Raising Young Children Together
Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a local area MOPS group. The topic was on “Honoring Your Parents”. Many times we think this is a topic for our children, however, it continues to have applications for us as adults when interacting with our parents and in-laws. We all grew up in different homes and have encountered a variety of situations throughout our lives. Every one of us is on a our own journey and we need God’s grace to get us through each day. He is continuing to do great things in our lives as well as in the hearts and lives of people around us. When our hearts are changed it should have an effect on the relationships in our lives (including our immediate and extended family). The decisions that both parents, extended family, and friends make impacts on the lives of our kids. Are our reactions helping or hurting others? What a great message! Thanks Jay!
If you are a Mom of young children I encourage you to check out a MOPS program in your area. Being a Mom of little ones is a busy season in our lives so having the opportunity to spend time with other Moms is a true blessing. Surrounding yourself with Moms going through a similar stage in life uplifts the spirit and provides a common bond.
What is MOPS? The initials stand for “Mothers of Preschoolers”. Any Mom that is pregnant or has kids up through kindergarten is welcome to participate in a MOPS program. The goal is to bring Moms together to have fun, encourage each other, and be the best Moms we can be. Click here to find a MOPS group located near you. I hope you enjoy your time of fellowship with Moms in your area!
More information about the organization can be found on the MOPS website.
No referrals are received by sharing this information. This information is to help encourage Moms as they raise little ones. I cannot guarantee that every group will be perfect and/or tailored to your specific needs. It has been beneficial for me and I hope it will be for your family as well. Please contact MOPS directly for more detailed information on MOPS and for a list of groups in your area.
Don’t Leave Home Without: Your Keys
The girls didn’t have school Monday, teachers work day, so I was looking forward to spending some quiet time with them. We spent the morning reading books, eating breakfast, making beds, doing laundry and other household chores that are fun with two little helpers hovering around. We were hurrying through our “to do” list so we could go on a ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure together.
As I ran the mail out and gathered up the last minute items, Brina and Karlie headed downstairs to get buckled into their car seats. They love going on errands with me therefore they were buckled in rather quickly. When I arrived they were patiently waiting for me start the van so we can be off on our adventure, as I buckled in it hit me………Where Are My Keys???
The next 45 minutes was a whirlwind as we bounced around in search of the keys. The first several minutes the girls just watched as I went from cleaning out the van, digging in the trash can, and combing through the house in search of my keys. You have to understand that as an organized person with two kids I have a “place” for my keys. Whenever I need to head out my keys are rarely a concern because I know when I get in the van exactly where they will be. If I am parked in the garage my keys are always on top of the dash. When I am at the store or parked outside the house my keys are always in my purse. At this point in the search I had decided that for whatever reason the girls and I were not supposed to be going out today. Of course, that didn’t go over too well when I told the kids so I promised to look another few minutes then we would have to go back inside and find something special to do at home.
I think the girls were beginning to get concerned that we would not be going on our ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure so they suggested that I call Daddy to see if he rememberd seeing my keys. The weekends are wonderful with the entire family together, however, my keys get shuffled around more because my dear husband prefers to use his keys when we go out and they fit better into his pocket (my key chain is rather large with all my keys, fancy sayings, digital picture frame and so forth attached). Not really thinking he would remember since I am the “organized” person in our family I call…..after a short pause he suggested looking on the key ring in the garage (which I never store my keys on since they are either in the dash or my purse). Well, today they were nicely hanging on the key ring in the garage. Now to make matters more embarrassing the key ring is in plain sight from any where in the garage and I walked past it at least a dozen times in my flurry to locate my keys. The girls were thrilled that Daddy found the keys for Mommy and we were off on our errands!
Although we live in a suburban area it is not easy to go to the store or run errands without keys. Thankfully we were able to locate them so we could go complete the activities for the day even if we were running an hour behind schedule. It is one of those moments when you realize how dependent you are on having the keys to get you where you need to go when leaving the house.
Being organized is awesome! I am thankful for a husband who puts up with my craziness and shares in the laughter when those moments happen. He is the calm in this wild household of women and I love him dearly. Although he unintentionally caused the hiccup in my organized household I know he was only trying to help. Keys really are an important item if you plan to drive somewhere…….so don’t leave home without them!!!
