Family
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Is Your Parenting Style Hurting Your Child?
This post has been weighing on my heart for a long time…I’m talking years. This particular aspect of parenting keeps creeping into my life and then I get busy and forget about it, but it’s one that I think is important to discuss. Now, this post is mainly for parents, however, I know I have at least a few teen readers out there and I would love to get your perspective on this topic as well. Please don’t be shy! Leave me a comment with your thoughts so we can some more insight into whether or not this phenomenon actually exists and if it does, what we can do as…
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My Cauliflower Pizza Crust Adventure
I am an Army wife and a mother of 7. I also grew up with 8 brothers and 4 sisters. There are few things in life that intimidate me. Cauliflower crust was one of them. I have always envied my friends’ pictures of their cauliflower crusts knowing that it was probably something I could do, but I was always afraid to try for some reason. I’ve been cooking since I was 5 years old, so it’s not like I’m a novice in the kitchen. I have just always been intimidated by the thought of making my own cauliflower crust. Yesterday, in an effort to serve healthier foods to my family,…
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My One Small Miracle
There is no way that anyone will ever be able to convince me that there isn’t a God. Ever. Today is one example of why… Tomorrow is my son Jonathan’s high school graduation. Let me give you a little background on the boy. He is somewhat of a freak of nature as far as kids are concerned. He rarely ever cried unless he was hungry or needed his diaper changed. I don’t ever remember having to spank him or discipline him in any way other than the one time his older brother was being a super butthead to him and Jonathan got so angry he punched Michael…and then cried because…
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The Mom Machine
Growing up in a large family, our house was pretty much chaos 24/7. I think my mom liked it that way. If the house was too quiet she seemed uncomfortable. She slept with the television on just for background noise…come to think of it, the television was ALWAYS on, not because anyone was watching it but because Mom liked the noise. My mom did a lot for our family. She kept the crazy together if you know what I mean. Dad worked a ridiculous number of hours each week to provide for all of us and Mom kept the house running. It’s just how our family worked. Now that I…
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He Who Humbles Himself Shall Be Exulted
Remember the last couple of weeks before New Years when everyone was chatting it up about all of the great things they were going to accomplish in the new year? Remember that? Yeah, me too. I was one of those people with a list of resolutions this and goals that…what the heck? I don’t know about you but I’m getting my butt kicked by 2018 and we’re only 4 weeks in! Now, some may think this is a bad thing…most actually…however, I have been doing some reading and apparently when life hands you a bucket of worms you’re supposed to go fishing or something like that. There’s supposed to be some deeper…
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Baby, There Are Simply No Words…
I honestly don’t even know how or where to start this post. And for a writer, it is a rarity that I ever run out of things to say. Something has been weighing heavily on my heart, not just recently, but for the past 9 years actually. I’ve held it in. I’ve journaled. I’ve cried. And now I share it…with all of you. I had a son. His name was Brendan. He would have been 9 years old this September…actually, he wasn’t due until November. He was a vibrant baby…always kicking and rolling around. The kids were thrilled to be adding #8 to our beautiful family, especially Nathan. You see,…
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The Best Advice I Have Ever Given to My Teenage Daughter
Life is hard. Period. Sometimes things just suck. As a Christian, I believe that these times in our lives serve an important purpose: to draw us closer to God. Some think this is illogical. Why wouldn’t God make my life perfect with rainbows and unicorns if He loved me so much? My answer is that growth comes from adversity. You can’t grow into the person God has intended you to be without a few hard lessons, bumps and bruises along the way. You learn to ride a bike by falling off and scraping you knees just as you learn who you can trust and who you can’t by either having…
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What Every Military Teen Despises: The Dreaded PCS
Being a military family is not an easy job. What most civilians don’t realize is that when you are part of a military family, your husband’s job directly affects the lives of everyone in your family. Generally speaking, soldiers don’t go into the office and punch a clock and work an 8 to 5 job everyday. Military families essentially live the soldiers job 24/7. If you have a family bowling night planned and the commander calls, your soldier goes and family bowling night gets put on the back burner. Soldiers are required to miss birthdays, anniversaries, major holidays, and school events because training and the needs of the military take…
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The Hidden Power of PB&J
One of my absolute most favorite memories from being a kid starts with a simple, ordinary peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We didn’t have much growing up, but one thing we always had, by the grace of God, were three good, healthy, hearty meals every single day. My mom was a thrifty shopper, and back in the day grape jelly was the cheapest…so that’s what we ate, every single day. Lunch meat was a luxury that was saved for my dad’s lunches out of respect for the hard work he did to support our family and the fact that he was the head of the household. This is something that…
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What Effect is Social Media Having on You?
This is a topic that has weighed heavily on my mind for a long time now. I have worked in the social media marketing world for a little over 4 years and let me tell you, it all becomes very overwhelming at times. We are constantly inundated with various memes, opinions, articles, news stories, videos…the list goes on and on. The next time you are at a stop light, take a look around you and notice how many people immediately reach for their cell phones, that is, if they’re not already on them while driving. It seems virtually impossible (pun completely intended) to get away from the constant chaos and…
