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Self Care That Lasts

Self Care That Lasts

by | May 8, 2023 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Hello beautiful blessed mommas!

Today I want to talk about self care.

Self care is something I hear a lot about but it is still somewhat of an abstract concept to me.

So, what is it anyway?.

Many people (myself included) think of expensive days at the spa, retail therapy shopping trips or over indulging in your favorite sweet treat. I mean, there is nothing a carton of Ben and Jerry’s can’t fix, right?

All those feel good in the moment, and if that is what helps you, then, by all means, do that!

To me, though, all the aforementioned activities bring fleeting relief, but then the guilt sets in. Guilt over the time, money and calories.

I wanted to take a look at the meaning of self care.

Self care is every action we do to keep our mind, body and soul healthy.

Moms are the best at taking care of others. Growing, birthing, feeding, cleaning and loving small humans is not for the faint of heart.

God created us to be nurturing and to want to take care of people. Our husband, our kids, the neighbors kids, the stray cat. You get the picture.

Often times we forget to take care of ourselves.

My proclivity is to feel selfish for even thinking about it!

However, as the old cliche’ goes, you have to first put on your oxygen mask to be able to help others with their’s. 

Selfish? NO! Necessary.

Without some self care you WILL burn out. You WILL quit. You will not be an effective vessel for the Lord.

The least selfish person that ever walked the earth, Jesus himself, practiced self care. Don’t believe me?

Check out Luke 5:15 (there are many other instances as well).

Jesus walked away from the crowd and went off to pray by himself. He knew he needed to check out from the crowd for a minute and commune with God.

 

 

He unplugged from the group but didn’t go off and mindlessly scroll through social media or binge watch Netflix. NO! He unplugged from the crowd but plugged into something bigger.

He saw the big picture and chose not to simply escape the pressures of life but to nourish his soul.

When we try to use our “self care” to numb our pain we ignore our needs and end up completely depleting ourselves.

How do we take care of ourselves in a lasting and meaningful way?

First, we need to realize that this life is not our focus.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7

When we understand the true value and importance of our spiritual life, we can find the motivation to put that first.

“Casting all your cares upon Him; for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

This is the place to start. Understanding that our heavenly Father is waiting with arms wide open and a listening ear. He cares for you and me.

He wants you to bring all your worries to Him. Believe me, His shoulders are plenty big enough to carry the load.

He wants to meet our needs so we can meet the needs of others.

One fact I have always found so beautiful is even though we are commanded to love God with everything we are, the way we are told to show that is by having love for each other. What a beautiful picture of love He has painted for us!

I hope some of these ideas will encourage you to look for ways to, not only take care of yourself, but to nourish your soul.

1. Pray
2. Read scripture
3. Plug into a strong Christian community
4. Wake up 10 minutes early to be still and listen to God.
5. Take a walk
6. Make a meal for your neighbor
7. Invite a friend over for coffee
8. Send a card to a friend
9. Journal your thoughts (brain dump!)
10. Write a poem
11. Hug your kids (my favorite!)

Why do we worry about things of this world?

The work and the stress making us prematurely old.

School, work and social media all have us caught.

Keep your focus on yourself is what we are taught.

Do what feels right! Live for today!

Oh, the folly in those words. Oh, the price they will pay.

Do not sow to the flesh, for corruption that will bring.

Sow your time to the Spirit and with angels you will sing.

Do not grow weary in doing what is right.

For the reward of the savior is truly out of sight.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Building Communication Bridges With Your Kids

Building Communication Bridges With Your Kids

by | Apr 10, 2023 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Beware the teenager

One of the most often repeated “warnings” I was (and still am) given as a new mom was, “Just wait ’til they’re teenagers.” No matter how well-meaning that statement was intended, there is really nothing the least bit helpful in it.

I have often listened to weary mothers explaining their reasons for such a statement and it usually involves-if not completely revolves around- a communication breakdown.

I am sure the teenage years can be hard and I in no way want to diminish anyone’s struggle. However, I believe so much can be done to help negate many negative aspects of parenting adolescents.

I do not have a teenager yet. My oldest will be 11 in a couple of weeks, so I am not trying to tell you I have that all figured out. My goal is to share some things I have seen other moms use successfully and now I am doing to help keep open and often communication.

