9 signs you’re an old married couple

You think sleep is sexier than...sex.

You’ve only been married for a few years — isn’t it too soon for you and your partner to wear matching tracksuits? The short answer: yes. Here are nine signs that you’re acting like an old married couple. By Andrea Syrtash

Sleep is a magical thing, but those marathon snooze sessions shouldn’t take priority over sex. Making love releases the hormone oxytocin, which promotes feelings of closeness; having sex regularly can help you and your partner feel more connected. Get it?

You head to Costco for date night.

A trip to pick up a 48-pack of toilet paper together isn't exactly a romantic outing, just like crossing items off your to-do list doesn’t equal quality time together. Make your next date night count by doing something fun together, like uncorking a bottle of wine in the park or going to a movie that you’ve both been dying to see.

You start texting your mom -- in the middle of your partner's story.
 It may feel like there’s nothing new to learn about each other, but chances are you’ve both changed since you first met, especially if you’ve been together for several years. Rediscover each other by asking questions (“What do you think about X?”) and sharing new experiences, like an African safari or a sake-making class.

You treat him (or her) like your own personal barista.

You know that fresh pot of coffee that your partner brews for you every morning, even though he (or she) drinks tea? It’s to make you happy, so take the time to show your gratitude. Something as simple as saying thank you will help keep that spark alive (especially if you throw in a kiss).

You order pizza in every Friday night.

Certain habits are comfortable and reassuring. But changing things up from time to time is the key to keeping your relationship exciting. Bust out of that rut by dining out in different neighborhoods on date night, or trying a new cuisine together.

You go to the bathroom with the door open.

A little secrecy is important -- especially during those moments that shouldn’t be shared with anyone else, like when you’re going to the bathroom or plucking your eyebrows. There is such a thing as TMI, even in a long-term relationship.

You spend dinner dreaming about your next vacay -- with your friends.

It’s great that you can sit together side-by-side without saying a word -- it shows you’re comfortable together. But you shouldn’t get into the habit of sitting in silence. Talk with your partner (and really listen) without distractions every day. Make certain topics, like housework, bills and kids, off-limits.

You wear granny panties.

You're not living in a nursing home, so why would you wear giant, diaper-like underwear? There’s no need to be a vixen all the time, but wearing sexy panties will make you feel good and give your sex life a boost. So, go on -- invest in a few special pieces that you’ll both love.

You just feel...blah.

It’s normal to feel bored in your relationship once in a while, but you shouldn’t feel uninspired all the time. If you do feel blah, make sure that the issue isn’t that you’re bored in your own life. The first step to having a passionate relationship is to unleash your own passions. Reconnect with a hobby that excites you, and you’ll bring that energy into your marriage.

The day I stopped saying, 'Hurry Up'

When you’re living a distracted life, every minute must be accounted for. You feel like you must be checking something off the list, staring at a screen, or rushing off to the next destination. And no matter how many ways you divide your time and attention, no matter how many duties you try and multi-task, there’s never enough time in a day to ever catch up.

That was my life for two frantic years. My thoughts and actions were controlled by electronic notifications, ring tones, and jam-packed agendas. And although every fiber of my inner drill sergeant wanted to be on time to every activity on my overcommitted schedule, I wasn’t.

You see, six years ago I was blessed with a laid-back, carefree, stop-and-smell-the roses type of child.

When I needed to be out the door, she was taking her sweet time picking out a purse and a glittery crown.

When I needed to be somewhere five minutes ago, she insisted on buckling her stuffed animal into a car seat.

When I needed to grab a quick lunch at Subway, she’d stop to speak to the elderly woman who looked like her grandma.

When I had thirty minutes to get in a run, she wanted me to stop the stroller and pet every dog we passed.

When I had a full agenda that started at 6 a.m., she asked to crack the eggs and stir them ever so gently.



