by kathilipp | Jul 15, 2014 | Podcast |
“You don’t get a pass on your faith because of a curve ball.” OUCH! Would your best friend be willing say the same to you if you needed to hear it?
My co-host this week is Gillian Marchenko, author of Sun Shine Down: A Memoir. Gillian’s life as a mom, wife of a pastor and missionary in Ukraine was completely rocked when their third child was born with down-syndrome. In this experience, Gillian learned what deep faith, true friendship and real appreciation for life was all about.
Through our discussion, Gillian shares how:
- it’s possible to feel two opposing emotions at the exact same time
- it’s ok to dislike the diagnosis and still love
- to react when your friend goes through a hard time
Join us for an inspiring discussion about how dealing with the curve ball isn’t always pretty but absolutely survivable.
What is the event in your life that you weren’t sure you would ever see the “sun shine again”? Share it with us for a chance to win a copy of Gillian’s memoir.
FREE DOWNLOAD
When we are in the middle of darkness, sometimes it’s hard to reach out to God. This quick reference has seven complete verses that speak to God’s presence in our time of need. Go to them when you need encouragement, hope and assurance that HE is with you even in the darkness.
Download now.
Gillian Marchenko is an author and national speaker who lives in Chicago with her husband Sergei and their four daughters. Sun Shine Down, a memoir about her third daughter’s birth and diagnosis of Down syndrome while the family lived as missionaries in Ukraine, published with T. S. Poetry Press in 2013. She is now working on a memoir about depression and faith that with InterVarsity Press. Gillian says the world is full of people who seem to have it all together. She speaks up for the rest of us.
by kathilipp | Jul 14, 2014 | 21 Ways to Connect With Your Kids, I Need Some Help Here |
When Annemarie was little, she had no interest in her Playskool kitchen with plastic food. She wanted to help us do the real thing: fix our real breakfast in our real kitchen.
We’d set up the step ladder, and she’d climb up and happily measure ingredients and mix pancake batter.
It was a great arrangement. She was fully engaged in meal preparation, and we felt like such great parents, teaching our little girl life skills at an early age!
Then Annemarie became fascinated by the electric skillet.
We warned her that it was “HOT!” That only peeked her curiosity.
We moved it as far out of reach as possible, but if we turned away for a split second, she’d start to climb the counter, one hand outstretched toward the skillet.
We tried everything we could think of to distract her, forbid her, instill a sense of respect in her.
Nothing worked.
Annemarie’s obsession became an all-out determination to touch the electric skillet.
After many near-misses, we came to the unthinkable conclusion:
Our little girl was going to experience the natural consequences of her curiosity.
The only question was when.
Daniel and I discussed, prayed, and ultimately made one of the hardest choices we’ve ever made as parents: we decided to let her touch it when we were present.
The next morning, we wiped the skillet clean of oil and turned it to the lowest setting. Daniel stood on one side of the ladder; I stood on the other. At a pre-arranged signal, we both acted distracted.
Sure enough, Annemarie’s tiny hands shot toward the electric skillet. Eagerly, she grabbed its sides.
Her triumphant face registered shock quickly followed by pain. She stumbled and, as Daniel caught her, began to cry.
“Hot!” she wailed, pointing to the skillet with reddening fingers. “Hot!”
I dabbed soothing medication on Annemarie’s hands, and we took turns holding and rocking her until she calmed down. After tucking her in bed for a nap, Daniel and I let down our stoic guards and held each other as we cried.
After that experience, whenever we told her that something was “hot” she repeated “hot!” in a voice of respect and gave it wide berth. And her budding fascination with electric outlets completely vanished.
Letting Annemarie touch the electric skillet worked. But two decades later, I still tear up as I tell this story.
I still feel torn between my desire to protect my child from harm and my responsibility to teach her about consequences.[Tweet “I still feel torn between my desire to protect my child from harm and my responsibility to teach her about consequences.”]
I also better understand God’s heart toward me: always wanting to protect me but also letting me experience the consequences of my disobedience:
“So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you!
Mind you, don’t despise the discipline of Almighty God!
True, he wounds, but he also dresses the wound;
the same hand that hurts you, heals you.”
Job 5:17-18
Your Turn!
What’s a necessary “shocking” parental choice you’ve made or experienced? What was the motivation behind the choice? What were the results?
My bad mom friend and author of today’s Bad Mom Monday challenge is Cheri Gregory. Cheri has been married to her college sweetheart for over a quarter-of-a-century and has two college-aged kids; she blogs about expectations, “baditude,” and hope at www.CheriGregory.com.
by kathilipp | Jul 8, 2014 | Podcast |
It’s easy to get bogged down with commitments- us moms have a knack for it! But then we start feeling exhausted, over committed and frustrated that our parenting, our physical, emotional and spiritual lives aren’t exactly what we had in mind. Join host Kathi Lipp as she welcomes guest Kasey Johnson, author of a new book and bible study specifically for moms called Mom Essentials. They discuss:
- the differences between essentials and extras
- how to best identify what each are in your life
- and why getting back to the “essentials” can be key to an overall healthy mama.
