While most of my parenting articles are posted on the Mommy Detective blog, I do post articles here as well. I hope you enjoy the following:
Should small children give gifts?
A Parent's cuss word
Heartfelt moments
Happy Family
Practical application for Happy Family
Summer Monsters
Good parenting can change the world
Christian Parenting
Spoiled Brat prevention
A Happy Home
Believe in your children
Are you afraid of your own dog?
Painful parenting
Great questions
Spanking
What makes a winner?
A Parent's Reward
Why is life so hard?
Kids and giggles
Boredom
We are in the process of going through all 495 posts and pulling out the ones on parenting. Please check back for the rest of the list.
God loves you,
Debbie
Monday, June 27, 2011
Ronald Reagan Quotes
Ronald Reagan was a great man. He was president when my children were just babies. It was the beginning of my political journey. I hadn't paid a lot of attention to the political scene. I was busy getting my degree, dating, making sense of life and then getting married and starting a family. I know....I was one of those political short sided late bloomers. But then I had children and all of sudden their future (which was connected to the future of this country) was vitally important to me.
Add to that the fact that listening to President Reagan was not only informative, but incredibly inspiring. I felt like I could make a difference. I felt like it was up to me. And....I "wanted" to get involved and change the world for the better.
I don't think he had a deeper insight or was giving us information that wasn't readily available - it was the way he delivered what he had to say. He owned it. You knew the words were not being read....but that they were a part of his own life. He believed in the concepts he promoted. He truly believed that America was a great country.
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Lately, I've found myself quoting President Reagan a lot! I find comfort and hope in his words. I enjoy the humor he used to convey his message and I often sit for a moment to reflect on something I've just read. I thought it might help you today to read his words. I hope that you will not only find hope and comfort - but that you will see him as the great president and honorable man that he was!
All of the following quotes were made by President Ronald Reagan. The first one is my favorite and so very true. All quotes highlighted in red are important for the family. Enjoy!
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.
A people free to choose will always choose peace.
A tree's a tree. How many more do you need to look at?
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
All great change in America begins at the dinner table.
Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.
But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret.
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.
Don't be afraid to see what you see.
Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.
Facts are stubborn things.
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
Going to college offered me the chance to play football for four more years.
Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.
Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.
Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver five minutes longer.
History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
How can a president not be an actor?
How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.
I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.
I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.
I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.
I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.
I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'.
I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.
If the Soviet Union let another political party come into existence, they would still be a one-party state, because everybody would join the other party.
If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.
Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.
Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.
Man is not free unless government is limited.
Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!
No mother would ever willingly sacrifice her sons for territorial gain, for economic advantage, for ideology.
Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.
The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.
The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.
There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.
There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.
When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.
Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.
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You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans.
Gotta love a man who loves Jelly Beans....
God loves you,
Debbie
Add to that the fact that listening to President Reagan was not only informative, but incredibly inspiring. I felt like I could make a difference. I felt like it was up to me. And....I "wanted" to get involved and change the world for the better.
I don't think he had a deeper insight or was giving us information that wasn't readily available - it was the way he delivered what he had to say. He owned it. You knew the words were not being read....but that they were a part of his own life. He believed in the concepts he promoted. He truly believed that America was a great country.
All of the following quotes were made by President Ronald Reagan. The first one is my favorite and so very true. All quotes highlighted in red are important for the family. Enjoy!
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.
Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.
A people free to choose will always choose peace.
A tree's a tree. How many more do you need to look at?
Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today's world do not have.
All great change in America begins at the dinner table.
Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.
But there are advantages to being elected President. The day after I was elected, I had my high school grades classified Top Secret.
Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.
Democracy is worth dying for, because it's the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.
Don't be afraid to see what you see.
Entrepreneurs and their small enterprises are responsible for almost all the economic growth in the United States.
Facts are stubborn things.
Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
Going to college offered me the chance to play football for four more years.
Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.
Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.
Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves.
Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.
Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.
Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
Governments tend not to solve problems, only to rearrange them.
Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just braver five minutes longer.
History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
How can a president not be an actor?
How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
I am not worried about the deficit. It is big enough to take care of itself.
I call upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace: to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete.
I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.
I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.
I never drink coffee at lunch. I find it keeps me awake for the afternoon.
I've never been able to understand why a Republican contributor is a 'fat cat' and a Democratic contributor of the same amount of money is a 'public-spirited philanthropist'.
I've often said there's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse.
If the Soviet Union let another political party come into existence, they would still be a one-party state, because everybody would join the other party.
If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
If we love our country, we should also love our countrymen.
Let us be sure that those who come after will say of us in our time, that in our time we did everything that could be done. We finished the race; we kept them free; we kept the faith.
Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music.
Man is not free unless government is limited.
Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!
No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth!
No mother would ever willingly sacrifice her sons for territorial gain, for economic advantage, for ideology.
Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.
The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.
The taxpayer - that's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.
