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Living life on purpose.

Mother’s Day Brunch: A Favorite Tradition

Our Annual Mother’s Day Brunch

It’s no secret that I’m a SUCKER for family traditions! I talk about some of my favorites in this post. On Super Bowl Sunday, my boys coaxed me into getting pizza from their favorite pizza place 25 minutes away from home because we had it last Super Bowl Sunday, and it was, therefore, a “Family Tradition!” OBVIOUSLY, I complied. And I’m assuming I’ll do the same every Super Bowl Sunday from here on out. 😉

There’s nothing I love more than creating memories that will last a lifetime with those I love the most. Years down the road, I want my kids to say, “Growing up, every year on [this certain day], we [did this certain thing]!” One of my favorite family traditions that began several years ago is hosting a Mother’s Day Brunch at my house.

It started with just my mom, grandma, mother-in-law, and our siblings, and we now extend the invitation to my aunts, neighbor, and whoever else may want to come. My sister, sister-in-law, and I are in charge of the menu items, drinks, and everything else! (Have I told you that my sister is an actual chef?? And my sis-in-law is a great cook AND has a gift for making everything beautiful, so my job is too easy!

There’s something special about having our moms and the women in our family come together to celebrate one another. We laugh, love, exchange gifts, give lots of hugs and take lots of pictures.

It’s these sweet memories that will stand out to us and our kids as the years pass and the generations go by. I want to take every opportunity I can to show the women in my life just how much they mean to me!

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The Fight for Our Attention: Every Woman’s Struggle

Multitasking women, wives, and moms are drowning in self-imposed expectations, keeping up with the Joneses, striving for Pinterest-perfect homes, meals, and children, and contributing to the household income. We have the best intentions to put God first in our lives and fit in some “me” time, because we all know we won’t be our best selves without those staples intact. We, of course, want to give our best to our husbands and children, so we read the books, browse the blogs, and subscribe to the emails to help us do, be, and know all the things. Yet at the end of the day, we go to bed exhausted, wondering if we’ve done even one thing right that day. While we’re giving a little of ourselves everywhere, we are losing ourselves somewhere. Is there even a remedy to this crazy train we so willingly jump on? Do we even want one?

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If You Think Your Kids Are Immune From These Influences, Think Again

Influencing Our Kids With Intention

Influences consist of everything we take in on any given day. What we see, what we read, where we go, what we hear, who we interact with…all of these things have an influence on US, our MINDS, our LIVES, and our KIDS.

In this automated era we’re living in, we take a lot for granted. We don’t have to work so hard to entertain our kids (thanks, iPad apps!), help with homework (thanks, YouTube!), or screen movies (thanks, Netflix!). Spotify keeps us from having to purchase music at all (good thing), just as much as it keeps us from knowing what our kids are listening to (bad thing). No need to get a cell phone plan for your teen or child. They can FaceTime or chat on various apps with nothing more than an internet connection. This is a new day in parenting!

The influences around us and our kids are ever-present…screaming in our faces, creeping into our minds, and occupying our hearts. Shockingly, we often remain completely passive toward them as if they’re something we can’t control. Even worse, they are sometimes of no concern whatsoever.

Influence is defined as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something.” Influences mold who we are. They’re either positive or negative, but they’re always there. What influences do you hope mold your children’s character? Your own personal development? Your children’s behavior? What influences are infiltrating your life and that of your children? VIEW POST

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