Kids/Family Archives • Page 5 of 13 • New Nostalgia

Christmas/ FAMILY/ FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ Kids/Family/ Seasonal

Favorite Family Christmas Tradition

Feeling Sentimental

I find myself so sentimental this Christmas!

I think it is because my girls are 15, 13 & 11 years old, and now that they are teens and preteens, I am wanting to just hold on to the few years we have left with them. I’m really feeling how old they are, as I’ve noticed there are a few family traditions that are just not as exciting as they used to be. Our girls are getting older and naturally the things that excite them change. My oldest is a cross-country runner, so making and eating a bunch of Christmas cookies is not something she wants to engage in, as eating healthy is pretty important to her. Our puzzle tradition? I’m stuck doing it alone, as the girls are just too busy or too cool {grin} to sit with Mom and do a puzzle.

Another tradition that has fizzled out, and the one I’m mourning the most, is our ‘Steal-the-kids-from-thier-beds-to -go-look-at-Christmas-lights’ tradition. They now stay up way too late for us to wake them up and steal them from their beds. They are also at the age where being crammed in a car together late at night is the perfect recipe for sister drama!

Despite being so sad to give it up, I think back fondly to the many years we did this favorite holiday tradition of mine. They may not be interested now, all 3 girls would say that it was one of their favorite memories of the holiday season, too.

Favorite Holiday Tradition

The tradition started way before the girls were born, when Todd and I were engaged & newlyweds. His Mom would rent a limousine and Todd, his Mom, his brother & wife and I would relax in the limo while the driver took us around to the best neighborhoods in town to look at Christmas lights. I remember loving it, and thought it was such a loving thing for Todd’s Mom to do.

When our kids got old enough to have interest, we started a similar tradition. We decided that some weekend night in December we would put the kids to bed a bit early, then heat the car & steal them from their beds, tell them we were going on an adventure, and throw them -footie pajamas & all- into the car. They absolutely loved it.

I have so many vivid images of the girls holding on to their Dad, squealing in delight with eyes bright as he carried them to the car. I was always behind them, capturing the moment with the camera. If they were not wearing footie pajamas, we would throw on their slippers and they, of course, always grabbed their favorite snuggly blanket, as we always skipped coats.

{2010}

Dad’s job was to heat the car and carry them out. My job was to gather the Christmas music & a small snack for each girl. I would often take a thermos of hot cocoa for Todd and I and sippie cups for the girls. Their favorite CD’s for so long was Strawberry Shortcake Very Berry Christmas & The Chipmunks Christmas. We had another one with kids Christmas songs on it –the favorites being ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause’ (which they all would say “Eww! Gross!!” and ‘All I Want For Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth’ which drew extra laughter when one of them actually WERE missing their 2 front teeth.

I would usually get snacks from the Dollar Store. I’d find a fun little Christmas purse or small stocking, and load it up with a package of crackers and some Christmas candy. They just loved it–especially the sweet treats. Hint: suckers are great. They keep little mouths busy and the volume of the car down.

{Notice the glass of wine I took with me that year}

As the girls got older, we had to get smarter. I remember running around the house setting all the clocks back so we could get them to bed earlier. It became a guessing game every weekend in December, “I bet it is going to be tonight!” they would say…and often they were right.

The image I cannot get out of my brain is the girls being carried out by their dad. Like I said, I got the view from behind, their little legs would be wrapped around their Dad with their fuzzy slippers hanging, their little heads peaking at me from his shoulder. Those legs kept growing longer every year and his struggle to lift them each year grew. Even as they got older, he still carried them out so they wouldn’t get snow on their slippers. It was so much fun!

{“Slow down so I can get a clear picture!”}

The lights were always so great to look at, and we would choose our favorites as a family. I’ve heard of families having a holiday lights tradition where they would leave a plate of cookies at the house that was voted the family favorite. We never did this but it is a fun idea.

Holiday Lights Contest

Do you have a favorite house in the neighborhood? Do you know someone who goes all out? Is it you? If so, to be in with a chance to win a $5,000 gift card, and help choose America’s 10 best public light displays!

Participants Can:

Enter the by uploading a photo of your own holiday lights display on the USA TODAY website. The winner of this photo contest gets a $5,000 gift card from USA TODAY.
Vote for your favorite holiday lights display from a group of 10 pre-selected public organizations. Each voter will also have the chance to win one of two prizes: A $1,ooo gift card or a $1,500 gift card.

