A Great Gift for Fellow Moms- Thoughtful Thursdays

(Day 4 continuation on Faithful Follow Through)
       Yesterday you heard about my favorite parenting book about first-time obedience "Don't Make Me Count to Three!" by Ginger Plowman.  To accompany this book, Plowman made one of the best parenting tools I have found.
        If you are looking for a practical, thoughtful, and economical gift for a fellow mom, THIS IS IT!  This tool is made in somewhat of a calendar format so you can hang it on your fridge for easy reference.   Wise Words for Moms helps you train your children to replace their bad behaviors with positive attitudes and actions using a Scriptural format similar to a mini topical concordance.
       Stock your gift closet with this must-have resource for only $4.00 from Plowman's website http://www.gingerplowman.com/ or Shop Amazon.com.

First Time Obedience - Wise Wednesdays

(Day 3 continuation on Faithful Follow Through)

 Step 3: Require First-time Obedience          Requiring first-time obedience from my kids, is the only way my kids will learn that I mean what I say.  I am going to hand this topic over to a woman much wiser and more disciplined than myself. Ginger Plowman is the author of my very favorite books on parenting because it weaves together the biblical truth of focusing on a child's heart with practical steps to apply these truths.

         Ginger Plowman teaches her children that first time obedience means, "All the way, right away, and with a happy heart." This is brilliant because it not only focuses on the action, but the attitude behind the action. Plowman references Ephesians 6:1-3, Colossians 3:20, Proverbs 13:18,24, and more as she tells her children, "When you disobey me you are disobeying God and it will not go well with you.  I love you too much to allow you to disobey. "Don't Make Me Count to Three" Should be required reading for all Christian Moms.

          Don't miss tomorrow when I tell you about her practical tool to carry out these principles entitled Wise Words for Moms.  In the meantime, I would love to hear any great ideas you have for requiring first time obedience from your children.

No More Excuses - Teaching Tuesdays

(Day 2 continuation on Faithful Follow Through)

Step 2 to Faithful Follow Through: No more Making Excuses.

       There is a reason why my children obey my husband right away, and obey me sporadically. They know he means what he says when he asks them to do one task, and he will stand there and respond to their immediate obedience or disobedience with praise or punishment - no excuses. I on the other hand am always making excuses for everything - their behavior and my lack of discipline. "They would have obeyed right away if they weren't so hungry, tired, etc." "It is okay that I ate three brownies, because I am going to exercise tomorrow." "Well, I know that I told the kids they couldn't watch anymore TV if there room wasn't clean, but then my mom dropped by and needed to talk about something important, and I needed to distract them with something just for a few moments." The problem with this logic, is there is alway some kind of "extenuating circumstance" in all of life. Do I really want to teach my kids to make excuses for themselves or their misbehavior?
         When we make excuses, our commands become empty threats, and we teach our kids that mom does not really mean what she says. Instead, I should be focusing on reinforcing first time obedience. Don't miss tomorrows wise words about first-time obedience from one of my favorite authors.