My carefree child was a gift to my Type A, task-driven nature—but I didn’t see it. Oh no, when you live life distracted, you have tunnel vision—only looking ahead to what’s next on the agenda. And anything that cannot be checked off the list is a waste of time.

Whenever my child caused me to deviate from my master schedule, I thought to myself, “We don’t have time for this.” Consequently, the two words I most commonly spoke to my little lover of life were: “Hurry up.”

I started my sentences with it.
Hurry up, we’re gonna be late.

I ended sentences with it.
We’re going to miss everything if you don’t hurry up.

I started my day with it.
Hurry up and eat your breakfast.
Hurry up and get dressed.

I ended my day with it.
Hurry up and brush your teeth.
Hurry up and get in bed.

And although the words “hurry up” did little if nothing to increase my child’s speed, I said them anyway. Maybe even more than the words, “I love you.”

The truth hurts, but the truth heals … and brings me closer to the parent I want to be.

Then one fateful day, things changed. We’d just picked my older daughter up from kindergarten and were getting out of the car. Not going fast enough for her liking, my older daughter said to her little sister, “You are so slow.” And when she crossed her arms and let out an exasperated sigh, I saw myself—and it was a gut-wrenching sight.

I was a bully who pushed and pressured and hurried a small child who simply wanted to enjoy life.

My eyes were opened; I saw with clarity the damage my hurried existence was doing to both of my children.

Although my voice trembled, I looked into my small child’s eyes and said, “I am so sorry I have been making you hurry. I love that you take your time, and I want to be more like you.”

Both my daughters looked equally surprised by my painful admission, but my younger daughter’s face held the unmistakable glow of validation and acceptance.

“I promise to be more patient from now on,” I said as I hugged my curly-haired child who was now beaming at her mother’s newfound promise.

It was pretty easy to banish “hurry up” from my vocabulary. What was not so easy was acquiring the patience to wait on my leisurely child. To help us both, I began giving her a little more time to prepare if we had to go somewhere. And sometimes, even then, we were still late. Those were the times I assured myself that I will be late only for a few years, if that, while she is young.

When my daughter and I took walks or went to the store, I allowed her to set the pace. And when she stopped to admire something, I would push thoughts of my agenda out of my head and simply observe her. I witnessed expressions on her face that I’d never seen before. I studied dimples on her hands and the way her eyes crinkled up when she smiled. I saw the way other people responded to her stopping to take time to talk to them. I saw the way she spotted the interesting bugs and pretty flowers. She was a Noticer, and I quickly learned that The Noticers of the world are rare and beautiful gifts. That’s when I finally realized she was a gift to my frenzied soul.



My promise to slow down was made almost three years ago, at the same time I began myjourney to let go of daily distraction and grasp what matters in life. Living at a slower pace still takes a concerted effort. But my younger daughter is my living reminder of why I must keep trying. In fact, the other day, she reminded me once again.

The two of us had taken a bike ride to a sno-cone shack while on vacation. After purchasing a cool treat for my daughter, she sat down at a picnic table delightedly admiring the icy tower she held in her hand.

Suddenly a look of worry came across her face. “Do I have to rush, Mama?”

I could have cried. Perhaps the scars of a hurried life don’t ever completely disappear, I thought sadly.

As my child looked up at me waiting to know if she could take her time, I knew I had a choice. I could sit there in sorrow thinking about the number of times I rushed my child through life … or I could celebrate the fact that today I’m trying to do thing differently.

I chose to live in today.



“You don’t have to rush. Just take your time,” I said gently. Her whole face instantly brightened and her shoulders relaxed.

And so we sat side-by-side talking about things that ukulele-playing-6-ye​ar-olds talk about. There were even moments when we sat in silence just smiling at each other and admiring the sights and sounds around us.

I thought my child was going to eat the whole darn thing—but when she got to the last bite, she held out a spoonful of ice crystals and sweet juice for me. “I saved the last bite for you, Mama,” my daughter said proudly.