New Family Traditions

I have been thinking hard about some new traditions we can implement with our girls now that they are older. I know that they would be into entering in the USA TODAY contest above, as a gift card of any value would be exciting, much less one in the thousands! They also are at an age where they love giving an opinion and love a good competition.

I know any traditions that involve their friends or cousins would be super appealing to them right now. Or, sadly, one that involves shopping!

Have any ideas for me?

What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?

Do you put up holiday lights each year?

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Spiritual/ Sponsored

Save A Life With A Quarter

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Vitamin Angels for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

There is just something about watching a young child play.

The constant motion. They can’t help themselves. Have you noticed? A child rarely just stands still. They are either swinging their arms around or dancing from side to side, walking on their tip toes or running when they should be walking.

I have a niece whose default mode of transportation is twirling. She just twirls and twirls until she gets to her destination! It is a beautiful, uninhibited sight to behold. She is carefree, full of life, &full of joy–just as young kids should be.

Kids are in awe of the world around them and want to experience it to the fullest. They notice things we adults are to distracted and busy to see. They walk around with their chins raised up, curiosity getting the best of them, exploring eyes & hands that are just itching to touch everything–especially the things they are told not to!

Children walk around with a spark in their eye & a face as bright as the sun.

But not all children.

There are children around the world whose spark is literally gone from their eyes. Replaced by dullness. Lethargy. A weakened immune system that causes bugs to get into digestive systems which cause infections that take away precious lives. Lives that can be saved by something so small that it would cost one only a quarter. Yes, Even the smallest gift can change a child’s life

What can a quarter buy?

VITAMIN A.

And Vitamin A Saves Lives. I know this because I know about Vitamin Angels.

Vitamin Angels helps at-risk populations in need–specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five–gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals.

That quarter we use to flip? It can reduce mortality in at-risk children by up to 24% by providing one dose of vitamin A, twice a year. Vitamin A supplements are the least expensive solution to addressing preventable child deaths.

Even the smallest gift can change a child’s life

I don’t know about you, but my head can barely wrap around that! That simple coin that we flip to determine which of my kids has to do the dishes that night — that very coin can save a life! What? Who knew? Awesome!

————-

Get involved. Donate now.

Want to help? Yes, so do I. So here is an idea.

How about this Christmas, in lieu of giving a gift, you donate to Vitamin Angels in honor of whoever is on your list that you know would get it. Someone who will understand how this would be a gift that lasts beyond the holidays and someone who would even want to continue the legacy of giving.

When you make a donation you will receive a downloadable or sharable card that shows the donation to Vitamin Angels. That. Is. Cool.

Just last night I unpacked our Christmas decorations and found 3 mini stockings with each of my girls initials on them. I now know what I will do with these adorable stockings. I will make a donation for each of my 3 girls, and put the card in the stocking for them to open on Christmas morning. After all, this season is all about giving. It will be the perfect way to get minds onto what really matters on Christmas morning; remembering how precious life is. So precious that the MOST precious life was given, which is the very reason why we celebrate Christmas in our family.

If you want to do the same, Vitamin Angels is having and end of the year giving campaign–which runs now through midnight December 31, 2014.

Visit their website: http://www.vitaminangels.org

Make a donation: www.vitaminangels.org/gift

———

You can also find Vitamin Angels on Facebook

www.facebook.com/vitaminangels

& Twitter

@vitaminangels

Emotional Health/ Kids/Family/ Spiritual

On Fall, Life, Family Dinners, Homeschooling, Health, Husband & Winter

Sometimes I just want to reach across this computer divide and see your faces and touch your hands and say a genuine hello. To this day, I am in awe of the fact that thousands of you visit this little corner of the world-wide web and care to check in a see what I’m up to here at New Nostalgia.

I decided to take a break from the usual posts and just take a day to check in, say Hello, and open up my heart and life.

I sure wish we could have a two-way conversation, but since the closest thing we come to that is on Facebook or Twitter or your words in the comments, I will just blab today and fill you in a bit on life. I sure would love you to blab back in the comments or any of my social media channels. Please do!

Fall Weather Bliss

I live in the Midwest and the fall weather has me in awe everyday! The trees seem especially beautiful this year, the oranges, reds, pinky maroons, yellows and greens. It has been absolutely breathtaking. For me, the beauty of nature is a constant reminder of the Creator & how He just cares for the details and makes all things beautiful in time. Our weather has been amazing and I just can’t get over it! It places this unexplainable joy in my heart every time I’m out and about, and can make the hardest of days beautiful again. Why am I surprised that God’s ever-changing art can do that?

