages of your children and other factors. Here are some methods I’ve found to help little ones see beyond the toys and find truth. And don’t miss downloading coloring pages featuring scenes from the movie, The Star. Your kids will have a blast! 1. Prepare the …

Read Post →