As I let the icy goodness quench my thirst, I realized I just got the deal of a lifetime.

I gave my child a little time … and in return, she gave me her last bite and reminded me that things taste sweeter and love comes easier when you stop rushing through life.











Whether it’s …

Sno-cone eating

Flower picking

Seatbelt buckling

Egg cracking

Seashell finding

Ladybug watching

Sidewalk strolling

I will not say, “We don’t have time for this.” Because that is basically saying, “We don’t have time to live.”

Pausing to delight in the simple joys of everyday life is the only way to truly live.

(Trust me, I learned from the world’s leading expert on joyful living.)

3 DIY decorating ideas for fall

Framed fall leaves

Add a little seasonal flair to your home this fall with these gorgeous DIY decorating ideas. We’ve rounded up 30 of our top picks for wreaths, centerpieces, autumn-inspired bunting and beyond.

Some of the most beautiful fall décor can be found in nature, and the best part is: it’s free! If you have a couple of frames lying around, consider using them to display a perfectly autumn-kissed leaf in orange, yellow or red. 

Gorgeous gourds

If you’ve got a hot glue gun, you’ve got possibilities. Door wreaths give your home a warm welcome, and they’re an easy (and affordable) DIY project. On her blog, Are We There Yet, Carol details how she created her own fall wreath using a fall leaf garland and seasonal gourds.

For the love of chevron

Looking to go a little bit more trendy than traditional this year? Glam up a classic fall pumpkin with a quick and easy, glittery chevron pattern for a little extra sparkle this autumn.

Single fatherhood demands super human energy

If you were raised by a mother and a father who, yes, would argue about the most pointless things and decide every single detail about your life until you become an adult and move out, you had the chance to experience life with a unit of two people who assumed very different roles: in general, fathers often take on the role of provider, the voice of authority, the protector against real life dangers and things that go bump in the night. Mothers, on the other hand, usually tend to be more tender, sentimental and easygoing. When mothers are absent from the household, this equilibrium is shot off-balance and fathers find themselves struggling to juggle all those responsibilities and jobs that are often quite contradictory.
When you think of a single mom, your mind automatically flashes to the stereotypical image of the harried, noble, attractive mother left to fend off for herself and provide for her children after the father either abandoned the family, died or went to jail. When you think of a single dad, you probably imagine some hung over dude pouring expired milk into his poorly-dressed son’s cereal before dropping him off late to school. Think again.
There are many types of single fathers: Non-Custodial Single Fathers, Joint Custodial Single Fathers, Custodial Single Fathers, Widowed Single Fathers, Adoptive Single Fathers, Remarried Custodial Fathers. Add to that Active Single Fathers, Never-Married Single Fathers, Absent Single Fathers, Long-Distance Single Fathers, and Incarcerated Single Fathers. And while some of these situations may be easier than others, there is no denying that single fathers work harder to provide both material and familial comfort for their children. With days that start at 6:00 to wake the children up and end at 11:00 pm with tucking them in, days filled with long hours of work, caring for sick children, cooking meals, cleaning a house and chasing nightmares away, it’s no wonder single dads often wish there were more hours in a day, just to get things done. When mothers are completely out of the picture, whether it’s by choice (divorced parents or she wants nothing to do with the children) or by fate, single fathers have to develop a slightly split personality in order to be both Mom and Dad to their kids: they have to hug a broken-hearted teenager and learn the intricacies of bra shopping; they try be more lenient with curfews when a young boy takes his girl out for the first time and weigh the pros and cons of waxing legs versus shaving them; they have to listen to endless babbling about how their daughter’s frenemy totally borrowed her earrings and never gave them back and navigate the tricky waters of the dreaded Talk; they have to build up a timid boy’s ego before his first solo violin performance and try to convince their daughters that the tattooed kid with the motorcycle isn’t a proper suitor… All these things that mothers do best, fathers learn to master when push comes to shove, all while juggling their responsibilities as the man of the house.
And if a single father were to fail at his Mom duties, the kids look for the tenderness and affection they crave somewhere else, somewhere possibly shady or risky. Children also tend to blame their fathers for everything, from their mom’s absence to poor cooking skills, from economic trouble to bad grades. There is not a minute that goes by without them worrying about every aspect of their children’s lives and it is common for single fathers to feel utterly helpless as their kids go from children to teens and eventually adults. When a man has charge of his kids fulltime, he dedicates his life, his time, his money and his energy to them, to raising them and making sure they become respectable and respectful individuals. When he finds a free minute and meets someone new, an even bigger hurdle appears: how to make the kids accept this new woman. If the kids don’t like her, Papa won’t keep her and will have to bear it in silence because kids come first. His feelings, his needs and his desires come second and although some people would boast that they would never let their kids dictate their lives, fathers usually bow down to their children’s will in this regard.

