Hope. I've shared many times before that after my sister died I clung to Jeremiah 29:11. "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I needed the assurance that God hadn't forgotten me. He hadn't tossed my heart to the side. He was ...
Search Results for: little man
How to Read to Your Child {Review}
Talk to any elementary school teacher and they will agree that the best thing you can do with your child to prepare them for school is read to them. And then, read some more. But what does reading to your child look like? Birth to 3 Years of Age During these formative years it is important to introduce the child to a plethora of quality ...
We Need Answers
Five years ago we were in the middle of a valley. Bubs (8) was failing the 2nd Grade, Little Man (4) was in a defiant rut, and ABCJLM was demanding focused attention. I felt alone, exhausted, and helpless. See if you can relate to this post I shared in 2013. I just finished writing a long note to Bubs' speech therapist. We are between a ...
Happy 10th Birthday to ABCJesusLovesMe
I sit in humble amazement. This week is ABCJesusLovesMe.com's 10th birthday. What started out as a desperate need for our son has evolved into a website used around the world to help adults be intentional with the children in their lives. Humble Beginnings Let me start at the beginning. After teaching in the public schools, I knew God was ...
When Your Child’s Behavior is an Embarrassment
I just received a call from my child's school. It was not a he's-doing-such-a-great-job call, but instead a he-made-a-very-poor-choice phone call. Everything inside of me wants to listen to the lies of the enemy. - You are a horrible mom. - You don't pay enough attention to him. - And you speak at conferences on the topic of parenting? - ...
When Your Children Don’t Match Your Parenting Dreams
For several months in my life, I had a severe "pity party." I was angry toward God because He refused to match my self-prophesied life plans. Ridiculous. I know... But in talking to other parents I find that I am not alone in my bitterness struggle. Parenting is not what we expect. The days are long. The work is brutal. Of course, there are ...
Why Early Intervention is So Important
You don't have to travel far into a conversation with me to know that I am a firm believer in early intervention. I've seen firsthand the difference it makes. I've also seen the struggles that occur when professional services are not sought for a child. Early intervention provides a child with the professional help he or she needs to address ...
Project Minimalization Part 2
In last week's blog post, I shared that in the process of minimalizing, I realized that there was a heart issue attached to our accumulation of stuff. I saw three specific areas that I had to deal with in order to build a content spirit in my kiddos and myself. To do this, we grabbed garbage bags and dove in. How to Minimalize Using the KonMari ...
Visiting Zion National Park with Kids
View from Kayenta Trail If you ask each member of our family what their favorite National Park is, each will adamantly state "Zion." If you ask what park we would like to visit again, we will unanimously state "Zion." In our trip to Southwest Utah and Northern Arizona, we loved Zion. We loved the scenic stops, the gorgeous Virgin River ...
Visiting Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon with Kids Part 1
The closer to summer one gets, the more often small talk centers around vacation plans. Are you taking a vacation this summer? Where are you going? As I answered these questions from people I came in contact with, I found many responded with longing in their voice when they heard our plans. They shared that visiting Zion, Bryce (pictured ...