I Live In My Car

Speaking of “out and about” I –as I’m sure many of you– feel like I am in my car more often than not lately. Todd and I have always been very careful to keep balance when it comes to our kids extracurricular activities & involvement in anything away from home. That was much easier to do when they were younger. Our girls are now 15, 13 & 11 and their lives are full! Cross-country running, soccer, youth group, guitar lessons, tutoring & more.

It feels busier than I’d like it to be, but honestly it feels right for this season. I find myself so thankful for their gifts, talents, abilities and the amazing friends God has graciously given to my 3 lovelies. These are the blessings that keep them busy, and for that I am thankful.

A Recommitment To Family Dinners at The Table

Despite the busyness, I have recommitted to family dinners at the table. I find that we are able to eat at the table at least 3 times a week, and that is better than none! Even if there are only 3 of the 5 of us home (many times Todd and my youngest are off at soccer practice right at dinnertime) I still commit to calling them to the table to eat. For awhile we lost this simple but powerful routine. I have a daughter who has been walking through some hard emotional things included a Sensory Processing Disorder (which I will be posting about in the future) and there was a period of time where it was just too hard to even be at the table together. I am so thankful for direction from above in treating our sweet girl and that she is now capable of joining the family at the table in a healthy manner. If you find yourself in a crisis situation with one of your kids, let me encourage you that it will not last forever. Do your best, Momma’s, and fight for your kids. Provide as much support for them as you can, and when you cannot, pray your hearts out. God is there and hears our Momma- heart- prayers for our children.

{photo taken of my Colsie girl by Laurie Cosgrove}

Me? A Homeschool Mom?

This sweet daughter I speak of is now homeschooling. Sitting in a classroom caused much suffering for her before we found treatment for her, and it was a necessity to pull her out. I myself homeschooled during my high school years, and have always said God did not bless me with the abilities it would take to homeschool my children. I wrote it off as something I would never do. Friends, I recommend never saying never!

I do know myself well and after a couple of weeks of trying to do it myself, we recognized we needed more help for our girl. My amazing Mother-in-Law and Sister-in-Law have come to our rescue and committed to teaching my girl. They are both teachers – so honestly we couldn’t be more taken care of. We split her time up between the two 5 mornings a week, and I get her in the afternoons for other things like physical activity, photography class & reading time. It is working beautifully. I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I cannot tell you what a gift it is to have these two amazing women in my Colsie’s daily life. Not only am I not a natural teacher, but adding the dynamics of her disorder just made it feel impossible to school her myself. God is in the business of providing, and even calls himself by that very name –Provider. It has been a long and stressful process of finding the best life for my girl, but God has been there every step of the way. He is very much our faithful Provider.

My Physical Health

The last couple months have brought quite a bit of turmoil when it comes to my health. My cancer is still in remission, but the ongoing treatment I need has proven itself very challenging. 7 months ago I switched cancer meds and honestly it has rocked my world. Just recently I switched again due to unbearable joint pain I was having. These meds mess around with hormones, and if you are a woman you know hormones are never a fun thing to mess around with. Not only did I switch cancer meds, but also at the same time switched mood meds, as they also had side effects of joint pain. Friends, that month and 1/2 of detoxing from meds and slowly getting back on new ones were hard. Excruciatingly hard. Hard on my body, hard on my mental health, and especially hard on my family. I am on my way back up and doing so much better. Joint pain is almost nonexistent, which feels like a miracle! Before, I felt joint pain in joints I didn’t even know I had! My feet, ankles, hip & elbow and shoulders all hurt beyond and affected me much more that I even realized, especially on those rainy days when weather changes made them all double- flare. I am so relieved to be relieved of this pain.

My Mental Health

As far as my mental health, I am due for a post to fill you in, but we are still in the process of figuring out what is best for me right now. What I can tell you is that God Works All Things Out For Our Good, especially the very hardest of things. The last few months have been super humbling to say the least, and so painful that we had to bring my in-laws into the loop to help us get through it. Their gentleness and mercy toward me was the most beautiful picture of how God deals with us. They have seen me at my lowest & instead of running away, they moved towards me with a love that showed me they are for me and willing to walk through the hard. They have been a huge part of keeping our family healthy and whole. They have gently led me in a direction I needed to go and provided the means to get there.

