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How To Teach Gratitude To Your Kids {Free Printable Gratitude Journal}

February 8, 2021 By Guest Blogger 2 Comments

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Teaching gratitude to kids starts with our own attitude. The absolute best way to instill grateful hearts in our children is by example. Whether it is showing and feeling gratitude towards another person or towards God, there are small (and big) ways we can do so. This starts in the heart, our own heart. The following is not an exhaustive list, but rather a starting point. This is how we can both learn and teach gratitude in our homes.

How To Teach Gratitude To Your Kids

Teaching Kids to be Thankful

Simply said, give thanks. This may be the most obvious thing we can do, but can often be overlooked in our busy lives. In prayer and out loud, express thanks to God for everything! You can do this at the dinner table when saying ‘grace’ and when you say bedtime prayers, of course.

Gratitude During Activities For Kids

Give thanks as you are doing activities throughout the day. Express gratitude in unplanned and random moments as well! Thank God for the joy in your day, the strength He has given you, the child at your side. Let them give thanks for playing, working, and resting as well. Your children will learn to see blessings in the ordinary and to Whom thanks is owed.

Express Gratitude Regularly

Always say “thank-you”. Again, an obvious but important way to teach our children gratitude. Say “thank-you” to them and others around you for acts of service. Children need to know you appreciate them and are thankful for them. When they know you are grateful for them (and their efforts) it will help them to see the importance of having (and showing) gratitude towards others.

Show Gratitude in More Than Words

Show thanks to others for their kindness towards you and your family. By “show” I mean take the time to show gratitude with more than just words of thanks. Bake a cake to bring to them as a gift of gratefulness. Help others in their time of need. Handwrite personal notes of gratefulness and mail them to those who have blessed you. Include your children and let them take an active role in the gratitude you/they have for others. Taking the time to serve others because you are thankful for their presence in your life shows gratitude from the heart.

Thankfulness Activities

Actually count your blessings. Intentionally point out blessings throughout the day. Literally spend time with your children counting everything you are thankful for. Go so far as to have a ‘gratitude journal’ that you have handy every day to jot down blessings that either you or your children think of. Take it out every so often and read the blessings you have recorded to remind them and yourself of how blessed you are. Then practice the above steps of giving thanks to God, saying “thank-you” to your children, and showing gratitude to others.

Instilling Gratitude Habits: Practice Gratitude Today

- Pray out loud with your children expressing gratitude to God for His grace and for your children. Get specific, what is it about your children you are you most thankful for?
- Use words to let your children know when you are grateful for their efforts – say “thank-you” often!
- Use actions to show gratitude to your children and others. Do something kind and unexpected for your child (help them with a chore, invite them to spend time with you doing something they enjoy).
- Let them know you wanted to show them you are thankful for them. Talk about how someone has blessed your family and how you want to return the favor and then excitedly choose an act of service you can do as a family to show gratitude!
- Write it down! Use a blank notebook, a special gratitude journal, or sign up to receive the printable journaling pages in this post. Practice gratitude while recording blessings big and small that you and your children discover throughout the day.

Parenting is hard work, but it provides us with a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as God’s children while raising children for God. Read more parenting articles full of practical tips & encouragement for your parenting journey at my blog.

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Clarissa R. West is a Christian, Wife, Homeschool Mom to 7 Children with Medical & Special Needs, Grieving Mom to 1 Child in Heaven, Homemaker, and Writer. You can find her at ClarissaRWest.com sharing practical tips & encouraging others to count blessings, seek joy, and find strength in Jesus.

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5 Practical Tips To Help Your Teen With Time Management

February 4, 2021 By Guest Blogger 4 Comments

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How can I help my teenager with time management? If you find yourself asking this question, you are not alone. Many books have been written on the subject of time management. There are many different strategies to help your teens learn essential time management skills. Here, we will briefly examine five tips to guide you as you begin the time management training process.

5 Practical Tips To Help Your Teen With Time Management

1. Understanding the need for time management skills for your teenager

The challenges confronting our children are unlike those faced by recent generations. As our children grow older, more independent, and gradually move out from our protection, they are bombarded with a host of temptations and distractions.

Stephen Covey’s classic book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, urges us to “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Homeschool graduate Christos Dimoulis’s insight can help us understand our teenagers’ perspective:

“When it came to time-management, my biggest challenge was distraction. Social media is one example. My Facebook account wasted countless hours of my time. I developed a habit of leaving my work to check my feed every five minutes.

“In what could legitimately be called an addiction, I found it increasingly difficult to focus on my assignments. I shudder to think of the opportunities I would have missed had I traveled through the black-holes of Instagram and Snapchat….”

Christos speaks for many teens today. Although it can be helpful to limit their access to electronic devices, it is critical that we help them learn how to handle those devices responsibly. (That topic alone could fill another book.)

2. Remember Every Teen is Unique

Don’t be surprised if you discover that the time management strategy that works for one child proves totally ineffective with another. Each child is unique. Just as there are a variety of learning styles, there are also a variety of time management styles. This leads us to the next tip…

3. Focus on Results Rather Than Methods

Wondering what methods students could apply to improve their time management skills? When my firstborn son was still in homeschool, I invested hours coaching him on time blocking on digital calendars, the Kanban approach, paper planners, and more. As I wrote this post, I asked him what advice he would offer to parents seeking to help their children become effective time managers.