“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being smarter.” Kasey Johnson 
FREE DOWNLOAD
Want to try out the first study in Mom Essentials for free? Download it at http://t.co/ev3YOgNvvx/s/QCX0.
Kasey Johnson is learning daily how to ignore the extras in life and focus on the essentials. As an educator, author, speaker, blogger, wife and mother, Kasey understands the balancing act we sustain as mothers.
by kathilipp | Jul 7, 2014 | 21 Ways to Connect With Your Kids, I Need Some Help Here |
So we had my son’s birthday party last week on June 30th. The date is only significant because as I was texting people about the party one mom sent a message back with the following question: “Didn’t he turn 7 back in December?”.
Yes, yes he did. (That was for all you Phineas and Ferb fans out there)
I guess I’m “that” mom. The one who had a TERRIBLE year at work. The one who barely had energy to do laundry and cook, much less plan a party.
The one who loves her children more than her job but found her job taking too much of her time, energy and thoughts.
It’s one of those things that I NEVER thought would happen to me, but it did.
It sounds silly to become so upset about being late with a party but it matters to me – or should I say, to my expectations! I’ve always been the mom who plans parties everyone enjoys and (being honest here) raves about! It’s my little “rocked it baby!” moment and I love seeing my kids have such a good time.
Not giving my son a birthday party with his friends brought a weight of guilt and disappointment that was new and very uncomfortable for me, I felt like such a bad mom!
In order to deal with this awful feeling I decided to just stop and remember what matters most.
I decided my son would not be scarred for life and I was NOT a terrible mom. Instead, I was a mom who was human and just trying my best. I stayed focused on the essentials – what I needed to really make it through.
First I had to be HONEST. I had dropped the ball and for that I apologized to my son. I also explained the situation to him and his response was so sweet and understanding. I think it’s okay for my boys to see me goof and claim responsibility while also promising to make things right!
Next I needed the essential of PERSEPCTIVE. Failing to give him a party felt like a BIG deal but when I stepped back and looked at the big picture I realized that I hadn’t totally failed him. I’d been working hard to make sure I was home to tuck him into bed and able to be at all his games and most importantly, turn off my “work brain” and truly listen to him.
When my perspective is focused on the big picture and I’m able to be honest with myself and accept my blunders I think I become a better woman and a better mom. On those “bad mom” days, I have an opportunity to allow God to come in and fill in the missing pieces of my identity with HIS truth. I want to live my life focused on the essentials and not the extras – I want people to come first, not projects and parties.
Keeping this balance is tough, but it’s so worth the effort. And by the way, my little December baby was able to have a pool party. Complete with leis, sunshine and lots of laughter.
Kasey Johnson is learning daily how to ignore the extras in life and focus on the essentials. As an educator, author, speaker, blogger, wife and mother, Kasey understands the balancing act we sustain as mothers. Her new book and Bible study, Mom Essentials is all about this challenge that every mom is facing.
Visit her blog, www.smarter-moms.com, to learn more about Mom Essentials.
by kathilipp | Jul 3, 2014 | Uncategorized |
If you are a woman who is tired of trying harder is getting you nowhere, we ( Cheri Gregory and I) would like to invite you to help us launch our new book!
If you are ready to take a stand against the bullies of Perfectionism, People-Pleasing, Performancism, and Procrastination, and you love to read – this is the launch team for you.
If that sounds like you, come join our Braver Living Rebellion!
Fill out the form HERE
by kathilipp | Jul 1, 2014 | Podcast |
Some parents are excited when summer comes. They get to be around their kids all day, everyday. This was SO not my experience. I loved the first day of school, not having to hear my kids whine that they were bored, or try to figure out what to do with them without breaking the bank.
So this episode of So Here’s the Thing is all about keeping the fun in Summer Fun. If you’re just starting to run out of tricks in your summer bag, you will want to hear this conversation with Kathi and her co-host Erin MacPherson.
Erin gave us some great ideas about creating a CAMP MOM and offers us her ideas from last years Pintasttic Summer.
Finally, I promised you a picture of what my brother in law made in less than 15 minutes: A life-size Jenga. 
He took a bunch of 2x4s, cut them each to 10.5 inches long, until he had 48. Standard Jenga rules apply. (I promise you it took Randy all of 15 minutes to make the entire game.) I’ve seen directions for these floating around Pinterest. Some say you have to sand, but ours were unsanded and worked just fine.