It is still early in this process of discovery and healing when it comes to me…and I cannot wait to share with you how we are finding answers. Sometimes it takes a humbling, a bringing down to our knees, before we can clearly see the direction we need to go. This is what has happened with me recently & though it was painful, I am so THANKFUL. I am finding the best answers for what is needed and I am feeling pretty giddy excited about God’s revelation and provision–given through the help of my sweet in-laws AND with the help of the most gentle and wise psychiatrist. More to come on that in another post.

My Sweet Husband

Oh my sweet Todd. I sit here and tear up when I think of this good, good man and all that he has had to carry. He will be the first to admit he has not always reacted the best in dealing with all of the pain and turmoil in our family..especially that which comes from me. Being an extreme introvert he has a tendency to go inward when life is pressing hard… BUT.. he truly has carried these heavy burdens in a way that is admirable and faithful. He has been through much, has watched both his wife and daughter suffer in different but frightening ways, and his steady faithfulness to me and our family has been a healing gift to me. He has been burden- bearer. He has been provider. He is willing to walk through the hard, admit when he is messing up, and take my hand to try again. It might take him awhile to come out of his inwardness, but he always does. I am forever committed to this good, good man of mine, and I am super excited to be heading upward after being in the valley–hand in hand with my man–for he deserves a dang good view!

My Mentor

I read Titus 2:4,5 years ago. It talks about how the older women in the church should mentor the younger women. I have always loved that concept and idea. I have had a longing and stirring in my heart for a mentor in the form of an older-than-me and wiser-than-me woman for years. I have prayed for this for years. I have even asked a couple of women who I thought might be the perfect match for me, and nothing ever panned out…until recently. My mentors name is Kim and God is so funny how He brings about things. I will fill you in on the fun story in another post, but for now let me just tell you, God can make His purpose come about in strange ways–like elderberry hunting. Yep, forging for elderberries caused my forging for a mentor to be fulfilled.

Needless to say, my Kim has been so perfect for me. She, too, has 3 girls–all beautiful and grown. She has a husband whom she loves dearly, and has walked through much life and gained amazing wisdom in the process. She has taken me straight to God’s Word and I am seeing things in it that I never have before. We. Just. Click. She is one of the most precious gifts I have ever been given. We have only met together 4 times but our hearts are entwined and she has taught me so much already. I can’t help but squeal about it…WEEEEEEE!

If this is a desire of your heart, start asking God for it. He WILL answer in His time. It might be years down the road, but believe me, it will be the most perfect of time.

The Upcoming Winter Season

Usually when one thinks of winter, we think of cold & nature put to sleep. I choose to look toward the winter season ahead with an anticipating excitement. I know God will continue in His faithfulness to our family, and when I think of winter coming, I think of a cozy candlelit home, warm hoodie sweatshirts, and glistening snow. I will use the blanketed snow as a beautiful reminder of how God’s love covers the dead and dying, how seasons come and go, how God promises new mercies everyday, and how He has made and continues to makes us pure-whiter than snow! My prayer is that He would take this hurting, rag-tag- BUT stronger- than- ever family and carry on in His work of refining. It is a scary prayer, to ask to be refined, but I know that His only purpose is to make us ready for the next season, so that we might glisten like snow. A glistening to glorify Him. Only Him.

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Love/ Marriage

How To Solve Disagreements Without Arguing

A great resource that I back is the book, “Things I Wish I’d Known Before We Got Married” by Gary Chapman. I wrote a previous post, Marrying Him = Marrying Into a Family, regarding one of the chapters. I also have this book listed on our Resources Page. I said that all to say I like the book and believe it is a great resource!

Today, we are going to take a look at another chapter of the book. Chapter 4: “How to Solve Disagreements without Arguing”. Sounds like a great skill set to have! Let’s delve in and see what Chapman has to say about this topic!

“No one had ever told us that conflicts are a normal part of every marriage. There are no married couples who do not encounter conflicts, for one simple reason- we are individuals.”

Chapman says first things first. We must accept that we will have conflicts. Some will be small and some will be larger. This is NOT a sign you married the wrong person, but rather a sign that we are human. Once we have accepted the fact that there will be conflict in marriage we then must find a healthy way to deal with conflicts. Showing genuine respect while we do so is important!

Chapman explains three ways that we can solve disagreements without arguing:

Each of these three solutions start by respectfully discussing both sides of the situation. One person talks while the other listens. The listener asks follow up questions and restates what they have heard. Then, they play the opposite roles. This way each side of the situation is heard and understood.

