All My Friends Have Issues!

We were so delighted to have Amanda Anderson speak to us regarding friendships.  She gave us some great tips on how to have, and be a friend.

 

Friendships are scary but they're also where we can find refined safety.

We need safe and sane friends! Safe friends are honest, willing to admit their faults, able to give and take from the relationship and are interested in personal growth.

To have safe friends, we need to BE safe friends.

1 Peter 4:8 says "Above all, love eachother deeply for love covers over a multitude of sins"

To have lasting friendships with flawed women, stop trying to figure out whose issues are worse.  We must not compete with our friends.  She advises us to not go into relationships wondering if you are the broken one or the fixer.  Competitiveness can kill friendships and comparison will be make them sick. See each other as teachers and encouragers, instead.

Proverbs 27:17 tells us "As iron sharpens iron, so one man (or woman) sharpens another."

Pretending you have it all together makes others feel that they are falling apart...so let's get real with eachother, ladies! And we can't forget that sometimes our issues are not our personality flaws and fears but our circumstances.  "Misfortune shows those who are not really friends" -Aristotle

And, please, don't compare your insides to another's outsides.  Remember, intimacy is based on vulnerability and when we are vulnerable, our friendships grow deeper.

Holding a friend's hand sometimes mean that you will be held back as you hold them up, but hang in there....it's worth it! Remember also that God wants these connections for us, and Satan does not.

We all need a network of girlfriends....that's just one more reason to be thankful for M2M bringing all of us together!

You can contact Amanda at belovedcreations@att.net and her blog can be found at www.scrapsofsoul.blogspot.com

Go and be a friend to someone today!

Marriage Growers (part 2)

Last week we had the privilege of having Leslie Eichler from Marriage Growers International come to speak to us.

Her biggest point was that feeling understood and accepted leads to closeness and affection, which leads to more strength in marriage.

She showed us a tool that I personally can't wait to use. It's called the Start, Stop, Continue exercise. In brief, it allows each person to list things that they would like their significant other to start, stop, and continue and opens up a conversation to discuss things that are important to each person without seeming negative or threatening.

I can't wait to use this tool with not only my Husband, but my kids! I'm excited to really listen to what each child feels is important.

For more information on their ministry, you can see Pastor Ken and Leslie Eichler at www.marriagegrowers.com and you can read Leslie's blog at www.godfamilychickens.com.

Let's start opening up hopeful communication with the people that we love!

Pastor Ken on Marriage

We were so blessed to have Pastor Ken Eichler of Marriage Growers International stop by to give us some amazing insight on marriage and our men!

He said that intimacy (not always in the romantic way :) ) is at the root of all successful marriages and also the lack of intimacy is a leading indicator for divorce.

Pastor Ken's definition of intimacy is: A close and affectionate relationship that reaches deeper regions of the heart, resulting in feeling understood and accepted.

We need to view our hearts as holding the treasure of intimacy and do whatever we can to help our husbands reach that treasure...we need to create a pathway for him.  We must be aware of the obstacles that are blocking him.  These obstacles can be issues from our family of origin, past hurtful words or experiences, and fears or pressures.  Be aware of them and communicate about them!

Along those lines, here are some important points to remember:

•  Men are more relationally underdeveloped
•  How close we feel to one another predicts marital happiness and success
• Another predictor of divorce is the way we communicate with our spouses, which is an indicator of relational closeness
• We need to be strategic in our interactions with our husbands
• Avoid placing blame or assigning motives to his actions
• It is never right to do what's wrong...if you do, it's YOUR sin, even if HE did it first!
• Forgive as you've been forgiven!
• Talk to your husband with the assumption that he knows nothing :)

We wives are the greatest instrument to speak faith into our husbands so he can become what God has called him to be.

Remember, we do not need to draw on our own strength...God will give us the strength, wisdom and patience needed to have happy, effective, and long-lasting marriages.

Proverbs 18:21-- Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

To contact Ken, email him at Ken@marriagegrowers.com

Mom2Mom is on Pinterest!

One of my favorite things about Mom2Mom is the food. I'm not going to lie. When I'm at home, I'm lucky to scarf down an egg or two in between getting the kids to school, cleaning up the kitchen, and making sure my littles don't injure themselves or each other. Not to mention the fact that as soon as we become parents our plates seem to turn communal. Am I right?

I love being able to show up and eat super yummy food (that I didn't have to prepare) while enjoying adult conversation and not being interrupted by tiny hands or upward gazing eyes, as adorable as they might be.

So I thought that I would link to a couple of dishes that are super easy and super yummy, in case you were having a hard time finding something when it's your turn to bring food.

And then I thought, "Hey! It would be super cool if Mom2Mom had a Pinterest account so I could just go on there and see if they had any ideas or favorites from previous weeks to make." So I made our own Pinterest account (with co-leader approval, of course).

So, if you find a recipe that you love, let one of us know, and we'll happily add it to the appropriate Pinterest board. Of course, you don't have to share, and we'll just be in love with you when it's your turn to bring food, and that's okay too.

At our first meeting, Kristen Valenti brought a super yummy hash brown casserole for a hot dish. She gave me the link, so I pinned it!! Super easy!

Find us on Pinterest ... username...  Mom2Mom (super original, I know)
http://www.pinterest.com/mom2momt/

Heavenly Bodies

Hi ladies!

