Archive for Parenting

Mama Magnet – Monday Motivation

In our home it is hard to find time alone and I am sure many of you with young children have the same problem. Lately when I have found a quiet spot and settled in, one by one a child inevitably finds me, starts talking or asking me questions or just to play in the same room I am in. If I happen to express my frustration over being followed by stating, “Why do you all always follow me?” my older daughters have been saying, “But Mommy you are a magnet and we want to be with you.” And I dubbed myself the “Mama Magnet.”

As moms we should actually desire to be a Mama Magnet, it’s indicative that we are doing something right. If our children don’t want to be with us, then we should start worrying.

Part of motherhood involves giving of ourselves when it is not convenient or even desirable at times. It means my giving my 3 year old the kisses he wants to dole out even when I feel smothered by the 20th one. It means talking to my girls late into the night when I want to work or go to bed. It also means taking the time to watch my sons play with their new airplanes even though it is not new to me.

This week my motivation is to be a better Mama Magnet.


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Prosperity Parenting

I thought this article had some interesting points and thought it might make for some good conversation, so feel free to leave your thoughts!

Prosperity Parenting
How parents sabotage their kids’ success and how they can ‘change the story’

Guest Post By Randy Gage

Every parent wants the best for their kids. Yet millions of adults unknowingly sabotage their children’s chances for success.

I grew up poor. I was jealous of rich people and didn’t like them. So over the years I kept trying to get rich, not realizing that my subconscious mind was telling me, “Better stop doing that, or you’ll become one of the evil, mean, nasty rich people!”

The messages against wealth and prosperity are all around us, in our culture, media, and religions. But how many parents stop to think about how their own views on getting ahead influence their children’s ability to succeed?

Your core beliefs about everything related to prosperity – money, relationships, health, and spirituality – are set by the time you’re 10 years old. And no one influences those beliefs more than parents.

Millions of parents do this by conveying a negative vision of prosperity and success. If you tell yourself things like “If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all,” and “I’m always a day late and a dollar short,” you will, consciously or subconsciously, convey these messages to your kids.

The truth is it’s really not that hard to change your beliefs – If you are aware of them and make that choice. Here are some tips:

  • Identify negative beliefs you may be creating in your children — Do some critical thinking about what kind of beliefs you developed in childhood about money, rich people and wealth. Honestly ask yourself, are you programming your children with thoughts such as money is bad, rich people are evil, or it’s spiritual to be poor? I call these “mind viruses.” Defeating them starts with acknowledging you have them.
  • Help kids identify anti-prosperity media messages: Did you ever stop to think about how blockbusters like Titanic and Avatar portray wealth, and how those stories can set kids up with attitudes that sabotage their future success? Talk to your kids about the subliminal messages they receive on TV, in movies and other media. Help them to become self-motivated critical thinkers.

  • Create a positive vision of prosperity: Examine how you react to families with more wealth than yours when speaking to your kids. Do you discuss them with envy or jealousy, or admiration and respect? Talk to your kids about how their thoughts about wealth can shape their future.

People have a hard time believing they are sabotaging their prosperity at age 30, 40, or 50 because of a belief that was formed when they were six, but I see it all the time. And that’s the book that gets written, unless you become aware of the plotline and decide to change the story.

Whether you and your children are on the path to poverty or prosperity is determined by the thoughts you give precedence to. Your thoughts come from the type of vision you have.

Everyone has a vision. Millions have a negative one; many more have a neutral one. It’s vital to help your children develop a positive one.

About Randy Gage: Randy helps audiences recognize and reject roadblocks to wealth and prosperity with warmth, wit and wisdom drawing from his rags-to-riches story. A former high school dropout, Randy rose from a minimum wage job and spending time in jail as a teen to become a self-made multi-millionaire who has inspired millions of people around the world. He is the author of eight books on success including Prosperity Mind and Accept Your Abundance that have been translated into more than 25 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide. Learn more about Randy at his public website: http://www.RandyGage.com and on Prosperity TV: http://www.youtube.com/randygage.


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Part 2 – Free Kids Apps

**(When I downloaded these apps they were free, I cannot guarantee if they started charging a fee.) **

I completely forgot about all the phones and tablets out there that are not an “I” product.  To those, I apologize if these apps are not available for your product.  Otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised with the positive feedback from the last Free Kids Apps post! Thank you and Enjoy!

Toddler Puzzle Shapes – This app is compatible for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad.  You are able to turn the music on or off and is available in 5 different languages.  This app is for your little ones.  When you press start, you are given 5 different shapes and a ghost outline of one of the shapes.  Your child will then drag the correct shape to the ghost shape.  After every 3rd choosing of the shape a jigsaw (4 pieces) appears.  When you select a puzzle piece, it glows where the piece should go.  In the tools section, you are able to turn off the jigsaw section.