I am a firm believer that you are only as organized as you need to be. Don’t Leave Home Without……is a mini-series of items that you really shouldn’t leave home without in today’s society. Most days I am organized which saves time and energy for the entire family, however, there are times that life gets crazy and items somehow manage to find another location in my home. If something is not in it’s place (even though the spot it is in makes perfect sense) it can cause additional drama, scurried moments, and in the end laughter. Hope you enjoy the humor as I have (later in the day or in some cases later in the week).
The Joy of Giving – Operation Christmas Child
The girls are really excited about participating in Operation Christmas Child this year. As parents it is great when we find tangible ways to demonstrate to our children the blessing of giving to others. We want our kids to learn early the importance of helping people. Brina is putting together a box for a little girl and Karlie is doing a box for a little boy. Last week they took money from their piggy banks to pay for several items that they handpicked to put in the boxes. Even though the girls are only 5 it is never to early for them to experience firsthand the blessing of sharing with people in need.
Here is a little background information on Operation Christmas Child for those who do not know what it is about. Operation Christmas Child is part of Samaritan’s Purse Organization. In 2009 they sent shoe boxes to 8 million children. The shoes boxes have been sent to over 95 countries around the world since it started. Their mission: To demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The children who receive these boxes live in poverty and / or in crisis areas of the world. You may not have the ability to travel to a foreign country but by sending a shoe box full of goodies to a child you will help encourage the families in these countries. We are excited to be a part of such a wonderful ministry.
It is always a blessing to have the opportunity to share with others both locally and all over the world. For more details how you, your church, and community to get involved in this great ministry go to their website at Samaritan’s Purse If you are looking for a way to spread the Christmas cheer and give to others I encourage you to check out this opportunity.
FREE Audio Book: “Love is a Verb” by Gary Chapman
FREE Audio Book Download:
For the month of October Christian Audio is offering a free download of their audio book “Love Is A Verb” by Dr. Gary Chapman.
Dr. Chapman has been helping people communicate better, love deeper, and build stronger relationships through his books. He is well known for his book “The Five Love Languages” which is a regular on the “New York Times Best Sellers” list. Thanks Christian Audio!
Family Recipe: Grandma Willa’s Fruit Punch
As the Holidays approach you may be on the look out for a great new punch recipe to brighten the celebration. Everyone loves Grandma Willa’s Fruit Punch! It is quick, easy, and the base is made in advance. The punch is slushy and has a fun fruity flavor. If you are looking for a great punch for a birthday party, family gathering, holiday, shower, wedding or just for fun try this one. You can make it in any flavor or color you want to match the occasion. We have had raspberry, orange, cherry, strawberry, grape, lime and many more flavors variations of this recipe over the years.
Grandma Willa’s Fruit Punch
1 – 6 oz package of Strawberry Gelatin (or Flavor of your Choice)
3/4 cup of Sugar
2 cups Boiling Water
1 – 46 ounce can of Pineapple Juice
6 cups Cold Water
2 liters Ginger Ale (chilled)
Optional: Add Whole Cherries, Sliced Pineapples, or Complimentary Fruit on top for extra flair.
Directions: In a 4 quart (or larger) freezer container (we save our 1 gallon ice cream containers to use), dissolve gelatin and sugar in the boiling water. Stir in pineapple juice and cold water. Cover and freeze completely. Remove from freezer at least 2 hours before serving. Place in punch bowl. Stir in the Ginger Ale just before serving. Makes 5 1/2 Quarts of Punch.
You can use any flavor or color of gelatin with this recipe. Pick what goes best for your special occasion and enjoy. Grandma’s Fruit Punch has been a hit at many of our family celebrations.
Reviving Relationships
As the days fly by you may not necessarily realize how long its been since reconnecting with certain people in your life. While at a family members house during a recent trip to the Midwest I was able to attend a local BBQ. There were multiple people at the BBQ that I hadn’t seen in years, a few it had been 20 plus years. When people get busy with their lives and you live across the country from each other you just cannot get together on a regular basis. The reunion was not planned but it was really neat that we all timed our visit right around the same time. It was an avenue to reunite with each other and catch up on the lives of those we have not seen for quite awhile.We are grateful to have so many different ways of communicating these days through phone, email, Facebook and other Social Media. Although even with distance between family, friends, and business connections we have more ways to interact with each other regularly. However, face to face interaction is definitely more personal and more memories can be created together. Having these multiple venues for staying connected in between the face to face reunions help us stay involved in the lives of family, friends, and business acquaintances. You may meet someone and get to know them first online before meeting them in person. Many great business relationships have been started via Social Media. We are thankful to have these tools available for us to both initiate and continue conversations with people in our lives.
