S Club Mama

When my sons (ages 9 and 7) were toddlers, I was just overwhelmed. Kids are a lot of work! There was so much, as a young mother, I did not know. Keeping them alive and well was a lot but then there were these outside pressures. As a Christian, I must teach them about God and right and wrong, and they must be saved! As a human, they must treat each other with respect and share! Even when it's their favorite toy! As a person who hates being embarrassed, they must act appropriately and not throw tantrums in Wal-mart (and I need to teach them when they can pee outside and when they can't). These pressures were not bad things; most of them were good things to teach, but the pressure they added was immense and added to my feelings of drowning for about 4 years. image via Amazon When Princess was born (age 15 months now), I didn't want to stress about things. I did though. I stressed about breastfeeding, about her sleeping habits, about sibling rivalry (of which we were bless...

I love the idea of starting your day in Scripture and/or prayer. The Bible says His mercies are new every morning and so it just makes sense to start your day that way. However, as much as it makes sense, I fail to do that most mornings. It just doesn't work with the way I'm built and my schedule. Generally, I like to get up in the morning to work out so that is kid-free time. And then the chaos of mornings before school starts. Then it is generally mid-afternoon before I get a chance to sit down.  However, I like that this book "Five Minutes with Jesus: A Fresh Infusion of Joy" by Sheila Walsh are ones that I can really read with my kids. It's not meant to be a children's devotional but I have found that it works for us. We have been reading this at breakfast - it's quick and still spiritually deep so it's perfect for us right now at the stage we're in. image via amazon.com It is usually a page and a half devotional and then a page (5 m...

We have called our daughter "Princess" almost since the day she was born. I even love the idea of her sharing names with a real princess (although that is not how she got her name).  I have been quite disappointed in many princess books that I have read with my Princess. They make princesses seem air-headed and prissy. I believe that a princess should be graceful and kind and generous and loving and caring and tender. I love the idea behind "Raising a Young Modern-Day Princess" by Doreen Hannah and Karen Whiting which combines Scripture to teach the Fruits of the Spirit with the idea that all girls are Princesses (as they are daughters of the One True King, God). image via Amazon.com One idea from the book is a marble jar to keep track of when you see your child showing a Fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control). My family has started to do this very thing with a sticker chart rather...

There are two types of people in this world… those who dread the holidays and those who live for them. Whether you’re an Ebenezer Scrooge or a Cindy Lou Who - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever winter holiday you may be observing (or avoiding) will inevitably be upon us. We need this balance of love and hate to perform all of those classic holiday miracles though, right?! So, let’s get started by brining our families together, dressing in our finest matching attire and snapping a cheesy, but equally awesome family photo for your 2016 Holiday Cards . Now that we have established that it’s never too early to get into the holiday spirit, it’s definitely never too early to order holiday cards to send to your loved ones for when the time is right. I have a very special place in mind that will help make all of your holiday greeting card dreams come true - effortlessly and without a single trip to the craft store. Let me introduce to you, Basic Invite . Basic Invite is a s...

Disney has a new film coming out called "Queen of Katwe." It's based on the true story of Robert Katende and Phiona Mutesi from Uganda. Phiona grew up in the slums of Katwe, Uganda and she came upon Katende and a group of children playing chess in a church building (not the type of church building we imagine here; think makeshift). Katende starts to teach her and guide her, building her confidence, not only in chess but in herself. She finds herself competing in local chess matches and then winning international competitions. Their story proves that champions can come from the most unlikely of places. "Queen of Katwe" opens Friday, September 30 nationwide! As I've said before, I love underdog stories. A girl from the slums of Africa winning international chess tournaments and eventually having her story become a feature Disney film - that's good stuff to me. I believe God allows underdog stories because that's what all stories truly are. We ar...

Do you ever just need a book that isn't so deep? I read a lot of deep books, sometimes I just need to fluff book. I don't mean that in a mean way but in a way that I need to plot a storyline instead of theology and facts. "The Wedding Shop" by Rachel Hauck proved to be something entirely different but just what I needed. I will start by saying that this book is not fluff. It is an intricately woven story between past and present, between life prior to Christ and redemption. I love books that weave between many characters. "The Wedding Shop" goes back-and-forth between Cora Scott, a wedding shop owner in the early 1930s, and Haley Morgan in modern-day times who is just returned home to Heart's Bend, Tennessee after leaving the military and a toxic relationship, and  the death of her best friend. Haley dreams of opening the wedding shop that was closed long before her time, just as she and her friend had pinky promised in their childhood. I love how H...

My middle son always complains that I always get books for myself and never for them. He doesn't know that I am usually on the lookout for books for them, but the opportunity for adult books comes up more frequently than child books. image via Blogging for Books I love this sweet, sensitive boy! I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to get him "Me: A Compendium" by the Wee Society. I had to look up what a compendium was –   a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject, especially in a book or other publication . To me it just seemed like a fill-in journal. I knew my son would love it! (but I have not watched it) LOL He started to fill it out immediately. I thought he would color it more and add more color but he insisted on using this new pen that he had gotten his school. He did a wonderful job of filling everything out. He only asked for help a few times on spelling. You probably should've asked a few more times...