Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Did you get what you wanted for Mother’s Day? Did you give what your mother wanted? I’ve turned my blog over to Tina Hollenbeck today. She wrote this as her column for tomorrow’s Celebrate Kids newsletter, but I wanted you to read it. Not only are her ideas important, I hope it will encourage you to subscribe to the free newsletter here so you get quality thoughts like this every other Tuesday. --- The Heart of the Matter by Tina Hollenbeck A few days before Mother’s Day, my husband asked me what I’d like for a gift. I knew he wanted to show his genuine appreciation and that my daughters would want … [Read more...]
Do You Extend Hope to Others?
May 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Do you extend hope to others? If you have some, I hope you do. We shouldn’t keep it to ourselves. Does it have to be a big deal? A time consuming conversation? The giving away of something you value? No. Might it be? Yes, and it would be worth it. Can it be a smile shared as you walk past a coworkers? Yes. a genuine question, asking someone how she is, and showing with body language, eye contact, and facial expression, that you do want and care about a real answer? Yes. an anonymous gift of money to someone who needs it? Yes. asking someone for practical help so a need you have is met, but more importantly … [Read more...]
Security & Freedom
April 22, 2013 by · 1 Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Security. Protection. Shelter. Safety. Refuge. Retreat. Defense. Safeguard. Sanctuary. Guard. Sure. Supported. Safe and sound. Trustworthy. Freedom from harm, danger, fear, hurt, wickedness, abuse, wrong, injury, Freedom from hopelessness, hurt, disaster, suffering, pain, damage, worry, trouble. Freedom FOR truth, belief, joy, hope, confidence, love, contentment, purpose, Freedom FOR happiness, playfulness, growth, peace, pleasure, blessings, anticipation. God. Jesus. The Holy Spirit. Forgiveness. Salvation. Security. … [Read more...]
Special Blog Post About the Boston Tragedy
April 16, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
If you’re like most people, you’re wondering how to talk with children about the tragedy that occurred in Boston yesterday. Here’s some advice. I truly hope it’s helpful. Respond to emotion with emotion. Feel your children’s feelings before you analyze them. Hug them. Cry with them. Listen. Listen longer. Keep listening. Even longer. Don’t be afraid of silence. Don’t say anything that would cause them to question if their emotions are right. Depending on your children’s ages, don’t assume they won’t hear about the bombing even if you haven’t discussed it. If you don’t homeschool, chances are good that teachers will bring it up. They’ll want to be helpful and maybe they can relate it to content they’ve been … [Read more...]
I Will Walk Beside You
April 8, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — How do you respond to life’s challenges? It tells us a lot about where you have your security. Who’s with you in times of need? It tells us a lot about your belonging. What do you make of your life after tragedy strikes? This tells us a lot about your purpose. A friend of mine models healthy responses to challenges and tragedy better than most. He wouldn’t claim he’s anyone special. He would properly credit God and His sustaining power. And, yet, any of us who know God know it’s our choice whether to rely on Him or not. Brandon has given me permission to share part of his recent Facebook post here. His … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 4 – Music Smart
March 13, 2013 by · 1 Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — We determine how strong people’s intelligences are by looking at both how much interest they have and how much ability they demonstrate. Both are essential for an intelligence to be strong. Interest in music is high in our culture. Just look at the number of iPods in use, the number of people who have downloaded music to their phones, and the number of iTunes accounts accessed regularly. But, not all the people listening to music have music smart as a strength. Are they interested in a variety of musical styles, are they open to discovering new styles and musicians, and do they remember music … [Read more...]
Explaining Our Smarts Part 3 – Picture Smart
March 6, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Surrounding ourselves with people different from us enriches our personal and professional lives. I’m not terribly picture smart so I’m very grateful for the people in my life who are. To be honest, sometimes they frustrate me. But, that’s when I choose (most of the time) to appreciate our differences. It takes character. Especially before understanding that each intelligence has value, I might have been jealous of creative, artsy people. I might have avoided them because I didn’t like feeling inferior when we did certain things together. I’m not proud of that. I’m just being … [Read more...]
Choose to Invest – Community Matters
February 18, 2013 by · 2 Comments
Every Monday, I’ll post about discovering genuine hope and authentic answers for living a healthy life. — Choose to invest. About two weeks ago, a Facebook friend posted asking for prayer for Kathryn, a child from my church. I didn’t know her or her parents, but I chose to “like” the page they set up to keep people informed and I’m glad I did. Kathryn is in the hospital for major brain surgery. She’s had two in the last two weeks and symptoms of epilepsy that they hoped would subside continue. I can’t imagine her parents going through this alone. I can’t imagine any of us being alone. We should be in community to celebrate blessings and to support each other in hard times. Belonging matters. Choose to … [Read more...]
Have a Merry, Merry, Blessed, Blessed Christmas! (Video)
December 24, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Merry Christmas! Have a merry, merry, blessed, blessed Christmas! Please enjoy my video Christmas greeting that we posted to our Vimeo channel last Tuesday. You may want to click on “follow” to be notified when we launch new “Kathyisms.” We’re using these to influence and encourage you just as we use our blog and our Facebook page. Serving you is a joy! … [Read more...]
Understanding the “Self Smart” Child during the Holidays
December 12, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Every Wednesday, I’ll post about multiple intelligences so we can better understand children and why they do what they do. — Are you self smart? Do you know children or teens who have self-smart strengths? This month can be hard for them. Watch for emotional outbursts and whiney behavior that may indicate their needs aren’t being met. What do self-smart people need? They need time to think of ideas and answers to questions. They think by reflecting and they often go deep within themselves. They compare answers and ideas, looking for the one that just feels right. Ask them for input earlier than you might others so they have additional thinking time. It may help to ask questions separately. For example, don’t ask … [Read more...]
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