Roger contends that the reason it’s so much fun is the real threat of bodily harm. (The blocks are light enough they wouldn’t hurt anyone, but you may want to keep small children and dogs at a fair distance…)
FREE DOWNLOAD
Summer is here and the kids are already complaining that they are bored. You want them to have fun, and let’s face it, you want to have some fun too without breaking the bank. Download this summer bucket list for 100 things to do this summer with the kids that both you and they will enjoy.
No boring summers here! Download and have some fun!
MORE GREAT STUFF FROM MOPS
Erin MacPherson lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Cameron, her sons Joey and Will and her daughter Kate. She is the author of “The Christian Mama’s Guide Series“, a staff writer for Dun & Bradstreet and a freelancer for publications like Thriving Family Magazine, MOPS MomSense, FamilyLife Magazine, Daily Guideposts and BEMag. She blogs about her life, her kids and her faith at ChristianMamasGuide.com.
by kathilipp | Jun 30, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here |
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
I kinda got thrown into the parenting world head first and torqued a little to the right. Beginning with twins and ending with two out of four children having significant special needs led me being overworked with no break in sight.
I didn’t have time for fun, with the constant nebulizer treatments, doctor appointments, behavior plans to create, and social stories to write. But after 10 years of constant crises and the “work” never done, I finally enrolled in a four hour art class I’d dreamed of taking for years.
On the day of class, my son became sick with asthma. I was torn, wanting to care for him but desperately wanting the class I finally had the chance to attend, and I really needed time doing something fun. I was going to stay, but my husband said to go and he’d take care of Robbie. So, I went.
Well, Stevie’s breathing worsened and he ended up hospitalized before I got home. Guilt grabbed my heart and yelled, “How could you leave your child at a time like this to do something so frivolous? You should have been there! What kind of mom are you?”
As Robbie improved, so did my perception and Guilt released it’s grip.
[Tweet “I realized that God took care of everything; every little detail without my help.”]
I realized, as I stayed with him overnight, that God took care of everything; every little detail without my help.
It turned out my husband was able to be the superhero this time, something that he needed. I respected him more for being able to handle the crisis with 4 kids while I was gone.
And, I realized if I don’t take time to have fun, and guard it, then I will never “have” time for fun. Now I try to get out at least twice a month, to do something I want to do.
When worry whispers in my ears about the kids, I remember that God alone is in control. I am not the “only” one that can deal with things.
I also remember that I will be much more capable and creative to care for my family if I take time to care for me.
Merri Lewis is mom to four children, two boys and two girls. They range in age from 11 to 2. Merri enjoys writing during her carved out free time. The rest of the time she enjoys hunting for treasures as she raises her very active children. Merri blogs at www.TreasuresInTheDust.com, with a focus on ministering to families with children on the autism spectrum through the many stories her children provide.
by kathilipp | Jun 25, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here |
And the winner of the Keurig is…
MARCIA!!!
It’s our last giveaway to celebrate the launch of I Need Some Help Here! It has been an amazing launch and I am just so excited about the feedback I’ve been getting from readers from all stages of their mom journey. Thank you so much for your support!
This week we are giving away a new iPod!
This was a review on Amazon about the book that explains one of the reasons I wrote it:
“Seriously, I love this book. Like, love-love and the reason is simple: it’s given me permission to exhale…to breathe again…to relax!
Maybe I should explain.
See, I’m a mom who worries–the type of mom who’s anxious all the time, overwhelmed easily, and slightly frazzled when it comes to the kids I’m raising. I’m also a mom who parents in fear…fear of what my kiddos’ futures might look like, and what my children will turn into. I’m afraid at failing…at getting a big ole “F” in the most important job I’ve been given:motherhood.
“I need Some Help Here,” by Kathi Lipp is just what I needed to silence my doubts and deal with my struggles. Kathi’s encouragement, humor, bad mama moments, stories from the trenches, and prayers, had me laughing (out loud), nodding in agreement, tearing up, and exhaling a huge sigh of relief. She let me know that on this journey, I’m not alone, and for a mama like me, it’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
Parents, exhale today! And if you know someone that could use some encouragement in their parenting journey, please share. And don’t forget to enter to win the last big launch prize!
1. Order a copy of I Need Some Help Here! for a friend! If she has a Kindle you can buy it on Amazon as a gift that she can download right away. When you order, be sure to download your FREE Surviving Summer eBook . This eBook that will save you in the summer is only available for a limited time so download and share with your friends while there is still time.
2. Share it with family, friends, coworkers and followers on social media. Choose the platform of your choice:
Option #1: Post on Facebook: Post about I Need Some Help Here! on Facebook. Click here to share this post on Facebook.
Option #2: Post on Pinterest. Post about I Need Some Help Here! on Pinterest. Click here to repin any of the Pins on my I Need Some Help Here! board.
