Pregnancy can be a challenging time with all the changes that a woman's body goes through. I don't always feel pretty with a 25lb belly. ;-) But looking at these pix, I really feel pretty and that says alot about Danielle's skills. She was great about trying different angles and lighting to make sure the pictures were flattering. Thank you so much for the awesome pictures, Danielle!!! We love them!!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
My husband and I have been married 25 years and have three grown sons (all in their early twenties). Our oldest son Jake works on the business side of the Christian music industry. Our middle son Luke is married to his beautiful wife Kristen; he works full time at a bank and part time as a worship pastor. Our youngest son Jordan is studying to become a surgical nurse. My husband Kevin is a commercial construction manager by day and manages my ministry by night (and weekends). Bless his heart. I am an author, speaker, and an on-call radio host for Christian talk radio. Together, Kevin and I serve as advocates for justice on behalf of modern day slaves and human trafficking victims.
Tell us about your new book, Growing Grateful Kids: Teaching Them to Appreciate an Extraordinary God in Ordinary Places.
Even when economic times are tight, our children enjoy an abundance of material possessions. Yet, amidst all this wealth, discontentment and competition seem to be on the rise. Instead of teaching children virtues such as gratefulness and patience, many parents are bending over backwards to get their children the latest and greatest item - or feeling guilty when they can't. In spite of the currents of materialism and entitlement that flow so strong, it is possible to raise children who are simply grateful. Though teaching perspective and gratitude to our children is critical, it is not difficult.
Why did you want to write this book?
To be completely honest, I never wanted to write a book on parenting. I wanted to protect my kids’ privacy and give them time and space to become the men God wants them to be. But in the last few years, I have been especially burdened with the level of selfishness, entitlement and disrespect I see among children today. Furthermore, moms seem more stressed than ever. When I asked my sons their thoughts on writing this book, without pausing they all said, “Do it, mom; that book needs to be written!” I think I wrote a book that not only equips young moms to raise humble, grateful world-changers, but also one that nourishes the soul of the reader and encourages her personally.
Throughout the book you remind the reader that we cannot impart what we do not possess. Can you explain?
If we never deal with our own fears, insecurities, and hang ups, but we try to teach our children to believe in their divine value, over time, our words will not ring true to them. First God wants to do His work in us before He does it through us. They say that lessons are more often caught than taught. If we parent from a place of conviction and real freedom, our children will be affected by what we teach them.
One of your chapters is titled, “Take Time to Play.” How does taking time to play teach our kids to be grateful?
To me, taking time to play says a lot about the level of faith we possess.
If our children hear us confess that we love and serve a BIG God and yet they see us striving and straining through life, they will come to believe that more is on our shoulders than on God’s. If we can trust God enough to step away from our busy-important lives, to make a fort in the basement, or play a game with our children – even in the most desperate of economic situations – we will give our children a sense of much needed security and that all is well in their world.
What do you want readers to take away from this book?
To answer this question (I hope you don’t mind), I would like to share an endorsement from one of my sample readers. She expressed my deepest desire for my reader:
“Growing Grateful Kids is such a great source of conviction, encouragement, and inspiration to spur me on to finishing this parenting race well and not sputter out along the way. This book compels me to submit my own character to the refining of the Holy Spirit that I may be equipped to impart those lessons onto my children. Thank you, Susie, for taking the time, for submitting in obedience, and writing this down for a generation in desperate need of this kind of parenting book!” –Gail Miller
This is a Hearts at Home book. What is Hearts at Home?
Hearts at Home is an organization that encourages, educates, and equips women in the profession of motherhood. Hearts at Home encourages moms through annual conferences, our extensive website (www.hearts-at-home.org), a free bi-weekly electronic newsletter, a radio program, and an entire line of books designed to meet the needs of moms all over the world!
Any closing thoughts?
