Family Culture

24 08, 2020

Thriving Families – Fall 2020 Schedule & Registration

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-08-24T17:21:29-06:00August 24th, 2020|Family Culture, Marriage, Parenting|

When you close your eyes and imagine what a thriving family looks like, what do you see? A quality home environment filled with encouragement and harmony? Husband and Wife on the same page and enjoying their relationship? Children laughing and enjoying one another and excelling in their development? Wonderful and meaningful holidays and vacations? Whatever vision you hold of what a thriving family looks like, do you see that in your family? Building a healthy [...]

17 08, 2020

Mindset for an Uncertain School Year

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-08-17T11:55:24-06:00August 17th, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting|

With school quickly approaching and the uncertainty surrounding what may or may not happen, we wanted to share some insights from the Widmier Family. Not only are they wonderful friends and periodic contributors to this weekly letter, but Jon also serves as Social-Emotional Behavior Services Coordinator for Littleton Public Schools in Colorado. _______________ As we sit down and write this, it is hard to believe that 150 days have passed since remote learning started [...]

11 08, 2020

Instilling Curiosity In Your Kids

By Lis and Dave Marr|2020-08-11T09:16:59-06:00August 11th, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting|

One trait that separates humans from animals is our curiosity, the fascination we have with discovering new things. The dopamine hit and mental energy that comes from satisfying curiosity can develop a golden outcome where mental growth leads to understanding, more confidence, and more fascination about life that is increasingly more satisfying. A lifetime of mental exploration in an infinite universe of discovery. Isn’t this what we want for our kids? What can you do [...]

3 08, 2020

Developing Discernment

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-08-03T11:07:50-06:00August 3rd, 2020|Family Culture, Personal, Relationship|

As we have both grown and matured since getting married right out of college, there is one skill we have learned to develop that has been significant in all of our relationships. Whether it is with our marriage, our children, our family and friends, or everyday relationships at work or in our community, learning the skill of discernment has become a game changer in our lives. Discernment is the ability to gain understanding in order [...]

20 07, 2020

Planting Seeds

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-07-20T16:47:36-06:00July 20th, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting, Relationship|

As our boys have gotten older, one parenting tool that we have utilized the most is planting seeds. While the generic concept of planting seeds is not new, our friends Dave and Lis provided us with a perspective that took the concept to a new level in our parenting with a 2 step approach – Planting seeds (initiate an idea or topic with a question) and Cultivation (ongoing conversation follow up). This tool has been [...]

14 07, 2020

You Gotta Try Before You Cry

By Lis and Dave Marr|2020-07-15T07:49:57-06:00July 14th, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting|

Adventure. Doesn’t that sound exotic? To us the word conveys a sense of travel with new sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and experiences. To us the notion of adventure has been to answer the call of travel. Since Lis grew up in Sweden, we traveled to visit her parents every other year and took the opportunity to explore other countries. The stresses of travel can be pretty taxing on old and young alike, so having a [...]

1 07, 2020

Pursuing Excellence – The Difference Between Good and Great

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-07-01T16:59:53-06:00July 1st, 2020|Family Culture, Personal|

Perfection is an impossible standard. Yet, in our results driven society, its amazing how the pursuit of perfection continues to be coveted in almost every aspect of life even though it derails us in our pursuits. The pursuit of perfection often leads to disappointment, shame, frustration, and feelings of failure. However, the pursuit of excellence leads to accomplishment, confidence, contentment, and feelings of fulfillment. This distinction was not only something we passed along in parenting [...]

30 06, 2020

Developing Your Child’s Mindset

By Lis and Dave Marr|2020-06-30T11:46:19-06:00June 30th, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting, Relationship|

Maybe your children are very young and the prospect of them going off into the world and being independent of you seems a far away dream. Your children are a part of your life and don’t have a life of their own so dependent are they on your inputs. You help them understand the world based on your understanding. Your views, your filtering of what they see, your nurturing and disciplining shapes their very understanding [...]

22 06, 2020

The Purposeful Father – Part Two

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-06-22T15:43:53-06:00June 22nd, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting|

Last week, in The Purposeful Father-Part One, we covered the first four things dads can do to build and strengthen the bonds of trust with his children based upon The Father’s Mandate teaching that has wonderfully impacted our family and marriage. A father must cultivate a sense of Family Identity A father must regularly demonstrate love to his wife A father must respect his child’s private world A father must give his children the freedom [...]

15 06, 2020

The Purposeful Father – Part One

By Shelly and Rich Howard|2020-06-15T14:50:41-06:00June 15th, 2020|Family Culture, Parenting, Relationship|

Father’s Day is almost here, so we thought it would be great to re-examine a teaching that focuses on eight specific duties dads can intentionally implement that cultivate and strengthen the bonds of trust with his children. The Father’s Mandate lesson from Growing Kids God’s Way, by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo, was an important catalyst for our marriage and for our kids. It gave Rich some practical ways to be more purposeful with the boys [...]