Don't skip meals, eat healthy to stay fit

Dieting or skipping meals never helps an individual to lose weight. Instead, one should eat food items that help lose weight and increase metabolism.
Experts say one should eat a healthy meal prepared with ingredients like ginger, salmon and olive oil.
One must note, ginger helps in digestion, salmon is high in proteins, and olive oil help reduces appetite.
Femalefirst has listed down ingredients that help reduce weight and boost metabolism:
Chillies: Experts say eating chillies can help burn energy, hours after a meal. It’s also been suggested eating spicy food may temporarily suppress the appetite. Add jalapenos or red and green chilli to the dishes to give them a fat burning boost.
Almonds: Dry fruits contain proteins, fats and fiber - a combination which helps reduce hunger. Nuts make a great alternative to fried snacks. One can add it in the salad also to improve taste.
Olive oil: Olive oil contains a compound called oleic acid that is used by the body to create oleoylethanolamide, which helps in weight loss and reduces appetite. It's always recommended to prepare delicacies using olive oil. One can use it to dress salads also.
Salmon (fish): It is high in protein and packed with Omega 3 that controls the production of the hormone, leptin, which regulates appetite. High leptin levels are linked to insulin resistance and obesity, so aim for at least two servings of oily fish a week to keep levels low.
Ginger: It helps in digestion, but it also has a thermic effect by raising the body’s internal temperature, meaning it expends more energy. Ginger also has cholesterol lowering properties, so can help to improve cardiovascular health, as well as speeding up the metabolism

7 ways to get a good night sleep

We know that there are many health benefits of getting enough sleep, and that the negative impacts of sleep deprivation can be severe.
But many of us have a tough time actually making it happen by following earlier-to-bed schedules.
People who are night owls and shift workers do have more medical and mental health problems, but it's not clear if this is just the genetic makeup of night owls or that those who stay up late have these issues, Michael Breus, Ph.D., told the Huffington Post.
A reason, according to him, that works for everyone is early risers get more sunlight and that helps for Vitamin D, and resetting the biological clock.
Breus has suggested seven ways to get to bed earlier tonight and to develop a lasting early-to-bed habit.
Set an electronic curfew: Keep technology out of your bed, and turn off all devices at least an hour before bedtime, Breus said.
Keep a worry journal: Set aside time during the evening to create a to-do list, fill in your calendar with upcoming events, or write down any thoughts that are causing you worry. This may clear your mind of clutter and help you ease into sleep, Breus suggests.
Breus says he calls this technique a worry journal and note that it is very effective.
Set an alarm at night: Setting an alarm to remind you when to go to bed is very helpful, said Dr. Breus.
Leave work at the office: Set a time in the evening to power off-and leave your email for the next morning, Dr. Breus advices.
It may also boost productivity at work, he added.
Exercise earlier in the day: Those who exercise early in the day rather than at night may enjoy the best quality sleep-and find it easier to shift their bedtime and waking times earlier, Dr. Breus asserted.
Start a routine: Setting up a routine and sticking to it every night will train your body to anticipate sleep at that time, he suggested.
Go to bed when you're tired: Do not push yourself to stay up later when the body feels tired. This might result in a temporary energy boost, but you won't feel so good the next day, Dr. Breus stated.

