by Arlene | Jul 9, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
How do you grow strong kids? Not just physically strong, but morally strong. Emotionally strong. Spiritually strong. My family had the honor of visiting Washington DC last week. As we stood at Lincoln’s feet or at the WWII Memorial, we were surrounded by...
by Arlene | Jun 29, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
July 4th is just a few days away. My family will be watching this 8 minute video by Dennis Prager to put meaning into the holiday celebration. (For more great videos, visit Prager University). You will not only get a history lesson, you’ll get a few ideas of...
by Arlene | Jun 22, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
Your smartphone. It holds your messages and texts. It gets you online for answers. The map gets you to your destination. Constant entertainment through video games for your kids. Wait. Hold that thought. Do you really want constant entertainment through video games...
by Arlene | Jun 18, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
Just the other day, a friend of ours with younger kids asked James and I for parenting advice. One thing we talked about was the importance of a united front. If mom says A is okay, but dad says A is off limits, it’s not only confusing for a child. It totally...
by Arlene | Jun 12, 2015 | Podcast, The Latest ...
Download the podcast on iTunes or listen here: [iframe style=”border:none” src=”http://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3612263/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/theme/legacy” height=”100″ width=”480″...
by Arlene | Jun 8, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
They’re home from school! Now what do we do with them? Summertime may mean your kids are at daycare, week-long camps, summer classes, or at grandma’s. It’s a wonderful time to take a break from the routines of the school year. Yet when they’re...
by Arlene | Jun 1, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
What an honor to be a guest on Focus on the Family radio today! I have listened to Focus for years – long before I had any children. I think even before I met Mr. Wonderful himself. Before you have children, building a happy marriage is a lot simpler. After...
by Arlene | May 27, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
James and I don’t give the kids an allowance. We are not against allowances, but we’ve found another way to use money as an incentive for initiative. Initiative is: the energy and desire that’s needed to do something. Initiative means that a kid...
by Arlene | May 19, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
Climb into the time machine with me… A few weeks ago, my mom produced this little gift booklet I made for my parents in 1995! Before I was married… Before I wrote marriage books… Before even the 21st century…. Here were my observations about...
by Arlene | May 13, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
***BOOK LAUNCH TEAM NOW CLOSED*** I’m so HAPPY you’re thinking about joining the book launch team for 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Mom (release date August 1, 2015). If you are able to do these five steps, you’re in! Step One: Email me at...
by Arlene | May 11, 2015 | Podcast, The Latest ...
Download the podcast on iTunes or listen here: [iframe style=”border:none” src=”http://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3548285/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/theme/legacy” height=”100″ width=”480″...
by Arlene | May 4, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my children’s elementary school. That got me thinking. What if we had our own Spouse Appreciation Week? For school, here’s what the kids are doing: Monday – Bring a school supply for your teacher Tuesday...
by Arlene | Apr 27, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
I come from a line of family members who wear glasses. Since elementary school, I’ve worn glasses and then in junior high, I got to upgrade to contact lenses. Let’s just say blue glasses in 4th grade were definitely not cool. But besides genetics, what...
by Arlene | Apr 21, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
Friends…I am so excited, you might say happy, to tell you my next book is coming out August 1! It is going to be a game changer for many of you. I interviewed experts and happy moms such as Dannah Gresh, Kathi Lipp, Fern Nichols, Karol Ladd, Kendra...
by Arlene | Apr 14, 2015 | Podcast, The Latest ...
Download the podcast on iTunes or listen here: [iframe style=”border:none” src=”http://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3492858/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/theme/legacy” height=”100″ width=”480″...
by Arlene | Apr 9, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
What career plans have you made? Education goals? Things you want to teach your children this year? What about goals as a wife? Have you set any of those lately? Most likely not…but if you have, way to go! Most of us don’t approach marriage as...
by Arlene | Apr 2, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
Did you know that since the year 2000, our attention span has dropped 40 percent? If you ask any teacher if it was easier to hold a child’s attention ten years ago, I believe the answer would be a resounding YES! With the ding, ding, ding and the drop down menus...
by Arlene | Mar 23, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
“What’s the weather going to be like mom?” That’s a question I hear every morning. My answer is typically the same in San Diego, “Just like yesterday.” We live in Southern California and we totally know we’re weather wimps. ...
by Arlene | Mar 15, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
If you’ve never been to a conference to invest in your mom life, I highly encourage you to put one in your calendar. Whether it’s at a local church, two hours away, or 10 states away, it is so worth it to take a step back and… Breathe. Laugh with...
by Arlene | Mar 9, 2015 | Podcast, The Latest ...
Download the podcast on iTunes or listen here: [iframe style=”border:none” src=”http://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/3408063/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/theme/legacy” height=”100″ width=”480″...
by Arlene | Mar 1, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
My fifth-grader Ethan loves doing many things: building Legos, martial arts, rollerblading, playing the piano, and listening to Tim Hawkin’s remakes. And apparently, writing! He entered the CATE (California Association of Teachers of English) creative writing...
by Arlene | Feb 26, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
When James and I were engaged, we were meeting with our wedding coordinator at the church. There just happened to be a wedding happening simultaneously. After our meeting, we were walking through the lobby and noticed the wedding party getting ready to begin the...
by Arlene | Feb 19, 2015 | Parenting, The Latest ...
As a parent, you undoubtedly will need to say I’m sorry to your kids along the way. And that’s okay. When you make a mistake, raise your voice, hurt their feelings, you don’t have to cover it up, justify it, or mumble an apology. It’s your...
by Arlene | Feb 12, 2015 | Marriage, The Latest ...
My daughter Lucy definitely has physical touch as one of her love languages. One of her favorite words when she was a toddler was “HUGGIE!” We often engage snuggle power for our kids, but we can forget to do that for our spouse. So this Valentine’s...
