Since first starting my blog back in 2013, I have enjoyed bringing content and ideas that I hope have been helpful to you. I have grown as a person and I continue to be passionate about the topics I discuss here. If you are new to my blog, you should know that I am an Idea Addict. I love ideas (mine and yours). They fuel me and are my greatest addiction. I believe ideas can change a life, impact a community and bring a smile to a sad face. If you are an Idea Addict, you believe in the power of ideas as well. While we get sidetracked from time…
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Natalie’s 9 Tips
When my oldest was turning 9, I took her on a hike. While walk with her, I asked her to give me 9 pieces of advice, 9 things she had learned up to this point in her life. Here is what she came up with, in the order she came up with it. 1) Take your Bible to church. 🙂 2) Think about what you say before you speak so you don’t hurt someone’s feelings. 3) Pray. 4) Work on your talent. You are good at something. (She is an artist and works on this talent daily.) 5) Be a good friend. 6) If you see someone who is sad…
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“I Can’t Help It!” Increasing Willpower in Your Kids and You
Another parent and I were talking about one of their children’s lack of willpower. He mentioned the child’s willingness to obey, but lack of ability to resist certain things. Willpower. It is hard for kids, but isn’t it also hard for adults. Whether you are 5 or 55, willpower is not only a struggle, it not only influences your life, it determines the direction your journey takes. You ability to self-select out of a particular situation, habit or desire has a tremendous lasting impact on who you are and who you will become. Whether you or I have a strong sense of willpower or weak, we would do good to…
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Halloween
Halloween is not a special day for us and our kids. I don’t know if it is because they grew up in New Orleans or because they are kids. Halloween is just another opportunity to dress up, like any other day. Other people happen to be joining in the fun though. Some of my readers probably have some pretty negative feelings about Halloween and possibly even Santa Clause and Christmas. That’s fine. I’m not interested in changing your stance. I would say this, “Inspire creativity in your children.” However you want to do that, is fine with me. As a parent of young children, I believe I really have no…
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You Can’t Do It All
“The greatest thing you do may not be something you do, but someone you raise.” ~ Andy Stanley As a parent, this quote stands out to me from Catalyst 2015. We are so busy trying to save the world. We want to be successful professionally. We try and be perfect at everything we do. We want to provide everything for our children. Sometimes we even neglect our kids in an attempt to “provide for them.” Don’t make this mistake. Soak in the time you have with your children. Most of the things you are stressed about this week or people you are working with right now, will not be part…
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Raising Kids to be Entrepreneurs
Is it possible to raise my kids to be entrepreneurs? This is the question I asked myself recently. I believe the answer is “yes” and I want to be intentional with it. As all good parents, my wife and I want to set them up to be successful in life. Teaching them entrepreneurial skills would be a great first step. No, this is not just about money. Yes, play is important. In fact, as homeschool kids, mine get to play a lot. My primary motivation here is figuring out a way to stimulate their creativity. It is fascinating to me that from a young age I can already see their…
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Meet Weekly with Your Spouse
Each week, Michelle and I sit down to check in, cover “business” related topics and look at our schedule. It is an opportunity to make sure we are on the same page for this week and coming weeks. It is also a chance to float any new ideas we might have to one another. Not a Date This meeting is not a date. We do dates at other times. Some topics might flow into both, especially cool ideas for our family. However, checking in on one another’s to do lists and double checking the calendar typically max out our time at this weekly check-in before the kids can’t stand it…
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Soak It In: Experiencing Death and Life
When you have experienced the death of a loved one, you learn to appreciate those who are still alive. You are never ready to lose someone you love. It always catches you off guard, even when you are “expecting” it. The fog surrounding you as you prepare for this persons departure, prevents you from truly being ready to never again make another memory with them. So you must soak it in. The time with the ones still here. You soak it in. The laughs, the cries, the good and the bad. You soak it in. Smiles, words of encouragement, a loving touch. You soak it in. A special time of…
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God Pays for Adoptions All the Time
The following post is from Eric and Mandy McKnight. Eric & Mandy live in Loganville, Georgia with their 4 kids, Jacob(10), Owen(8), Maggie(6), & Anna Faith(3). Eric owns a bookstore software company & Mandy stays at home with their 4 children. They just began the process of adopting from China again! They are hoping to return to China in the near future to bring home their fifth child. It always amazes us how many people say, “I would love to adopt, but I could never afford it.” Finances are one of the biggest obstacles to people saying yes to adoption. When our family started on our journey to adopt Anna…
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2 Tips for Living with Extended Family
Next month marks one year of living together as an extended family of 6 with my Mom. I have to say it has been pretty cool. My Mom and I work together from home as well. Not sure if there are very many of you out there interested in this topic. Does it even have a name? Anyways, I wanted to put it out there for you and I can write more on it if you are interested. Two quick tips: 1) Communication – As with all relationships, and especially those in your home, communication is key. If you aren’t good at communication, you need to do something about it. Of course,…