Sock Wars! Yep, you get all the socks and ball them up and then RUN! cuz you’re gonna get blasted with soft balls of fun.

Skits. We would pick TV shows to imitate or story books to act out. We even had a comedy show one time where you had to get the other person to laugh.

Share Can. List nouns like: turkey, cookies, swimming pool, monkeys etc. on strips of paper and place the individual papers into a can or jar. Have each person pick and tell something that has to do with the topic, you can decide if  it has to be make believe or true. This game teaches children how to stay on topic.

Baking Day. We would make homemade sugar cookies and have fun decorating them. Be sure and save one for Daddy!

Dance-A-Thon. Crank the tunes and shake what your mama gave you. This is tons of fun and accomplishes more than you think-Mom gets a workout, and the little ones get a good nap in the end.

Camp Out. This was probably my children’s favorite winter past time. We would convert the dining room table into a cave/tent with sheets, and then drag in all the toys, pillows, and blankets. I would tell sort of scary stories by flashlight and have them share stories too.

So shake those winter blues, and use this indoor season to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Blessings,

Lynne

Our children are the same.They are always watching, aware of how we respond to the ups and downs of life’s events. A bad grade? In-laws that upset us? Spilled milk?  We are modeling for our children how to respond when something goes wrong or right. We are literally teaching them how to respond to life. So the next time you are thrown a curve ball, remember that your response carries a great deal of weight. We Mothers do more than clean up messes, we set the tone for our homes for current generations and those to come.

Blessings,

Lynne

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I  not sin against [God].” Psalm 119:11

As a child, my biblical training consisted of mealtime grace and bedtime prayers. It wasn’t until church youth group that I discovered a wealth of inspiration and encouragement awaited me within the pages of God’s Word. I knew that when I had my own children, I wanted to do things differently. My desire was for them to grow up knowing about real miracles, the wonderful heroes of faith and God’s love for a fallen world – a desire that is a biblical mandate. Deuteronomy 11:19 states, “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Jesus also had strong views about the way we include our little ones. In Matthew 19:14 we read, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Although I’d resolved to educate my children in the Scriptures, I wasn’t sure where to start. I found out through a church about the availability of many resources. Starting with a toddler Bible, I worked my way up to children’s Bibles that I found at my local Christian bookstore, where I also obtained pertinent audio and video supplies.

It was exciting for me to see how my children grew in their understanding of who God is and how much He loves them. When my children hit their middle school years, I hit a wall. They were too old for picture books, yet not ready to independently delve into Bible text. That’s when I learned about Precept Ministries’ program for older children.

Precept Ministries reaches out to over 80 million people in 150 countries in 70 languages every day for the sole purpose of establishing people in God’s Word. Today this thriving ministry is providing yet another tool for biblical studies. They publish a 17-book study course for children called, “Discover 4 Yourself.” Each book continues with the commitment for inductive study but has found creative ways to reach “Dora the Explorer” and “Spiderman” fans that hunger for adventure.

For instance, in the book Boy, Have I Got Problems, readers take on the role of an advice columnist, educating others on how to resolve common childhood problems by relying on helpful insights from the text of James. All the books provide plenty of fun puzzles, games and activities designed for children ages 9-12. Through these resources, I was able to expose my kids to the Word each day in addition to taking them to church.

In the past I had fallen into the trap of believing that I needed to coerce my children into becoming Christians. According to Kay Arthur, co-founder of Precept Ministries, I wasn’t alone in my confusion: “Parents are told if you don’t get a child when he is young and ‘make’ him into a Christian, then you’re going to miss him and he’s not going to be saved. If this is true then salvation is not from God. And so what’s happening is we’re pushing salvation and bringing children into a false security, and telling them that they’re saved because they prayed a prayer. And they’re not saved.”

Amidst so much responsibility, it can be tempting for mothers and fathers to believe that our children’s salvation falls into our realm of obligation. I’ve discovered that our responsibility is to instruct them in how to approach biblical study and interpretation. It is the Holy Spirit that saves souls, and while this fact does not exonerate parents from all liability, it certainly does lighten the burden.

It must be stated that our task is not only scriptural instruction, but also role modeling. Training my children wasn’t only about teaching them the words of God, but about demonstrating the Christian life right here at home. It involved a daily desire on my part to live out my faith and the willingness to apologize to God and to my children when I fell short. There were good days and bad days, but all days ended with forgiving each other and moving forward with the grace of our Lord.

One day I was wondering if all of my teaching efforts were paying off. Did they really understand? Was I doing it right? When my 8 year old son came up to me after one of our Bible studies and proclaimed, “God is so fun!” I knew this was a good indication that I was on the right track.

Blessings,

Lynne

Blessings and have a great Summer!

“Come on, you can do it!” he coaxed from his catch point, 800 feet below the board, or so it seemed. Peering down I made a decision that day as firm as any Baptist convert coming forward on a Sunday night…I wasn’t going to jump. Then he did something outlandishly stupid, he got out of the pool and joined me on the board. “Let’s jump together,” he suggested. Yeah right. The minute he touched my shoulders I executed a defensive move so severe, it’s been banned from legitimate self-define classes across the world. Basically I became a human octopus. Once he pried my arms from his neck, I locked my legs around his legs making it impossible for him to move without falling. Lifeguard boy was freaking out, after all it’s not everyday you have a 9-year-old suctioned to your body.

