5 Keys to Balance Marriage, Homeschooling, and Business

5 Keys to Balance Marriage, Homeschooling, and Business

This is a guest post by Esther Littlefield of WellnessMomLife.com. Be sure to grab her great freebie! When my husband and I first decided we would homeschool our daughter, I had a few stipulations. He had always thought homeschooling was a good idea. I, on the other...

An Easy, Free Chores for Kids Checklist That Works

An Easy, Free Chores for Kids Checklist That Works

I have used just about every type of chore system imaginable and have blogged about them, too. I finally have a system that works with my 5-6 kids (depending on who is home) and has for a long time. You can get your checklist here, but first I want to explain why...

How to Raise a Spoiled Brat

How to Raise a Spoiled Brat

I'm a psychologist and you'd think I would know better than to make some of the mistakes I'm listing below, but the fact is I have made some. It's only by the grace of God that I have stopped short of doing most of them with my kids. I am writing, not out of a sense...

A Winter Workout for Kids

A Winter Workout for Kids

The weather outside is still frightful where we are, making it hard for kids to get the exercise they need. I've talked about ways to give your kids exercise before, but I started thinking that I wanted another option. I remembered using this workout from Marie Claire...

The Solution for Sibling Rivalry

The Solution for Sibling Rivalry

The fighting and bickering gets on your nerves at best and scares you at worst. What are you supposed to do? I'm a psychologist and I'm supposed to KNOW what to do. I've tried just about every recommended technique: Ignoring the fighting as a plea for my attention...

Kids’ Advice for How to Raise Thankful Children

Kids’ Advice for How to Raise Thankful Children

I made dinner for the family and after we ate, my son said, "Thanks, Mom! That was really good!" His siblings chimed in with their thanks and I marveled. While my children have a variety of habits that leave something to be desired, they have had this habit of...

Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

Many years ago, I read an article in a Christian parenting magazine about giving children just three gifts each: a gold, frankincense, and a myrrh gift to imitate the gifts that the baby Jesus received from the wise men. With the time and money required to purchase...

10 Family Christmas Photo Ideas

10 Family Christmas Photo Ideas

Nine years ago I had the crazy idea that I could take my own family Christmas photo to send with our yearly Christmas card. My husband loved my first photo so much that he asked me to send them out as postcards to his customers--librarians. The response from friends,...

60 of the Best Christmas Gifts for Kids

60 of the Best Christmas Gifts for Kids

I've been buying gifts for my now six children (five boys and one girl) for 16 years and I've had the opportunity to see which gifts last. Not only have I been able to determine which gifts my kids remember, use, and love, but I've also had the chance to see which...

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Being a Mom

Everything You Never Wanted to Know About Being a Mom

I'm writing my niece (who is expecting her first baby) a letter about what she doesn't want to know about being a mom. Maybe she'll have the courage to read it a few years from now when she wonders why she can't stop crying. #1 It hurts. We've already covered the pain...

Have You Caught the Kids Being Good?

Have You Caught the Kids Being Good?

If you want your child's attention, just get on the phone and they'll appear in an instant with the latest whine or dispute for you to referee. Am I right? Unfortunately, misbehavior works to get our attention. Good behavior often doesn't. The Problem with Ignoring...

Scarred for Life: The Lesson No Parent Can Afford to Skip

Scarred for Life: The Lesson No Parent Can Afford to Skip

  Getting Fit NOW or Never on Facebook posted this photo explaining that this young woman had allowed her boyfriend to tattoo his name on her face as a sign of her love. By the way, his name is Rus, not Bus. The comments summarized what I initially thought of...