7 Tips to Help Your Teenager Develop Faith Skills
I grew up as a preacher's kid. My parents made a couple of things clear: 1. They wanted me to read the Bible. 2. They wanted me to memorize Scripture. So they did what any sensible parents would do to develop those habits in me . . . They paid me. • They paid me every...
An Imperfect Christmas
It's no secret that Christmas can be one of the most stressful times of the year. And the tension is that by this point, Christmas Eve, all the 'how to avoid stress' tips from the I've-got-everything-together-why-don't-you people seem too little too late: Start your...
Passing Down Faith the Maverick Way
As parents, we want to pass on our wisdom, values, and advice to our children, right? Well, there are three simple things I did to make sure my faith, and values, will get handed down to my three daughters. Now, I know that modern blog writing etiquette says I’m...
The Wonder of Christmas – Setting the Stage for Preschoolers
“I want the other one!” my two-year declared as I took his usual favorite, Little Blue Truck, off the bookshelf. “I want the one in the attic!” I knew exactly what he was referring to: Little Blue Truck’s Christmas. We’d loaded it upstairs with all the tubs of...
If You’re a New Parent, You Might Be Asking What You Have Gotten Yourself Into?
When you have a baby, your world changes in an instant, and you may begin to wonder WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? We all start out with a picture of what we think family should look like. Then we actually have a family. And we discover it’s not exactly like we...
7 Practical Tips to Raising A Child With Autism
Finding out our son had autism was a major blow to the idealistic picture we held of what parenting might be like. Parenting, in general, is far from easy, but parenting a child with autism can be particularly demanding. In my last blog, I shared our journey about...
3 Ways to Make Sure You Don’t Miss Christmas
Christmas is about 7 minutes long when you have kids. One minute it’s Thanksgiving and the next you’re putting away your ornaments. Nothing moves as fast as the holidays and it’s no wonder that so many people find this time of year stressful. How do you make sure you make the most of your Christmas?
Compelling Your Kids to Serve
There’s a film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s autobiographical novel Little Women that includes a moment when Jo, the heroine, receives criticism from her German professor on her first novel… “It is not written from your heart, it is not written from your soul;...
What Your Preschooler Really Needs for Christmas
My “baby” is now 20-years-old. I consider myself to be a fairly good gift-giver, but his 20th birthday had me stumped. He is living in an apartment at college, semi-independent, cooking his own food and cleaning his own bathroom. He doesn’t need “things” from me, and...
Christmas and the G Word
Hi. My name is Carey, and I'm greedy. (This is the point where you all say, "Hi Carey.") Gosh, I hate to say it. I mean no one goes around and says they're greedy, right? We might think other people are greedy (it's just so easy to spot the sins of others, even from a...
Planning for Exceptions in Parenting
Think back to elementary or middle school. Do you remember the first time you asked someone if he or she liked you? You probably played out the scenario over and over again in your mind. You may have role-played it in your bathroom mirror. Whether it was over the phone or a face-to-face conversation, you had a plan.
The Beauty of Simplification
One of the leading causes of “mom guilt” is thinking that you can get it all done. Instead of setting reasonable expectations, society often puts pressure on moms to be perfect. You just have to work full time, make amazing organic meals for your family, raise...