When Someone You Love Makes Bad Choices

when someone I love makse bad choices

When someone you love makes bad choices, it wrecks you. Every part of your life is affected as you try to do damage control, fix it, cry, pick up the pieces, and pray. Life seems to stop momentarily with every crisis and you wonder how you got to this place again through no fault of your own. How do I know? Two adult members of my family are constantly getting in to trouble and I am watching it damage their lives and our family helplessly. On top of that, over a decade of ministry to hurting kids who struggle and fall and make terrible decisions has broken my heart a thousand times.

I am not a perfect person. I make wrong choices every day. We all do. This is not a self righteous rant of someone who thinks themself sinless. This is a love letter to all of you who are watching loved ones lost in addiction, alcoholism, crime, and mistreatment of others. You love them in spite of their mistakes and their bad choices are killing you inside. I am right there with you.

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Too Loud! Helping Kids Tolerate Loud Noises & Learn Volume Control #Sensory4All

Helping Kids Tolerate Loud Noises and Learn Volume ControlToo loud! Too loud, Mommy! This phrase is often heard in our home and accompanied by yelling, crying, and hands held over ears. The same child often loves to create a noise level much higher than the one that bothered him by yelling, banging, and testing the range of his voice. What I’ve learned recently is this behavior is linked to his auditory sensory needs, and I can help him adjust and get those needs met. If your child has behaviors you long to understand, I urge to join in during Sensory Awareness Month as the #ProjectSensory team of bloggers shares posts about Decoding Everyday Kid Behaviors. Every child has sensory needs, and you can help them meet those needs with simple solutions.

DecodingKidBehaviors_zps25d8fbc3

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Preschool Fun: Have a Costume Dance Party with Curious George

halloween read and play pretend costume dance party
As a diehard bookworm, reading is a part of daily life. My kids share my love for books and we are always trying to find new ways to incorporate our favorite stories in to our play time. We recently found a fun book called “Curious George Goes to a Costume Party” at the library and have read it daily for the past few weeks. We decided to create our own costume party like George, and had a blast doing it. Read on to find out what we did and get lots of fun Halloween Read + Play ideas from other mamas in the Kid Blogger Network.

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Preparing for Home Preschool: 10 Great Resources to Help You Get Started

great resources for home preschool

We started preschool with the Bear at home this year, and though I was confident I could teach him I didn’t really know where to start. We want to create a family culture of life long learning, and want to save the money traditional preschool would cost. Thankfully I found some amazing resources for home preschool on some of my favorite blogs, and I’m sharing them with you today. You can read more about our plan for home preschool here, and some of our favorite ideas for pumpkin fun with preschool kids here. Read about how we paint with preschoolers and toddlers stress free here. You can teach your preschooler at home, you really can. Read on to find great resources to help you.

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Preschool Pumpkin Fun ~ 20 Easy Ideas for Your Toddlers & Preschool Kids

20 Easy Ideas for Toddler and Preschool Pumpkin Fun

Pumpkins are one of my favorite things about fall. I love to have them around the house, eat them in everything, and create pumpkin fun for my kids. Today I’m sharing 20 easy ideas for pumpkin fun for preschool and toddler age kids. Pour yourself a DIY pumpkin spice latte and pin these ideas to do with your favorite little ones. Did I mention I’m partnering with some other fabulous bloggers to give away $2000 at the end of this post? {It’s true!}

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Create a DIY Outdoor Play Table for Kids from Reclaimed Wood

create a diy outdoor play table for kids

We took back our yard last spring, fighting for control of the space against a formidible foe of Asian jasmine and ivy. Once we had established our dominance and set up an enjoyable outdoor room, it was time to bring in a table for the kids and some play structures. I’ve shared with you our DIY water table already, and today I’m showing our DIY wood table, stools, and play structure. We created them all from wood found in the neighborhood after a storm, for free, and will share how you can make them for your own family.

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Easy DIY Football Themed Halloween Family Halloween Costumes

easy diy football themed family halloween costumes

Last year was our first Halloween as a family of four, and I was so excited to dress our crew up in family Halloween costumes for the holiday. We go to a neighborhood Halloween parade in a friend’s neighborhood, and trick or treat in our own (mostly to meet and greet neighbors). I wanted our costumes to be simple and frugal, but still cute and made to fit a family theme. You can read about the Bear’s first Halloween costume here. When the Bear got a hand me down football jersey from his big cousins I knew I’d found it. Read on to find out how I pieced our costumes together quickly and easily.

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Visiting the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach, Florida #FamilyTravel

visiting gulfarium florida

The last week of our Southern Road Trip was spent in one of my favorite places, the Florida Panhandle. I grew up vacationing on the sugar white sands of the Miracle Strip and visiting the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park. I had the opportunity to visit the Gulfarium again with my own children this summer and can’t wait to share our adventure with you. Read more about our beach vacation tips for families here, our beach week meal plan here, and activities for the kids at the beach here.

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Rodan + Fields Giveaway ~ Win the REDEFINE Multi-Function Eye Cream {$60 Value} #Spa4Ma

rodan + fields giveaway eye cream

I am so excited to tell you about our Rodan + Fields giveaway today! If you’ve been around long, you know that I love Rodan + Fields products and I’m in the middle of an in depth review series of the REVERSE Regimen for sun damage repair and anti-aging. In the past I’ve shared a review of the REDEFINE line and my favorite lip products with you. With the help of my friend Debbie, a R+F independent consultant, I’m giving away the award winning REDEFINE Multi-Function Eye Cream valued at $60. Read on to find out more about Rodan + Fields products, enter to win, and check out the HUGE Spa for Ma giveaway event.

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