How do you stay connected to family, friends, and business contacts?
Investing in Quality Moments
When life gets busy it can become even more difficult to find quality time with those who are important in our lives. It may feel like there’s not an extra moment to spare in your day between the busyness of your personal and professional schedule. Running a business and keeping up with the family takes a tremendous amount of energy. Even if an allotted time is placed on the schedule we may be too distracted by phone calls, projects and everything else that needs your attention to really focus on that person. It doesn’t have to be a large chunk of time but it does need to be valuable for all parties involved.Do you spend quality time with your spouse, kids, friends, clients, partners, and family members on a regular basis? How do you make sure the time you spend with the different people in your life is valuable?
- Clients – when is the last time you took a customer out to lunch and listened. Their feedback is valuable to your business and they know better than anyone else what your business is doing that makes them excited about working with you as well as areas where you can improve. Follow up with a thank you note and implement the changes immediately. Creating a community of loyal customers takes time to gain their trust and maintain the relationship.
- Spouse – go on a date night with your spouse. Talk about your relationship, dreams, and memories you have together. Hold hands, laugh, and enjoy each other like you did when you first met. Listen to what your spouse is saying. Take an interest in their hobbies and share the excitement.
- Friends – go out to coffee with a friend and catch up. Find out what is going on in their lives. Sometimes all they need is a hug and someone to listen. It is nice to have some time set aside to share the good memories, however, we all go through tough times as well. Having friends that are loyal in the good times and bad is a tremendous blessing. Consider it a joy to come alongside a friend throughout their journey to listen, laugh, cry, share, and have fun.
- Children – go on a date with one child at a time. Have a blast together. Let them speak freely, be creative, and create memories. Pick a place that is meaningful to them or let them choose between a couple options. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Go to a picnic in the park, swimming, or out to eat at their favorite restaurant. Take time everyday to read a book, play a game, color, or just share about your day with your kids. Treasure the moments and memories your create together.
We all have the same amount of time as the next person. The difference is how we choose to use that time. Take advantage of those quality moments and invest in the lives around you. Make it a priority to have quality time for those in your personal and professional life. One of the great advantages to having quality time outside of the house or office is you are more likely to focus on the other person. At home or work you have a lot of distractions that are important, however, they are not the priority at that time.
Give us an example of the types of activities you do while enjoying quality time with your clients, spouse, kids, and friends? Who do you spend quality time with on a regular basis and why?
Creative Initiatives – ZoobaLoobaDoo
It is our role as spouses, parents, friends, and business associates to stimulate the creative side of others. In our home we enjoy coming up with new ways to solve a problem, complete a project, or just have fun. ZoobaLoobaDoo is one of those creative family words we developed in our home to get the family excited about certain activities.What is ZoobaLoobaDoo?
ZoobaLoobaDoo is a fun and creative excursion with a purpose.
When errands need to be done and kids are in tow we go on a ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure together which always includes something fun along with the tasks to be completed. The fun activity could be as simple as getting an ice cream cone, playing a game, going to the library or another kid approved activity. When they girls were first learning the word they would tell me to “say that crazy word Mom so we can go with you on your errands.” Now when we tell our girls we are going on a ZoobaLoobaDoo adventure they get excited because they know that a piece of the activity is just for them. Having that element of surprise and creativeness makes it fun for everyone involved. I have the joy of coming up with a fun activity while they are excited to participate and discover what the adventure will be that day.
Stimulate creative conversation in the lives you touch. Encourage your family, friends, and business acquaintances to use their imagination and you may be surprised at the outcome. Creativity allows us to come up with better solutions to problems, helps us tackle projects and injects an element of excitement into our lives.
Life is too short to be boring, bring out the fun and creativeness first in yourself so it can spread to those around you. How do you allow creativeness to shine through in the people in your life – your spouse, kids, friends, family, co-workers, clients….? When you allow creativeness to shine through in your life what happens? Share with us your ZoobaLoobaDoo. If you don’t have a ZoobaLoobaDoo to share, start the excitement this week and you will be amazed by the results.