His response carried a bit of a bite, but I think he’s right. He said we shouldn’t worry about what method our children use; instead, we should focus on results. Introduce your children to a variety of methods, (memories of our time management training sessions flash through my mind), but give them the freedom and flexibility to adopt whatever system works best for them.

4. Time Management Tip: Give Your Children Deadlines

As home educators, we have the ability to be flexible. We can establish what we believe to be the best learning environment. If your children are involved in outside classes or activities, they probably encounter assignments with fixed due dates. That naturally gives them the opportunity to practice the art of time management.

Children need a balance of both freedom and structure. Even if they have deadlines outside of your homeschool, be sure to give them deadlines for the work they do at home, too.

5. Be Gracious When They Fail

Be firm, but also be gracious. Although the failure to meet a deadline may bring consequences (such as a lower grade or privileges temporarily revoked), be gentle. Like any new skill, time management takes practice to develop. In time, (and with much prayer), that fledging will take flight and you will see your mature time manager soar!

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Stacy Farrell is the author of more than ten books on a variety of topics, including time management, motherhood, manhood, philosophy, and writing. She speaks at homeschool conferences, writes for leading Christian homeschool magazines, and is the founder of Home School Adventure Co. Although she loves to write, speak, and teach, Stacy considers her role as wife to Roger and mother to two precious sons to be her greatest work and privilege. Learn more about her resources at HomeSchoolAdventure.com.

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3 Simple And Practical Ways To Teach Respect To Your Children

February 3, 2021 By Guest Blogger 9 Comments

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Where do you start with teaching respect? Teaching our children respect is so important because it is foundational to all other relational skills, to the success of their relationships, and deference to God. 1 Peter 2:17 KJV reads, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.” See how it touches all areas of our lives? It is an important trait! So how do you teach your child respect?

3 Simple And Practical Ways To Teach Respect To Your Children

When we see that we are to show respect to all people, it means showing respect to our kids as well. We can teach them about respect and reinforce it by responding rather than reacting to them, studying or reading about it with them, and modeling it for them.

Teach Respect to Your Kids by Responding Rather than Reacting

When we feel threatened we tend to slip back down to a more primitive area in our brain — the flight or fight area. As this happens, we tend to react rather than respond. Anytime we react rather than responding, we can potentially come across as very disrespectful and potentially create an unsafe environment.

I know there is a lot of talk lately about “safe spaces” and poking fun. Within a home though, I truly believe a child should feel physically and emotionally safe at all times possible. We can be firm and correct without being disrespectful. Experiencing this insecurity, they too may get reactive and act out disrespectfully.

If you find yourself out-bursting often, try to stop and ask yourself what is the reason behind your intense reaction. Is it fear, lack of control, guilt, etc…? I’m going to share a personal story with you that’s a little bit embarrassing, but a perfect example. My youngest son took off the other day and hid outside behind my car. When I realized where he went to, I yelled, “Get your butt back in here NOW!” Oops. After a bit of a stand-off, I realized I needed to stop, breathe, and assess the situation.

I was afraid.

By reacting out of fear I ended up speaking disrespectfully towards him. I took a deep breath and instead told him, “If you aren’t willing to come back inside, I’ll need to call the police to come to help me (he is beyond my ability to physically control). I can’t simply let you run around here in the street alone. It’s unsafe, and I would be sad if something happened to you. I know you’re angry, but this behavior isn’t going to help you feel better.”

He came inside right away and he apologized for his behavior.

Easy Ways to Teach Respect Teach Respect To Your Kids

Keep in mind, when they are acting disrespectfully, what may be at the root of the anxiety-causing their reaction. After that tension is diffused, you can begin to work on talking about respect immediately following. Provide them with strategies for recognizing those feelings and handling them respectfully.

Ways to work on conditioning yourself to respond rather than react include prayer and journaling. Writing in a journal daily can help you notice areas (in retrospect) that you may not have given a second thought to otherwise. Prayer, of course, can do the same and expose many things that you need to know about yourself, as well as provide you ample encouragement and insight. You can also ask for your children or spouse to point it out for you when you’re doing it.

Studying God’s Word And Reading

The Bible is a great place to go for lessons in respect! Honestly, why not let it be the first place that you go? There is curriculum that you can use such as Little Lads and Ladies of Wisdom and Virtue from Kathie, plenty of Bible studies for both mom and children, as well as devotionals that speak to this topic. If you’ve got a house full of avid readers then that’s another option.

You can find plenty of psychology books for you; helping to understand how you’re reacting and how you can show respect and teach respect. There are plenty of storybooks for children as well these days. Encourage them to point out respect and disrespect in any of their books as you read. Being able to identify respect and disrespect is key in developing an attitude of respect. Additionally, encourage your children to do copy work that centers around the idea of respect and respectful behaviors.

Teaching Respect to your Children by Modeling Respect

Surely, you’ve heard the saying actions speak louder than words. Who hasn’t, right?! So, the thing is, as parents our example speaks the loudest. It’s louder than anyone else around our children! How we treat people is a key factor in teaching them about respect.

If we want them to understand that respect is a two-way street, they need to have practical application. When we mess up, an apology should be given, and the moment used to teach about respecting all people. In the future, when they “stick their foot in it,” you can refer to the times you’ve modeled making amends after disrespectful words.

