'Tween Girls

If you have a daughter between the ages of 7-12, you know how busy and preoccupied she can become. From Hanna Montana to American Girl dolls, to friends, Webkinz, dance class and sports, your daughter has many different things fighting for her attention. This is a time when girls are starting to figure out who they are and what kind of young women they want to be.
As a mom, you might feel her pulling away from you and you may sense that there is tension there. You might be sailing through thinking that the hard part of parenting has ended and she doesn’t really require so much of your attention anymore. But the fact is, she needs you now more than ever! She wants your focus and your attention (even if she doesn't always act like it) and she wants to bond with you so that she can carry on the Legacy that you are creating, With everything that is influencing her, don't you want to be the biggest influence? Can you be the biggest influence if you haven't established trust with her and have a bond that pulls her toward you instead of away from you?
That's why we are offering the first ever “Little Legacies” Mother-Daughter Workshop for Legacy Moms and their daughters ages 7-12! It will be a day of fun, learning and bonding that she will never forget. Click on the link below for more info and to register. Space is limited, so don't delay! Remember...she won't be this age forever, and the time to build the bridge is NOW!
http://legacymoms.org/registration.aspx
I look forward to seeing you there!

I want more.

Do you ever find yourself looking forward to that next "big thing", only to find that it didn't really fulfill you and now you are focused on the next one? I think we all suffer from a lack of contentment from time to time. Maybe it's the next big trip, or that piece of furniture or jewelry that you've been eye-balling forever. Maybe you think to yourself, "Things will be great once (fill in the blank) happens." Maybe you think your life will be so much better if you had a new house, or a new car, or once your kids start school, or your husband gets a better job, or when you get pregnant, or your kids are potty-trained. Then, once that happens, you realize that you still aren't fulfilled and there is something else you want, need and wish for. Our sinful, human nature is so bent toward missing the joy of the here-and-now because we consume ourselves with what we don't have. I can be the world's worst about that! I have (through years of trial and error!) had to learn to focus on the blessings of the present while still having hope for the future. I have tried hard not to pass this on to my children. I really want them to be glass-half-full people like my husband. Today, my daughter Jordan wrote a poem that I thought I would share with you:

I Want More!

by Jordan Carter

age 9

When I get four,

I want more!

When I get nine,

It's still not fine.

When I get twenty,

I do not have plenty.

When I get a million,

Why not a billion?

Maybe that's not what life was meant,

Maybe I should learn to be content.

May you and I find joy and contentment right where we are today! Thanks, Jordan, for the reminder. Out of the mouths of babes........

God Bless!

Time Flies

It seems like just yesterday, but twelve years ago (tomorrow) my life was forever changed. I gave birth to my first child and I became someone's MOM! There are some in this world who see having a baby as something that "happens" to you, something that needs to be "dealt with" or an inconvenience or obstacle to overcome in order to reach their "real" calling in life, but not me! I know that God doesn't see it that way, either. God values moms.

It was after I became a mom that I learned God had a purpose and calling for my life. Now, I must admit, I didn't figure this out over-night. I also must admit that there are many rewarding aspects to my life, such as being married to a wonderful husband and having really deep, like-minded friends that have stretched me and supported me, but being a mom has been so crucial in my growth as a Christian. It has been a journey, a process of discovering just who I am and how God wants me to use my talents, my life experiences and my mistakes to grow and become who He called me to be. Quite simply: He has used my children to draw me closer to Him!

I heard that one of the Legacy Moms said that God used her son to "soften her heart" towards God. How true for most of us!

I'm not a perfect mom. In fact, there are days I'm not even a very good mom. I can be impatient, cranky and overwhelmed. But when I hear the laughter of my children, when I see the smile on their faces and feel their arms around me, I know that they are gifts from a loving God and He must love me an awful lot to let me be their mom! I also know that nothing....ABSOLUTELY NOTHING....can be as rewarding as knowing that my kids are happy, that they know they are loved and they feel secure, and that I am teaching them to know Jesus and love Him.

Tomorrow is bitter-sweet for me. My little boy is turning 12 and is becoming more and more of a Godly young man everyday. I am so thankful for the past 12 years and can't wait to see what God teaches me over the next 12 years! Time is short and they are all growing up so fast. My greatest hope is that I make the most of the time I have and don't waste a single moment on things that are temporary and insignificant.

Well, I have to go for now....my five-year-old just asked me to hold him. In the blink of an eye, he'll be 12 too , so I better hold him while I can!

Blessings!