Last week at Mom2Mom we had Roderick Benford, a personal trainer, (and our very own Emily Benford's husband) came to talk to us about setting goals and getting in shape.

He talked first about how important it is to set both short term and long term goals in order to be successful. A short term goal would be something like drinking water during the day or doing 25 squats. Committing to working out three to four times a week or losing X amount of pounds would be a long term goal. He stressed the importance of asking yourself "How badly do you want this?"

Roderick emphasized that our diets should consist of 60% carbohydrates, 20% fats, and 20% protein. Yay! Carbs!!

He also recommended finding someone to hold you accountable during your journey. This could be as simple as posting a status on Facebook, or as in depth as finding a walking buddy to join you daily. Any way you look at it, you are not alone!! Ask for help!

As far as working out is concerned, he said that it is fairly easy to start your own routine with three simple exercises that don't require any equipment. By combining push ups, sit ups, and squats you can get a great workout at home. Stability, flexibility and core strength are keys to a well rounded workout, so if you could add in resistance bands, or a balance ball that's even better. And just a reminder, spot training doesn't work (don't get mad). The only thing that will tone your muscles is burning the fat, so that we can actually see them. (Cardio is the best for fat burning)

Don't let the baby stop you from getting your squats in!

Naomi demonstrating her rad core strength on the Bosu ball.

Push ups for everyone! Knees, toes, it doesn't matter, just do them!

Sandy showing us a proper lunge. 

Squats. Booty out. Like you're sitting in a chair.

Some of Roderick's "favorite" items to stock a home gym include:

• medicine ball
• resistance bands
• TRX
• Bosu ball
• Dumbbells

(A good rule of thumb when you're buying anything weighted is that it should cost around $1 per pound. Most of these items are available at Target or Wal Mart, or even Play it Again Sports or Big 5 Sporting goods.) (And just as a side note, my husband made our own TRX using supplies from a hardware supply store for a fraction of the cost. Here is an example of a tutorial to make your own for only $13.)

If you have any questions or would like to train with Roderick, he can be reached at:

hbpersonaltrainers.com

or

rcbenford1@yahoo.com

Teaching Our Kids to Worship - Dec 4th, 2013

What a joy it was to have Mission Hills'/The Bridge's very own Pastor Kevin West speak to us last Wednesday about how to raise our kids to be true worshippers.  I can honestly say this particular subject spoke deep to my heart because I LOVE worship!!  It was a great reminder that worship is more than just singing songs, that it's a lifestyle.  One to be lived out for our kids to see every day, in every situation.  I know I speak for all of us moms when I say that one of our top prayers for our children is that they learn to love God & Jesus with their whole being and wont be afraid to live out that faith/love.  Kevin gave us some great notes to help teach them to do this, although, I think they can teach us a lot about worship too!  Can you imagine what we as believers would look like if we had their (child-like) faith & pure abandonment in our own worship?  WOW! 

There were a lot of amazing points he made, so I've included pictures of some that were just too much for me to type onto my tiny, iPhone keypad. :) Please feel free to share your own notes in the comments below!  To kick off the recap of this great subject, I'm going to start with an amazing quote Kevin shared:

"Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live." ~ Louie Giglio

Teaching our kids to worship: 

1 - You have to have a goal which is: Raising worshippers of God

2 - What is/why should we worship? (see quote)
              *What
                  - Worship: "to ascribe worth unto"
                  - Read John 4:19-24
                  - True worship comes from the deepest part of who we are and is honest and sincere. 

              *Why 
                  - Psalm 115: 4-8
                  - We become like the god we worship.  (Our kids become like what they see)

3 - How do kids worship?
            - Worship God with all we have, wherever we go! 
            - Worship God from deep inside, with our brains, with our bodies!  (Luke 10:27)
            - How? (first two pics)

4 - How to help kids worship:
            - Start by the music they listen to  - WORSHIP MUSIC!! 
                - see last pic "resources" for suggestions, additional suggestions were:
                                                         Scripture Lullaby
                                                         Britt Nicole
                                                         Tim Timmons 
                                                         Plumb - Blink album

   

Got any picky eaters at home?

Melanie Silverman was a joy to have at M2M! Even if you don't have that picky eater(s) at home, she gave some great advice and was down right entertaining to listen to! I hope everyone walked away with at least a couple tips on how you can help get some good, REAL food into your kids.

Here's a very short recap if you missed yesterday's meeting:

*Most important thing to teach our kids: Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full.

* wholesomebabyfood.com is a great resource for moms who are starting their babies on solids

* Steps on "HOW" to get your picky eater(s) to eat:
- Structure meals & snacks-spearate by at least 2 1/2 hrs
- They eat what they want…or not at all. (I honestly am a little confused by this one)
- Stop catering to you kids
- Family meals
- Set rules, plan menus and be consistent

* After you meal plan for the week, post the menu. This way your kids know in advance what is being served and you can even decorate the menu with fun characters and say THEY set the menu!

* You are your kids food role model so…
- Eat what you love with balance, variety & moderation
- Love your body
- Slow down and eat mindfully, without distractions
- Use nutrition information as a tool…not a weapon
- Stop talking negatively about everyone's body
- No more "miracle"diets. Kids learn restriction is better than moderation
- Exercise for health, not to "earn" the right to "bad" food


You can find Melanie on Twitter under "FeedPhilosophy" and on Facebook under "Feeding Philosophies".

You can email her at melanie@feedingphilosophies.com if you have any questions!