Family

All I Want for Christmas is…What?

All I want for Christmas is… what? The answer to that question could determine the success or failure of your Christmas experience. As a parent, the question is: What do we really want for Christmas? Don’t we want something that will last on into generations to come? Something powered by more than batteries. I have never heard anyone say, “We have a great family tradition of giving each other video games for Christmas. It’s been an awesome part of our Christmas for generations. It’s what brings us back home each year.” There are many electronic things we could get for […]

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Deserve or Serve?

There is so much going on today in our country. We can use this to teach and train our children.  Everything from healthy debate and disagreement to responsible citizenship. But how do we do it? It seems so overwhelming right now… one place to start is the difference between deserve and serve. Many people like to tout the rights of citizenship and many people go to great lengths to become citizens, but we also must accept the responsibilities of citizenship. What do we deserve? We have raised generations since World War II who ask themselves, “What’s in it for me?” […]

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How And Why To Fit Chores In the Schedule

Many of us will soon be headed back to school. Some of us may still be virtual learning or doing half and half. Whatever we are doing this month, prioritizing a schedule for our kids is so important. Many have not been in a school building since March, so keeping home a place of consistency and “knowing what to expect” will be an imperative piece for easing this transition.     Why chores? Last month, we talked about setting up a wake and bedtime routine as the bookends for the schedule. This month we are going to focus on why adding […]

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EPIC Tools to Raise Resilient Kids

Right now, kids desperately need a strong village of parents, educators, friends and neighbors surrounding them. This pandemic has forced children to unexpectedly give up the joy of playing at their friends’ houses, participating in sports or visiting with a beloved grandparent. From what felt like one moment to the next, household living rooms were transformed into virtual classrooms, and dining room tables were taken over by piles of worksheets and textbooks. Huge milestones for teens, such as graduating high school or attending prom, were either cancelled or re-envisioned in light of social distancing guidelines. Without warning  all of the […]

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What’s Your EQ?

We all know that IQ measures intelligence, but are you aware of EQ? EQ is our emotional intelligence. In the best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman documented the research indicating that IQ intelligence only accounts for about 20 percent of a person’s success in life. So what accounts for the other 80%? Researchers believe a big piece of the puzzle is Emotional Intelligence – the capacity to ACQUIRE and APPLY emotional information.   People with strong emotional intelligence are more effective and successful in their career, make healthier choices, have more influence, make better decisions, make better grades, and they have […]

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Establish A Routine To Help Kids Thrive

We have mentioned that our kids have been the unsung heroes of this time period. Their entire sense of normalcy has been tossed out. Things they have done day in and day out since early childhood have stopped. They can’t go play with friends. They can’t go to church. They can’t even play at playgrounds. The good news for us as parents is that there is one main thing we can do to help them, especially as we head back into the school year. Kids thrive in routine; they feel secure when they know what to expect. Even though school […]

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Our Father Is Still In Control

Wow, parents…we have made it to August!!! For that we should be high fiving and patting ourselves on the back. Next up… the fall! The beginning of school year, or not, or yes, or we don’t know yet. While things may still be seemingly out of our control, we first need to remember they are not out of our Father’s control. We can be still in that. And regardless of what your family decides to do, or the district decides, one thing we can control is what and how we communicate things to our kiddos. What are they seeing in […]

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The Tale of Two Families

I was recently blessed to share the mission and history of Live the Life South Florida with a group of people outside of Florida. A wise man approached me afterward and said, “Good job, but remember, you tell them, and then you tell them again.” I laughed and thought, how very true. Studies suggest that repeated statements are perceived as more truthful than statements made less frequently. In simple terms: Frequency breeds familiarity, and familiarity breeds trust. Not only do consumers remember an account that gets repeated, but they are also more likely to believe it, and think it is […]

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Refocus Your Family

Usually when we think of July, we think of celebrations, cook outs, fireworks, beach days, maybe even family vacations…but this year is different. These times for our country are so tumultuous, so uncertain. We can’t however, continue living in a state of survival mode in our homes. We are going on month five of living in what seems moment to moment, and February’s normalcy seems like a life time ago. So what can we do? We can try as a family to shift our focus.    Faith The first thing we can focus on as a family is our Faith.  […]

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Can There Be A Good Fight?

Can there by a good fight? Good Fight, Bad Fight, Dirty Fight: Dirty fighting is whenever you use EITHER active; HEAVY HANDED control tactics or PASSIVE- AGGRESSIVE tactics to resolve an issue. It’s a form of manipulation.

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