How we treat our spouse is another place our actions speak loudly into the hearts of our children. Seeing a healthy relationship and respect in all circumstances, they build a strong foundation a strong marriage. In fact, they can also come to a solid understanding that respecting people you disagree with is 100% possible! It’s a marathon, not a sprint (and I’m running with you)…

Hopefully, you’ve seen clearly how learning respect is an integral part of your children’s overall social-emotional skill set. Try practicing one or more of the suggestions I’ve shared, and you should start to see some improvement in your kids’ (and your own) behaviors! If you tend to have intense reactions that are less than respectful, start there and do your best to remember to apologize; use it as a teaching moment. Consider a bit of reading about teaching kids respect, and don’t forget to keep a journal to help you see where you can grow. Remember, this is a lifelong process; for you both, and for your kids! It will take time, and God’s grace is sufficient!

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Building Godly Character In Your Kids

January 25, 2021 By Kathie 9 Comments

Building Godly character in your kids is one of the best things you can do to prepare them for life! It is so easy to make sure that our kids are well educated in academics, and that they develop skills in music or sports while neglecting the vital area of character training. While character is one of the most important things that we can develop in our children, it’s also a difficult and demanding job.

As parents, it is our responsibility to work hard at building and helping our children develop and grow in character.

We are the best equipped for this job because we love them more than anyone else, and we know them best. We need to get excited about and have a vision for raising a generation of young people with good strong Christian character, who will stand out in the world, and be used of God.

Romans 13:14 says, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This is a good definition of character: Christ-likeness. This must be very important to God, as it is a command. And of course, God equips us with the best resource for doing the job of teaching this – His Word.

Four important tips for building Godly character in your kids

1. Our children learn character from example

It is vital that we set an example of Godly character by the way that we live. Our kids are watching, and they will become like us. We can’t expect our kids to be honest if they see us lying about things. If we are always losing control and getting angry, we can’t expect them to have self-control. If we aren’t diligent about our work, how can we expect them to be diligent?

The hard truth is that our kids become what we are. It doesn’t matter what we say or teach – it’s what we DO that influences them the most.

Of course, we are going to make mistakes, and we have areas where we struggle. That’s okay! Just let the kids know that you are trying to do better, and asking God to strengthen you and help you grow in the area where you are weak.

Your kids will be encouraged when they see that you are willing to admit your mistakes, but that you also don’t excuse them, but keep working on them. That in turn encourages them to keep working on their character flaws.

2. Our children learn character through everyday life

Even when we are not intentionally training them in character, their character is being shaped and formed by what we allow them to do, or not to do. They are learning through every situation daily, including your reactions, your words, and your activities. Their character is also being shaped by where they are allowed to go, and what they also are allowed to watch, read, and do.

Keep in mind that all books push the author’s values, so be sure your kids are reading wholesome books. We were careful about what we allowed our kids to read, and tried to make sure they were books that were character building. Their character is being shaped by the books that you allow them to read.

You need to be aware at all times of what your kids are doing, and where they are. If you are present but distracted, you may end up surprised by some of the things your kids do. It’s your job to be there to guide, teach, supervise, and train.

Is it time-consuming? Yes! But it is also worth it because you are making sure that good seeds are being planted, that will spring up into Godly character.

Our children’s character is influenced by role-models.

We need to intentionally give our kids Godly role models that they can look up to. Reading biographies of great Christians with Godly character is one way to do that. You can also help them get to know missionaries when they visit your church. If possible, invite them over to dinner, and let your kids get to know them a little better. We encouraged our kids to get to know the missionaries at our church missions conference, and they enjoyed saving their prayer cards, praying for them, and writing to some of them.

By us pointing our kids to these Godly role models, it gave them more of a desire to grow up and serve the Lord. My oldest son is a missionary, and I believe that seed was planted in his little heart as a young boy when he met missionaries that we had over for dinner or ones he met at the church missions conference.

The other side of this is protecting your kids from poor role models. You don’t want them looking up to most movie stars or sports heroes as their role models.

3. Our children learn character through discipline

When your child acts wrong or shows wrong behavior or attitudes, look at this as an opportunity to teach and train about what God says in His Word. Don’t look at it as an interruption in what you are doing. Teaching and training your kids’ hearts with Scripture is your job as a parent!

Let me just remind you again, that we shouldn’t let those chances go. It’s easy to get busy or distracted and miss a great opportunity to point our kids to what God’s word says about their behavior and to train them in Godly character. If you have a difficult child, you are blessed with even MORE opportunities a day to shape their character with each occasion that training or discipline is needed.

By the way, the more time you spend training, the less time you should have to spend disciplining. Teach your kids what is expected or allowed, then require the right behavior.

4. Our children learn character through planned, positive, constructive teaching

This is the key. Don’t leave it to chance, but make plans to purposely teach your children to be like Christ-like. Have daily character lessons when you teach them different character qualities, what they mean, examples from the Bible of that quality being shown in a negative or positive way, and the results of the negative or positive behavior in that area.

Tell true to life stories relating to different character qualities. (Like the time I wasn’t “attentive” in school, and failed the test as a result.) We have opportunities daily to speak of character traits like kindness, perseverance, honesty, initiative, diligence, etc. These are words the kids should be very familiar with and hear often.

Think of the character training that our soldiers receive, and the discipline involved. Then think – we’re raising Christian soldiers for the Lord. What a job – what an opportunity!

Let’s raise a mighty army for the Lord!

If you need some practical help for building character in your kids, join us for the 30 days of building Godly character event! Get the details and grab your spot today!