Don’t be distracted

First, pay attention when your babies want to talk. From the very beginning, they know when you’re distracted.

This is something I have recently been very convicted on. It is something I will do good on for a long stretch of time but will find myself gradually getting sucked back into SOME project, purpose, or time-wasting activity.

Even good things are bad when they are keeping you from parenting the kids God has put in your care.

In the past two and a half years, I have had several minor surgeries. About every four months, I would have another one. I would need to take it easy each time for a week or so. I noticed that after being stuck in bed or on the couch for a week, I would struggle to get back into the swing of things. I found myself being sucked into YouTube, Pinterest, or some mindless T.V. show.

It is so easy to fall prey to Satan’s use of distraction. I could truly go on and on about this subject.

The point is, we have GOT to listen to our kids whenever they come to us and whatever they bring to talk about. Having a conversation about unicorns or legos may not seem like it will have any consequential effects, but if you don’t listen to what’s important to them now, why would they bring to you what’s important to them later on?

Listening about legos now brings about opportunities to listen to life-altering decisions later.

Respect

We all want to be respected. Our society has such a skewed view of respect that true respect is all but disappeared. 

Respecting your elders, parents, and authority figures is a very important concept, and I believe the best way to teach respect is to model it. Model showing respect to other adults, yes, but be respectful towards your children as well. 

If you are always talking over and interrupting your children, don’t be surprised when that is their MO in conversation. 

If you can’t look up from your phone when they are asking you a question, don’t expect something different from them.

Now I am not suggesting they should run the show. They still need to learn when to be silent in a conversation. I don’t subscribe to the “let a child do whatever he wants” philosophy, nor do I subscribe to the “children should be seen and not heard” way of thinking. 

I believe a more balanced middle ground is just the ticket to teaching little ones how to be respectful and respectable. 

Don’t air their dirty laundry

My next topic goes hand-in-hand with respect. Not talking badly about your kids to others and not telling every little mistake they make. 

I am not talking about discussing with other moms to seek wisdom on handling certain difficulties. By all means, seek that godly wisdom! But we have all been around, and possibly even been, that mom that can’t wait to tell everyone what terrible things her children have put her through.

Sadly, I know a few moms who constantly talked down about their kids-even in front of them. I truly believe many moms feel they shouldn’t “brag” about their kids, so instead, they talk down about them. Or maybe they feel so down about themselves they project that onto their children. 

Whatever the case, it is not emotionally healthy for anyone involved and tends to push kids away from their parents and towards someone who will say whatever they want to hear. I have seen this happen time and time again. 

Please let your kids know that you think they’re pretty cool. That really goes a long way in keeping communication open.

Having fun and working together

Having fun coupled with working together is so impactful on both your and your child’s (ren) mental health. The joy and laughter that comes from playing together creates lasting positive memories. 

Along with that, the sense of accomplishment after completing a project together (whether it be creating a flower bed, cooking a meal, weeding a garden, cleaning a chicken coop, or simply cleaning house) is a long-lasting lesson learned in work ethic, teamwork, and self-respect. Not to mention skill-building in whatever you’re doing. 

This is one area that I really push. Enjoy your kids and include them in everyday tasks. This means so much to them (even when/if they grumble a little) and will teach them many powerful lessons.

Soak in the scripture and pray, momma

My final thoughts are far and above the most crucial. If you get nothing else from this post, please hear this. Be in the Word (Bible) with your kids, and pray for and with them. I feel so strongly about this I am going to repeat it. Be in the Word with your kids, and pray for and with them.

There is nothing more powerful than our God, and he has richly blessed us with his written word as well as the opportunity to speak with him. 

He offers us the unlimited communication plan. No extra charge for long distance; no roaming fees; no overage charges. 

He is there ready to listen whenever we pray. Period. That fact that the most powerful being in all the universe has granted us an unlimited audience with him is beyond our comprehension. It is truly unthinkable! What a faithful and loving God we serve. Amen!

A practical application of the advice to be in the Word is to do some form of scripture reading with your kids daily. We usually read the verse of the day from my Bible app and discuss it at breakfast, along with reading a section from the Bible in the evening before bed. Right now, we are reading through Genesis. 