Option #3: Post on Twitter. Post about I Need Some Help Here! on Twitter. Click here to retweet this tweet on Twitter.
Option #4: Post About the Book on Your Blog When you post about I Need Some Help Here! just send us an email at bronwyn@kathilipp.com with the link to your blog. You’ll then be entered to win one of the weekly prizes!
3. THEN JUST FILL IN THE FORM BELOW TO BE ENTERED FOR THIS WEEK’S PRIZE! You don’t need to do any of the above but we know you’re kind of amazing and will want to give another mom some hope! If the form doesn’t show up, you can use the this version.
by kathilipp | Jun 24, 2014 | Podcast |
Bonnie Gray wrote this amazing book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest, and after I read it, I had, had to, HAD TO, sit down and talk to her. In this world of go go go, do more, do it all well and don’t forget to look amazing doing it, this book is powerful reminder that finding rest is not a luxury but a necessity.
Bonnie and I discuss our typical coping mechanisms, our fear of not being valuable, of doing it all and doing it well or feeling like a failure, and ways to shift the paradigm not only in our own lives, but the lives of those around us.
If you wonder:
– what is my value
– would anyone love me or like me if I stopped “doing”
– how can I recharge when there is no end in sight
– how much more can I give
then this podcast is absolutely for you. Give yourself permission to listen to our conversation, then move towards finding your inner whitespace.
Enter to win a copy for you and a friend of Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening your Soul to Rest, by commenting below. (Open to US and Canada only)
Is God calling you to find rest and whitespace in your life? What does that look like for you?
FREE DOWNLOAD
Bonnie shares her quick reference guide of restful scriptures. Find your permission for rest right from God’s word. Download this beautiful one sheet for free, hang it up and find rest in the Word of God.
Bonnie Gray is soulful author of Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest which garnered starred review praise from Publisher’s Weekly, noted as the Top 6 new notable religion authors. Bonnie serves up shots of faith for everyday life on her nationally-syndicated blog FaithBarista.com and she is a contributor to Crosswalk.com and DaySpring (in)courage. After graduating from UCLA, she served as a missionary, a ministry entrepreneur and as a high tech professional in Silicon Valley. Bonnie lives in Northern California with her husband, Eric, and their two sons.
by kathilipp | Jun 23, 2014 | Guest Blog, I Need Some Help Here |
I had just dropped off my kids at school and unlike the many moms who were probably cheering right now after a crazy summer break with the kids, I was crying because of what my daughter said before she got out of the car: “I can’t believe you are making me go back to school when all I want to do is be with you.”
I had kept my children home to homeschool the year before and although it was a special year and my children did wonderfully academically, for different reasons, my husband and I were sending them all back to school. It was actually the same school they had all gone to since preschool, so the other students were not strangers. And I would be working at the school, so our whole family (except my husband) would be together at the same school, but my daughter’s anxiety was steeped in a feeling of not wanting to be left out.
The year before we left to homeschool, there were a few girls who had a sleepover and did not invite my daughter. They were supposed to be her good friends. My little girl didn’t even know what a good friend was anymore.
The practical steps in Kathi’s book, I Need Some Help Here!, gives hope for a mama that feels brokenhearted! From teaching kids how not to be a victim to brainstorming what a good friend is to the most important lesson of empowering our kids to pray, Kathi shares in this journey of protecting our little ones.
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
To the one who seeks him. . .”
Lamentations 3:25
My daughter found that God’s promise shared in the book was true. For when she went back to school this year, those girls had matured and they all became my daughter’s best friends. In fact, just last week, we took one of the girls out to dinner and she brought up that situation and said how bad she felt for that. It gave my daughter a chance to see that forgiveness can bring healing and God is the One who fills a heart with hope. [Tweet “Forgiveness can bring healing and God is the One who fills a heart with hope.”]
Now my daughter will say that although she loved being homeschooled, she is so happy to have this special year with such good friends before they all go off to high school.
Our lives will never always go according to our plans, so I am thankful for people like Kathi who are willing to share stories of hope and grace so that we know we are not alone in this thing called mothering!
Our author for today’s Bad Mom Monday post is Angie Ryg. Angie has been described as the “fun sister next door.” And like a real sister, she will make you laugh as well as encourage you to drink deeper from the well of God’s grace. Her book Clutter Free Simplicity encourages women to clear the clutter in their hearts and homes by focusing on what is really important — their daily walk with Jesus. She loves to connect with other women about mothering, marriage, and faith on her blog! Angie’s most important ministries includes being a wife to her childhood sweetheart and mama to one princess and three princes. They enjoy family movie nights, long road trips, and acting out the TV show Chopped.
Angie writes for Family Matters, Focus on the Family, Whatever Girls, and Raising Generations Today, as well as articles for Lysa Terkeurst and Christianity Today.