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8 Tips for a New Mom (A Letter to My Daughter)

January 21, 2021 By Kathie 4 Comments

When my daughter Ruth gave birth to little Tori, I was thinking about things I wanted to tell Ruth, so I wrote a letter to my daughter with 8 tips for a new mom.

Below is the letter with some thoughts for her, from my heart.

(Victoria is an answer to our prayers, as Ruth struggled with infertility for over two years. If you missed my post about it, you can find it here: Our “Christmas Miracle” Granddaughter’s Birth.)

Ruth,

I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for you & Rob! I’m so glad that God chose to answer your heart’s desire and prayer, and blessed you with little Victoria. I love her to pieces already. I know that you are amazed with the depth of love you already feel for her as her mom. You are already such an awesome mom, and Tori is very blessed to have you & Rob as her parents!

There’s nothing quite like becoming a mother for the first time. It’s really something you can never be fully prepared for.

The hours spent holding, cuddling, and watching Tori change and grow are one of the many joys you will experience. You will also go through your share of challenges. Motherhood is rewarding, but it’s also hard.

Even though I’ve had 8 babies of my own, I can’t tell you everything you need to know for what’s ahead. I wish I could give you a blueprint with plans to make everything easy and to give you a guarantee that it will always be smiles and fun. Unfortunately, though, each child is different, and no matter how you parent or what you do, there will be some rough times. I promise you though that the joys far exceed the pain of the hard times! And the hard times make you grow. (It’s amazing how kids bring out our character flaws!)

I know this isn’t much, and you have probably already figured some of these things out, but I thought I’d share a few random thoughts that I hope will help you as you continue on this wonderful journey called motherhood!

Expect feelings of confusion, frustration, or even worry in motherhood.

And remember, it’s all right to cry when you get overwhelmed! Most new moms feel like crying — you suddenly realize you are responsible for this precious little human being, and on top of that your hormones are out of whack! After a few weeks, things will settle into more of a routine. You’ll begin to understand what Tori’s different cries mean, and see patterns. Your hormones will also settle down, which will help!

Don’t let it get to you when you feel like you don’t know what you are doing.

Most moms have no idea what they are doing! When in doubt, fake it! 🙂 Seriously, you will figure it out as you go along, and each day will get better.

Everyone will have opinions and advice for you.

They mean well and want to help. But keep in mind that there really isn’t a clear “right or wrong” when it comes to how often you breastfeed or if you should bottle feed, co-sleeping or crib sleeping, working or stay at home mom, or the “let them cry it out” vs. give them comfort methods. Trust your instincts and do what is best for you and Tori, and what Rob and you agree is best for YOUR family. When folks give their advice on how you should change or do things their way, listen to the advice, but don’t feel obligated to do it unless you think it will work for your family. Decide that you won’t be judgmental of other mom’s parenting choices and that you won’t let the opinions of judgy moms affect the choices you make.

Listen to your mom intuition!

God gives it to moms to help them know what their babies need. Go with it, and don’t let what you have read in a baby book, or heard from moms who have successfully raised several kids, trump that intuition. You know Tori best, and need to do what works for the two of you, which may be different than what worked for others.

Before Tori was born, you got tired of hearing people teasingly say “Enjoy your sleep while you can!” Now you know why they said it! 🙂

Now you are hearing the words: “Sleep when the baby sleeps”. You need to actually do that!!

I remember struggling with that and wanting to try to clean and catch up on things. Somewhere along the course of having 8 kids, I realized that things are never caught up when there’s a new baby. So rest when you can. Nothing is more important than caring for Tori and to do that you want to be well-rested so you can enjoy her. Everything else really will wait.

Realize that nothing will be the same again — and that’s not a bad thing!

Once you accept that, you will be able to let go of those things that don’t matter as much as they used to. Caring for the baby is more important than worrying about if the house is spotless, or if you are caught up on the daily laundry. If your house is sanitary and the baby is being well-cared for, nothing else matters during the first few weeks of being a new mom.

Babies cry no matter how good of a job you are doing.

Sometimes, they cry really hard and you think they’ll never stop. Like I already mentioned, it’s okay for you to join them, crying from exhaustion, frustration, hormones, or any of the many emotions that become a part of you when you become a mother. There’s comfort in reminding yourself that the crying will stop — it always does. (hers AND yours!) Also, comfort yourself by remembering that many of the tears you shed will be happy tears!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and accept it when it’s offered!

I know Rob is perfectly willing to help with household duties and baby-related tasks if you just ask. You don’t have to do everything just because you’re the mom. A reprieve from baby duty is needed, even if it’s just to take a long, relaxing shower, take a needed nap, or have time alone with another mom or with Rob. You know I am here whenever you need help! Please feel free to text or call at any time when you need anything — especially after Rob goes back to work.

What a mother wishes for her daughter?

I am praying that you will be able to savor and enjoy these early days of getting to know Tori, and asking God to give you strength and wisdom not only for these days but for the years to come. God gave her to you in answer to your prayers, and I know He has special plans for her!

My heart is overflowing with joy for you and Rob, and with love for little Tori. I’m so excited that I get to be a part of her life, and will not only be able to watch her grow and learn, but also invest in her life. Children truly are a blessing and gift from God!

Love ya lots!Mom

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Yes, I want to be an intentional mom!

What to do About Homeschool Mom Burnout

January 14, 2021 By Kathie 7 Comments

Homeschool mom burnout is the bleak side of homeschooling that people don’t like to talk about! Recently I had the opportunity to speak for a homeschooling support group in Michigan. When the meeting was over, I enjoyed talking to many of the ladies that were there. One lady came up to me and thanked me for sharing honestly about some of the difficulties I faced in my parenting and homeschooling.

