by Kelli Sanders | Jun 21, 2013 | Encouragement, Faith and Family, Help for Moms, Motherhood
If you’ve ever doubted how special and UH-mazing you are, you need to hear this!
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10 Things Every Mom Should Know!
Dear Mommy,
Please do yourself a favor and watch this video. Why, you ask? Because you need to smile today and this is GUARANTEED to make you smile (caution: it may even make you tear up a bit).
This isn’t a video that I helped to create – just something that I thought the world of moms needed to hear from the heart of a very cute and inspirational boy!
Enjoy and comment below if you thought this was as cute as I did!
by Kelli Sanders | Jun 8, 2013 | Bible Studies, Encouragement, Faith and Family, Help for Moms, Spiritual Growth
Being positive and thinking on good things is a choice. What are YOU choosing in the “daily grind” of your life? It could be making all the difference in the world. Read on to find out why.
Some surprising statistics show that as much as 77% of what people think is negative, counterproductive and works against them. In addition, people who grow up in the average household hear the word “no,” or they are told what they cannot do more than 148,000 times by the time they reach the age of 18! The culture we live in has the potential to produce in you a critical spirit that will cripple your life and relationships, limit your ability to succeed, and keep you from the joy that God intended for you to live in.
That negative thinking will stop faith, it will stop love, and it will leave you with a sense of hopelessness and despair! So how do you unlock the power of being positive!?
First, examine your own heart and identify what has brought you to the negative side of life. Is it:
- A critical family?
- Too many disappointments and broken promises? (e.g. “I tried that and it didn’t work.”)
- Dreams that haven’t come to pass? (related to marriage/divorce, death(s), job loss, etc.)
- Pride or insecurity?
- Past hurts that have hardened your heart? (unfaithfulness, betrayal, etc.)
No matter what has brought you to that place in your heart and mind, YOU can break free from the past!
God wants to bring you out of the “world’s” atmosphere (critical, harsh, mean) into the atmosphere of His kingdom (one of faith, hope, love, compassion and caring) so He can begin to release His power and His purposes IN you and THROUGH you! The world needs the creativity, life and light that are inside of YOU – yes you! But you must DO something to turn around and begin to swim against the world’s current. Are you ready?
Follow this road map to freedom and begin right now!
#1 Recognize Wrong Thinking
As an elementary school teacher I found that there were some classrooms in which children were always told the things they were doing wrong, and there were others in which there was ALSO an acknowledgment of what was done right and well. The atmosphere of the classroom largely depended on the mindset of the teacher. In a similar way, the atmosphere of a home can largely depend on the mindset of mommy.
Look honestly at your heart right now. Do you consistently look for, find, and expose the weaknesses, shortcomings, faults and failures of others? Do you set yourself up as judge, jury and executioner? Do you tend toward skepticism, envy and unbelief? Are you often frustrated, sarcastic and impatient with people? If you answered yes to any or all of the above, it is time to acknowledge that wrong thinking and make some adjustments.
#2 Choose to Change
It will profit you nothing to see a wrong spirit in the way you perceive life and people, and then to go on thinking the same way, and talking the same way because you will keep acting the same way and getting the same results! You can choose to change the way you think!
#3 Refrain from Criticism!
Katherine Marshall, wife of Peter Marshall (chaplain of the US Senate in the 40’s):
“One morning last week, God gave me an assignment one day. I was to go on a fast from criticism. I was not to criticize anybody or anything. For the first half of the day I simply felt a void almost as if I had been wiped out as a person. This was especially true at lunch. I listened to the others and kept silent. In our talkative family no one seemed to notice. Bemused I noticed that the world could apparently get along just fine without my penetrating observations but still, I didn’t see what this fast from criticism was accomplishing until mid afternoon. In the afternoon God gave me a new vision for my life, and it had His unmistakable stamp on it: JOY. Ideas began to come in a way that I hadn’t experienced them in years. Now it was apparent that what the Lord wanted me to see was my critical nature had not solved a single one of the many things that I had found fault with. What I had done was to stifle God’s creativity in me.”
When you stop complaining and criticizing, the joy of the Lord can bring creative power into your life! The problems you were complaining about, you will now have answers to! Try this for one hour, one day, one week, and see what it will do to plant the seeds of positivity in your thought life.
#4 Replace “Bad” with “Good”
This is what the world says:
Whatever is false, whatever is unworthy of respect and dishonorable, whatever is shameful and offensive, whatever is unjust and polluted, whatever is unlovely and unkind, whatever is rude and disgusting, if there is any bad news and failure, if there is anything worthy of fear and worry, think on and weigh and take account of these things.
This is what God says:
For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].
Once you recognize the negativity, choose to change, and practice refraining from the negative commentary, you may feel like Katherine Marshall – wiped out as a person! So what do you do? Replace the former way of doing things with a new way of doing things! Replace the “bad” with the “good.” YOU CAN DO IT!
