What will you get your husband for Valentine's Day? A romantic dinner? A sweet or funny card? Tickets to an event? Some bedroom romance? You might be surprised about what might make him feel the most loved. And, it doesn't cost a penny. The answer: Your respect.
What will you get your husband for Valentine's Day? A romantic dinner? A sweet or funny card? Tickets to an event? Some bedroom romance? You might be surprised about what might make him feel the most loved. And, it doesn't cost a penny. The answer: Your respect.
Read MoreAs moms we do a LOT to ensure that our children have a positive experience at the beach or pool and want to come back and do it all over again another day. We are very intentional about prepping our children for success in the water. As I was reflecting last week about this huge amount of prep work moms do for swimming, I recognized that there are many other areas where our preparation is just as necessary to our children's success.
Read MoreWhen my children were little, I would meet regularly with other moms of multiples. It was so much fun. We laughed and swapped stories and strategies with other moms who understood making formula by the pitcher, and having to upgrade to a mini-van right away just so that you could legally come home from the hospital with your children. At one such meeting, one of my friends in this group shared how much she loved the baby stage. She thoroughly enjoyed creating activity "stations" for her trio and rotating them through. She liked the hands on feeding and changing, and even challenging herself to become more efficient at their basic care. I remember listening to her share at the time and thinking......"What?!? Is she serious?!? I guess I must be a horrible mother, because those were some of the hardest, most draining days of my entire life. In fact, I never want to do that again!" I then thought - "There must be something wrong with me to feel this way. After all, shouldn't everyone enjoy caring for their newborn/s?" Cue the immediate mom guilt.
Read MoreDo you think spending time together having fun as being critical to your marriage? I didn't. But, during our first year of marriage, my husband and I read a book together titled, His Needs/Her Needs. This book changed my mind. The author, Dr. Willard F. Harley Jr., is a marriage counselor who was discouraged about the number of couples whose marriages were ending in divorce and not being restored through his (and other) traditional counseling methods at the time. As a result, he became passionate about trying to fix this problem. He began to conduct research with the couples he counseled to determine just what caused them to end up in his office. The answer was quite simple. The couples were not in love with one another any more. However, his research also helped reveal the reason why this was the case. Dr. Harley discovered that couples have 10 basic needs in marriage. In general, both husbands and wives expressed the same basic needs. However, when asked to rank the needs in priority order, husbands ranked a particular five of the needs high, and wives ranked a different five needs as more important. As a result, Dr. Harley discovered that in marriage both people were trying to give to their spouse what they personally needed the most. But, because of the different preferences between men and women, the spouses were not getting their own biggest needs met. The result - discouraged couples who were falling out of love with their husband/wife.
Read MoreCan I be really honest for a minute?
This Christmas was probably one of the hardest ones I've had since becoming a mom. (The only one that even comes close involves road tripping with a case of the tummy bug! I'm sure you get the idea.) This year was challenging because my daughter with special needs was really struggling. Due to a variety of factors (outside of her control) she wasn't excited for Christmas, had no energy, and was behaving in very irrational, explosive, and anxious ways. This is NOT her. We are so very thankful to have figured out what was happening, made some medical adjustments, and mostly have our sweet girl back again! But, it was a very rough patch for weeks- particularly over the holidays. During this time, I was reminded of something very important. Regardless of the circumstances, our tone as mothers sets the atmosphere for our home and family.
Christmas season is in full swing. Most likely that means you have one, two, (or maybe more) Christmas gatherings on your calendar. Here are a few ways to be intentional and to ensure that your time spent together is merry and bright.
1.) Communicate Expectations to Children
As moms many times we have certain expectations for our children’s behavior at family functions. However, we don’t always take the time to communicate those prior to the actual event. This can lead to frustration for both child and parent. Depending on the age of the child, of course, this may not be appropriate. But even toddlers can be gently reminded prior to arrival to say thank you for their gifts, and to share some of their new toys with other children. For older children there may be expectations around technology use during the event, or the assumption that they will refrain from comments about departure times. Taking time to discuss expectations before the holiday gathering can ensure that everyone is on the same page.
It's fall! This season is a feast for the senses. Vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows capture our attention wherever we glance. The warm, savory flavors of pumpkin and squash adorn our tables. The sound of crunching leaves accompanies each step we take in our booted feet. And, crisp breezes rosy our cheeks and tousle our hair. Autumn is a season full of beauty. The autumn season also provides changing leaves, a beautiful analogy for motherhood.
Read MoreIn Indiana school is starting again. For families this often means a different morning or evening routine (or both!) Moms, this is a GREAT time to start a new intentional habit. Perhaps you want to initiate a healthy lifestyle practice like drinking a glass of water in the morning or taking a couple minutes to stretch. Maybe you want to take a moment each day to pray or read a Bible verse with your children before school. Let's face it though - not everyone is a morning person! If that's you, you might prefer to focus on an evening change like intentionally making sure homework is done before screens are turned on, going on more walks, or discussing the best part of your day around the dinner table. Because routines are just getting formed, it's much easier for something new to "stick" and become a normal part of each day.
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