Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

Have you heard of this book? 

I recently started reading it, and I think EVERY father with a daughter should read it! 

"Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know" by Margaret J. Meeker

She has also written: 

"Boys Should Be Boys: 7 Secrets to Raising Healthy Sons"

AND... 

"The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming Our Passion, Purpose and Sanity" 

which I think I would love to read!!

Without God

Snack Ideas for Pregnant Women

Put away the junk food and add these yummy, delicious snacks!! Parent Connect posted a great list of healthy food snacks for those preggys out there.  

• Apple slices spread with Laughing Cow cheese.
• Homemade muffins made with grated carrots or zucchini.
• A smoothie made with fresh blueberries, plain non-fat yogurt and half of a banana.
• Cottage cheese with fresh strawberries or peaches.
• Air-popped popcorn sprinkled with Chinese Five Spice blend.
• Peaches or nectarines dipped in light cream cheese.
• Baked tortilla chips and salsa.
• Celery slices smothered in peanut butter.
• A frozen tube of Go-GURT (portable yogurt).
• Bell pepper slices dipped in low-fat ranch dressing.
• Homemade trail mix. Just throw some nuts, dried cranberries, coconut flakes (and some mini chocolate chips for balance) into a zipper bag and shake.
• Pita chips and hummus.
• Chicken salad on a whole wheat roll.
• Frozen grapes.
• A parfait made with low-fat yogurt, fresh berries and some granola.
• String cheese (and a few crackers if you want).

Meal Sign-Up

Meal Train is a neat website that allows you to organize a meal drop-off plan for your friends who are in need of some TLC.  Recently, my friend was in the hospital for surgery, and the neighborhood gals organized a meal drop-off through the website Meal Train that sets up a calendar for organizing who can bring what on which day.   It was a great and simple way for us to sign up and schedule drop-offs for our friend and her family at their home during recovery.

Ways to Love

Lying

We've been having issues with lying with our 5 year old.. I like what Dr. Sears says in his article, "11 Ways to Raise a Truthful Child."

If you create an atmosphere in your home and an attitude within your child that honesty is the best policy and the child's truthful self is really the nicest person to be around, you are well on your way to building trust and avoiding dishonesty.


(See full article HERE) 

BOZ

We are loving BOZ in our home right now!! Great DVDs, packed with character-building, christ-centered stories... and great songs too!!! This is one of few shows that I feel comfortable letting our little girls watch.  Check out their site!

Expecting? Get Your Little Ones Involved

Before the big day of delivery, your little ones can prepare for their baby sibling to come home.  Making a card and a gift for the baby's birth-day is super fun.  They can wrap it and decorate their card and present.  And during delivery, while they are with their relatives, your little ones can bake and decorate cookies to celebrate!

Traveling Overseas, Antibiotics

My doctor was talking about her family trip to Barcelona, Spain.  She described the adventures she and her family had on a cruise.  However, on the trip, her son became terribly sick and was getting worse.  It was extremely tedious searching and finding the nearest hospital and getting antibiotics for her youngest child. 

To save yourself the hassle next time you travel, be prepared and ask your pediatrician for a children's antibiotic to take with you in case your son or daughter becomes sick.  It's a dry form that you can add water to when needed.  Pediatricians are absolutely willing to help you get prepared.  

Encouraging Scripture on Financial Planning

We are called to be good stewards with our money, to get out of debt, to save, to tithe and to invest.  Be encouraged, the Bible has a lot to say about finances.  You and your spouse can pray for God's purpose for your finances.       


Tithing
¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10


Debt
¹² The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. Deuteronomy 28:12

Making an Effort to Pay Off Debt

⁷ The rich rule over the poor,

and the borrower is slave to the lender. Proverbs 22:7

Financial Independence

² Rich and poor have this in common:

The LORD is the Maker of them all. Proverbs 22:2

Financial Independence

²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Matthew 25:27

Retirement Style

²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength,  

gray hair the splendor of the old. Proverbs 20:29

Keeping Track of Small Toys

Here's an organizing tip for small stuffed animals or action figures, use a shoe-hanging bag!  Works great and easy to access for you and your little ones.  For more of these clever organizing tips, visit HGTV.

Clean, Fun Computer Games for Kids

There's no denying that children are drawn to video games.  It would be nice if there were games out there that were engaging and fun for our children as well as clean and uplifting.  Superbooks is a website with nice graphics and great games that challenge the mind.  Your children are sure to enjoy these fun video games online.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
But by the moments that take our breaths away...

-anonymous

Don't Carpe-Diem

Great article! 

Check it out! ;)

From Huffington Post:

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

Own Abilities

"If we trust in our own abilities instead of God's, 

we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible." 

-Annonymous

Continuous Conversion

"If we trust in our own abilities, instead of God's 

we produce consequences for which God will hold us responsible...

The response of the natural to the spiritual should be continuous conversion, 

but this is where we so often refuse to be obedient...

God holds us accountable every time we refuse to convert ourselves, 

and He sees our refusal as willful disobedience. 

Our natural life must not rule- God must rule in us."

-Oswald Chambers

30 Days of Torah Parenting

"Are you ready to stretch yourself as a parent??" is how this article begins...

If you're up for this, check out: 

30 Days of Torah Parenting

Each day you are given a little project to help you on your parenting journey!! :) 

Fervent Prayer

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons; the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.  

Romans 8:23-25

God tells us to pray with hope.  We can easily tell people our needs, but praying to the Lord for our needs is a different story.  Often we don't see how or when or why God would answer our prayers.  It's beyond our comprehension.  But Romans states clearly that our job is to wait patiently with hope for God to answer our prayers.  HE is great and powerful and knows our needs.  HE loves to take care of us.

Let's pray in boldness about our children's lives that they would be holy, that they would be surrounded by peers that would be edifying and encouraging.

Let's pray for our husbands that they will soar in their profession, that they would be blessed and be a blessing to their coworkers.

Let's pray for ourselves, that we will be refreshed each day to be a light to our family and friends, that we would be strong and wise and diligent, that God's love will renew our perspective to live in freedom, with creativity and playfulness in our walk with Christ.

Let's just pour our needs before God.  Focus on God's love! and you will be able to hope and trust and be fervent in your prayer life.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Romans 15:13

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure it enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a high priest forever....

Hebrews 6:18-20

Center Your Life On What's Important

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be sweet to Him;
I will be glad in the Lord.
Psalm 104:33-34


When you're having a tough day with the kids, remember to sing.
When you're having a tough week with schedules, remember to praise God.
When you're having a tough month with finances, remember to meditate on Christ and be glad.

Why?  Because we live by faith, and God will honor that.

No eye has seen,
nor ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him
1 Corinthians 2:9