Category Archives: Family

Getting Your Kids to Love God’s Word

Let me be honest and admit that sometimes, it is hard to get our kids to do the things we want them to do.

Like eat veggies. Especially if it is a relatively new habit for you. Hard. Lots of tears.

Going to bed at a decent hour. Enough said.

In our house, Dan and I realize the importance of teaching our kids about Jesus, about God’s word and to know it well so that they can apply it to their lives in whatever situation they may face at whatever age. It isn’t easy, but it is definitely something we have chosen to be very intentional about, especially now that our kids are getting older.

We can’t expect our youth pastors to do the work for us. They are a great help, but they will be the first to tell you that the responsibility is on you…the parent!

Here are a couple of things Dan and I do regularly with our children.

1. Bedtime is always bible study time. Dan loves reading the bible to Madison and Sean. We have done this since they were babies and they are more knowledgeable about certain stories than adults.  That is fruit that we are seeing because of obedience….not because we are good bible study teachers.

2.  My Place With Jesus.  A friend recently showed me this website on Facebook and I jumped on to check it out. It is a great interactive activity kids can use on the computer with your permission and they are taught stories and take a quiz to see how well they paid attention.  Madi and Sean ask to do this every day.

3. The Dig For Kids.  This site I jus discovered today thanks to The Good Morning Girls study I started today.  Since I will be going through the book of Luke, this site has 2 e-books that can have your children go through Luke with you.  I love this so much and am seriously considering asking Dan if I can grab them. They also come in paperback if you prefer holding a book.

4. Go through the S.O.A.P process with your children with the verses they bring home from Sunday school. My kids get bible verses every week. So instead of just asking them what they learned, look at the scripture cards they received, open your Bible together and do S.O.A.P. (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer). I promise you will all learn a lot more when you discover His word together and discuss how you can apply His word to your family.

Those are just a few small ways you can teach your kids and get involved.

How do you teach your kids His word?  Would love to hear!

Tiff

Be Intentional Friday

 

On Thursday, I finally got to attend my Church’s Women’s Bible study.  For the past couple of weeks, Sean and I have been working on a potty training routine and I finally felt he was comfortable and confident enough to leave the house and go potty at places other than home.  For some kids, it is easy. For others it can be a process. So if you are right there right now and feeling frustrated….hang in there. I understand. And don’t allow anyone to make you feel bad because you didn’t do it their way.  If I wanted their advice on how to perfectly potty train, I would have asked them! *wink*

We had an incredible speaker who shared with us her tips on parenting. She titled her message “Being an Effective Juggler”.  Oh goodness! That is good!

Here are some incredible takeaways that I got from this wise woman.

1. Basic Training-Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

The best quote I have ever heard: “Babies are born Savages, it’s our job to civilize them.”

Isn’t that the truth?! Our sweet babies are very self centered and they have to be. They can’t take care of themselves and for the first several years of their lives they need us to meet all of their physical, emotional and developmental needs. It is part of the survival mechanism God created in our little humans so that we as parents can learn to understand our child. Understand their personality and their interests and help them to adapt and grow and become an adult. (And let’s be honest….the first 5 years is really all about keeping your curious child ALIVE!)

*Be united with your spouse.

Our priority is to #1. Spend time with our spouse and children

#2. Get in the mommy time.  Whatever it is, get it in.  Again, please don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t really need it.  It an opportunity to refresh, refocus and more importantly, allow the Lord to fill us up. We mommies can run dry too.

 

#2. Quality vs. Quantity- Luke 6:31 “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

*Always show affection

*Say encouraging words

*Act consistently

The most powerful thing she said here was the first five minutes of interaction we have with our child should be positive!  So Moms, that means that the second they wake up or come home from school, we should not be nagging them about how they didn’t clean their room like we asked them to 10 million times ago!

I have to be honest, that is a hard one for me.  I so often have a lot in my mind and a running to do list that I forget to kiss my own husband as soon as he walks in the door! What??! A positive interaction within the first 5 minutes of seeing each other helps reinforce that they are an important part of your life and that you love them for who they are, not for what you can do for them.

*Protect and Serve: Our kids should absolutely believe without a doubt that we are their to protect them from harm. We can’t protect them from everything. Some things very well may be out of our control. But if you see a situation that you think is dangerous for your child, step in. Don’t worry about anyone else or what they think. You. Step. In.

*Watch and Listen: Always be involved in your child’s life.  And be paying attention.  Especially as they get older.

*How did I get here: Ahh the sex question. It will happen. Please be the parent that your child can go to for this kind of information. The world will not give them an accurate answer. Please. Please. Do not shy from this.

*Discipline: Proverbs 29:15 “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.”

You are not your child’s friend.  You are their parent.  It seems to be a very popular thing with a lot of parents to not discipline their child and try to reason with them believing that will help them “learn” from their mistakes. As most of us know….you can’t reason with a 3 year old. Heck, you can’t even reason with some adults! Why drive yourself nuts trying to explain X,Y,Z to a 3 year old who is screaming bloody murder in the grocery store over a cookie!