There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.
There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.
When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
While I take inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.
Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.
You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by his way of eating jellybeans. Gotta love a man who loves Jelly Beans....
God loves you,
Debbie
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Who has died for you?
With all that's going on in America it's easy to get side tracked about who is doing what and how that's hurting us and what in the world are we going to do about it.
As we near July 4th, I think it's time to ask the question - "Who has died so that I might be free?" It doesn't matter if the war was one that you liked or not. It doesn't matter if the job is one you wouldn't do. What does matter is that another human being decided that he/she would put their life on the line so that your freedom would continue. That's a powerful statement for anyone!
A friend of mine, Jerry Parker, sent me a link to the "virtual" wall for Vietnam vets. Vietnam virtual wall I couldn't stop clicking around, crying and praying for the victims and their families. I was overwhelmed with the 18, 19 and 20 year olds that were willing to die for my freedom.
I hope you will take the time to check out this website. Think about how large it would be if WWII vets were included. Think about how many young men and women have gone to war since then - how many are serving us now.
Take the time to pray, pray, pray for our Country and that America will always be home to the free and the brave! Pray that in this country we will always be free to worship God and to be a Christian Nation. Pray that your children and grandchildren will not be denied the freedom we have enjoyed.
President Reagan said, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." How true!
God Bless America!
God loves you,
Debbie
Saturday, June 25, 2011
America vs. Socialism vs. the Family
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on that plan"..
All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A....
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that.
Socialism has been tried within the family unit and it never works! When parents decide to become a "government" entity and hand out anything the child wants without requirements, goals, restrictions, achievement levels or demanding a work ethic within the home....the child ultimately begins to feel "entitled" to everything the parent has without reservations. The child becomes spoiled and demands even more. The parent feels overworked, frustrated and burnt out with the child. When the teen years hit and the arguing mounts - hurt feeling, broken relationships and rebellion are able to destroy what once was a loving family.
There is no place for Socialism within the family unit. Your job is to train your child, become his mentor and earn his respect. Those three traits will build a strong relationship that will last a lifetime.
God loves you,
Debbie
Darlene's Daily
How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras - teach patience to its young?
**~****~****~****~****~**
Smith goes to see his supervisor in the front office.
"Boss,"he says, "I've been volunteered to help move furniture for my mother-in-law tomorrow, and my wife needs me to help with the attic and the garage, moving and hauling stuff."
"We're short-handed, Smith," the boss replies. "I can't give you the day off."
"Thanks, boss," says Smith, "I knew I could count on you!"
**~****~****~****~****~**
One of the mysteries of life is that occasionally some piece of it will be perfectly understandable.
**~****~****~****~****~**
Riley's mother gets off work at 5am. One morning Riley got up on her own for school, got dressed, did her hair and put her backpack on ... all without waking her mother. (Riley's mother takes turns with other moms taking the children to preschool and that day another mom was driving.) When Riley's ride came she left -- without waking her mother. When her mother woke up and Riley was gone she was obviously frantic. She called the school and found out Riley was OK.
That night at dinner her mother said, "Riley, don't ever do that again. Wake Mommy up when you go to school. I thought somebody stole you!"
Riley replied, "Mom, you know me. If anybody would steal me they would just bring me back!"
'**~****~****~****~****~**
Life is said to be a game -- but how can we play if we don't know where the goal posts are?
**~****~****~****~****~**
Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.
The FIRST patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day and has a time booked for surgery the following week.
The SECOND sees his family doctor after waiting 3 weeks for an appointment, then waits 6 weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another week and finally has his surgery scheduled for 3 months from then.
Why the different treatment for the two patients?
The FIRST is a Golden Retriever.
The SECOND is a Senior Citizen.....
Thanks Darlene!
God loves you,
Debbie
Friday, June 24, 2011
June weddings
My son Jamie is a wedding photographer. If you ever need a photographer, please check out his website at http://www.jamiejansenphoto.com/. Not only will you get great service, but you will also get the best pictures around. He does all my pictures and well....if he can make me look good, he can make you look fabulous!
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I believe there are 5 things that must be in place before any couple decides to marry. If you are picking out a wedding dress before these areas are secured....you are in trouble.
God loves you,
Debbie
Jamie told me that June is the by far the most sought after month for weddings. I have been wondering if perhaps you've been to a wedding this month. Aren't weddings fun? Everyone is dressed in their very best and they are trying to be on their best behavior. (At least most of the weddings I attend are that way.)
So if the wedding is so wonderful and everyone seems so happy....why are Americans getting divorced so easily? Why when couples promise to love for eternity, does it often end three months later? Jamie sadly explained that every year at least one of the weddings on his calendar will end in divorce before he can finish the technical work on their pictures. How sad?