We also have a scripture memory rewards system. I work with the kids about every day on their verse. Thursday is our recitation day, if they know their verse and can recite it, they get a sticker on their chart that they got to design. Otherwise, they have to keep practicing until the next Thursday. Once they have five stickers, they get an ice cream cone. It is a fun way to help them memorize scripture.

One of my most prayed prayers for my kids is that the Lord would keep the evil one away and that he would guard their hearts. 

John 10 talks about the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd guards his sheep. He feeds his sheep. He protects his sheep, and he gave his life for his sheep. 

He is able, more than able, to guard our children if we would but ask!

My mom always said she did her best parenting on her knees. I encourage every mom everywhere to follow her’s, and many other faithful mommas’, examples and pray through our parenting. 

Let’s pray right now.

Oh, Heavenly Father,

We humbly come before your throne of grace so thankful. Thankful for the beautiful little lives you have placed in our care. Thankful for the constant help and peace you offer us. Most of all, thankful for your son and the sacrifice he was willing to make to give each of us opportunity to have a relationship with you, our father. 

Right now, we lift our children up to you and ask you to guard their hearts and keep the evil one far away from them. Help them to follow you all their days. Humble them to know that they need you and give them your peace which passes all understanding when they follow after you. 

We pray these things in your son’s beautiful name, Jesus. Amen.

Friend,

If you’re reading this and you don’t know our God. If you haven’t been covered by the blood of Jesus and been given his Holy Spirit as a comforter, please reach out! He is waiting for you and wanting for you to accept his FREE gift of salvation. Don’t wait. It is THE most important decision you will ever make. Make it today.

With love,

Mollie

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Asking for Help (and why that’s a good thing)

Asking for Help (and why that’s a good thing)

by | Feb 12, 2023 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Can you ask for help?

Is asking for help something you often do? Is it easy for you? If so, good job! You are among the few.

 

For many of us, asking for help is difficult and only turned to as a last resort once all other options are exhausted. I can think of many times I have just pushed through and ended up with a less-than-satisfactory outcome, all because I didn’t want to admit I needed assistance.

 

The scripture DOES speak highly of perseverance. However, we are told to be dependent on God and our fellow believers at the same time. In other words, don’t plow blindly through a situation; ask for guidance, help, and wisdom.

 

I have thought of a few ways we can and should, be reaching out for help.

Husbands

If you’re like me, you don’t mind or feel too guilty to ask your husband for help. My most significant hang-up is that I expect him to just know what I need or want help with without asking. It’s obvious, right?? Well, not always. Honestly, not even usually. I would even go so far as to say seldom is it obvious. Men and women just think differently.

Let me create a scenario that may or may not come from my own experience. 🤪

It’s five o’clock in the afternoon-the witching hour for many young children. You have cooked, cleaned, folded, re-cleaned, washed faces, wiped butts and counters, and probably many, many other things that day. You are currently trying to nurse a screaming baby while changing a toddler’s diaper at the same time as refereeing an argument between two of your older kids, all while attempting to answer a question from your amazingly inquisitive daughter about why spiders are not insects (because your original answer of, “insects have three-part bodies and only six legs while spiders have eight legs. They are called arachnids.” only provokes a “duh” look and the statement, “Mom, I already knew that, but why???)

You started dinner early, thinking yourself accomplished- only to realize the half-baked biscuits in the oven don’t have any shortening in them. While pondering if dumping melted butter on cooked biscuits will make it all even out somehow (it doesn’t), the soup you have simmering in your new, gorgeous Pioneer Woman dutch oven starts boiling over because someone turned the burner up to high-although “no one” did it.

At the exact moment you are feeling like you are going to follow the soup’s example and boil over, your husband walks through the front door. You’re thinking, “Yes! Help has arrived!” In your mind, it should be obvious what you need, what the kids need, what everyone needs. He jumps in and turns the burner off under the soup. Then, seeing that dinner is almost ready, he says, “Why don’t we call your brothers and have them over for supper?” In his mind, you would LOVE to visit with your family. In your mind, you can’t imagine having ANYONE over for the next 15 years!

Sound familiar? If you answered yes, give him some grace, we just think differently from our husbands.

