by kathilipp | Jun 12, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here |
Join us to celebrate the launch of my new book, I Need Some Help Here! and get a signed copy!
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2014
Time: 1:00-3:00pm
Place: Lifeway Christian Stores
1375 Blossom Hill Road
San Jose, CA 95118
What: We will have gifts for the first 50 mom friends who attend, fun photo ops for you and a friend (or your favorite kid) and other ways to celebrate this encouragements for mom.
Come out for fun, photos and freebies! Can’t wait to see all my favorite friends there!
by kathilipp | Jun 8, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here |
News Flash: Rene Swope is giving away eight copies of I Need Some Help Here! Four winners will receive two books each. Click here to enter the drawing!
I’m forbidden to decorate birthday cakes.
The sad story of the lifetime ban my family enacted twenty years ago started with my ambitious plans to make the perfect cake for Annemarie’s party. It ended with the birthday girl trying to console me as I sobbed on the kitchen floor.
(And this was pre-Pinterest; I shudder to think of what I would have been like with that kind of self-imposed pressure!)
Now that my children are young adults, here’s what they actually remember from their childhoods:
1) Reading together every night as a family. To this day, they will rhapsodize about the books we read, the funny voices we used, and the way we tried to snuggle together on the couch even after they’d grown way too big.
2) Taking early morning walks together in the summer. We all carried bags to pick up trash, and we drilled each other on the multiplication tables (through twenty) and periodic table of elements.
3) Playing family games together. We got sillier and sillier until Dad ended up rolling on the floor gasping, “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!”
My kids don’t remember A. Single. Birthday. Party. (And it’ll probably take years of therapy before they do!)
As I wondered why they remember the three things they do, I realized that these three have several things in common:
- We were relaxed.
- We had no agenda, no schedule.
- We spent a lot of the time smiling and laughing.
- The main goal was simply being together.
The activities that cost me the least time, energy, and stress are the ones they remember the best.
Now please know that I’m neither protesting nor promoting Pinterest. My point is simply this:
Our kids could care less about Pinterest.
What they really want is
- a relaxed mom.
- a laughing mom.
- a present mom.
I don’t see anything wrong with trying to pull off the perfect party.
If you can do both — present and perfect — my hat is off to you. Decorate that cake, and I’ll cheer from the sidelines.
But in those times when you can’t be both, remember the real gift your child hopes you’ll choose:
Present over perfect.
On their birthday and every day.
Prayer: Lord, when I only have the time and/or energy to be present or to do things perfect, help me to choose present. Thank you for loving me with a love that is ever-present and always perfect.
Today’s Challenge:
Do you know what your child’s favorite activities are with you and why? If not, ask them: you might be in for a surprise!
When do you suspect that your child would rather have you present than “perfect”? What would it take for you to choose present over perfect?
My bad mom friend and author of today’s 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 | Jun 4, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here, Uncategorized |
We have a winner! Congratulations to Christin who won our Week 1 Launch Party giveaway, a $100 Target Gift Card! Have fun with that Christin!
Let’s keep the party going with another amazing giveaway! For week 2 of our I Need Some Help Here! launch party, we are giving away a Kindle Fire (say what!?!)!
Enter to win and share with your friends!
Things We Need Some Help With (if you are willing! We would be so thrilled if you would share some hope with a friend!):
1. Order a copy of I Need Some Help Here!
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.
Thanks for your willingness to bring hope to a world of women who desperately need it. Check back for a new AMAZING mom-approved give away each week!
by kathilipp | Jun 2, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here |
It’s the official launch day of my new book I Need Some Help Here! Hope for When Your Kids Don’t Go According to Plan.
This book is for every mom out there who has ever doubted herself, wondered why her child didn’t “turn out” the way she thought he would, or is feeling alone in her mothering journey. Whether your kids are little or young adults, motherhood can be so difficult (but eventually rewarding, I promise).
To celebrate the launch with my fabulous readers, fans and community, I want to give a book away every hour from 6a-8p PST on June 3, 2014. I would love your help in spreading the word of hope to your friends and family as well. So feel free to pick a tweet, Pin or picture to share with your peeps on your favorite social media site. We’ll pick a new winner every hour. If you just want to enter to win, you can do that too by filling out the entry form below.
Pins (post to Facebook or Pinterest)
Tweets to share on Twitter
But frustratingly, the next step isn’t do. Sometimes the next step is to be still & know that He is God. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
One of the most powerful sentences in the English language is “Me too” http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
You move from sympathy to empathy when you hear that someone is in the same battle you are. ” http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
You need to be reminded in the hardest times that God loves you and God loves your child. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
We move from control to influence in our child’s life, and those changes can feel like little deaths. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
I was not a perfect mom, but I was the mom God chose for them, therefore I was the perfect mom for them. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
When you are brokenhearted you are broken open for other people to see into you and see what they need. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
I can love my child with boundaries prayer & grace. It is my actions not my feelings that qualify me as a loving mom http://bit.ly/T8QJXf
So the one thing I did right was the hardest thing I know how to do: nothing. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
We parents run a real danger of misplaced hope. We put our hope for our kids in our kids. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
No matter how much your kid is struggling and how out of control you feel, God is always in control. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
Kids need to see a model of what it’s like to have emotions without allowing them to be the basis for bad behavior http://bit.ly/T8QJXf
The best thing I can do is put my kids in the safest place they could be: the feet of Jesus. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf @kathilipp
Instead of worrying about what you did or didn’t do put your hope in the one who loves your kids more than you do. http://bit.ly/T8QJXf
or Enter to Win
by kathilipp | Jun 1, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here |
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 145:8
A few years ago, my husband and I decided to take our kids, ages 5 and 2, to Walt Disney World in Florida. We had just received our tax return and figured that it might be the last time we could go without worrying about taking kids out of school.