She shared that she had been struggling with burnout. She mentioned that no one is very willing to say how they are feeling and that if someone had explained to her that those feelings were from burnout, it would have really helped her to overcome.

What to do About Homeschool Mom Burnout

I love what Christine Field said about this very issue in her book “Help for the Harried Homeschooler“.

Burnout. We don’t have to define it; we know it when we see it, or more accurately, when we feel it; the dread, the joylessness, the physical exhaustion, the sense of inadequacy or even failure. We have no vision for our work. We’re short and impatient with the kids.

Burnout is the bleak side of homeschooling, and at some point, the experience of almost every veteran homeschooler.

If we knew how common it was, if we were willing to talk about it more, perhaps we could help one another work through it. But we don’t want to talk about it. We don’t want to be seen as failures. Because of this, we feel a need to prove ourselves to other homeschoolers as well as to our skeptical relatives and the world at large. How are we doing? Great! Wonderful! What a joy our homeschooling journey is!

But pretending that everything is fine when it’s not does nobody any good. If burnout is a problem in our efforts to homeschool, we need to face it and deal with it–or risk everything for which we’ve sacrificed. How many homeschools are abandoned before their time, I wonder, because a burned-out-mom saw no other alternative?”

How do I stop homeschool burnout?

1. We need to be real with each other.

We should not always be complaining about how hard it is to homeschool and do all we’re supposed to. Those difficulties shouldn’t be our topic of conversation at “support group” meetings. However, it is so important that we are honest, and admit when we are struggling.

We ALL struggle. We ALL have days when we don’t want to homeschool anymore; days when the kids have bad attitudes and challenge us continually. That doesn’t make us a failure. It means we are normal human beings with weaknesses. Instead, it shows that our kids aren’t perfect, but are normal kids with a sinful nature.

When you are struggling or discouraged, admit it, and ask for prayer. Ask others for ideas of how they have dealt with those issues. Those of us who have been homeschooling and parenting for a long time should be there to help teach the younger ones and encourage them. (Sometimes the younger ones encourage ME with their energy and zeal!)

2. Realize that you can’t do everything!!

Often we unknowingly bring homeschool mom burnout on ourselves. We try to do too much, and along with too many commitments, we have too little support.

Feeling stressed is a sign that you are doing too much. Cut back on what you can, and lighten up your schedule. Don’t keep pushing when your body is saying to stop. Be sure you make time to take care of yourself and renew yourself, or you will burn out. You can only push yourself for so long, and then it will catch you in the form of burnout. Slow down and ask God to give you strength, and to show you what your priorities should be, and what you can let go.

When I was struggling with homeschooling burnout, I would often quote this verse as a reminder to myself:

“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”

Look to God as the source of your strength, and wait on Him daily to lead you in balancing what He has given you to do!

One of the best things you can do at this time of your school year is to focus on building Godly character in your kids. Good character lays the foundation for academic success.

The most important job we have as parents is preparing our children for life. The best way to do that is to teach the development of Godly character, while also modeling it in your daily life.

….But we also know that it can be tough to be consistent in teaching Godly character.

You don’t see how you could have the time to add it in or you just don’t know where to start…..

so you don’t …. and now you’re starting to see the results.

Disobedience
Sibling Squabbles
Lack of patience

To name a few…

Well, I have great news! Beginning Mon Feb 1st you will get 30 days of back to back tips and practical encouragement to help you train your kids in character!

This event includes the following for the whole month of February:

Daily practical and encouraging posts
Tips for teaching the Top 10 Character Traits
The top character building tips for different ages & stages

Besides the daily help available to you from our contributors, we’re excited to connect you with some incredible homeschool companies who are offering you giveaways and discounts through the event!

Get the details below and join the waitlist so you don’t miss a thing! It all starts on Feb 1st! Let us help you make this your best homeschool year yet!

6 Tools To Help You Parent Purposefully In The New Year

December 31, 2020 By Kathie 2 Comments

Are you looking for practical tools to help you parent purposefully in the new year?

It is easy to have great ambitions and goals for our parenting, but without specific planning, we tend to never quite follow through on those goals.

It is vital that you make a plan to parent purposefully in the new year and choose tools that will help you stay on track with those goals. These are resources that can be used at any time during the year, so pick and choose according to your needs at the time.

I’m going to share tools to help you — the first three are free, and the others can be purchased from my shop.

6 Tools To Help You Parent Purposefully In The New Year

The first three tools are free 30 Day Challenges which will make a huge impact on your home and family.

1. Praying Biblical Virtues For Your Children 30 Day Prayer Challenge

One of the most important parts of purposeful parenting is praying for our children! Prayer is our source of power, and when we pray Scripture for our children we bring God’s power into their hearts and lives.

I have personally found that when I pray Scripture for my children, God does amazing things in their hearts and lives.

I believe that happens because when we pray God’s Word back to Him for our children, we invite His power into their hearts and lives.

We know prayer is important, yet so often we neglect it.

Perhaps it’s because we get busy and don’t make time for it; perhaps it’s because we really don’t know what to pray or get stuck in a rut with our prayers.

Join me for this 30-day challenge to pray Scripture for your children’s character, and as a result see God do some wonderful things in their lives, as they grow and become more like Jesus.