Kids

Kids are competent helpers. I have written many times about not hesitating to enlist the help of your children. Oftentimes they jump at the opportunity to be momma’s helper. At least till they reach a certain age… At that point, a little motivation may be needed. In my experience, though, most human beings enjoy being helpful.

Extended Family and Friends

Family and friends are a tremendous blessing! Many of us are ultra blessed with a willingly helpful community of extended family and friends. Others, maybe not so much. If you have been bestowed with such a blessing- reach out! I have often thought I would look weak if I asked for help with things, but I have discovered that most of my community is only too happy to help out or give advice and suggestions.

I often use my parents, siblings, and friends as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of.

God

My final and most crucial suggestion of a place to turn to for help is our Heavenly Father.

Being self-reliant is one thing when trying to put together that new computer desk or trying to fix a leaky faucet; it’s another thing entirely when tasked with shaping souls. It’s so important to ask for help in our parenting, and prayer, in its essence, is seeking help.

Luke 11:1 “Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’”

I have always read this as a request to learn HOW to pray, which is undoubtedly part of it. However, I have come to believe we must first learn to pray. Just pray. How you pray matters far less than your need to. Pray and pray often.

As moms, we will come into many situations where we are physically helpless. Our children will walk through numerous encounters that are entirely out of our control. Our wisdom and abilities are limited. We won’t always make the right decisions, no matter how hard we try. And so we will pray- because we need to. Because we have access to unlimited wisdom, boundless strength, and ceaseless love.

Whether you have one kid or twenty kids. Babies or adult children or anywhere in between, pray. Ask for help with your most important job from the greatest resource there is- our Savior and Creator.

Praise His holy name forever!

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Being Intentional-2023 New Year’s Focus

Being Intentional-2023 New Year’s Focus

by | Jan 3, 2023 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

So it begins…

Hey there mommas! Welcome to 2023!

As I sat down to write my annual new year’s focus I couldn’t help but feel a little astonished that this is the 3rd year I am sharing it with the OBM readers. Where does the time go!

Let me just take a moment to say thank you to everyone who reads our posts, and thank you to the other blessed momma authors, Julia and Melinda, along with our extensive list of outstanding guest writers. What a blessing it is to be a part of something so encouraging and inspiring.

Give me focus!

As many of you know from reading my previous new year’s focus posts, I don’t do new year’s resolutions any more. Instead, my husband and I try to think and pray about one particular area or characteristic our family needs to add or improve in. Once that has been identified and decided, we strive to make all decisions for the year through the lens of, “Is this going to help or hinder us in accomplishing this goal?”. I have found this to be very helpful.

Moving on to this year, it has actually been very difficult to decide what our focus should be. We have been through, what feels like, an insanely difficult year. Really, I think it is actually a culmination of several rough years. Whatever the case, life as we knew it has changed drastically, and as with all things, good or bad, there is grief in change.

I have felt unable to even comprehend writing a new blog post for the past several months which has made me incredibly thankful for re-runs and my sweet sister and sister-in-law for filling in for me. I am truly One Blessed Momma!

Consider it pure joy.. when you face trials…

As with most trials we walk through, we come out stronger on the other side. God through his infinite wisdom and matchless grace can, and will, use every situation for good, if we love him. I have spent much time in self reflection over the past few months and have found that I have allowed many things, many good things, to become idols in my own life. First and foremost I have let pride become an idol.

Pride is never spoken of highly in scripture. I know this. I grew up knowing this and I certainly never made a conscious decision to serve pride. However, I made many small decisions that led me down that path. It was extremely hard and humbling to back that train back down the track, but it brought about so much peace in knowing that we are following God’s will and drawing closer to Him. Even when you can’t see where you’re stepping, if your eyes are on Him, you will always find solid ground.

I love the quote from holocaust survivor and globally acclaimed inspirational woman, Corrie ten Boom:

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

Choosing our focus

With all that being said, I was really struggling with overwhelm and had begun a journey of simplifying our life by decluttering both physical things as well as our time. I cannot express the amount of stress that has been eliminated nor the amount of peace that has replaced it!

So when discussing with my husband what our family focus for 2023 should be, he suggested something along the lines of the decluttering journey we have started.

Being Intentional with our time, money and things is really what we have been working on. That just happens to include quite a bit of decluttering.