Teaching Life Lessons Early
Overall this year we have had a wonderful experience of our girls going to school. It has been an interesting adventure seeing what they are learning that we are proud of as well as habits we wouldn’t necessarily encourage. How much do we learn in the early years that sticks with us throughout our lives? Some parents may expect the school system to teach our children all the basics of life, yet the school funds are decreasing and more kids attending each classroom. I recently volunteered for the mandatory standardize testing which gauges how much each student is learning and improving. As I was watching the students trying to concentrate for a rather lengthy time I had to wonder how accurate those tests really are and what areas do they completely miss?What good life long basic skills do we learn at home and in elementary school besides reading, writing and math:
-
Manners – if you haven’t taught your kids already they may pick up more phrases like “please” “thank you” and so forth which is beneficial. You may also hear words and phrases you would not encourage, therefore, you have the opportunity to share with them why they don’t use those words. Sharing with others is necessary when you have a group of students in a classroom. Taking turns is hard but it is great lesson to learn. I was impressed to see a young male student holding the door open for the female student while I was volunteering, granted I was in a small classroom so maybe those students have more one-on-one encouragement, either way it was good to see that the parent / teacher training was instilled. Listening and waiting to speak is a difficult skill to master. When you have a classroom full of students it is one that has to be enforce and is a wonderful skill to maintain.
-
Friendships – little ones learn quickly about friendships in school. We all have the desire to be liked by everyone even at an early age. A child would give up an opportunity to ride a bike in a heartbeat for the promise of friendship. My daughters have learned that it can take a lot of work to maintain friendships. It is a delicate balance teaching your child to be a true friend while letting them know that it is important that the friendships requires work from both parties. They have learned that friendships can be fickle as well, one day someone is your best friend and the next day they don’t want to play with you at recess or speak with you. As a parent we need to encourage healthy friendships for our children. Part of that is leading by example, do you have friendships that are out of balance yourself and how do you react? Your children need to see that you have friendships that are healthy.
-
Generosity – children are naturally generous, they want to help others and get excited when they can do something that will help another person. My daughters enjoy contributing to the toy drive, food drive and other functions the school has set up. Are they seeing you as a parent being generous at home? Do you take food to the local food pantry, donate clothes, help a friend in need, and so forth? You may not have a lot of monetary funds to help but you have been blessed with something if only time to volunteer to help another person. Your kids will notice, get excited and want to pitch in too.
-
Education – you learn how to read, write and all other avenues of learning in school. It is essential to allow your children to learn, grow and explore while at school and at home. Visit the local library, museum or go on little adventures where you can teach them about wildlife or flowers. Kids love to learn and reading fun stories. They can learn quickly too so take the time to invest in their education both at school and home. Each child and family is unique whether that means public, private, or home school take an active role in their education.
-
Recess – it is important even at a young age to take breaks. Whether you are a student or working take time to regularly get up, stretch, and walk around. It allows you to be more alert and focused when you come back to the work at hand. Having fun as a kid and adult is allowed so do it when you can.
-
Social – you can learn a lot of positive and negative consequences to how you interact with different people and personalities. Being a positive upbeat person you will have the ability to share a smile, hug or help someone. Make sure you demonstrate a positive outlook on life and show your children how to interact socially with other adults and children. Have another family over for game night, go to the park for a picnic, or take your kid to work with you for a couple hours. Show them how interact appropriately.
Parents can find ways to have school compliment what they are already teaching their children. Many of the habits we pick up we learn at an early age and those features can carry over to our work and families as we grow older. Find ways to positively teach your child so they have more opportunities to have good impact on the lives they touch. What are ways you are teaching your children to be better friends, generous, polite, and kind?
-
Launch Greenville 2010
“Launch Greenville 2010” was a full day seminar packed full of information and connections for entrepreneurs, startups, small business owners, and professionals. On Saturday, April 17th we met at the Carolina First Center in Greenville, South Carolina to focus to Sales, Marketing and Best Business Practices for local businesses. “Launch Greenville 2010” was a team effort, special thanks to the sponsors, speakers, panel members, and attendees the event who made the beneficial for the business community.