*Find their currency- As they get older, obviously your normal methods of discipline cannot be used. But you can find out what means the most to them.  They love playing with their toys? They lose an hour. Want to see their friends or go to a special activity? Take that privilege away for a time.

But NEVER withhold love, affection or bribe them with food.

Seriously, I could go on and on.  There is so much more that I think I will need to do a part 2. Diane Langan who shared her heart with us this morning. So informative and important for this momma to have as a tool.

Do you have any Godly parenting tips that have served you and your household that you would like to share?

Tiff

 

Princesses Try New Things

The word “Princess” gets a bad rap.

It is often associated with weak, prissy, girly, pink (nothing wrong with that color by the way. It is a favorite!), tea parties, Disney, nothing to do with athletic, dependent on others to “save” them.

Ugh.

But I take joy in the fact that I am a daughter of the King. A true Princess. And that He made me strong, capable, creative, smart and mobile so that I can do great things for His Kingdom!

As well as enjoy this beautiful earth He has so graciously given us to live in!

Sofia-the-First

Madi loves the new show on Disney “Sofia the First.” She is an adorable little rags to riches princess who isn’t afraid to be herself and try new things.

Even if one of those new things include attempting to make the Royal Jockey Team!  Of course naturally, everyone tells her only Princes can do it, but this determined little gal proves them all wrong with a  little patience, practice and perseverance.

My little princess?

Christmas Madi

She is embarking on her first athletic adventure.

Softball. I played for years before getting more into musical theater, but it was something I enjoyed so much and I can’t wait to work alongside her and teach her to love trying new things.

Even if they seem scary. Even if she isn’t sure she can play.  Who knows what may happen with a little patience, practice and perseverance?

softball gear

Of course, we got her pink softball gear. Hello!  Perfect for Madison! Oh….and she got a Jennie Finch softball bat. JEALOUS! Love Jennie Finch!

But she isn’t the only Princess who is trying new things.

With my favorite verse in mind…. I tried this:

handstand

Don’t be afraid to try something new. With a little patience, practice and perseverance…imagine what you can do!

Philippians 4:13

So tell me, what is one new thing you are going to try today?

Tiff~

Because Saturdays Are Meant For Moments Like This

I love my Saturdays to start off slow.

There is no rush to wake up at 5AM. To get a million things going at once.

No lunches to pack. No backpacks to gather. No clothes to layout and sleepy children to force awake in order to face another day at school.

No, I love my Saturdays to be filled with random, incredible moments.

Moments that include an early morning wrestling session with Daddy.

wrestle daddy

Or a curious little snap turtle coming up close to say hello.

turtle

Or watching a little boy falling in love with remote control cars.

sean and cars

I love my Saturdays to be as family filled as possible.  I love coffee and snuggly blankets.  Scrumptious Whole Wheat banana pancakes and a whole lot of giggles.

That to me is what a Saturday is meant to be like.

I hope your Saturday was as treasure filled as mine was.

Tiff

How To Teach Your Children Instead of Just Telling Them No

Raising and teaching your children is no easy feat.

Ask any parent.

It isn’t for the weak of heart.

Madison

I was recently asked a very good question by a girlfriend who was single, no children, but genuinely wanted to know how we taught Madi and Sean. What tools did we use? What kinds of words did we speak to them so not to harm their spirit but to lift them up even in correction?

Great question.

In all honesty, Dan and I don’t really follow a set “parenting style.”

Sure, we have read plenty of parenting books and listened to many speakers who are “experts” in parenting and child rearing.  We have sought wisdom from our parent as well as those in the church who have reared their children into Godly adults.

But our real source of instruction comes from God’s word.

And that means that Dan and I have to know His word.  That means we have to parent ourselves.

This past weekend, Madi was signing a song while coloring. She had heard it from Yo Gabba Gabba.

“No Cuts, No buts, no coconuts.”

Dan and I didn’t hear her correctly, so we asked her to repeat what she said.

Tears started to form. She thought she was in trouble.  My heart broke because I never want my child to be afraid to repeat something she has said or done because she fears we might get mad at her.  I want her to understand and know that discipline, although it can be painful, is good for her because it helps her grow.

We explained to her that the song she sang, while not horrible (there are far worse songs in my opinion) was not very kind.  Or it could make someone feel bad.  We also talked together about how it might be best to not watch certain shows as it can fill our minds with things that are not good to have inside.  Not all shows we watch are uplifting.  (I am looking at Dan while saying this. Haha! There are a few shows we could definitely cut out!)

And then we took her back to God’s word. That we should not follow what the world does, but follow the Spirit. That we should focus on what is good, holy, pure, lovely, worthy of praise. And that seemed to help her.  She understood that we weren’t mad, but that certain language does not glorify God.  We hugged and moved on.

We didn’t just tell her No. That she couldn’t watch Yo Gabba Gabba because we said so. We do our best to take her back to the source. To the One who loves us the most and knows what is good for us.  It is far too easy to just tell kids no.  Teach them why and how.

I know that while they are little, these issues can be a tad easier to tackle than say when they are 16 and think they know everything.  That is why it is so important to really invest in your children while they are young. They watch you, you know.  They see if you are reading your Bible. They see if you pray, not just before meals, but on a regular basis.  They hear the words you say.