I believe there are 5 things that must be in place before any couple decides to marry. If you are picking out a wedding dress before these areas are secured....you are in trouble.1. Make sure you are not marrying for love only. I know you've heard me say this before - but it's the #1 reason so many young couples divorce. I've heard several young girls say, "I know he's probably not right for me, but I can't help it....I love him!" And each of those girls were divorced within two years. Love can't cover all problems. In fact, when something goes wrong - love is one of the first emotions flying out the window. You can't count on love to make up for the fact that you really aren't suited to that person. Your love also will NOT be able to change that person. Make sure everything about your relationship is right - even before you consider love. Love should be the icing on your relationship not the basis for it.
Of course the other side of this point is that you shouldn't marry someone you don't love. Like I said, everything should be right and then if love is there - book the church.
2. Realize that Marriage is not some kind of magical door that will change both of you once you pass through it. All the problems that you experience before marriage will follow you through marriage. If he cheated before - he will cheat after. If she nags before - she will nag after. Marriage never changes problems but it does exaggerate them.
3. Make sure your spouse can be trusted and that they have shown you every side of their personality. How can you be sure? Pay attention to the way they treat others. If he fusses at or disrespects his mother - once you are married and he's comfortable - he will disrespect you. If she mistreats her girlfriends and takes advantage of them - she will mistreat you. Marriage will not magically change personalities! Whatever a person is before they marry...they will continue to be that after marriage! Don't be afraid to ask other people what they think about the person you are dating. Trust them to tell you the truth - and listen to it! They will save you problems later on.
4. Talk about your goals, dreams and desires. Make sure your fiance is willing to follow you in your dreams. Make sure you are totally honest with them about all the problems you will have to face together. Don't discuss it once and forget it. Make it a familiar topic and make sure they "honestly" understand your desires and how you will have to sacrifice to make it happen. If possible, allow them to be a part of your goal before the marriage. For example, if you are a daycare owner - take them to work and allow them to see what you do as well as all the demands you will face. If you are an executive, take them to an office dinner and see how they act as well as allow them to hear about the demands that will be placed on you. Be involved before hand and you may prevent arguments after your wedding.
5. Be willing to walk away in order to love for the greater good. Huh? Make sure that your sights are on having the best marriage possible and not just on acquiring the person you are dating. Get your head out of the "excitement" of dating and marriage and into the process of "deciding" what is best for both of you. Love your fiance enough to walk away and save them and you the pain of divorce later on. If you can be logical about the relationship rather than 100% emotional - you'll be centered enough to make a good decision and hopefully enjoy that decision until the day you die.
Debbie
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day
My father has been a minister for the past 61 years. He was a missionary and literally preached his way around the world, through jungles of Peru, in Mexican villages and all across America. He was a missionary pilot and built three churches from the ground up. Yet...with all he's done in his life, he still found time to be a great Father.
Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you!
The first formal "Father's Day" was celebrated JUNE 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington.
Sonora Louise Smart Dodd heard a church sermon on the newly established Mother's Day and wanted to honor her father, Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, who had raised six children by himself after his wife died in childbirth.
Sonora drew up a petition supported by the Young Men's Christian Association and the ministers of Spokane.
In 1916, Woodrow Wilson spoke at a Spokane Fathers' Day service.
President Nixon, in 1972, established Father's Day as a permanent national observance.
On Father's Day, 1988, Ronald Reagan said:
"Children, vulnerable and dependent, desperately need security, and it has ever been a duty and a joy of fatherhood to offer it.
Being a father requires strength...and more than a little courage...to persevere, to fight discouragement, and to keep working for the family."
Reagan continued:
"With God's grace, fathers find the patience to teach, the fortitude to provide, the compassion to comfort, and the mercy to forgive. All of this is to say that they find the strength to love their wives and children selflessly."
President Reagan ended:
"Let us...express our thanks and affection to our fathers, whether we can do so in person or in prayer."
I hope you all have a wonderful Father's Day! Remember, you can also celebrate with your Heavenly Father....thank goodness we all have Him.
God loves you,
Debbie
Saturday, June 4, 2011
A Child's Faith
Shirley and Marcy
A mother was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe. So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance so he probably wouldn't notice her.
The neighbor agreed since she was up early with her toddler anyway. It would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well. The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. She did this for the whole week.
As the two children walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week.
Finally she said to Timmy, "Have you notice that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?
Timmy shrugged. "Yeah, I know who she is."
"Well....who is she?"
"That's just Shirley Goodnest and her daughter Marcy."
"Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?"
Timmy kicked at a rock and explained. "Well, every night my mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers 'cuz she worries about me so much." Timmy stopped to pick up a stick and toss it in the grass. "And in the Psalm, it says, Shirley Goodnest (surely goodness) and Marcy (mercy) shall follow me all the days of my life. So, I guess I'll just have to get used to it!"
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always!
Thank you Darlene for this beautiful story. I love the innocence faith of children.
God loves you,
Debbie