2. Praying Scripture For Your Husband – 30 Day Challenge

Marriage is under attack today, and as Christian wives, we need to go to war and fight for our marriages. The best way that we defeat the enemy is by using the Word of God as our weapon, and daily praying Scripture over our husbands.

There is no better gift you can give to your husband, than the gift of faithfully bringing him before the Lord daily in prayer, claiming the power of God’s Word in his life.

Praying for your husband will help you to see him as the Christian man that God wants him to be.

3. 30 Day Declutter Challenge

While thinking about the need to declutter and get rid of stuff, God pointed out to me that I need to focus on decluttering some areas of my life, before I begin to focus on getting rid of stuff in my home.

This challenge is going to focus mostly on the clutter in our homes, but first, we will look at the importance of cleaning out the “junk” in our hearts, and decluttering our schedules. THEN we will start working on decluttering our homes.

The next tools are items in my shop that will help you to be more purposeful and intentional in your parenting, as well as your walk with God.

4. Scripture Writing Journal – (6 monthly Scripture writing plans)

One of the most important things you can do to parent purposefully and Biblically is to stay in God’s Word daily. It is in His Word that we find direction and wisdom for teaching and training our children, and pointing them to God.

If you struggle to spend time reading God’s Word daily, this is for YOU!

You can download and print the pack which includes a verse or two to read and write daily, along with a page to write the verse, journal your thoughts about it, and a prayer. There are 6 months of themed Scripture writing plans for you to go through.

The goal is to make it EASY for you to do this daily, as it doesn’t take much time and you don’t have to decide where to read or write. The work has been done for you.

When we spend time meditating on Scripture, God renews our strength in Him, He gives us wisdom & patience, and He surrounds us with His peace.

Take a few minutes each day to read the verse (s). Use it to write scripture and journal your thoughts and prayers.

Ask God to speak to you through His Word. He would love to meet you there!

5. Overcoming Anger God’s Way – Biblical Help For Moms

If you struggle with anger as a mom, you will find practical Biblical help in this 7-week course.

With this course you’ll be able to:

See what the Bible says about how to handle your anger
Learn what your anger triggers are so you can stop that anger in it’s tracks
Recognize the negative thoughts that lead to anger
Replace lies with God’s truth
Practice the pause and stay calm in situations where you’d normally explode
Respond with a plan rather than reacting in anger
Manage your anger in a Biblical way
Take preventative steps to overcome anger
Restore relationships that have been damaged by anger

6. Intentional Living Course – Life Management For Busy Moms

Have you ever wished you could focus better on the things that really matter from day to day? You can – and the secret is found in living intentionally.

Learn how to strengthen your relationship with God and your family members, as well as how to better manage your home and your time.

In my Intentional Living Course, I will come alongside you and provide powerful encouragement, teaching, and action steps to equip and inspire you to live an intentional life as a busy mom.

SIX MODULES:

Heart – developing a relationship with God and His Word
Health – steps to better self-care
Family – building strong relationships
Home – management/housekeeping
Time – managing time to better achieve priorities and goals
Prayer life – maintaining it all with the power of intentional prayer

Bonus Tool for a limited time only!

I am so excited to share that the early bird registration is ALMOST open for the 2021 Makeover Your Life Summit! This time sensitive offer will allow you to sign up for this life-changing, never-before-seen event at a nicely discounted price.

This summit is going to impact countless women’s lives around the world. There are 8 tracks with 50+ workshops from 35+ women just like you who understand the unique challenges women face in different areas of their lives.

Here are just a few examples of what you’ll learn at this summit:

How to save money on your grocery bills.
Reviving your marriage and boosting communication with your spouse.
How to stop being an angry mom and dropping the mom guilt.
Growing closer to God through prayer.
Practical tips for organizing your home.
Creating schedules that compliment your life instead of creating chaos.
Homeschooling with grace and ease.
Looking at health from grandma’s eyes (and remedies).

Be sure to head over and register for the early bird special price on this tool and start 2021 off right!! What have you got to lose?

You have the ability to make the new year a great one, but remember that you must have a plan and use tools to help you parent purposefully. Why not choose a tool and get started today?!

How to Follow God’s Prompting When Praying For Our Children

December 24, 2020 By Kathie 5 Comments

What does the Bible say about praying for your child?

Praying for our children is probably the most important thing we can do as parents. Praying for your child is a gift and a privilege, one that we should take seriously.

So what do you do when you feel God prompt your heart to pray?

Here’s How to Follow God’s Prompting When Praying For Our Children

One night I was busy trying to finish many things on my rather long “to do” list when I suddenly felt a prompting from the Lord. He brought to mind my son Mike, who is in the Philippines as a missionary with his wife, and family.

They are 13 hours ahead of us over there, and I immediately thought of the fact that they would soon be starting their Sunday. Sundays are very busy for Mike, as he is very involved in some of the church ministries.

I felt the Lord was not only telling me to pray for my son, but also to send him a quick e-mail letting him know he was in my prayers.

Being right in the middle of something, I felt like finishing what I was doing or maybe reaching out later, but I really felt I should do it right away.

I went and emailed this:

“Hey, I was just thinking of you, and wanted to let you know that I’m praying for you! Hope you have a good Sunday.

Love ya!“

Within a very short time, I received the following reply:

“Thanks, Mom! I need it today.

Your timing is impeccable.”

I know it wasn’t my timing that had anything to do with it. But rather, it was my being in tune to God’s voice encouraging me to pray for him right then. I followed God’s prompting to pray for my child and it was the perfect timing.

