The Four Loves - Mom Mondays

       C.S. Lewis'  The Four Loves is a book that is just perfect for reading and teaching to our children at this time of year.  This week, I am going to dedicate a day to focus on each of the four loves. Here is a brief overview:

Storge - Affection - natural love that you have for family
                                and familiar people or things.

Phileo - Friendship - companions that have something in common

Eros - Romantic - feelings that you have when you are "in love"

Agape - Charity - the unconditional love that God has for us,
                             and that we can show toward others
                             as a result for and from our love for God
       Love is the basis for all the other character qualities and for our theology. I would love to hear any of your ideas about how to grow and teach love in your family.  Which one of these four loves are you the best or the worst at?  Ask God to help you know how to grow and to teach in these four areas this week.

"...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.... You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no greater commandment greater than these." - Mark 12: 30,31

I LOVE to KISS - Thoughtful Thursday

       This Valentine's week we have talked about candlelight dinners, flowers, and sweets. Today we are going to talk about kissing.  KISS - Keep It Simple Silly (We have to say silly instead of studid at our house:)). The most important and basic thing we can do for our family every day, not just at Valentine's, is to be loving. Read the passage to the left. Are you showing love to your kids?  Are you a loving spouse? Are you a loving person in general? Seek God's strength and guidance today for special ways you can show love to all those around you. Maybe let the lady who rings up your groceries pick out a drink or snack, secretly slip an encouraging note and a Sonic gift card into your friends diaper bag, sit down and read a good book with your kids, and then plant a big fat KISS on your honey when he gets home from work.

Slow Down for Sweets - Wise Wednesday

   Valentine's Day would not be complete without all the sweet treats. Through her book, One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp has been teaching me about how to cultivate a grateful heart. She suggests slowing down to focus on God's goodness in all things. I hope these quotes below from her book will inspire you to action (well a slowing down of all the action).

"Haste makes waste."
"Hurry makes us hurt."
"Life is dessert -- too brief to hurry....When did I stop thinking life was dessert?...
"It takes a full twenty minutes after your stomach is full for your brain to register satiation.  How long does it take your soul to realize that your life is full? The slower the living, the greater the sense of fullness and satisfaction.  The body and soul can synchronize."
"Wherever you are, be all there." - Elizabeth Elliot
" Being in a hurry. Getting to the next thing without fully entering the thing in front of me. I cannot think of a single advantage I've ever gained from being in a hurry. But a thousand broken and missed things, tens of thousands, lie in the wake of rushing...Through all that haste I thought I was making up time. It turns out I was throwing it away." - Mark Buchanan

         Take time to show your sweet kid how much you love them by slowing down and really enjoying a sweet treat with them today. Share with them how very grateful to God you are for all the little things in life - like sweet treats, but also for the big, giant things in your life like your sweet kid. 
        What are some ways we can slow down or stop hurrying? How do you make your kids feel loved and important?

Dependable Dads (and Moms) - Teaching Tuesday

    Teach your kids about dependability & unconditional love. For a girl, anxiety naturally accompanies Valentine's Day whether she has a significant other or not. She worries, "Is anyone going to remember me on this day to make me feel loved and valued?" Growing up, my father was more dependable than anyone I knew. My Valentine's anxieties were calmed with the knowledge that I was going to receive flowers from someone no matter what. I knew I was special to someone - my Dad.
     I don't know how boys feel on Valentine's Day, but I do know that they probably wouldn't mind counting on getting a nice note and some chocolate from their mom.
     You know your kids best. What would say, "You are an amazing kid, and I love you no matter what" to your child? I would love to hear about your ideas to make your kids feel special on this special day.

Dates with Dad and Mom - Mom Mondays

      Moms and Dads, Valentine's Day is not just for your spouse.  Go out of your way to make your kids feel loved this Valentine's Day! Make a candlelight dinner with all the fancy red decorations at home or take them out on a fancy date. Fancy - meaning anything that is not fastfood.  My husband (shown here with my daughter, Summer, on their way to the Daddy Daughter Dance) does an amazing job of scheduling one on one time with all of our girls regularly - not an easy task. Our girls will grow up knowing that they are unconditionaly loved by their Daddy, so they won't have to seek approval and acceptance from some other guy in their life. I have to admit I get a bit jealous sharing my husband's quality time with all three of them, but I know the sacrifice is well worth it.