Entries from November 2007

Teaching Kids to be Respectful

November 30th, 2007 / 2 Comments

“My kids are so disrespectful when they talk to me. How can I get them to show some respect at home?” I have to warn you here, you may not like my answer. I wish there is an easy answer to that question. But from what I have experienced and observed, the answer requires you […]

Keep Communication Open with Our Kids

November 30th, 2007 / 2 Comments

“How do I keep communication open with my teenagers?” Parents often express that their teens are shutting them out of their lives. They talk more to their friends than to their parents. They might even consult with other adults such as their teachers or their friend’s parents. But they hesitate in coming to their own […]

A Simple Christmas

November 30th, 2007 / No Comments

Do you feel pressure to be a creative homemaker? Imagine this… your children’s rooms are painted all cute. The dishes are coordinated with cups and napkins. The furniture is arranged like a home magazine photo, with accent pillows, soft lighting…I am getting so tired just thinking about everything that I cannot do! I am not […]

Keeping the Joy in Christmas

November 30th, 2007 / No Comments

Everyone I talk to is stressed about the Christmas holidays. There’s the shopping, vacation planning, entertaining out-of-town guests, baking, decorating the house, and on it goes. I actually enjoy being busy at Christmas. All the activity is what adds excitement to the season! I think we purposely put that extra work on ourselves. Don’t you […]

It is More Blessed to Give…

November 29th, 2007 / No Comments

Ask any child to tell you the best thing about Christmas, and what do you think he will say? “Presents!” While we want to teach our children that Christmas is not all about getting presents, perhaps we’ve inadvertently conditioned our children to think that it is about the presents! That pile of wrapped boxes under […]

Roll Up Your Sleeves & Get Involved

November 28th, 2007 / 2 Comments

Roll up our sleeves: Getting involved is both rewarding and fun! Join us for an interview with Heidi Gallegos, past school PTA President, elected School Board Member, Executive Director of the Regional Chamber of Commerce. She shares from her rich experiences in community involvement, and in raising her blended family which includes a set of […]

MySpace – and other social network sites – should we allow our kids to use them?

November 27th, 2007 / 2 Comments

MySpace Banner Social network sites are the big thing. But the word MySpace strikes fear into the heart of concern parents. Should we allow our children to use MySpace? When my daughter asked if she can open an account, I had to think through this issue. Here’s how I decided…

You Need Some Friends

November 8th, 2007 / 1 Comment

Being at home with little ones can be a lot of fun…and a big drain on you. Nobody can work a 24/7 schedule without a break as a mother does and remain sane. I’ve been there. Some days, I had to say, “Get me outta here!” And that’s exactly what you should do. Before you […]

Ladies First

November 6th, 2007 / 5 Comments

Yesterday at church while I was teaching the children’s class, one of the boys was assigned to pass out the snacks. He proceeded to serve the boys who were clamoring for the food. “Ladies first,” I said. “Awww!” the boys groaned. “Why should the girls get it first?” In this day and age of women’s […]

Don’t Let Your Kids Fall Behind

November 5th, 2007 / 2 Comments

As a substitute teacher I was teaching a 3rd grade class today. The math topic was figuring out elapsed time on a clock. “If the movie started at 6:30pm, and the movie was 1 hour and 15 minutes long, what time did the movie end?” The students are to write their answers on their individual […]