They deserve your time and instruction.  And take them back to His Word.

In His Grace,

Tiff

Life Always Gets In The Way

Doesn’t it?

I got sick with a nasty cold this weekend that kept me from cooking and giving it my all to the Ultimate Reset.

But life happens.

I had every intention of getting the kids ready and out of the house on time for school while Dan was away for work, but Sean decided to wake up really early and paint his toenails with his sister’s nail polish.

But life happens. I still managed to get Madi to school on time.

I was so excited to attend women’s bible study and fellowship and enjoy the me time with incredible women and  God’s word. But poor Madi got sick at school and had to be picked up just before we headed over to the church.

Life happens.

Life is always going to happen.

And honestly, we should expect it to. Because if it stopped happening. Stopped weaving its way through the day, the weeks and even years, where would we be?

How would we grow? How would we challenge ourselves to adapt to the challenges we face? How do we become better people, better versions of ourselves if we don’t look at those situations in they eye and say “you threw  me off a bit, but that still won’t stop me.”

I hear so often from others that they have such good intentions when they begin a new adventure. Whether it be in working out, a nutritional plan, school, ministry idea, spending time in their Bible….the excuse is always the same.

Life gets in the way.

We need to be able to learn how to navigate through it.

There are always going to be days when we get sick,  tired, the kids go crazy, the husband comes home late, the car breaks down, there is nothing for dinner, no money in the bank.

I could go on and on.

But. Don’t. Let. That. Stop. You.

Yes, it will set you back a bit, but keep going!  Get creative and figure out another way to get what you want accomplished…accomplished!

Tell me. Do you have a tendency to let life’s interruptions keep you from moving forward?

Tiff

For the Love of Pumpkins and Family

Today we decided to head out to Cal Poly Pomona and hit up the Pumpkin Festival.

Cal Poly holds this festival only one weekend a year in October and it was completely packed with families who were looking to experience the Farmer’s Market, the lush array of pumpkins as well as take the opportunity to whip out their cameras and take some photos of their beautiful kids.

And of course, pick out the perfect pumpkin. Or several perfect pumpkins!

How sweet is my boy!!! I love him!
My Dad and my brother, Jason, brought their cameras along and grabbed some photos of the kids running around the patch. Madison also couldn’t resist the opportunity to pose.  When my Dad sends me photos, you’ll see.

She is such a ham. I can’t imagine where she got that from.  ;)

We picked out two pumpkins for the kids.  Sean, who got his indecisiveness from me *ahem* couldn’t decide on what pumpkin  he wanted. So Dan made the choice for him. Ha!

We only spent about a couple of hours there because I had a horrible cold and I could feel the pressure all around my sinuses. Lovely huh? But we had a good time and Dan let me have a nap afterwards.

What did you all do with your Saturday?

Tiff~

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

The last week and a half has been absolutely hectic for me and my family.  Between school, ministry and Madi having a short cheerleading course at a local High School, my time posting to social media had to be limited so that I could focus on the things that absolutely needed my full attention. I still worked out and ate (relatively clean) but unfortunately I have no photographic evidence. Ha!

What has absolutely saved my life the last week or so is making breakfast ahead of time for my loved ones.  I shared this as a food prep tip and I posted a photo of my Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes which I whipped up this morning for future breakfasts.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So please don’t skip it.  I know it can be hard, but with a little planning and prep, it won’t be so hard in the mornings to get something good in our bellies.

I took the basic Whole Wheat Banana Pancake recipe from 100 Days of Real Food and replaced the Banana with 1 cup of pumpkin.  I also added to the dry mix:

1 TBSP Cinnamon

1 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie spice

Mix all together and cook like a pancake.

The original recipe does call for Real butter (whole foods remember, not margarine!), but you can substitute applesauce instead for a lower fat content.

I have also made ahead of time granola and overnight oats as well as blending a Shakeology smoothie for them.  They never leave hungry.

Again, I realize that this does take extra time to prep and plan. But I know that most of us would much rather take the extra time to prepare something good for our families than to go without or settle for empty, unhealthy meals from a drive-thru window.

What are your favorite make ahead meals?

Tiff

On my 31′st Birthday My True Love Gave To Me

On Saturday, I celebrated 31 years.

I can honestly say that the thirties are the best. I liked my twenties but honestly being 30 is so fun.

I didn’t ask for much for my birthday. I really wanted to go the Farmer’s Market in a cute downtown area so off we went.

And the kids devoured the most delicious homemade popsicles.

image

And Sean absolutely made a mess with his dark chocolate with sea salt popsicles. He loved it.

I grabbed beautiful tomatoes for a Vegan Tomato Soup I am making this week. Also grabbed strawberries as they are a favorite in this house.

Then it was time for Mexican food, a family favorite.

image

Toy Story 3 was on. Sean is drinking milk folks. Not coke. Dan and I were able to eat in peace.

Then we dropped off the babes at the grandparents and Dan and I had a date. I had been really wanting Thai and a Thai iced tea. Love.

image

A great day. I am so ready to see what this year will bring me.

Again, thirties are the best!

Are you an August baby too? Happy birthday!

Tiff