You see, I kind of had the thought that he might have been feeling discouraged. I felt he possibly even asked God to show Him that He cared, and that others cared too.

I’m not sure what the situation was, but I’m very glad I acted when God spoke to me.

This reminded me of how important it is to being committed to praying for our children daily! Yes even as they get older, or when they are adults. We can’t always be there to help them and we can’t do much to change their circumstances, but we can pray!

However, we know the One who can, and He tells us: “… concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” Isaiah 45:11b

What better gift can we give to our children, than following God’s prompting to pray for our children?

The gift of faithfully bringing them before God and asking God’s protection and blessing on them?

We may not be able to give our kids all the “things” we might like to, but we can pray.

Many times over the past 38 years of raising our children, I have had times when I was discouraged about what I was seeing in my kids. I would find myself kind of mumbling about how they were acting. Yes, this was despite the fact that we were trying to consistently teach them God’s Word, and build their character.

Every time I got to that point, the Lord would quietly remind me “Kathie, you haven’t been praying for them as you should.” God reminded me that “doing” all the right things as a parent wasn’t enough.

I could never be a perfect parent, but I could be a praying parent. That’s what makes the difference in our children’s lives.

What an awesome opportunity we have to partner with God. We can bring our children and their needs before Him in prayer on a daily basis!

10 Ways To Restore Relationships Damaged by Anger

November 27, 2020 By Kathie 5 Comments

Has your anger hurt the relationship with your children? Anger is one of the most common reasons that we lose the hearts of our children. However, it is possible to restore relationships damaged by anger, and win back the hearts of our children.

Recently I posted the following status on my Facebook page:

Parents who want to influence their children can’t rely only on their authority to keep their kids obedient. If we want to have significant influence on them, we must have their hearts.

A reader messaged me in response to this post and asked:

“How do I recapture and retain their hearts?? I’ve parented in anger far too often. I know they know I love them, and I apologize frequently. I just feel guilty for losing my temper so much. My 10 y/o dd is already becoming bitter, and it breaks my heart.”

I have talked to many parents at conferences who have asked the same question. I don’t think that it is EVER too late to win their hearts back, but the older they get, the more of a challenge it will be.

Here are 10 ways to restore relationships damaged by anger:

1. ALWAYS apologize when you have responded to your kids in anger.

We need to swallow our pride, and admit we were wrong, because the relationship is much more important than our pride! When you have lost it with your kids, and responded wrong, give a proper apology:

I’m sorry for _____. I was wrong in how I responded. Will you forgive me?

ALL parents respond in anger at times; the key is not to let it be the norm, and to apologize each time, whether that is 10 times a day, or twice a year)

Apologizing brings restoration to the relationship, and heals the hurt. It also shows our children how our relationship with God works. If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful to forgive us, and our relationship once again is restored with Him.

2. If you feel you have lost their heart, express that to them.

Tell them how much you love them, and want to have that relationship restored. Ask them if there is something in particular that you have done to push them away, or that hurt them. Then be willing to apologize, and make it right.

3. Don’t bring up past offenses, or things that have been taken care of.

That will lead to resentment, and the feeling that you will never let them live down their mistakes. They, in turn, will have trouble forgiving you when you apologize.

4. Work to intentionally pursue their heart.

This means spending TIME with them. Relationships don’t do well when there is little to no time spent together. Intentionally seek to build that relationship.

This may require some sacrifice on your part, but the benefits of having your child’s heart is worth any sacrifice!

Just a few ideas to help you as you pursue their heart:

Verbally express to them that you love them, regularly.
Show affection in tangible ways. Write them little notes, give random hugs or tickles, bring them a little treat now and then, etc.
Let them know that you like them, and accept them for who they are.
Be fun, and have fun with them. Don’t always be serious – learn to laugh with them.
Be interested in what they are interested in. That is one of the BEST ways to build a relationship!

5. Don’t allow yourself to get bitter toward that child that requires more from you, or tends to “mess up” often.

The bitterness will eat at away at you, and hurt the relationship more. Ask God to let His love flow through you to that child/teen.

6. Realize that the battle for your kids’ hearts is a spiritual battle.

THEY are not the enemy. We need to realize who we are fighting, and that we cannot win the battle in our own strength.

7. PRAY, PRAY, and PRAY some more!!

Ask God to give you wisdom as you strive to restore the relationship. Ask Him to work in your heart, and the child’s heart.

Join our free 30 day prayer challenge: Praying Biblical Virtues For Your Children

8. When behavior occurs that makes you angry, send the child to their room to think about what they have done, and to give YOU time to calm down.

Find solutions for the situations that tend to make you angry on a regular basis. Talk to your kids about it, and find a plan that tells them what is expected, and list consequences that can be calmly administered when necessary.

9. Correct with Scripture.

When you use God’s Word to correct wrong behavior or attitudes in your kids, it makes it a lot harder to stay angry with them.

Also, God’s Word has power that will work in their hearts more than our words will. Remember that the purpose of correction and discipline is to restore that child’s relationship with God.

10. If anger is an ongoing issue with you, get help for it!

Anger WILL destroy your relationships if you don’t get it under control. By that, I don’t mean you NEVER get angry again. I mean you don’t get angry near as often, and you apologize immediately each time you realize it has happened.

Be encouraged and go fight for that relationship! You need to win and keep your child’s heart.