Kids should move more to prevent heart disease risk, say experts

Being physically active throughout the day is probably more important than limiting sitting time to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in children, according to researchers.

However, when evaluating the risk of cardiovascular disease, screen time appears to be worse than overall sedentary time.

As members of TEAM PRODIGY, an inter-university research team that includes researchers from the University of Ottawa, University of Montreal, McGill University, and Laval University, researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute set out to examine how time spent doing moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) and time spent in sedentary behaviour affects the risk of cardiovascular disease in children.

“Although results in this study suggest that in children, time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity appears more important than time spent in sedentary activities, with regard to cardio metabolic health, both increasing children’s participation in physical activity and reducing their screen-related sedentary time are important public health targets to achieve,” said first author, Dr. Jean-Philippe Chaput, who is a researcher at the CHEO Research Institute and a cross-appointed professor at the University of Ottawa.

This cross-sectional study involved over 500 participants between the ages of 8 and 10. The measured outcomes included waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, fasting triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and glucose concentrations.

Higher levels of MVPA were associated with lower waist circumference, fasting triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure, and higher HDL cholesterol, irrespective of sedentary time.

In contrast, sedentary time was positively associated with diastolic blood pressure, but after adjustment for MVPA, the association was no longer statistically significant.

Self-reported screen time was positively associated with waist circumference and negatively associated with HDL cholesterol independent of MVPA.

The complete article will be published in the latest issue of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.

Plus:Types of milk and their benefitsCut salt intake, exercise to avoid high BPSugary soft drinks may be responsible for 180,000 deaths across globe each year: Study

Types of milk and their benefits

You are never too old to drink milk. Milk is full of vitamins and nutrients. Earlier, there were just two types of milk that we knew of – raw milk and boiled milk. However, with changing times and keeping the health conscious people in mind, markets are being bombarded with different kinds of milk. Today, we will tell you more about the kinds of milk and their benefit in the following paragraphs.

Milk is packed with calcium and phosphorous which is needed for development of bones in children, protein required for muscle repair and nutrients that provide energy. While milk is a must for kids, health conscious folk think twice before gulping down a glass. However, there is the low fat milk/skimmed/toned milk available for the calorie conscious.

Commercially there are just two types of milk – pasteurised and homogenised.

Pasteurised milk

This milk is heated at high temperatures in order to the kill the harmful bacteria without losing out on the flavour or nutritional content of the milk.

Homogenised milk

The milk here goes through a process where the fat globules in it are broken, which spreads the fat evenly, preventing the formation of the creamy layer on top. However, the fat content and other factors remain the same.

Next, we will talk about the kinds of milk and the content of fat in them.

Whole milk

Whole milk, also called full-cream milk is usually consumed by children, teenagers and body builders. Whole milk is called so because it contains all the milk fat found them. One glass of whole milk contains 3.5% milk fat, which provides about 150 calories. Whole milk is also creamier and full of flavour.

Skimmed milk

While whole milk is delicious and flavourful because of all the fat, skimmed milk has almost zero fat content – 0.3% to 0.1%. Though skimmed milk contains all the nutrients found in whole milk like the vitamins and minerals, it gives you just half the calories of full cream milk, around 80 calories per glass of milk.

Toned milk

Toned milk, also called the single toned milk is obtained by adding skimmed milk powder and water to whole milk. It contains about 3.0% fat and toned milk restricts the body from absorbing cholesterol from the milk to minimum. Toned milk contains the same nutrition as whole milk minus the fat soluble vitamins. One glass of toned milk provides around 120 calories.