“Clutter is not just the stuff on your floor – it’s anything that stands between you and the life you want to be living.”

Effects of a decluttered life

When you free up space in your home, you have an easier task in keeping it clean. Which in turn frees up time.

When you free up time, by not only spending fewer hours being a “stuff manager”, but also by being intentional about what activities you choose to participate in, you are freeing up mental space.

When you free up mental space you can choose what you want to do with that space. One of my biggest goals was (and still is) to memorize more scripture and to help my kids to as well. I can also spend more time praying for myself, my husband, my children and friends.

Beyond those worthy goals, freeing up time and mental space gives you the ability to use and pursue the gifts and talents God has given you to serve His kingdom as well as time to ENJOY the life he has blessed you with!

Conclusion

So many times we as women wear “I’m so busy” as a badge of honor. We have been deceived ladies! It’s far more rewarding to care for the things God has put in our lives and not go looking for more.

As 2023 gets rolling, I pray that each and everyone of you sees the blessings you have and the blessing you are as you seek the truth in every aspect of your life and draw closer to the One who created you.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

Do Hard Things

Do Hard Things

by | Oct 10, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Have you ever read the old testament accounts of the many times the children of Israel turned away from the One True God and started worshiping idols and false gods instead?

If you’re like me, this is so hard to understand after just reading the multitude of miraculous ways God has shown his provision for them. It’s pretty easy to think, “Wow, so glad I am not as short sighted as they were…” Until we remember that their story is a physical version of our spiritual lives.

I don’t know any christians who worship idols made of stone, wood or precious metals, and I have never met anyone who worshiped by sacrificing their childrens’ physical lives (Thankfully!). However, I have found myself guilty of worshiping idols that I create in my own life by prioritizing my time to those things. I also believe people figuratively sacrifice their children by the environments they put them in and the things they allow them to watch and listen to, but that’s a discussion for another day.

My Idols

The things in my life that I struggle with idolizing by giving a large part of my time to include, but are not limited to, perfection, production and comfort.

Comfort is something we all want, right? We like comfy clothes, comfy shoes, comfy chairs, comfy blankets. We even have our comfort foods! Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is anything wrong with enjoying a bowl of mac-n-cheese while sitting braless in your favorite sweatshirt and yoga pants in your treasured corner of your worn but oh-so-comfortable sofa. BUT, when we make being comfortable a priority that we are willing to sacrifice our spiritual growth for, we have made it an idol.

Another way I idolize comfort is by not wanting to get out of my “comfort zone”. Recently I have been inspired by several great examples of people doing hard things that were certainly not in their comfort zones.

Melannie

My first example is my mother-in-law. She recently went through a very hard and stressful move all while helping to care for her dad who’s health was failing. Watching her prioritize her parents over her own “comfort” by giving them all the time they needed and sacrificing her time to organize her move the way she wanted to. She truly showed how to honor your parents as an adult. Her dad passed away not long after she got moved into her new place and she handled all the emotions and hardships that losing a parent brings with so much grace! I know it wasn’t easy for her, but she leaned on the Lord and family to get through a really tough time. I’m so thankful for her example! 

Cole

My sons, Orren and Cole, both participated in 4-H this past year and showed animals in the county fair. My youngest son, Cole, is a little shy and really struggles with getting up in front of people. He also struggles with doing anything that he doesn’t think he will be perfect at (Yup! He’s definitely my son!). He has cried over one wrong letter in one word on a spelling test before. If he doesn’t think he will do well, he won’t even try. However, this year at the fair, he decided he would try showmanship with his goat. He had never done it. He had never even seen anyone do it, but he still got out there in the ring, in front of many, many people and he tried! He didn’t win any ribbons in showmanship but my heart couldn’t contain one more ounce of pride in my boy! He did something VERY hard for himself. He did a hard thing.

Orren

In contrast, my son Orren is extremely outgoing and willing to try just about anything. He puts his whole heart into his projects. Orren wanted to show a steer for his first year in 4-H. For any of you 4-Hers out there, you know that showing steers is hard. Especially with no experience in any animal showmanship. To top it off, the time he was supposed to be working with his steer, his daddy was dealing with serious health issues and I had a handful of surgeries that made it hard for either of us to help him. He watched YouTube videos and asked a lot of questions of people he knew had shown steers. He was out there almost every day working with Chester (his steer). Orren basically did everything on his own. After working super hard, Chester did not make weight at the fair which disqualified him from being sold at the big sale. Orren was very bummed but I watched my ten year old son take that disappointment and put it away. He still had to be at the fair all week and he still needed to show his steer in his weight class as well as showmanship.