I am very excited about the message in this book. It is my prayer that every one who reads it will be nourished, encouraged, and equipped to parent from a place of fullness, conviction, and confidence. Raising grateful, confident kids will be one of the most heroic, important things you do in your lifetime. God’s blessings to you!
at the school so there was at least one familiar face. We were able to learn about what a typical day in the classroom will look like, how the bus situation will work (I was not so sure about the bus thing in the beginning but after hearing first hand from my mom how well the kids are taken care of on the "short bus" and thinking of the work of dragging three kids out to drop off and pick up I'm warming up to the idea! ) Being able to ask some questions and to see the place and how Joe interacted with the therapy team helped ease some of my fears of the unknown. I think he will like it and it will be good for him to be a part of a classroom setting, being challenged a bit more than he would be at home. We're hoping to get Nate signed up to be a peer model in Joe's class too. Nate is so used to being involved with Joe's therapy thus far and I think he would enjoy being able to continue to be a part of it in this next phase.
I was able to get one page done this week just so I would have something to contribute to Sunday Scrappin'! Here it is!
Its of the trip Isaac and I took to Cincy for my first Cubs game! So much fun!
FYI - I decided that this is my list and I can make up my own rules... so if I have not already mentioned this I am giving myself through this year that I'm thirty to continue working on my list. I've made a pretty good dent in it but still have a few things to check off and I say nothing wrong with giving myself a little extra time, especially since I only started the list at my last birthday. Anyway - here is the list and what I've done so far:
1. Take a "real" vacation with my husband! - DONE!! We had a great trip to Wisconsin last summer. We'll definitely have to do that again sometime!!
2. I want to go to one (and only one) of the following: Colts game, Pacers game OR the Indy 500.... Those are huge Indianapolis things to do and I've lived here my whole life and not done any of them! * Changed to sporting event with hubby. So that includes the Cubbies. - DONE - actually I went to my first Cubs game w/ my husband and I got to go to a Pacers game w/ a friend! Great fun! Way better in person than watching the game on tv!!
3. Go on a trip with my "girls". We've been talking about doing it for years but none of us has had the money... but somehow we need to make it happen!!
4. Watch a silent movie. I don't know why but I think it'd be really fun! Charlie Chaplain here I come! – Have yet to watch a silent film but my DH and I have been watching classics from the American Film Institute's Top 100 list. We've seen some really great old movies!
5. Going to a scrapbooking retreat with a group of my Scrappin' Sisters! This one will totally happen! Right girls?!? - DONE - we did a DIY retreat late last summer. It was so much fun. Hope we can do it again sometime!
6. Take my older son to an amusement OR water park. He loved the carnival rides at the county fair... I know he'd love the kiddie area of Kings' Island or Holiday World... something like that. - DONE - just before Christmas we went to Great Wolf Lodge and Nate had a blast.
7. Get really good outdoor family pictures taken of us and the boys. I'm a photographer myself... but it is hard to do your own family's pictures! - DONE - we had a good friend do our family pictures in the fall and we loved them. Course we'll have to do it again since we're going from family of four to party of five in a couple short months!!
8. Have my entire house clean at the same time. (I'm not saying I will do said cleaning... just that it will be done!) - um, yeah... not done... but its a work in progress. ;-)
9. Ok, please don't laugh or think I'm awful! I want to go skinny dipping! Though I'll probably have to do it alone because my husband does not do water. - I'll be waiting until warmer weather to even think about checking this one off.
10. Do some community service OR mission trip. I've kind of let stuff like that sit on the back burner since I had kids and I think it'd be good to give in that way again. - DONE - I have done family pictures for Sheltering Wings families and hope to make it an annual event.
11. I know this sounds lame but... I want to own a minivan. It is hard having two kids in car seats in a small sedan! It'd be nice to have my siblings be able to ride with us instead of having to drive separate cars! - DONE - last year (summer/fall) we bought a minivan from some friends. We love it!!
12. Feel comfortable in my own skin. Whether that includes losing weight, getting in better shape, or not... I just want to be able to look at myself and love me without being so critical of myself and pointing out all my flaws. - Another work in progress.
13. Get better at managing my time... sometimes I feel like I am busy all day and get nothing done! There has to be a better way! - I'm working on implementing some good patterns into my schedule to make better use of my time.
14. Paint our master bedroom. It’s a fairly inexpensive way to change the look of a room and I think it’d help me to be satisfied w/ our hand-me-down furniture instead of longing for something new. - getting ready to... my mom and I are working on the details of redecorating our bedroom. Hoping to have this done before the baby comes.
