We heard a terrific message by Andy Stanley on how leaders can be more effective, innovative and open to creative exploration when they have an attitude of “Wow” versus “How.” Many great ideas and creative thoughts get shut down and lost when executives or managers focus on the “how” of an idea instead of encouraging further creative exploration with a “wow” response. The same can be true in parenting. Are you a Wow Parent or [...]
Having a healthy and thriving family begins with a health marriage. We believe that the marriage relationship should be the first priority within the family structure… even before our kids! In today’s society, there is constant pressure to put our children first above EVERYTHING else in the family environment. This misguided prioritization can ultimately lead to child-centered parenting and even divorce. Don’t get us wrong. Our children are a top priority. And just because we [...]
Back to school has always been very similar to the start of a new year for our family. It marks the start of a new school year with renewed expectations and resolutions not only for our boys, but also for us as parents. For the kids, it’s a great time to get them refocused on their schedules, routines and revisit some lessons that were learned or challenges faced in the previous school year. For mom [...]
Have you ever considered why some of the simplest outings with our young children can go horribly wrong? How difficult can it be to have coffee with friends…Right?!?! Our friend Rachel is a busy mom of three boys, who just wanted to get coffee with a friend one day. Here is a wonderful story of what happened and what she learned from her frustrating and embarrassing experience. Children run amok over lattes as I recall [...]
Holidays are a great time for families. But it can also be a great time to reflect on the meaning of the holiday… and it's fun as well! Here are some fun facts to share or make a game of guessing the answers. Fun Independence Day Facts The image shown on this letter is the oldest known “rough draft” of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting. Jefferson’s original draft was lost and the [...]
1.47 million orange slices! That’s how many orange slices our family provided throughout the years at our boys activities and sporting events. Or at least it felt like that many! So what’s deal with orange slices anyway?!?! When Trevor and Alex were young, their favorite thing, like most of the kids that age, was the orange slices at the end of the game or activity. For them, nothing was better than to share delicious, sweet [...]
OneFamily is all about equipping, encouraging and sustaining couples as they journey in their marriages and parenting. Many of the concepts, principles and ideas that we share each week, in our OneFamily letter and quotes, are derived from the Growing Families curriculum we have taught for the past 16 years. As a result, we would be remiss if we didn’t make you aware of a fantastic opportunity to learn and connect with other families that [...]
It's graduation season! There are preschoolers graduating to Kindergarten, Kindergartners to Elementary School, Elementary to Middle School, Middle Schoolers to High School and so on. All graduations, to varying degrees, have commencement addresses. These speeches are designed to impart wisdom and encourage students as they move to the next chapter in life. We recently came across a fantastic commencement address that has a simple message which is as applicable to the college graduate as to [...]
One of the many concepts we love from the Parenting from The Tree of Life class, is The Potato Principle. Derived from a dining experience and shared by the Ezzo’s ministry associates Don and Karen Kurtz, The Potato Principle speaks to the idea that we can become fixated on the flaws at the expense of looking at the overall good in our child’s behavior. Have you, your spouse or your children ever thrown out or [...]
Parenting in the Digital Age can be challenging to navigate. In the first two parts of this series, our intention was to give you an overall understanding of the issues that come with technology and help you form a clear perspective to manage it thoughtfully in your home. This week we offer 3 areas, with specific tools and resources, to consider when implementing technology strategies and plans in your home. Communication is critical and must [...]