Orren had never done showmanship at all but he had worked hard with his 900lb steer and went on to win fourth place overall in showmanship! That is a very impressive feat! He also won second place in his weight class. Another job well done.

As happy as I was that he had won a couple ribbons, I was more impressed that he had not let that disappointment overwhelm him. He had kept his head up and walked through the ring with confidence. Orren went on to secure a buyer for Chester and made a handsome profit. God is so good!

The lessons my boys learned while walking through their own individualized hard things are absolutely priceless!

My Journey

While watching all this family do hard things, I have been encouraged during a hard undertaking of my own. Through God’s grace and provision (Lots of provision!) I have been teaching 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math at the private school my children attend. I have never taught math before and I never really considered myself a “math person”. This has absolutely been the most challenging thing I’ve ever taken on, but I’m doing it! I am so far outside my comfort zone I can’t even see it on the horizon anymore, but I have learned so many life lessons through walking out in faith.

God’s Call

God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow him. Where is he asking you to go? What is he asking you to do? Seek his will in all things. You will find your greatest fulfillment in serving his purpose for you.

Know what’s really cool? By denying ourselves comfort and seeking wholeheartedly after Jesus, we will find our greatest comfort of all. Peace.

“And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

Be ready, and willing, to say, “Anything. Anywhere, Anytime.” to the one who made you and knows what’s best.

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family

5 Ideas to Help Make Back to School Better

5 Ideas to Help Make Back to School Better

by | Aug 9, 2022 | Mollie, One Blessed Momma

Summer time flies by SO fast!

Some places have already started school and others, like us, have a couple more weeks of summer freedom.

At my house we have mixed emotions about the upcoming start of school. My seven year old CAN”T WAIT to start second grade. While my 8 and 10 year olds feel differently.

No matter how you or your child feel about going back to school (or, for the homeschoolers out there, getting back to school) here are a few ideas to make it a little easier.

 

One

Take an inventory of backpacks, clothes, shoes and school supplies. You might have everything, or close to everything, you need already! I love “shopping” my house first. This year my boys needed shoes (I think they have grown a foot this summer!) and my daughter needed a new backpack. We had pretty much everything else.

TIP: Try checking discount stores for supplies to stay on budget!

Two

Do something special with each of your kids before school starts. This could be as simple as walking to the mailbox and asking one kiddo to walk with you. Ask them questions and truly listen to their answers. Most kids love talking about what is special to them. If time and money avail themselves, you could go out to lunch one-on-one or take your daughter to get her hair shampooed at a salon or a manicure and pedicure. Anything that helps show them you care what they think and are available to them.

Three

Amp up your prayers for them. Life is a spiritual battlefield and kids are under attack constantly! Pray protection around them as they go back to being around many other influences outside your home. I cannot stress this enough!

 

Four

Help them memorize scripture.
The Proverbs are a great place to find short, easy to memorize verses that are packed with practical wisdom. I also like to help my kids (and myself!) memorize scripture about God’s love and faithfulness like Romans 5:8 and 1 John 4:16.

Other ideas: The fruit of the Spirit- Galatians 5:22-23. Loving others- 1 John 4:20. Think on good things- Philippians 4:8. 1 Corinthians 2:5, 1 Corinthians 15:33.

When you help your child equip his mind with the power of God’s word you are helping him fight battles you may never even know about.

Five

Stay involved through the school year. Your kiddos need you-even if they think or act like they don’t. Write them notes to stick in their lunch bags. Make them their favorite meal. Do things that show that you know them and you love them.

I hope some of these ideas will help make your family’s transition back to school a little smoother. I would love to hear your ideas, too!

Download Free Printables

Memory verses for kids

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Meet Mollie

 

Mollie is a lover of Jesus above all. She loves her husband and family and enjoys gardening, teaching, piano, riding, and farming. She lives in SW Colorado with her husband and five kids.

Learn more about Mollie and her family