Wild Things

This book came recommended to me by several of my friends. I'm really enjoying reading it and am steadily rowing the opinion that anyone who has a boy should read this. Whether they are 1 or 12, it would definitely shed some light on their unique design.

I have a 15 month old son. He is constantly on the move. Curious, adventurous, kicking anything that is bolted to the ground and more. I desperately want to be a good boy mom. Having never been a boy, I feel like I've learned a lot about guys watching my brother, my guy friends, my husband and nephews. Its safe to say that it's not reasonable to ask him to "sit still and be quiet" for any length of time; unless there is food involved. He is a normal boy. Or so this book is showing me.

If you have a little man... buy this book.

Igniter Media

At church, there are the videos that are lame and their are videos that good replace the sermon they are so profound. Igniter Media creates high quality media that equips people with visual resources that declare Truth. Our church uses many of their resources and this weekend, for Father's Day, they posted this video. Check it out. I am regularly taken aback by the quality work they produce. It seems they nail the message right on the head every time.

The Women's Role

The scripture that often brings much controversy and dissension... 1 Timothy 2:11 says "A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness." Whew... man that has always stung. It sure sounds like Paul is saying we women should sit down, shut up and be a doormat. BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT HE IS SAYING. I've always had a hard time with this verse UNTIL I heard one of the best explanations about this verse.

Go to www.watermarkradio.com.
Click on "View All Messages in this Series"
Listen to 5-10-09 Extraordinary Opportunities for Non-Ordinary Women.

It really is one of the best explanations I've ever heard. It's rather motivating...

Happy Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, I received Dr. Laura Schlessinger's In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms. I love it so far. It definitely offers validation for those of you who are SAHM's. If you are one of these, doesn't it feel a little controversial to you? On one hand we are praised for being the main caretaker of our kids... research would show that our kids need more of this these days. Yet, we are often forgotten that we are "working" too.

If you are a mom who is trying to determine what you should do when your baby arrives, this book has some great advice from listeners who have tried both staying home and working. Other experiences can often teach us A LOT.

I'll end with this quote... "The 'greatest generation' isn't limited to those folks who served valiantly at war; it embraces the folks who worked on the farms and in the factories, toiling at difficult jobs to not only serve their country byut provide for their families. Little mentioned are the women who birthed the babies, raised their kids, and managed the home and the budget so that there would be food in the family's tummies and clothes on their backs, taught their children right from wrong and made sure they washed behind their ears and got them to school on time. "

Building Blocks

Ever heard of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers)? Well this is like that but at Watermark Community Church. The 1st Friday and 3rd Thursday of every month they host a speaker, brunch and free childcare so you can come refresh yourself by hearing from some amazing women, eat some yummy food and meet other like-minded ladies. Check out their next event.

In fact, I went this last Thursday and heard a fantastic talk about Disciplining in the Pre-Schooler years. As we all have experienced, the most difficult criticsm to swallow is about your parenting. We all could use improvements regardless of what stage of child-rearing we are in. Frankly some of these tips could easily translate to those with older kids too.

Anyhow, I feverishly jotted down so many notes and walked away with some great tactics. The purpose of discipline "isn't to just get behaviors out of my children but to raise them to choose the good and right." I don't want my kids to just be well-mannered when I'm looking but to make good decision when I'm not looking too. I would highly recommend listening to the audio. You will walk away with something. Go to http://www.watermarkradio.com/.

Follow these instructions:

Under Select Another Channel, select Parents
Scroll to Building Blocks
Select CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL MESSAGES FOR THIS SERIES
Click on "2-19-09 Discipline Doldrums"
You may also Download or Order a CD any of the messages