MADE TO BE BRAVE

BRAVE MOMS

As a mom, there are opportunities for fear around every corner. But you know what? There are just as many opportunities to be brave. If we want to raise courageous kids, we need to show them what real bravery looks like.

Brave can look like prioritizing the things that matter most. Sharing your faith with a coworker, doing devotions with your kids, or asking your husband out on a date.

Maybe it’s refusing to click on that fear-mongering article and sending someone an encouraging text instead.

Brave might look like taking one step toward a God-given dream. Or simply allowing yourself to dream in the first place.

Ultimately, as a follower of Jesus, being brave looks like standing up against the enemy’s schemes and not letting him have a foothold. He’ll do whatever he can to keep us feeling fearful, overwhelmed, or just complacent enough so that we aren’t living the way we are created to be. We’re created to be brave.

BRAVE KIDS

“If there’s a Goliath in front of you, maybe that’s because God has placed a David within you.” I’m not sure who was the first person to share this idea, but I love it.

David = a little kid with big faith who God used in a huge way. If you’re searching for a great story to encourage your kiddos to be brave, David & Goliath can be a good place to start.

It was a scary time for the Israelites, but God had a plan, and He used a small shepherd boy to help. God wants to use you and your littles in big ways too!

Want a fun way to encourage bravery? Make Bravery Badges together as a family! We had a lot of fun designing our badges and talking all about ways we can choose to be brave as we colored to our heart’s content.

RAISING KIND KIDS

I want to raise kids who are kind. Kind to their friends, to the underdog, and even to those who are unkind to them.

Choosing kindness almost seems counter-cultural these days, and it’s not always our first instinct. But like the ripple effect, when we practice kindness, it will lead to more kindness in ourselves and in others.

Although our kids ultimately make their own choices, we can encourage kindness. We can tell them stories about people who are kind, talk to them about why God wants us to be kind, and call out kindness when we see it. But this quality, like so many others, is often learned best by having it modeled to us.

Am I offering my kids an example of what it looks like to be kind? Even though I mess up often, I hope that overall I model this for them.

Now, we don’t need to freak out every time our kids refuse to share toys or pull someone’s hair. They’re re going to do that! While we might need to exercise new discipline strategies or have a heart-to-heart convo, this is part of growing and learning in a broken world.

We ALL fall short of God’s perfect standard, so let’s give our kids—and ourselves—some grace.

No matter how kind we are, there are still going to be critics and naysayers and people who just seem mean.

Be kind anyway.

And speak kindly to yourself. Our inner narrative shapes what we do and who we are. Kind words in lead to kind words out.

Then what about when we simply don’t feel like being kind? When I’m just not feeling it, I try remind myself of who I am. I’m made by a kind & loving God, Who created me in His kind & loving image. He created my kids the same way, and I want to do my part to help foster that in them. Even in these crazy yet wonderful “little” years.

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Here are some simple activities to encourage kindness in our kids:

• Read stories about others who show kindness and discuss why their actions were kind.

• Talk about why God wants us to be kind and share stories about how someone was kind to you.

• Do Random Acts of Kindness together as a family.

• Cut out hearts and write a note to send someone sharing something that you love about them.

• Make heart-shaped pizzas and talk about ways you can be kind as you eat.

• Find ways to make kindness fun like handing out Kindness Tickets!

Mini Valentine’s Heart Pizzas

I’m by no means a gourmet chef, but I do spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Even though I enjoy making food for my family (most days!), I don’t like that it can take so much time away from them.

So, I’ve been trying to find ways to have my girls be more involved in meal prep. Usually it’s something simple like scooping ingredients, stirring batter...or pouring that beloved orange powder packet into the pot.

Once in awhile I try to make the meal-prep experience extra fun for my kids, and this Valentines-themed meal idea from my sis seemed like it could fit the bill. So cute, right?!

We had a great time making these adorable mini pizzas! There are only three ingredients necessary, plus a heart-shaped cutout. This meal is so interactive that it can double as a tasty lunch and an engaging activity.