Meeting in the Middle– After discussing both sides of the situation you find a meeting place in the middle. That means you have agreed to do a part of what each person desires while also each person sacrifices a little as well.

“There is always a solution to conflicts. Two individuals who choose to be friends will find that solution.”

Meeting on Your Side– After discussing both sides one of you decides it is best to do what the other had in mind. This is total sacrifice of your total original thoughts and doing so with a positive attitude.

“Sometimes the decision to agree with the other person’s idea will involve great sacrifice. However, love always involves some sacrifice.”

Meeting Later– After discussing both sides you feel you are not able to agree with the other side nor are you able to meet in the middle. Then a time is set to discuss the situation further at a later date. The situation may look different at a later time. The most important thing here is that you do not let it allow tension into the marriage in the meantime.

The most important part of this all is listening to each other and understanding each other’s perspectives rather than accusing each other of illogical thinking. Ryan and I personally have only had minor conflicts in our marriage which I am so thankful for. But I know it is because we have open communication where we truly try to understand where the other one is coming from. That is the same thing Chapman is saying we should do here!

“When we learn to affirm each other’s ideas and look for solutions, we can process the normal conflicts in a marriage relationship and learn to work together as a team.”

What is a way you solve disagreements without arguing?

——————

Huge congrats to Ryan & Cassie on the birth of their first baby. They have a beautiful, eventful & blessed birth story which you can read here.

——————

“Marriage is Not a Destination, But Rather a Life Long Journey”

You can also find & follow Cassie & True Agape Here:

BLOG | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | TWITTER

More On New Nostalgia From Cassie:

Meet Our New Monthly Marriage Contributor

5 Love Languages To Create A Successful Marriage

5 Step Secret To Getting It All Done

Ensuring Your Man Knows Your Love Language

How To Get My Husband To Speak My Love Language

Ensuring Quality Time During Long Distance

Investing Properly In Our Marriages

Staying Connected In Your Marriage Through The Changes

3 Ways To Respect Your Husband

5 Minute Fridays/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Leaving A Legacy/ Parenting

Oh She Glows

Participating in Lisa-Jo’s 5 Minute Fridays. 5 minutes to write about one word. Unedited.

Word: BLOOM

GO:

Her face had lost its usual bloom. My words had cut.

Radiance, luster, sheen, glow. This is her default face.

How easy it is to spew words in frustration and irritation. Teenage years can bring out the worst in us Mama’s.

Oh to remember the true Gardener & how He cares. Patient, gentle, always tending. Aware.

She is resilient & responds well to apologies. Her forgiveness quick, light returns.

Her essence goes out to all around, eyes slant and twinkle like her Daddy’s

She complains that they disappear when she smiles.

It is my favorite.

If only she could see how she glows, how light shines bright, even through cracks.

Her beauty mesmerizes me at times; cheeks pink, lashes long, that beautiful smile.

Her inner beauty blooming, taking shape, opening to all she was created to be.

This creation, I created with the help of the Creator.

I think of her and I too, glow.

STOP.

DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY/ Kids/Family

Outdoor Chalkboard

I have had this outdoor chalkboard project pinned to my Home: Yard boards for over a year now. Making an outdoor chalkboard has been on the back of my brain in “projects to definitely do” file and I still can’t believe we actually FINALLY got to it. It was such an easy project– I’m not sure why we put it off for so long.

We have been busy making our teeny tiny backyard a family gathering place, and this chalkboard adds so much fun without taking up space.

This project cost us about $40.00. It helped that I already had chalkboard paint left over from this indoor chalkboard project. All I had to purchase was the plywood and primer.

Supplies:

Paint brush and roller

Kilz outdoor primer

Chalkboard paint

Plywood

Sandpaper

6 Galvanized Wood Screws

Small bucket + chalk + eraser + jute or rope to hang the bucket

My eleven year old Avery was the perfect partner for this project. She delighted in ever detail, and I made sure each step was a fun bonding process with her. This summer has been such a great time of slow living, and this project is the perfect example of how slow living doesn’t mean lazy & boring living. Just purposeful & meaningful living.

We took our jeep to our local hardware store. We asked for a 4×8 plywood sheet. They had one for $20.00. I grabbed a small can of Kilz primer and 6 galvanized wood screws. We had the rest of the supplies at home.