PBS Kids Video – Compatible with iPhone & iPad.  Got any kids that love Elmo?  He’s on this app along with SUPER WHY, Curious George, Cat in the Hat and others!  However, this is not a game your child can watch videos of their favorite educational friends.

Barnyard Mahjong Free – This one is also compatible with the iphone & ipad.  This is for the bigger kids (and this Mom!)  If you’ve ever played a Mahjong game you know it’s addictive.  If you haven’t, all you do is match the tiles and you’ll catch “the addict bug”. The tiles in this one are animals, fruits, veggies and the farmer, so it’s easier for kids.

Happy Downloading!


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Little Ace and The Ten Commandments App Review & T-Shirt Giveaway

How cute is this little guy! 

It’s never to early to have your children learning about the Ten Commandments, in a fun way! This little cartoon chick goes on a journey to find “the God”.  While in this travels he learns about the Ten Commandments through other cartoon animals. 

The narrator of this story has a soothing voice, talks smoothly and slowly. With this iPad app you can turn the narrator on or off, so you or your child can read this e-book.  You can also control to turn the pages or have the “story” turn the pages when it’s time.  In addition, there are interactive opportunities for your child to help the animals with tasks, for example to find the goat’s glasses and put then on the goat. This app is available on iTunes for only $2.99.

Here are a few screen shots.

My Review –

This is a MUST HAVE e-book in my house.  My daughter and I loved it.  I let the narrator read to her (he does the animals voices much better than I).  The app says it good for children 4 and over, however my daughter is 3 and LOVED it.  What I like is it’s a book that will grow with your children.  Once they are at reading age, they can read to you.  The learning experience is also wonderful in a fun way.  My daughter loved the cartoon chick.  The graphics are not fancy or overwhelming.  Just very simple with a lot of impact on the story.  My recommendation is to download it now.  You won’t regret this one!

Here’s the download site – http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/little-ace-ten-commandments/id481298715?mt=8

Here’s Liitle Ace’s Website – http://www.acethechick.com/

And he’s on Facebook!  Go ahead and “like” him!  It’s hard not to!

Like this t-shirt?  You can win it!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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Costa Concordia Cruise Ship & Future Men

I have been reading bits here and there of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster and I have to say if reports are true, the captain and his crew were very ill equipped to handle the emergency situation they found themselves in. To be frank, they were cowards. I read one passenger’s description liken their experience to that of the Titanic, but I would add “except for the crew members and captain.” The Titanic’s crew had poise and chivalry (for the most part) and the Titanic’s captain displayed heroic courage to stay with his ship, whereas the Costa Concordia’s captain went AWOL and his crew members were like lost puppies, desperately lacking character and courage.


Actual Photos here.

Where are the men of chivalry and courage today? Who will lead when no one else will? I am not going to beat on men, but rather their courage and leadership skills. Their display of chivalry. The crew of Costa Concordia were lost without their captain and no one stood up to the plate to lead the rest of the crew and passengers when their captain abandoned them and his ship. It’s terrible. If only one or two crew members could have led the rest how many of the lives lost could have been saved. After all they were so close to land!

I don’t know about you but I want to raise sons of courage and sons who will strongly lead when others only follow. I don’t want my sons to be wimpy and lack the thought power that it takes to step up to the plate and do what a man has to do to save lives, to save his family, fellow man or his country. As much as it scares me to death to think of my son’s being in harms way, I would much rather them be true heros in the sense of the word than to bring shame on their gender and themselves.

As mothers, we owe it to our sons and the future of this country to raise them to be strong, able men. Not brutes, not wimps, but men who are not afraid to love, not afraid to do the hard thing when the opportunity arises and not afraid to lead others with courage and chivalry of old. It is my hope and prayer that God will equip each of us raising sons to do the right thing by them and teach them to be men, not boys.

Stepping down off my soapbox now.


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That’s My Girl: A Revell Blog Tour

That’s My Girl is a book written parenting expert Rick Johnson, founder of “Better Dads”. This book maps out how dads can develop a healthy, closer relationship with their daughters, and gives moms insight into the important role a father plays in the life of their girls, including her relationship to her father.

The father-daughter relationship is very important in a girls life. According to Mr. Johnson, this is the one relationship that determines how she feels about herself, what kinds of men she is attracted to and how she expects to be treated by other men. I know as I read the pages of this book, I couldn’t help thinking about my relationship with my Dad, who passed away 6 years ago. He was a good provider, active in our lives as little girls (I have 3 younger sisters) but once we hit preteen and teen years he became much more distant.