-
Keynote Speakers – Marketing, Best Business Practices, & Sales
-
Trey Pennington began “Launch Greenville 2010” discussing Marketing which is a hot topic for many businesses starting out. He discussed several ways to use Social Media and other marketing tools to get your name out.
-
Jake Hayes continued the conversation on using best business practices. More specifically “The Greatest Idea Ever” and how we have beliefs that can hold us back in business. He gave several examples of how we can overcome those myths and be successful in our businesses. If you have the best product ever it doesn’t mean it will magically sell itself you have to have a sound business behind it.
-
Dan Waldschmidt wrapped up the morning with an energetic keynote on explosive sales. “I am ALL I need to succeed” was a phrase he encouraged everyone to say to themselves. He reminded us that some days are harder than others but we need to continue being edgy and diligent in business.
-
Building Connections – “Launch Greenville 2010” was just as much about making valuable connections within the local business community. Each one of the keynote speakers, sponsors, and panel members were accessible the day of the event as well as after the event to the attendees. We want to the entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals to have the ability to connect with people that can help them not just for a day but to establish an on going relationship as they continue growing their businesses. We had networking time at the beginning of the day during registration and breakfast, at breaks, lunch and at the end of the event so the attendees could speak directly with the people who can help them.
-
Panel Members – Marketing, Sales, and Business Owners
-
Marketing Panel consisted of Trey Pennington as the moderator and Olivier Blanchard, Kim Madden, Kamran Popkin, Jay Handler, and Amy Wood as the panel members. It was a dynamic panel and we noticed quickly that the “hot” marketing topic was Social Media based off the questions the audience was asking the panel. We received a lot of valuable feedback and ways we can implement marketing into our business.
-
Sales Panel had Dan Waldschmidt as the moderator and Russ Davis, Brett Arp, Cass Tyson, and Robert Griffin as the panel members. The sales panel offered quality information on sales techniques and tactics that businesses and professionals can easily apply to their businesses. They spoke on a variety of topics from cold calling to networking and many more.
-
Business Owner Panel was Jake Hayes as the moderator and Frank Mobley, Dan Wooster, Terry Weaver, Courtney Tessler, and Neetu Patel as panel members. They touch on a wide range of topics from setting up your company to training to customer service and many more insights pertaining to the business owner directly. Many businesses start small and as they grow the dynamics on the team change which means the business owners needs to adapt to those as well.
-
Sponsors – we are truly thankful for the sponsors who helped us make this event possible. Each sponsor has the desire to see the business community grow. We encourage you to check out the following companies as they are here to help you: Business Black Box, WORD 106.3, Infusion Web & Video, InSource Executives, Enterprise Launch, HubSpot, BizFilings, FranchiseMart, Edward Jones, Nimlok, Bit Tyrant, Immedion, Upstate Town Planner, Marks Family Services, and the Greenville Chamber. A special thanks to Sabadie Photo and Wilder & Associates for snapping the great “Launch Greenville 2010” event pictures that are posted on our sites.
-
Giveaways – there were over $14,000 in amazing giveaways throughout the day at “Launch Greenville 2010”. The attendees won magazine subscriptions, business books, radio advertisement spots, products, online subscriptions, memberships, coaching sessions and many more incredible items that benefit the growing businesses within our local community. Giveaways were generously donated to “Launch Greenville 2010” from sponsors, speakers, and local businesses that sincerely want to help business in Greenville and the surrounding areas.
What next? We received positive feedback from those that participated in the event from the attendees to the sponsors and speakers. The next “Launch Greenville” is already in the works. We are dedicated to helping businesses grow and look forward to seeing you at an upcoming event. If you would like to receive more information about our regular monthly events or be a part of the next “Launch Greenville” please contact us at info@EnterpriseLaunch.com
It is exciting to see businesses grow in our community. Enterprise Launch will be at “The Grow Expo” on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at the Carolina First Center. We will be bringing back our Business Owner Panel for the event and they will be sharing more business insights with the community at 3:00 PM, hope to see you there. It is our goal to bring valuable insights and connections to local businesses therefore “Launch Greenville” will be a regular event in this area and we are looking to expand to other areas as well.
As a business owner what is a hot business topic you would like to hear more about that will help you grow your company?
-