15. Get in touch with a few old friends that I haven’t talked to in awhile. I know that some friends are seasonal friends and aren’t meant to last forever… but sometimes it is nice to catch up with people that you’ve lost touch with too. ** DONE! Facebook!! Its great reconnecting with old friends from previous jobs and college!!
16. Read all of Jane Austen’s books. I loved the movies of her books and I liked The Jane Austen Book Club… I think it’d be fun to make an “all Jane Austen all the time book club” of my own! - not so into this one anymore. I tried to read Emma and I just have issues reading books that I have already seen the movie of. Maybe I'll try one of her other books later.
17. Find a new Christmas tradition to replace gifts. Every year we’re overwhelmed with the amount of toys and stuff that our boys get from friends and family. I want to stop exchanging gifts within our immediate family and take a trip or have a special outing that we do together instead – DONE. We went to an indoor waterpark just before Christmas last year and I think we'll try to do some kind of trip like that every year and only exchange stockings instead of a bunch of gifts. Now if only we could get my MIL to do the same! ;-)
18. Begin home-schooling my boys. I was home-schooled and while I think there are many advantages to doing it… I’m a little intimidated. I want to get organized enough to do it well. - DONE. I've been working with Nate and we're taking it slow for now but I think we're getting the hang of it. Its a work in progress. ;-)
19. Decide if we are going to have more kids. When we got married I wanted four kids and Isaac wanted two. Well… after having one via unexpected c-section, and one vbac at home…one who tries my patience daily and the other who pulls at my heartstrings constantly… I’m not sure if I can handle any more kids.** DONE!! God decided for us! We're expecting baby #3 on May 1st!!
20. Expand my photography business. I’ve kind of just let my business be primarily friends and family so far. But I’d like to take it a little more seriously and actually do some marketing and put my business out there for more jobs. I want to do this for two reasons: 1) I love taking pictures and want to improve my skill and a lot of that comes from experience. 2) It would be helpful to our family financially if I was able to bring in some extra income. - Waiting on this one since I'm getting ready to have a baby, I figure holding off on business building for the time being is the best move. Maybe in the fall I could tackle a photography class or something.
21. Get all my completed scrapbook pages into albums! I have piles of pages that are stacking up that I have no albums to put them into! - um yeah... still need to work on that one! ;-)
22. Finish reading through the whole bible with my husband. We got off to a good start awhile back and got out of the habit. Need to start back up and finish this time! - We're working on it!!
23. Go to a women's conference. I’ve wanted to go to Hearts at Home for a couple of years now and have not been able to work it out. One of these days… it will happen! - still having a hard time getting someone to go to Hearts at Home with me!! But I did get to go to a local women's conference a few weeks ago that was awesome! It makes me want to go to Hearts at Home even more!
24. Find a way to show my husband how much I appreciate him. He is such a big part of my life and while he certainly challenges me… I think I take all the good things about him for granted sometimes. - According to my DH I do a pretty good job on this one. So I guess this one counts as "DONE" even though it is something I will continue to strive at.
25. Help make some positive changes to the women’s ministry at my church. I think there are a lot of women who would benefit from some regular fellowship time where we can develop our relationships on a deeper level than what we can do on Sunday mornings. - sigh... its a work in progress. Change isn't something that my church handles well so I'm having to be patient and let things happen a little at a time. But there have been some small steps forward so I say "DONE" but will keep on keepin' on.
26. Go see Wicked (or some other live musical). I have always enjoyed musicals and haven’t been to many live shows lately. I’m one of those dorks who will sing along and annoy whoever is sitting next to me!!
27. Become involved in a mom’s group/play group of some kind. - I still want to do this. I am hoping that scheduling might be a little easier when Joe is in developmental preschool instead of having 5 dif therapies at dif times throughout the week to work around.
28. Write out our will. It is not a fun job. No one (ok, I don’t) looks forward to thinking about what will happen when their gone from this world. But it has got to be done. - sigh... not happened yet.
29. Take a continuing education class for fun. I was looking in the paper a few weeks ago and there were a few that I am interested in: cooking, etiquette, how to build your photography business, and others. Maybe I could talk someone into doing it with me! - DONE... At this time in my life it would be difficult to say the least to take a continuing education class. So, I bought a photography seminar series on dvd and plan on going through that a little at a time. Yeah! I can't wait to get started.
