Have you ever wondered how to un-spoil a child? I know that this can be hard because you don't even realize that it is happening and then BAM… you hear the disrespect in your child's voice and realize that you need to STOP doing that for your child!With this post in mind, I asked this ...
parenting
The shocking truth that your tweens & teens aren’t telling you
There is a shocking truth that your tweens & teens aren't telling you. Today, my brother is here to tell the story. My brother, Doctor Timothy Hoffman, is the principal of a wonderful high-school in our area. His wife, Jill, is also a teacher at the middle-school. They have been around ...
10 life lessons I want our children to learn
Every day, we get the opportunity to shape our kids, to literally change their lives. Everything that we say to them sticks with them, our words become their inner voices, our expectations become their goals.If I had to pick just 10 life lessons I want our children to learn… I would use these ...
Why having more kids is less stressful!
This post was originally written in 2014, but I wanted to bring it back around today & add some new details because I think that it still holds true. Why are moms of more kids often less stressed? I think we've figured it out. It boils down to a few things that help you to be a ...
Why Children are more entitled than generations before
Why our children are more entitled than generations before?Study after study proves what we have guessed... It's the scary truth that our children face. As a teacher and play therapist, I've heard from so many parents that their kids are acting entitled, lonely & sad.Last week, a ...
When the kids are older, I’ll be able to…
It's funny. We think about all of the things that we will do when our children are born. Rock them, hold them, sing to them, enjoy every minute of them. Not much time passes before we begin looking to the future when we start thinking "When the kids are older, I'll be able to…" and it's only when ...
5 practical ways to teach your sons to be gentlemen when they grow up
On a daily basis, I think about what kind of people our children will be when they are grown. Will they be responsible? Will they be kind? Will they be helpful?Today I am sharing 5 practical ways to teach boys to be men. When our son was younger, he went to a week-long local summer day camp in ...
CONSEQUENCES FOR KIDS THAT WORK!
Coming up with consequences for kids that work is not always easy ... especially when you're in the heat of the moment and you just need your kids to do what you ask! You need to find something that works and stick to it... if you want a behavior to change.How many times do we (myself ...
Kids waking up too early after time change?
Are your kids waking up too early after time change? After a time change, it can be so hard to get our kids to get back to a nice sleeping schedule. When your kids are waking too early, it can make them tired, cranky and just not very happy kids.I recently read an article on Parent.com, ...
The one word you should try to avoid when you discipline your kids
My brother and I often have chats about parenting our kids and teaching our students (I am a teacher/therapist and he is a principal). We both agree that there is one word you should try to avoid using when your discipline your kids... I heard it again today.I was in the car, driving to get ice ...
Mom, look at my eyes
Our 6 year old old brought in a new "invention" that he had made out of a box, with his big brother. They do this on an almost-daily basis and I love to see what they come up with (and they love to show me). When he walked into the kitchen, where I was sitting working on my computer, I was pretty ...
“Mommy will you lay with me?” – when your children want you to lie down with them at night
I have a new favorite phrase from our kids... Mommy will you lay with me ... why? Let me tell you. Do you hear this every night, as I do? Our children want me to lie down with them every night. This question is always on their minds because they love to spend time with you.Ps- Yes, "Lie ...
Just like me
So Mickey and I are working with the Life of Dad team on a parenting course for Dads and I had to share this sneak peek from the course (it's going to be AMAZING): “The key to being a good dad [parent]… well, sometimes things work out just the way you want. Sometimes they don't. But you gotta hang ...
The one word that will change the way your child feels about himself.
The words that we speak to our children have the power to grow our children into amazing people. I love to know that the words that I say to our kids impact their lives. I understand that our words become their inner voices and I try to work hard to say things that I want them to really ...
When they need you less and less
I was talking to my mom on the phone last night and she said "Jack's needing us less & less". It's true - he even wanted to go out trick or treating with friends this year (but we worked it out that our families all went together). The truth of the matter is that he is getting older and ...
Saying Yes to Your Kids
Do you ever feel like you are saying no more than you are saying yes to your kids? In the busy world of today, many families are losing track of the importance of quality time. Personally, I was reminded of this important fact on a Saturday morning last November. The fact that I need to say yes ...
It was worth it…
It just snuck up on me. I was sitting on his bed, talking to him about the night that he was born, how the doctors tried to stop him from coming so early and how his daddy was in the shower when I yelled for him to hurry up.He heard about how I became violently ill on fruit loops that I just ...
Is your child ready to stay home alone
When should your kids stay home alone? How do you know if your child is ready to stay home alone? Today I am partnering with Alarm.com to bring you some tips to keep your family safe.As a mom to four kids, I know that the day is coming when our oldest will ask me those words that I dread: ...
Dear 4th child
I wanted to write this post to our 4th child, because tonight I was talking to my friend, Hillary, and she said "I was thinking just a little bit ago about all these grand plans I had for summer fun... and now summer is over. It makes me sad." To which I replied... "ugh... agreed. Oh- and poor ...
The Giving Mom
What if there was a book called The Giving Mom? What would it be about? This week, in church, we learned about how The Giving Tree is kind of like God, giving you what you need when you need it. It was a really wonderful way to think about it. After church, Mickey and I started thinking about ...