Let’s face it...reading affects every single area of our lives. If kids struggle with reading, it is highly likely that they will struggle in other areas of their academic life as well. However, parents can play a large role in influencing kids to form better reading habits and become better readers. Here are five tips to beat summer slide and inspire your kids to love reading. 1. Read with your kids - Parent involvement is the number one predictor of early childhood reading success and … [Read more...]
How to Be the Coolest Dad Ever
This post is sponsored by Arctic Cove; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I know many kids on our reservation who had a hard life growing up with alcohol, poverty, and drugs. Some of my closest friends lived in unstable homes. Thankfully, when I was 7, my parents started going to church and within two years our family life had drastically changed. I had a great childhood that was drug and alcohol free because my parents chose to accept Christ. Memories of my … [Read more...]
Baby Dedication – What is it?
In our church we don't baptize babies, but we do have baby dedications. Have you heard of a baby dedication before? If not, I thought I'd share a bit about it. Baby Dedication Dedication of children to God was practiced in biblical times and is practiced today in many churches. You can find examples in the Bible of baby dedication: Hannah dedicated Samuel, to God and to the service of His house (1 Sam 1:27, 28) Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple in "Jerusalem to present Him … [Read more...]
Moms, I Know You’re Exhausted. Trust Me It’s Worth It.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. Life with one child was pretty darn easy. Relatively speaking, of course. Before we had my son, my daughter was four and half years old. She was potty trained, out of our family bed, able to entertain herself really well, and could be reasoned with on most days. Then, we decided she needed a sibling - a friend, a buddy, a pal. When she was four and a half years old and sweet as … [Read more...]
Play It Safe: Six Rules for Child Safety
Summertime is the the perfect opportunity to sit down with your young child and share some Play-It-Safe rules. Do you teach your kids about safety? Child safety is important in this fast paced digital age. Here are six rules grownups should teach kids to Play-It-Safe. Six Rules for Child Safety 1. “I Am the Boss of My Body!” Every child should feel their body belongs to them, and they can be the ‘boss of it.’ Being the boss of your body means they have the right to say no to any kind of … [Read more...]
Parents: What if you never say no?
Parents, do you find yourself saying "no" to your children often? I know I do. So when I saw a new book from Mark and Jan Foreman called, Never Say No: Raising Big Picture Kids - I was interested. Very interested. Here's what Mark Foreman says: “Never say no to all the dreams and creative ideas your children have. Never say no to the realization you can become different than your mom or dad. Especially never say no to their requests to join them, like playing dress up with your little … [Read more...]
Three Ways to Combat Sibling Rivalry
We've had both kids at home for 12 days. It was Spring Break. I forgot how hard it can be with two kids in the home all day. Things go well with two kids 4.5 years apart, until they don't. Then, before you know it, it's "You're so annoying" and "You're making me mad" continually coming from their not so innocent mouths. And I realize, with a lot of mommy guilt, that they've heard me say similar things to them as well this past week. They fight EVERY SINGLE DAY. If only they got … [Read more...]