Why is it worth it???
As a mommy you have tremendous power and influence in the lives of your children AND in creating the atmosphere of your home. Families thrive in an atmosphere of faith, hope, love, positivity and good words being spoken over them. Just think of what you can do to help your children believe that they can do all things through Christ! Just think of how your choice to make some adjustments today can affect lifelong change in future generations! CHANGE IS POSSIBLE AND CHANGE IS POWERFUL! I believe in you!
by Kelli Sanders | Jun 2, 2013 | Help for Moms, Motherhood, School-Aged Years, Teaching Tools, Toddler Years
Teaching your toddler to become a good reader is simply a matter of building the right foundation!
It’s true that no building will stand without the proper foundation being laid, and as a mommy you are a master builder! Your child’s education begins at home with you, and it starts the moment life begins! You teach your child everything from finding food to sitting, to crawling, walking, talking, and – YES – even reading! Don’t write-off the idea so soon; instead, grab a pen and paper and add these tools to your collection. Soon you’ll be constructing a love for learning!
5 Building Blocks for Your Future Reader
BLOCK #1: Make Reading a Daily Routine
Making reading a part of your daily routine is going to help your little one acquire the information and skills needed to succeed in school and life. Yes – it’s that powerful! Reading aloud to your child will expose them to the world in which they live, and help them to understand it. It will create awareness of the relationship between sound and print, and increase their vocabulary. It will also engage their imagination, and develop in them a love for learning.
Consistency is key! Reading daily is much simpler than you might think, and you can make it an experience that is fun and special for you toddler. Establish regular times to read, like before bed, and look for other opportunities throughout the day:
- Get cozy with a good book in the morning before the day starts.
- Read before a nap to help settle your little one down.
- Read during snack time.
- Read anytime your child brings you a book.
BLOCK #2: Read Age-Appropriate Books
Age is a big factor in selecting the right type of book that will create an enjoyable experience for both you and your child. Today you can find many good books available that will suit your baby’s stage of development. For babies and toddlers you’ll want to look for:
- Books that are easy to manipulate for little hands
- Books that are durable (e.g. plastic books or board books)
- Age-appropriate subjects (think animals, numbers, family, alphabet, etc.)
- Simple, uncluttered illustrations or photos
In addition to selecting age-appropriate books, use YOUR child’s interests and imagination to drive your reading selections. They will enjoy looking at books about things that they are curious about in their world!
BLOCK #3: Read with Expression
The value of reading right cannot be emphasized enough! The more excited and animated you are when reading to your child, the more excited they will be to listen. Are there multiple characters in the book? Give them different voices. Are you asking a question or making a statement? Change your tone to match the sentence. Are there certain emotions being expressed? Express that emotion in your voice (sadness, happiness, anger, surprise, excitement) to help bring the story to life.
Why is this important? Reading with expression will help your child to relate the book you are reading to what they are experiencing in their every day life. It will also help early readers with comprehension as meaning is added to the printed word.
If you are not the “animated type,” don’t worry. You can think outside the box:
- Ask an older sibling to read to your little one.
- Enlist the help of your spouse or other relatives.
- Consider audio books for children.
- Practice reading the story with expression before you read it to your child.
BLOCK #4: Make it a “Hands-On” Experience
It’s no surprise that a toddler is “hands-on.” Rather than fighting against that natural curiosity, guide it in the right direction! Allow your child to turn the pages of the book, to hold it and explore it before you might even read the text. If there are parts of the pages that are fuzzy, or soft, or provide some sort of tactile experience, take your toddler’s hand and guide it to “feel” the book.
My 18 month old loves to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. One of the main reasons he loves this book is because we stick his little fingers in the holes where the caterpillar “ate through” his food. His favorite day in the book is Saturday, where he gets to touch the chocolate cake, the ice cream cone, the lollipop – you get my point. His hands get to explore the book and it makes it more enjoyable for him!
Another way to create a tactile experience is to use touch throughout the reading. For example, hold your child tight if it’s scary, tickle his sides if something silly happened, crawl your fingers on the side of her arm if there is a moment of suspense! Your toddler will love this and it will make your reading time special.
Block #5: Be Patient!
Your patience is included as a key to future reading success because it will be required on the journey! Initially you may feel that your child shows no interest in reading at all and you may be tempted to get discouraged – BE PATIENT. Every child develops at a different pace so don’t compare your experience to someone else’s. Be consistent and adaptable.
Your little one may bring you his or her favorite book to read over, and over, and over, and over again – BE PATIENT! Reading the same story frequently is exciting to your little one. Before you turn the page they “know what’s coming,” and may even learn some of the words through the repetition.
When your child really gets into the “nuts and bolts” of reading in school, there may be times of frustration – BE PATIENT! All of your efforts are well worth it!
Now go, master builder, and use these building blocks to lay a solid foundation for your future reader! You CAN teach your toddler!