Double toned milk

This milk is obtained by adding skimmed milk powder to whole milk and has about 1.5% fat content. Double toned milk is ideal for those trying to maintain weight as it keeps the calorie intake under check and aids weight loss.

Tips to protect your baby from painful skin rashes

Can't see your baby crying because of the harsh and painful skin rashes? Change nappy regularly, avoid lovely smelling wipes and also give your child some nappy free time.
Femalefirst shares tips to protect baby's skin from painful rashes.
1. Regular changes: Changing nappies before and after feeding help prevent painful nappy rash.
2. Go nappy free: Give your tiny tot plenty of 'nappy-free' time. Let the skin breathe.
3. Use baby products: Use products that are chemicals free and meant for babies. Avoid lovely smelling soaps and wipes. These may smell nice, but the chemicals can cause skin rashes.
4. Keep it clean: Make sure your baby wears a clean nappy. To avoid skin rashes, change the nappy at least thrice a day.
5. Use triple action protection creams: Use creams which contain Triple Action Protection formula that not only nourishes the skin but also makes it soft and guards against infection.
6. Be gentle: After bath, dry the skin using a soft towel or cotton and make sure not to rub too hard as it creates rashes on the skin.
7. Avoid talcum powder: Don't use talcum powder when you change your baby's nappy as it blocks skin pores and causes skin irritation.

Why men with kids are happier

Having children leads to a million hassles, but new research says it still makes men happy.

Many men are a little ambivalent, to say the least, about fatherhood.

In the pros column having babies means we pass on our genes, which is one of the main points of being here, after all.

In the cons column there’s (deep breath) the broken nights, much reduced social life, endless expense, moribund sex life, nappy changing and so on.

But before we get too down on daddyhood, it’s worth noting that new research claims men with kids are happier than their child-free counterparts. So is fatherhood good for us or not? We look at the evidence.

Men without kids are miserable

What the new research actually says is that men without children are likely to be pretty sad about it, and - perhaps surprisingly - even sadder than their childless female equivalents.

The research, presented this week at the British Sociological Association annual conference, found that men are almost as likely to want children as women. Nearly 60% of male respondents said they wanted children, while 63% of female respondents did.

And if they don’t have them, men are more likely than women to experience isolation, depression and anger. Ten per cent more childless men experience depression, for example, than childless women.

“My work shows that there was a similar level of desire for parenthood among childless men and women in the survey, and that men had higher levels of anger, depression, sadness, jealousy and isolation than women and similar levels of yearning,” says Robin Hadley, of Keele University, who conducted the research.

“This challenges the common idea that women are much more likely to want to have children than men, and that they consistently experience a range of negative emotions more deeply than men if they don't have children.”

The parenting paradox

So men yearn for children almost as much as women, and feel the loss even more deeply if they can’t have them. But what about when we do have them? Here the evidence gets a little more complicated.

That’s down to what psychologists call the parenting paradox, which goes something like this.

Humans need to have children. Children fulfill a basic biological need. But children are a source of unhappiness. So surely evolution has messed that up a bit?

And some studies do show that children and childcare don’t make us happy. One study, for example, found that parents of either sex are more prone to depression, and experience more marital strife, than their childfree counterparts.

According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, a professor of psychology at University of California, “it doesn’t make sense evolutionarily. We want people to have children so why would having children make them unhappy?”

Dads are happiest

But as it turns out it may all depend on what you ask. If you ask if children have had an adverse effect on someone’s sex or social life, for example, it invariably makes them feel a bit miserable. If you ask more fundamental questions about what makes people fulfilled or gives meaning to their lives, children seem to be the answer.

And one surprising finding is that dads are most fulfilled of all. In one study, Professor Lyubomirsky gauged the happiness of nearly 7,000 people and found that fathers, in particular, reported higher levels of happiness than men without children.

But it was happiness of a different kind than the sex and social life hedonism mentioned earlier, which might indeed have declined. Fathers expressed more positive emotion and said their lives had more meaning. Both parents reported that they experienced more positive emotion and more meaning when they were taking care of their kids than when they weren’t.

