Reasons I Owe My Mother

1. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC:
“If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.”

2. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM:
“Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”

3. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY:
“If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!”

4. My mother taught me about STAMINA:
“You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”

5. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION:
“Just wait until we get home.”

6. My mother taught me about ESP:
“Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold?”

7. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT:
“If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”

8. My mother taught me GENETICS:
“You’re just like your father.”

9. My mother taught me WISDOM:
“When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.”

10. And the favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE:
“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

Traditions and memories are one of the things that ties a family together. You feel a part of something special that you share with your family. People are always reminiscing about family traditions during the holidays. How they always had a certain meal on Christmas eve or went caroling every year. This common element made the holidays special because it happened every year and everyone loved it!

Make a memory with your children,
Spend some time to show you care;
Toys and trinkets can’t replace those
Precious moments that you share.
by Elaine Hardt

Creating traditions can be as simple as serving favorite meals on birthdays, eating black-eyed peas every New Year’s Day, coloring Easter eggs together, having a fourth of July cook-out and then watching fireworks, sharing what you are thankful for every Thanksgiving, and baking Christmas cookies and decorating the tree while singing Christmas carols.

Traditions are usually passed on from one generation to the next. Remember to include your faith in those traditions. Say a prayer every night together or at every meal giving thanks.

Attend Sunday morning services together and share what you learned on the way home. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter the most!

]]> http://www.christianwomenfriends.com/making-memories-while-creating-traditions/feed/ 2 http://www.christianwomenfriends.com/give-yourself-a-break-mom/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=give-yourself-a-break-mom http://www.christianwomenfriends.com/give-yourself-a-break-mom/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 02:10:47 +0000 Judy http://www.christianwomenfriends.com/?p=134 Everybody needs a break now and then, especially moms! “Me” time is needed so you don’t neglect yourself. Every mom knows it’s hard to get any time alone. The minute you get on the phone, you have an audience demanding your attention. Forget going to the bathroom in peace, they come banging on your door! It can be overwhelming. No one can function well 24/7. You need a break!

Balance is a hard thing to find in the day of a mom. With the kids activities, school, work and a spouse who doesn’t want to be neglected either, how do you fit in time for yourself? You schedule it just like everything else!

Wake up a few minutes early and start your morning with a prayer of thanks and a request for guidance. Unburden your problems, concerns and thoughts in prayer. This will help you release a lot of tension you don’t realize you carry with you all day!

Take time to take care of yourself. Make sure you get in some exercise and focus on eating well. Eating the kids leftovers is not a good balanced meal for you! Make time for a hobby you enjoy whether it’s reading, gardening, scrapbooking or whatever it is that interests you.

Moms are the heart of the home and are often taken for granted. Don’t allow this. You are an important part of the family and you deserve equal time without any guilt!

I’m not talking about a 5 day spa vacation, I’m talking about 20 minutes everyday for you time. You need this to avoid exhaustion, physically and mentally. Don’t forget to have fun. Laughing makes you feel better and releases stress.

What do you look forward to everyday? Anything? Or are you just trying to make it through the day? Emotional fatigue will overtake you if you don’t stop the roller coaster of overextending and neglecting yourself.

Becoming a mother does not mean giving up your identity. Don’t lose yourself in motherhood instead make motherhood a part of who you are. This is the key to well adjusted kids and a happier you.

Your spiritual and emotional well being is important to your family. So take time to nurture yourself!

Top 5 Conflicts in Marriage

1. Money. Of course, money would be first. Money causes all kinds of problems. It doesn’t matter if you have too much or not enough money. Either way you get conflict. Usually you have one spouse that is a free spender and one that is a saver. These don’t mix. Working out a compromise that both can agree with takes time, effort and trial and error.

2. In-Laws. Now there is a word that sends couples into hiding. There should be a written rule book about how to deal with in-laws. Even if both spouses get along great with their in-laws conflict still arises over where to spend the holidays, when to visit family and when and how often for in-laws to visit them. Sound familiar?

3. Children. Things are going along just fine and then comes the kids. Kids can cause conflict of all types. Deciding what faith to raise them in and how to discipline them are probably the ones that cause the most problems.

4. Sex. It is a rare marriage where this is not an area of conflict. Women think intimacy, men think sex. There is a difference. The key is to express yourself and your needs to your spouse. Women and men are wired differently and it is important to try and understand the other persons needs and wants.

5. Communication. Say what you mean and mean what you say. We should all live by this. If we did maybe there would be no more misunderstandings.

Learn to accept your differences. No two people are alike and sometimes differences can be good. The key to a happy successful marriage is learning to thrive on your differences. Make it a good thing not a bad thing.

A successful marriage is built within the biblical truth of God. Remember that God is part of your marriage. “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” Matthew 18:20. If both spouses are believers, God is with them.

Just having kids helps one build a higher level of tolerance. One important thing to remember is that suppressing anger only builds tension and stress. That’s why we must learn to control it.

So how do you control misbehavior without yelling and showing anger? It’s okay for kids to know we are angry however it is not okay for the anger to overcome our judgement. Anger can cause one to lose control and this is not something a parent needs to do.

Learn to stop before you react. Give yourself time to process the situation and don’t be too fast to react. Learning to stop before you react allows time to change your behavior and the child’s. Just taking a deep breath will help you think more clearly.

Keep everything in perspective. Remember nothing lasts forever and tomorrow is a new day.

Repeat after me “this too shall pass.”

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him” Psalm 127:3.