20 Ways To Win Your Child's Heart

Full Name

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(Winning the Hearts of Your Children Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

6 Scriptures To Pray Over Your Rebellious Child

October 18, 2020 By Kathie 34 Comments

A rebellious child can cause us to have a heavy heart, while also sending us to our knees often. That can actually turn out to be a good thing, especially if you find Scriptures to pray over your rebellious child!

God’s Word is so powerful, and when we claim those promises for our kids and pray them back to God, we are bringing His power right into their lives. His Word will work and bring conviction in a way that our words will never do.

If you are concerned about a child who is just starting to show some small signs of rebellion, or if you have a child who is openly rebellious to your authority, don’t despair! Realize that you can’t change their heart, but God and His Word can.

The two most important things you can do for your rebellious child are:

1. Start praying for that child regularly.

Work as though it all depends on You, but pray as though it all depends on God! Go to war on behalf of that child, and fight the enemy with the powerful weapon of God’s Word.

If you want to get serious about praying for your child, I’d love for you to join my 30 Day challenge: Praying Biblical Virtues For Your Children.

2. Work diligently to win the heart of that child.

Having their heart means having influence with them. As parents, WE want to be the ones who are influencing them, and pouring valuable truths into that God has shown us.

Here are 6 Scriptures to pray over your rebellious child:

God will complete the work that He began in your child’s heart!

2. If God can change the heart of a king, He can change the heart of your child.

3. All your children will be taught of the Lord, and He promises them great peace.

4. Our hope isn’t in our efforts, but in the Lord Who hears when we call.

5. As you continue in prayer, you can rejoice in the hope that God will hear and answer.

6. When you live righteously, God promises to deliver your children.

What verses would you add to this list? As you read your Bible, claim Scriptures for that child. Write them down and pray the in faith. God’s Word won’t return unto Him void, so you can rest in hope as you pray!

Join me for a free 5 day series: 5 Parenting Mistakes that Lead To Rebellion

We will look at five ways you can inadvertently instill a rebellious spirit in your child’s heart, and Biblical answers will be given as to how to deal with early rebellion. A daily email will be sent for 5 consecutive days. If you don’t see them, check your Spam folder.

Sign me up for the mistakes that lead kids to rebellion series!

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4. Time Management Tip: Give Your Children Deadlines

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Visit today’s Building Godly Character in Your Kids Series Sponsor and enter the giveaway below for your chance to win!

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Visit today’s Building Godly Character in Your Kids Series Sponsor and enter the giveaway below for your chance to win!

As parents, it is our responsibility to work hard at building and helping our children develop and grow in character.

Four important tips for building Godly character in your kids

1. Our children learn character from example

2. Our children learn character through everyday life

Our children’s character is influenced by role-models.

3. Our children learn character through discipline

4. Our children learn character through planned, positive, constructive teaching

There’s nothing quite like becoming a mother for the first time. It’s really something you can never be fully prepared for.

Expect feelings of confusion, frustration, or even worry in motherhood.

Don’t let it get to you when you feel like you don’t know what you are doing.

Everyone will have opinions and advice for you.

Listen to your mom intuition!

Now you are hearing the words: “Sleep when the baby sleeps”. You need to actually do that!!

Realize that nothing will be the same again — and that’s not a bad thing!

Babies cry no matter how good of a job you are doing.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and accept it when it’s offered!

What a mother wishes for her daughter?

What to do About Homeschool Mom Burnout

I love what Christine Field said about this very issue in her book “Help for the Harried Homeschooler“.

Burnout is the bleak side of homeschooling, and at some point, the experience of almost every veteran homeschooler.

How do I stop homeschool burnout?

1. We need to be real with each other.

2. Realize that you can’t do everything!!

When I was struggling with homeschooling burnout, I would often quote this verse as a reminder to myself:

One of the best things you can do at this time of your school year is to focus on building Godly character in your kids. Good character lays the foundation for academic success.

6 Tools To Help You Parent Purposefully In The New Year

1. Praying Biblical Virtues For Your Children 30 Day Prayer Challenge

2. Praying Scripture For Your Husband – 30 Day Challenge

4. Scripture Writing Journal – (6 monthly Scripture writing plans)

Bonus Tool for a limited time only!

You have the ability to make the new year a great one, but remember that you must have a plan and use tools to help you parent purposefully. Why not choose a tool and get started today?!

Here’s How to Follow God’s Prompting When Praying For Our Children

I felt the Lord was not only telling me to pray for my son, but also to send him a quick e-mail letting him know he was in my prayers.

I’m not sure what the situation was, but I’m very glad I acted when God spoke to me.

What better gift can we give to our children, than following God’s prompting to pray for our children?

I could never be a perfect parent, but I could be a praying parent. That’s what makes the difference in our children’s lives.

Here are 10 ways to restore relationships damaged by anger:

The two most important things you can do for your rebellious child are:

Here are 6 Scriptures to pray over your rebellious child:

God will complete the work that He began in your child’s heart!

2. If God can change the heart of a king, He can change the heart of your child.

3. All your children will be taught of the Lord, and He promises them great peace.

4. Our hope isn’t in our efforts, but in the Lord Who hears when we call.

5. As you continue in prayer, you can rejoice in the hope that God will hear and answer.

6. When you live righteously, God promises to deliver your children.

Join me for a free 5 day series: 5 Parenting Mistakes that Lead To Rebellion

Sign me up for the mistakes that lead kids to rebellion series!

About Kathie Morrissey

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