Moms, previously spying their precious tots in the floaters and sinkers class, were enthralled with the predicament this young boy had gotten himself into. I’m sure my mom was joining the others in their laugh-fest, making comments like, “I wonder who that child belongs to?” Eventually, my instructor realized there was only one way out of his situation. Yep, he jumped. And unlike the captain who goes down with the ship I bailed from my human buoy and swam to the top.

Now in case you think this silly episode in the life of Lynne is for not, I’ll have you know that I’ve gleaned two very valuable lessons from this ‘precious memory’.

One, I’ve only met one other in my life who was brave enough to come and join me in my place of fear and allow me to cleave tight.
Two, when you want to rescue a person who is needy, that person will suffocate you if you don’t help him or her jump into a love that is deeper than the ocean itself.
In case you’re wondering, the answer for both lessons is God.

Have a great day.

People call me intense, but after seeing the opening record numbers from this movie, maybe intense is what we want.

Fact–everyone in the human race has their name in a lottery much like the one in the movie. It’s a date with death and someday your number will be drawn. But until then, we have some time to figure out a few things. For instance, how will you spend your time?

We could spend that time filling ourselves with rich food and entertainment just like those in the movie. We can fixate our attention on people we have made famous, spending tons of hours and Internet minutes finding out what they wear, how they eat, what sins they’ve committed  and all the naughty things they will say and do next, and be thrilled by it.

We can spend our hours trying to take down those around us in a feeble attempt to make ourselves look better. We can get really good at it, devising weapons to advance our greedy goals and desires.

We can commit the ultimate sin against life by becoming apathetic. Doing nothing. Caring about no one. Refraining from investing the time and sacrifice it requires to learn something valuable. Spending oodles of time becoming passive characters, living vicariously through the pretend people on TV. Refusing to become someone in our own right by not exercising the god-given talent that has been placed in our care.

If I was really honest with myself, I’d know that through the character Katniss I saw the futility of this world and at times my own life. That there are more important things to spend my time doing and thinking about. After all the clock is ticking. Many hours have passed already and my name could be drawn anytime.

I wonder what would happen if I truly embraced that reality and chose to start living smarter…today.

Blessings,

Lynne

SCENE  ONE

Mom: “Did you push your bother?” (Will he confess?)

Tommy:  “No.” (Maybe I can get away with this).

You see if he admits to shoving his brother what happens next? He is going to get a timeout at best, or a spanking at worst. There is a great benefit in lying. He avoids the consequence for bad behavior. You on the other hand “saw” him push his brother or you wouldn’t have asked to begin with, unless of course the said brother has complained, or is flattened out on the pavement crying.  So if you can deduce the truth why give an opportunity to lie at all?

SCENE TWO

Mom: “Tommy, I just saw you push your brother, now get over here and take a time out.” (cuz I’m not going to give you a chance to lie).

Tommy: “I didn’t push him.” (Maybe Mom is blind).

Mom: “Are you calling me a liar?” (Don’t go there buddy).

Tommy: “No Mom.” (cuz that would be very stupid resulting in a worse punishment for sure).

This is the lying game that we Moms play. Pick which scene you think will work.

Now the older version is a bit trickier.

SCENE ONE

Mom: “Where were you last night?”

Teen: “With my friend Hannah.”

Now the reality is that she was with Hannah part of the night, but spent at least two hours with Rick. She won’t tell you that part. So she will develop a bad attitude and make you suffer because deep inside she feels bad  about lying. Fun huh? But eventually she will get caught, because you are praying for her sins to be found out, and because the law of “you reap what you sow” is very real. Now here is where I mess up all the time. I get crazy when my teen lies to me. I am so disappointed, why? Because I thought we were done with that during the toddler years. Wrong! Here is an ideal scene for you to shoot for.

Mom: “I found out that you were with Rick.  Next time bring Rick over here and I will make popcorn and cookies and pay for the rented movie. But for now there is a consequence for lying, so you are grounded this weekend.”

Teen: “Are serious? You are so unfair. I hate you! yada yada yada.

Mom: SAY NOTHING!!!!

There you have it. Beat the Lie 101. I have not mastered this class yet, but I’m working on improving my grade.

Blessings,

Lynne

Meanwhile, I’m in the process of filling in my Spring speaking schedule. If your group or church would like to invite me to speak at your women’s, mother’s or writer’s event please visit the site at SoccerMomBook.com and fill out the form on the Speaking/Events page.

Blessings,

Lynne

Blessings,Lynne

My friend and I were enjoying a quick cup of coffee therapy and discussing a phenomenon that appears to be quite common among teenage boys. When it comes to homework the boys “do” the work but they never “turn in” the work. Then when we question them, they produce the crumpled evidence from the bottom of their backpack. They have absolutely no explanation as to why it remains in there instead of on the teacher’s desk.

My friend and I attempted to unravel the mystery. Why, if you did the work, would you not go the extra step of turning it in? Is it forgetfulness? Apathy? Brain damage due to testosterone poisoning? We decided it was one of those things that don’t get solved, like the Bermuda Triangle, or empty toilet paper rolls.

But later that night, as I finished my personal devotional Bible study, I thought about my homework. Each day I study God’s word so that I can know why I believe what I believe. But how often do I actually turn my homework in by “doing” the word of God? When do I do that “Love your neighbor” part or the “forgive as God has forgiven me” part? Am I guilty of keeping my relationship with God in my backpack?

In Matthew 5:16 we read, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

If I keep the word of God only to myself, then God doesn’t get the credit he deserves. And at the end of the day, He definitely deserves A+ work.

Blessings,

Lynne

PS: Only 13 more days to enter (see previous blog)