I knew practically nothing about Disney World, so I read up on the subject. I asked my Disney-loving friends for advice, checked out guide books from the library and read the latest posts on Disney blogs. I decided that this was going to be the trip of all trips…that one special time that we would all remember about for the rest of our lives.
One of my friends had bragged that her family had eaten a character meal every single day of their Disney trip, so I made it my mission to do the same. I called the dining reservation hotline every day for weeks until I finally got a meal time for us at Cinderella’s Castle. It meant we had to eat breakfast at 11:15, but at least we were in.
I wanted my kids to meet all their favorite characters (never mind that they hadn’t seen many Disney shows or movies) and I wanted us to ride on all the most fabulous rides, eat in the most popular restaurants and see the most exciting parades and shows.
Basically, I had every minute of our 9-day trip scheduled.
After 5 days of Disney “fun,” i.e. walking all day in the hot sun, no time for naps, battling crowds, standing in long lines, getting up early every morning to be the first in the park, and endless photos with characters, my kids were beat. They didn’t want to wait in any more lines, they didn’t want to sit around waiting for a dining reservation, and they certainly didn’t want to smile for another camera.
The tipping point came as we watched our daughter turn into a princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. After paying $60 for hair, nails and make-up on our 5 year-old, we were instructed to walk to the next building to have her picture taken.
At the photo studio, we waited in line for 30 more minutes until it was our turn for pictures. As the photographer called us to come over, my daughter abruptly decided that she didn’t want her picture taken. No amount of sweet talk, promises or flat-out bribery would make her sit for a picture.
I don’t know what happened next…I just sort of snapped. I remember walking out of the studio before I started into my rant about our expensive vacation and how she was ruining it. Then I stood in the middle of the Happiest Place on Earth and shamed my precious little hungry, tired and worn-out girl for not getting her picture taken. In front of hundreds of people.
My sweet husband, whom I love more than life itself, couldn’t even hold me back. I continued ranting and raving all the way back to the stroller rental, where I proceeded to vent to the cashier about how awful my girl was acting, especially after we spent so much money and time on “her dream vacation.”
Hours later, I felt just terrible…I had acted worse than the Evil Queen, Maleficent, and Ursula all rolled in one. My unrealistic dream of a perfect Disney vacation had been more important to me than the tender heart of my baby girl. How could I have been so mean?
[Tweet “My dream of a perfect Disney vacation had been more important to me than the tender heart of my baby girl. How could I have been so mean? “]
Luckily, she cheerfully accepted my apology and thought no more about it, and we actually had fun on the last 2 days of our trip.
I asked my daughter, who is now 8, if she remembered that terrible day at Disney World. She doesn’t (and neither does my husband), but I will always have it tucked back in my mind as a lesson of how not to be a mother.
Dear Heavenly Father, you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Thank you for using these “Bad Mom” moments to teach us mothers to be more like you. Help us also to become gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love for our children.
Erin Myers is a stay-at-home mom of 2 beautiful kiddos and has been married to her hero for 13 years. She blogs at mymommyworld.com, where she hopes to inspire moms in their everyday lives with recipes, homemaking tips, and more.
Join the Bad Mom Moment Monday Link-Up!
If you’re a blogger and have written about one (or more) of your own “Bad Mom Moments” — or any post(s) that offer authentic encouragement to moms — we’d love to have you link on up! It’s as easy as 1-2-3:
- grab the button above
- include it in your post, hyperlinked back here: http://wp.me/p4zUEg-1Nf
- click on “Click here to enter” below and follow the instructions!
(And if you can spare one more minute, stop by and say “Hi!” to the blogger who linked up just before you.)
by kathilipp | May 26, 2014 | I Need Some Help Here, Relationships |
Welcome to the I Need Some Help Here! Launch Party
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be giving away one AMAZING giveaway every single week.
I’m so excited to be able to share our stories of struggles and successes in this book. It’s been a long time coming for me and the rest of the “Bad Moms Club” but after a lot of laughter prayers, tears and love it is finally ready to launch and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share it with you!
I just spoke for a group of moms where one of the mentor moms asked me where I got the ideas for my books. My response, “I usually write out of my own weakness. My next book is all about how we as moms can feel that we are not good enough as parents and how to rely on God in those weak times.”
The mentor mom replied, “Oh, I never felt inadequate as a mom.”
This book? It’s not for her.
My hope with I Need Some Help Here! Hope for When Your Kids Don’t Go According to Plan is that every mom who thought that her parenting journey would be different, who thought that if she just tried her hardest, her kids would fall into place.
This book is for all of us who have done our best, but our kids — whom we love and adore — are not necessarily on the path we would have chosen for them.
[Tweet “This book is for all of us who have done our best but our kids aren’t on the path we would have chosen for them”]
If you have doubts as a mom, join me. We want you to assure the moms that you influence, that you speak to through your blog and via social media, that they are normal. They are OK. They are cherished. And while we try with all our might to do the best we can with our kids, ultimately, they belong to God. And that is the best place for them to be.
As a thank you for all of your love and support with this launch we will be giving away one super fun mom approved prize each week!!
Things We Need Some Help With (if you are willing! We would be so grateful if you can share some hope with a friend!):
1. Order a copy of I Need Some Help Here!
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 this pin on Pinterest.
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 online version.
Thanks for your willingness to bring hope to a world of women who desperately need it. Check back for a new AMAZING mom-approved give away each week!
