From Frazzled to Fun

We are in the midst of an "Unplug From Screens & Create" Challenge in the Coach Mom Tribe this month, complete with a grand prize incentive.

I'm so excited about the great non-screen things that the kids are doing! Cooking/baking, climbing trees, walking dogs, making homemade "hurdles" to practice with, harvesting garden veggies, creating robot costumes out of extra boxes, making edible slime, even inventing some homemade mouse traps to serve the family!

Would you like to get your kids off screens and on to beneficial activities?

Here are 12 of the many ideas I had for my Coach Mom Tribe kids:

1. Play outside in sprinkler
2. Write a letter to your grandparents
3. Speed stack cups (can buy online)
4. Make inventions out of recyclable materials such as buttons, bottle caps, yarn, leather strips, wire, boxes, etc. 
5. Write a poem
6. Collect insects, leaves, grass, etc. and study them under a microscope or magnifying glass
7. Cut...

It's shameful. 

 

America's local and state law enforcement officers have suffered so much negativity and hate by a small but powerful minority this last year.

 

Though this group is small, with the voice of media, they have campaigned to try to turn America against the ones who put their lives on the line every day to protect us.

 

How ludicrous is that?

 

Not only do our law enforcement officers deserve our honor and respect, we need to be intentional to teach our children the importance of  honoring and respecting those who uphold the law in our communities.

 

The American Family Association has initiated a Day of Prayer and Appreciation For Law Enforcement, slated for Sunday, June 13. 

 

Let's get behind this!

 

This is a great way for us to let them know we appreciate their work.

These are some ways we can get involved: 

PRAY
As you gather for your main family meal on Sunday, pray for law...

Do you have teens?

Would you like to build a stronger relationship with them?

Get some powerful ideas in this interview Brenna did with family coach Dr. Cam.

Click here to watch the interview on YouTube

Click here to listen to the Apple podcast

Happy Memorial Day!  Some interesting things about today...

Your child is gifted.

 We all know Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” In translating from the original Hebrew language, which is more precise than our English, the Amplified Bible reads:

“Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Prov. 22:6, TAB

From the original Hebrew we see each child has a gift or bent -- a direction he should go that fits with his God-given passion -- that he will never abandon once trained in it.

Discovering this is one of the most important things we can help our children do.

God might even use it to reform that sector of society for His glory.

George Washington Carver is a great example of using his gifts.

Though he was from a humble background, he did great things that had an impact worldwide and , revolutionized the farming industry.

In Carver's day peanuts...

The Lord bless you
    and keep you, 
the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

God bless you, mama!

The Lord sees and knows the many ways you serve your family each day.

Comment below one thing you are thankful for this Mother's Day.

How would you like to say bye-bye to those nagging laundry piles?

Laundry is one of those things that always seems to be hanging over moms' heads, and it can be terribly draining. These are just a few of the problems:

• It takes so much emotional energy to sort the clothes back to the owners...and there are so many clothes
• Laundry sits in baskets for days awaiting folding
• Folded laundry sits in piles waiting to be put away
• Mom is the only one doing it

Here's an idea - LET EVERYONE CARRY THEIR LOAD (pun intended).

Can you imagine a world where everyone ages 3 and up does their own laundry?

How would that impact your life on a week-to-week basis, and how many extra hours would that buy you in a month?

 I dare you to try.

 To make the change, communication will be important. These are questions to ask each family member that can help set them up for success -- it simplifies, equips and tailors their experience:

 1. What can you get rid of from your drawers and...

Mama, is Santa real?

Do you know the history behind that jolly red-suited gift-giving legend?

Check out this documentary, hosted by historian/archeologist Mark Wilson. 

Instead of traveling to the North Pole, he goes to modern day Turkey to explore.

There he digs up clues that tell us a lot about the man behind the legend.

Maybe you will want to share this with your kids, too? You can watch at this link or find it on Amazon Prime.

Praying you are having a blessed Christmas season.

May that Saint Nicholas spirit of giving and generosity prevail in us not only this month, but throughout the year.

Thought about family photos this year yet?

While we most likely have all had more time with our children than we had anticipated this year, we may not have thought much about how they have grown and changed through the course of it.

Because our mental space has been filled up with the "extras" of pandemic and election concerns, I thought you might appreciate a little nudge that this might be a good time to think about a family picture.

Here are a few questions to help you make a great plan for family pictures this year:

• Color theme?
  • some solids
  • mix in a few touches of patterns to tie colors together
• Pose considerations
  • try to have everyone touching at least one other person (i.e. hand on a shoulder, etc.)
  • for older kids, remind them that if it bends, to bend it a little (elbows, knees, etc) so they don't appear stiff
  • when in doubt, lay on your tummies and pile the kids on top (hides bigger waistlines and also gets everyone really close in for the picture)
  • ...