SHINE PARENTING GURU-TRADITIONS

Yahoo is on the hunt for a handful of parenting gurus. My BFF (yes that term fits, we have been BFF long before Paris and Nicole were even born), encouraged me to submit, apparently, she is tired of my unsolicited parenting advice for her schnauzer!


My husband and I come from tradition rich families and when our own precious peeps arrived, it was time to build some of our own. A weekly tradition we enjoy is going to school and eating lunch with our children. Every Tuesday, my husband and I trade out eating with the kids in their natural habitat - the lunchroom. It is snapshot into their school lives, sometimes they act like we aren't there, but if we missed it, they would notice. I open juice boxes for my son and his friends, quietly containing myself as I listen to their one-upmanship antics of the playground. My daughter and her friends love to giggle at my husband's jokes. He says, we put this time in now, so when the kids are teenagers, they have to eat lunch with us once a week, even if they won't talk to us! Even sitting with them in silence, says, "I'm there".



I'm a bit of an older than the average elementary school parent, so I should be wise or something. What I have done is mindfully watch those families that I respect, gleaning every morsel about parenting that they would share and spread the news. And if we all do that as parents our families will shine!

My lips will praise you...

We enjoyed a wonderful Winter Performance with Sheridan and Christ in the Arts (CITA), (visit their web site at http://www.christinthearts.org/). Our sweetheart's class danced to the song from Twila Paris, "My lips will praise you". We are so grateful to CITA for having Godly teachers in the arts and having such an amazing night of ministry and worship through their program. I just can't help looking at these pictures of this girl over and over. She is so amazing! Through this program her physical strength has increased, her internal self confidence has blossomed and her walk with God in doing her best in all things is a testimony to me. I could not resist throwing in the Ihop picture. We went there after rehearsal it was cold, icy and snow and she is really enjoying this hot chocolate treat. She had to wear light stage make up and when I put mascara on her she said, "I look like Lucy. Lucy Ricardo"! How how funny! Mimi and Poppy got to come to the performance as well. When Sheridan came out with her group to dance, I saw my mother in law reach for her purse and pull out a kleenex...then she handed the kleenex to Poppy! He was crying! It was the sweetest thing ever. I think you'll agree, he looks pretty proud of this girl! To borrow a line from Twila Paris..."My lips will praise you...for one amazing family!"