On the way to the hardware store, we stopped for a fun little snack of bubble tea. I am determined to learn how to make our own bubble tea, and visited the asian store next to the bubble tea cafe and picked up the supplies. I will share how in an upcoming post!

The super nice guys from the hardware store helped me tie the plywood to the top of our jeep, and even supplied the rope. They made it really easy on us. We drove the few blocks home carefully and with giggles, feeling quite proud of ourselves.

We untied the wood from the jeep, and I carefully slid it down the jeep to my girl. Teamwork! We saved the rope, it would be perfect for hanging the chalk bucket.

~We set the plywood on some plastic storage containers in the driveway, and started sanding. We did not go for perfectly smooth; we just got rid of potential slivers and made sure the front and edges were sanded.

~We dusted the plywood then applied a coat of Kilz to the front, back and edges.

~We let it dry for 3 hours, then applied a coat of chalkboard paint to the front and edges only.

~We let it dry overnight and applied a second coat of chalkboard paint to the front and edges the next morning, then hung it up that evening.

~I taught little one learn how to use the drill, and she pre-drilled 6 holes in the wood, 3 on each side.

~We were determined to hang the board all by ourselves, and did so with the help of some stacks of books to hold the board up. It would have been easier to wait for Dad to get home from work, but we wanted to do it ourselves! It was a bit humorous as one book stack fell and we had to re-stack it.

~Using the power drill with a screwdriver bit, we screwed it into the wall making sure we hit studs (it is the side of our garage, and the studs were easy to find as they are exposed in our garage), and tied a little bucket of chalk with holes drilled into the bottom for water drainage. We are counting on the rain to be our friend and help us wash the board clean…or the hose will do just fine too! No chalk mess! We used a nail to hang the bucket and then gave each other a high-five.

The chalkboard paint we used suggest drying time of 48 hours, then directed us to cover the entire chalkboard in chalk and then erase it. This layer of chalk dust primes the board for future artistic fun.

The board has been much, much fun. We have played many drawing games & had fun with our shadows at sunset.

It gives our family one more thing to do while we are hanging out in the yard. While Avery and I were busy making silly shadows, Dad relaxed with a book, sister Colsie took over the hammock, and Teagan shot some hoops. Being purposeful with creating an outdoor space is working and it makes my heart so happy to see the family out there enjoying it!

This project came about thanks to Project Denner ‘s awesome post, who was inspired by OhDeeDoh.

FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Marriage

3 Ways To Respect Your Husband

by Cassie Celestain | Marriage Contributor

I have said it once and I will say it again: Respect is one of the most important traits to make a marriage work. I am not the only one saying this. When asking newlyweds and seasoned couples alike what the most important trait in marriage is I am most often answered with “Respect.”

Depending how we were raised respect may mean something different to each of us. Also, respecting men and respecting women can look a little different. Our Love Languages could also affect how each of us feel respected. So finding the best way to show respect to your man may take a little time and practice. However, these are three habits that make most guys feel respected.

Build Him Up- Give him praises. Let him know that you appreciate what he does for you/your family. Tell him all the things you love about him. When you do these things be specific. It ensures that he knows you really mean it rather than being vague. If he does something that really blows your mind build him up in front of other friends or family members. Not only does it let him know you think highly of him, but you want others to know just how awesome he is!

Trust His Decisions- As women I feel like we often think we know what is best for us, our kids and our family. I mean we do have motherly instincts, right? But I believe we are called to trust in our husbands’ decisions. He is called to lead our house, but how can he do so confidently if we are second guessing and questioning his decisions? It is okay to not understand his choice or even feel as if we would make a different choice. The respecting part comes in when we show our husband we trust his decision even when we don’t understand. This process takes faith and prayers for many to accomplish!

Check Tone of Voice- A simple reply in the wrong tone can be considered rude. We have all done it before: Something has made us upset. Someone says something to us. We respond with a tone indicating we are upset which really has nothing to do with the person talking to us. Or there is the opposite situation. Hubby says something and we respond right away with a tone of voice that clearly shows our true feelings about the topic. I am not saying to hide your feelings in any way. I am however, saying we should take a moment before responding to make sure our tone of voice is showing respect to our men!

Using these three habits to make sure we are showing respect to our lovers is a great start! Use these techniques as you discover other ways to respect your man. Feel free to ask him, “What are things I can do to show you respect?” Or “When do you feel respected most?” Our men want our respect and we should want to respect them!

What is a way you show respect to your husband?