To submit your own link, put the code to our "Link Party button" (opens in a new window) on your own site. Then click the little blue button below that says "add your link" to submit your link! … [Read more...]
Cute Frame With Dry Erase Marker Can Encourage You (Or Your Child!)
March 20, 2012 By 1 Comment
My son, 9, doesn't like compliments. He says, "yeah, yeah, whatever," and yet he still needs to know I do notice them. Lately, his attitude and actions have left my husband and I throwing up our arms in desperation wondering what to try next to get through to this growing strong-willed blessing. Here is one thing I am trying: positive reinforcement! I bought a little 4x6 frame at the thrift store and painted it aqua blue to match our coastal cottage bathroom. Then I found a clipart-style beach background and some sunglasses clipart that I added to the right bottom corner. I put the words, "YOU ARE A COOL KID" on it in a fun font at the top and printed it out and framed it with the glass. Did know dry erase markers write easily on … [Read more...]
SNAPPIN Ministries: A Faith-Based Special Needs Parent Network
March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By Debbi Farmer What a blessing it is to discover a wonderful ministry online that has the potential of helping so many people. I was blessed recently in discovering yet another “hidden jewel,” Snappin' Ministries. It is a “Special Needs Parent Network” that is essentially a nationwide support network for parents of children with special needs. Their mission is to support and encourage those living with the daily challenge of parenting a special needs child, so that they may experience the genuine love and hope of Jesus in their everyday lives. As a parent who raised and home-schooled a child with special needs, I can tell you from personal experience that finding the support and resources you need in a Christian environment is a … [Read more...]
Hold My Hand, Mommy
March 5, 2012 By 3 Comments
By Lisa Copen "Here, Mom, hold my hand and I will help you," my son says. We have just left his Tae Kwon Do studio and we're parked nearby in the disabled parking spot. When I stood up from the chair my knee went out. . . again. The eighteen years of rheumatoid arthritis have caused my knees to be filled with brittle pieces of bone that have broken off, calcium deposits, and calcified blood clots. As we walked out the door, I held the door frame, trying to get out of the way of the swarm of sweating students. A piece of something in my knee is stuck in a bad place and I can barely put weight on my leg. My leg will not unbend all the way. I was stricken with intense pain but trying to not show it, as I didn't want his friends to … [Read more...]
Jolene Philo Shares About Her New Book (and free giveaway!) For Parents of Kids With Special Needs
January 12, 2012 By 9 Comments
with Lisa Copen I am so excited today to share with you about two books that are written by a mom who has both the professional credentials as well as the education of experience, Jolene Philo. Jolene joined us here at Rest Ministries in 2009 for National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week to discuss the topic that many parents, including those with chronic illness, face on a daily basis-- "When Your Child is Chronically Ill". (This podcast is still available and an encouragement to many, so stop by and listen.) Jolene, thank you again for joining us here at Rest Ministries! Most people are not familiar with your story. Can you tell us a little about your own family? [Jolene:] When our beautiful newborn boy was transferred to … [Read more...]
Devotion: Explaining Illness to Children
December 4, 2011 By 2 Comments
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:35, 37) When I first learned I had multiple sclerosis (MS) I was teaching second graders. The relapse I was having made me lethargic. Too weak to teach. I knew I couldn’t tell my students I would be absent because I was too tired. The challenge was explaining my illness in a way they could understand without scaring them. First, I involved them in a role-paying activity. Several students were selected to be parts of the central nervous system. They pretended they were ‘sending’ messages received from the … [Read more...]
He Wants to Fish
August 3, 2011 By 3 Comments
"Mom, I want to go fishing. It's free!" I pick up my son from day camp. It's 4 PM. It's 95 degrees. Today they fished at the lake during camp. He has his pole his Grandpa got him 2 years ago. He's used it twice. Now he wants to fish more. I could barely walk down the paved trail to sign him out of camp. My feet are swollen, sore. I am faint from the heat. I hope to make it back to the car. I joke about that, but sometimes I wonder. He stops. He sticks his chest out. His lip curls up. "You aren't seriously going to have a tantrum over this, are you?" I ask. . . calmly of course. I am not one for unplanned battles. Walking down a boat landing and onto the dock is non-negotiable. I have no need to feel guilty. Grandpa … [Read more...]
My First Day of Fatherhood
June 19, 2011 By 1 Comment
By Karlton Douglas Here is the story of my experience at becoming a father. The thought I hope you keep in mind is that our Heavenly Father cares even more for us than we do our own children, and unlike us, He doesn't feel helpless because He is all-powerful. I was nervous about being a father. Most men about to become dads probably are. But after my wife suffered ten hours of back labor, and no baby in sight, the family doctor called in a specialist. My wife lay with her eyes rolled back in her head from pain, and I was ready for a breakdown. In trying to explain what I understood of the situation I did start breaking down emotionally in front of both sides of the family. Never had I been in such a situation where I felt so … [Read more...]
I’m a Good Mom Because… Lisa’s (Very Edited) Quote In Parenting Magazine
May 6, 2011 By 1 Comment
My mom had flown down from Oregon to help me when I had a major spinal flare in March. Among the chaos, I received the email, "We received your submission to Parenting: The School Years magazine and would like to use it, even though we've already completed the article. We need a photo of you and your son ASAP!" I sent a few photos off, but they said the lighting wasn't good enough. So I brushed on some make up and hobbled out side with my son and said, "smile and look cute." Four photos later, Grammy had snapped a great one I zipped off. Next I received an email from the fact-checker. All looked fine. The end of April I began my hunt for Parenting: The School Years magazine. A sub-magazine of Parenting, it was impossible to find, … [Read more...]
Marriage and Chronic Illness: Is Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries? Sometimes!
May 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
By Jackie Confalone Once upon a time, a fair young maiden caught the eye of a godly young lad in the village of "Bowl of Cherries." The young lad asked the fair maiden if she'd accompany him to a jousting tournament and a courtship began that continued to blossom over the next two years. Once the fair maiden completed her classical studies, the young lad asked for her hand in marriage and she enthusiastically said yes! A grand wedding ceremony and marriage celebration followed and life became a "bowl full of cherries!" Actually, that "fair maiden" is me, and I have been married 30 years to my "young lad." We were blessed with two children, a 24 year-old daughter who married her own godly young lad, and a 21 year-old son who is … [Read more...]
The Art of Balancing Motherhood and Chronic Illness
April 26, 2011 By 4 Comments
Motherhood and chronic illness. If these two words relate to your life, chances are they are enough to keep you busy indefinitely. They can easily become a large part of your identity, and they both fight for control over your energy, time, and some days, your sanity. I have been working on a book about living with a chronic illness and being a mom for a few years now. It's about 70 percent done, but something keeps getting in the way of finishing it. You know what kinds of things: motherhood and childhood. And the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. As I work on a chapter about the latest lessons I've discovered, my house tends to erupt in chaos and I feel tested again. Was it God trying to stretch me so the book would … [Read more...]
Q & A: How Do I Know if God Has Motherhood In My Future?
April 20, 2011 By 4 Comments
I have been married for four years and have multiple sclerosis. My husband and I have been trying to conceive for some time and it's not happening. I think I am capable of being a mom, despite my illness, but it's making me nervous to see the clock ticking--and for those of us with illness, it ticks a whole lot faster! I don't want to grow bitter about not getting pregnant yet, but my friends are having kids, doing family events, and now, not only do I feel ousted because my illness slows me down, but I am just not at soccer games and Chuck E. Cheese. How do I cope with all these mixed up feelings? Leslie Leslie, My heart aches for you. I remember my own similar journey for years back in the late nineties until the day our son was … [Read more...]