I agreed with some of the things Mr. Johnson shared, but other things I didn’t. There are always exceptions to the rule and there is the God factor. I believe certain areas of my life could have been disastrous, were not because of God having my back so to speak. I loved the stories he shared about his teenager daughter. She was a character!

Mr. Johnson does a thorough job of showing Dads how to help map their daughters future. Overall I believe this book is a good resource for fathers especially, but mothers will benefit as well.

“Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Faith and Family Reviews received the following product in exchange for writing a review. While we consider it a privilege to receive free products to review, our reviews are our honest opinion and thoughts of the product.


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What Does a 3 Year Old Plus 2 Keys Equal?

You know you are a blogger when you grab your flip cam in a serious situation……

Never a dull moment in my house. So what does a 3 year old plus 2 keys equal? A burnt electrical outlet (I called it a light socket in the video below! Brain freeze!) and one melted key tip. Yep he put two keys into an electrical outlet in the boys room and one of them melted to the little screw that holds the outlet frame into the wall. Amazing. I was told that I could take the keys out with rubber handled pliers……don’t try it! Sparks still flew even though I didn’t get shocked! I had to shut down the electric in the house to take them out to prevent anymore sparks. I am just grateful we are all still here and the house is still standing! Could have been a lot worse to say the least.

I have to shake my head at the trouble children can find. My daughter and son were even in the same room hanging pictures on the wall while he did this!?

July-Nov Videos 2011 053

I didn’t have to scold him, his siblings pretty much did that because they freaked out and to tease him (yes!), I was a little surprised that Noah did it as it is Junior (our 15 month old baby) whose been the most fascinated with electrical outlets. In the video Noah looks like he’s about to cry but I think the whole experience scared him. Life is rough sometimes, even for little ones.

And no this was not staged and yes I was calm….I don’t know why I remained calm. Ya win some and ya lose some….ya know what I mean? Today I won in this instance.


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Confessions on XFactor Night

Ok, I admit we are XFactor junkies at our house. My husband is a huge music buff (it was at a Christian music concert that he found a relationship with God!) and I…well…get pulled in by the contestants’ stories. When my husband was laid off a few years ago we discovered Britain’s Got Talent through Susan Boyle’s sensational audition that went viral, that in turn lead to us finding out about the UK’s XFactor. I am actually almost ashamed to admit this but we watch the UK, Australian and now the US version of the show. My husband and I usually watch it first, as with tonight’s US show and then watch it with our children. That way any scantily clad dancers, inappropriate lyrics etc. can be screened out of their view. Most of the time the show is pretty much ok, but it’s the music/entertainment industry’s standards that mess things up – at least for our family.

The girls categories on both the US and UK versions are strong this year. It was the boys category that was strong on the Aussie version.

So are their any other XFactor fans out there? Any thoughts? We think Simon Cowell makes the show and the chemistry between him and the other US judges is pretty fun to watch. After all the show is for our entertainment, right?

Now off to my cheap date night with my husband! (I did not get this posted because as I nursed my son to sleep he lulled me to sleep! I know all you nursing moms understand! ;-) )

The results of last night’s show are on tonight on Fox.

I have started three posts this week and have not got back to them, so I am trying to get them posted now.


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Overruled: Government Invasion of Parental Rights

This is a must see for ALL parents! Go beyond the first case as each case presented is a different topic.


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Bad Days

I hate bad days. They usually start because of one person and their attitude and it totally throws everyone in the whole house off. Today is a bad day. My attitude stinks. I will admit it. My day started ok. I got down to business and homeschooling, then a certain little person broke a new and currently my favorite mug. Material thing, an accident, I know, but still I reacted to the mishap and my attitude after that incident completely changed. Why do we sweat the little stuff? I have no idea why. I think I have grumped at nearly any child who has come near me and now all I want to do is climb into my shell and stay there. If I were a turtle that would be easy to do, but I am a mom of eight children and it is pretty much impossible to do!

I could have climbed back in bed, I know of two little people who would have climbed right in beside me because they do that every night anyways! But no, I got up and made lunch, cleaned up and came back to the computer with a silly blog post. Now I really need to apologize and get our day back on track so we can at least finish well.

The good thing about bad days is apologies and making the day better than it began! Off to strap a smile on my face, an apology on my lips and laughter in my heart as I enjoy a beautiful fall afternoon with my
“crew”.

Enjoy your day no matter how it started, even if it means an attitude adjustment by you!

By the way, the picture in this post is how I have felt most of this morning. :-(


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