MINI HEART PIZZAS

You’ll need:
-Crescent roll dough/sheet
-Heart-shaped cutout
-Marinara sauce
-Shredded cheese (we used a cheddar jack mix)
-Other favorite pizza toppings (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place the dough on a sheet pan and use your hands to flatten a bit more. (Grease the pan beforehand if it’s not nonstick.)
3. Use the cutout to make heart shapes out of the dough.
4. Spoon and spread marinara sauce onto the hearts.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top of the sauce and add any other ingredients if you’d like.
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes (or until cheese is melted and crust is golden and crisp.)
7. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, and enjoy!

I almost forgot to take a pic of the finished product!

Here’s a prayer to say with your kiddos before you dig in!

Dear God, Thank You for loving us. Thank You for giving us food to eat and for letting us have fun together as a family. We love You. Please help us to love others too. Amen.

DIY Heart Garland

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and we’re in full-on decorating mode! This is our first year decorating for this holiday as a family, and it’s been a ton of fun. Whether you make your own decor or buy it (combo of both over here), it can help bust up those winter doldrums a bit. We especially need that here in MinneSNOWta!

As you decorate, you can also take the opportunity to talk with your kids about this day that’s all about love. We can challenge our kids to think about love as not only a feeling but also as an action. An action we do to show others kindness and that we care.

You could share ideas with each other of how you can show love to others this week. I also talked to my girls about how choosing to love isn’t always easy, but God can help us love well. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Regardless of whether you think this holiday is special, silly, or even a little annoying, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the most amazing thing ever—LOVE!


DIY HEART GARLAND

You’ll need:
-construction paper
-scissors
-crayons/markers
-hole punch
-yarn/ribbon

Directions:
1. Cut hearts out of construction paper and have littles help decorate them.
2. Hole punch two holes at the top of the heart.
3. String yarn/ribbon through holes (a great fine motor skill activity).
4. Hang up on a window or over your kiddo’s doorway!

Motherhood in a Snapshot

I love this picture. It was snapped while taking family photos last fall, during one of our last attempts to get a picture with all the kids smiling at the same time. (And after trying to bribe with various treats, we still had exactly none of those from this particular day.)

Yes, I’m smiling, but it’s more the “this is total chaos!” and “what are we doing?!” kind of smile. Instead of crying (which would have been understandable), my hubby, Brian, and I just laughed about how crazy it all felt. And we laughed A LOT during that photo shoot!

We tried for a baby for over two years before getting pregnant with our first daughter, so the gift these girls are doesn’t often get lost on me.

Not to say that being a mom isn’t hard (because it is) or that things like postpartum anxiety and mom-guilt don’t still get the best of me at times (because they do). There are tantrums and tears daily, but man oh man, being a mom to these three is such a blessing!

Even so, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the overwhelm of motherhood. Simply meeting the daily demands of these adorable humans is a lot of work. (Hello dirty diapers, piles of laundry, and filling hungry tummies!) All of that is valuable and holds meaning in itself for sure, but there are SO MANY MORE things I want to do too.

I want to spend time talking with them instead of just talking at them.

I want to read with them.

I want to have fun and be silly with them.

I want to incorporate faith and gratitude into our everyday routine, including the seemingly mundane tasks.

In the months after our third baby was born last summer, I was having a tough time keeping up with even the most basic things, let alone the things I really wanted to do. I was in survival mode.

All sorts of grace for mamas with newborns, but after a few months of this, I knew I needed to make some changes.

This photo shoot was around the same time I realized I needed to better address my postpartum anxiety and take additional steps toward being emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy. So, I asked for help, implemented a simple routine, spent more time in God’s Word, and lots more.

I’m in a way better spot than I was, and my whole family is better off for it too. I’m still learning, failing, and getting back up, but that’s how it goes, right?

This picture marks a special moment in time. It was hard and beautiful. Crazy and wonderful. It’s like motherhood in a snapshot. And despite the chilly wind and lack of cooperative smiles that also made up this moment, we were together. That was and is a wonderful gift.