30. Read a book that my husband recommends (from cover to cover!). My DH and I do not have similar taste in books at all. I read mostly fiction with some fluffy self help or DIY books in the mix. He on the other hand reads mostly theological stuff that generally bores me! - I'm working on it. He picked this ginormous theology book that is going very slowly. We'll see.
“The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her.” Proverbs 31:11
She said: With Valentine’s Day approaching in just a few days… I thought it would be fun to focus on different aspects of the marriage relationship or rather, how you and I can be better wives! Proverbs 31 tells us that the heart of the virtuous woman’s husband could safely trust in her. Does your husband trust you or does his hear lie in fear of what is coming?
The last post in this series included this excerpt from the book, The Excellent Wife, by Martha Peace she says:
Great reminders to all wives no matter what stage of marriage we are in! Hope you had a great Valentine's Day!Eighteen Ways a Wife May be the Glory of Her Husband
1. Ask your husband, “What are your goals for the week?”
2. Ask your husband, “How can I help you accomplish these goals?”
3. Ask your husband, “Is there anything that I can do differently that would make it easier for you?”
4. Be organized with cleaning, grocery shopping, laundry and cooking. As you fulfill your God-given responsibilities, your husband is then free to do his work.
5. Save some of your energy every day for him.
6. Put him FIRST over the children, your parents, friends, job, ladies’ Bible studies, hobbies, etc.
7. Willingly and cheerfully rearrange your schedule for him when necessary.
8. Talk about him in a positive light to and around others. Do NOT slander him at all, even if what you are saying is true.
9. Do whatever you can to make him look good, to accomplish his goals. Some examples are to run errands for him, organize your day to be available to help him with projects, pray for him and make good suggestions. Give him freedom to not use your suggestion, and do not be offended when he does not follow it.
10. Consider his work (job, hobbies, goals, work for the Lord) as more important than your own.
11. think of specific ways that you can help him accomplish his goals. Examples are to get up early in the mornings to help him get off to work having had a good breakfast, take care in recording phone messages for him, anticipate any needs he may have in order to attain a specific goal, and keep careful records of money spent to keep up with the budget.
12. Consider the things that you are involved in. How do they glorify your husband? Ask his guidance.
13. Be warm and gracious to his family and friends. Make your commitment to him obvious.
14. Do and say things to him that build him up instead of tear him down.
15. Dress and apply your make-up in an attractive manner that is pleasing to YOUR husband.
16. When your husband sins, reprove him gently and privately, always giving him hope and pointing him to the Lord.
17. Encourage him to use his spiritual gifts in ministry.
Realize that just as God is glorified when man obeys Him, your husband is glorified when you obey your husband.
We are about 29 weeks along now. All of my 28wk lab work (Hgb/Hct, antibody screen, glucose screen) all came back "normal" and my blood pressure has remained normal as well. I had a follow up ultrasound last week to check on the position of my placenta. In the first ultrasound (around 18wks) it was kind of low so they wanted to make sure it shifted so it wouldn't be between the baby and the cervix (placenta previa). But this time the placenta had shifted and was up and out of the way. The midwife had been confident that it would be fine but we wanted to be sure. That is a big answer to prayer.
And this is of our family pictures that we got done in the fall. I'm loving this stack of coordinating papers!!
I have another layout that I'm working on... but I had a mishap with it! It is of pix from a weekend that my scrappin' sisters and I did a DIY scrapbooking retreat. I love the paper and the layout but the title accidentally ended up saying: "Scrap Reteat"... see my problem?!? ;-) What a waste of rub-ons!!!
Its not what you think. We've been using them for a motivational thing for Nate. His behavior was becoming challenging so we decided it was time for a "new" reward system to help get him interested in being polite, helpful, etc.
I was tickled to find bubble bath, incense and a back massager for inexpensive that coordinated with the towels that they'd registered. When I got home I paired it all up with a basket that I already had (I think I got some bath & body stuff in it for Christmas) and a ribbon from something else that also color coordinated. I made the tag to match and wa-la! Much more interesting and appealing than a couple towels in a gift bag.
We seem to go through phases around here. There are times when we are sheltered and are able to only see Joe's progress and put out of our minds how far behind he really is. I think that those times are good for me. Its much easier to just enjoy Joe for who he is and to focus on the good when we're not thinking about the rest.