So while it’s true that studies find men’s happiness can take a hit when they become dads, it seems to depend on what sort of happiness we’re talking about. Our ability to enjoy hedonistic pleasure declines, but our sense of fulfillment and meaning increases.

Or, as a Pew Research Center survey found, parents "place their relationships with their children on a pedestal rivaled only by their relationships with their spouses - and far above their relationships with their parents, friends, or their jobs or career.”

Children make men healthier

It could be that the sense of fulfillment children bring is making us healthier and helping us to live longer, too. Last year a Danish study found that childless couples are at increased risk of dying early of all causes. Those hedonistic pleasures they still have the time and money to pursue might not be doing them that much good.

The study found that fathers with a biological child were two times less likely to die an early death than childless men.

This mirrors the results of an earlier Dutch study, which found that fathers were 16% less likely to die young than non-fathers.

Maybe that’s because dads have less money to spend on nights out, junk food or fast cars. Maybe it’s because the desire to see their children grow up gives men a very good reason to improve their health.

And maybe it’s down to something else as well. We know that happy and positive people tend to outlive their more miserable counterparts, and maybe fatherhood is the slice of deep contentment many of us need to be truly, fundamentally happy.

top 11 ironies of motherhood

Motherhood. It’s the most amazing, most confusing journey of your life. But it also comes with its fair share of ironies. Like, oh, baby is finally sleeping through the night, but it’s in your bed. Or the fact that you just bought baby a whole new slew of pacifiers, but baby now hates his paci.

Here are 11 more ironies all mommies can relate to:

1. The baby finally sleeps through the night -- but only because he has a fever.

2. The one time you leave your cell phone in the car while you go to the gym is the one time your sitter was frantically trying to get a hold of you because you left her a bottle for the baby but no nipple.

3. You get caught up on all your baby shower thank-you notes -- then realize you forgot to address them before you sealed the envelopes.


4. Your toddler quietly entertained himself for a whole half-hour. Because he was busy drawing all over the furniture in the next room.

5. Just when you figure out something your picky child will eat, he'll decide he doesn’t like it anymore. "I don't like chicken nuggets and mustard now, Mama!” Good thing I just bought them in bulk at Costco!

6. At last, your toddler has started going number two on the potty by himself! Too bad he pulls up his pants before telling you he needs to be wiped.

7. You manage to get both kids to take a nap at the same time -- but not on the same day.



8. In a rare fit of productivity, you make a healthy, home-cooked meal. Then, you burn the heck out of it because you forgot to turn the stove off while you gave baby a bath.

9. After months of trying, you and that super-busy mom finally schedule a playdate for your kids. But someone contracts an infectious disease the day before.

10. You get everybody's sheets washed, dried, and put back on their beds. The very next day, someone has a diaper blowout, throws up, or spills a juice box all over their bed -- or yours.

11. You can't wait for your little shadow to be more independent. Then comes the day when he slams the door in your face because he "needs privacy," and he skips off to preschool without a backward glance.

40 lessons to teach our children

Raising children requires huge chunks of time, prayer, discipline, involvement, and relationship-building.

This list of values and traits has helped us focus on biblical priorities in raising children to become mature adults of faith and godly character.

1. Above all, fear God.

2. Respect authority—trust and obey your parents.

3. The importance of friendships.

4. Be in love with Christ and focus on your relationship with Him, not just on doctrine or on biblical principles.

5. Have compassion for the poor and orphans.

6. Believe God for too much rather than too little.

7. Real strength is found in serving, not in being served.

8. The power of moral purity and a clean conscience.

9. How to motivate people without manipulating them.

10. How to handle failure.

11. Keep your promises.

12. The power of the tongue for good or evil.

13. Give too much rather than too little.

14. The importance of manners and common courtesies.
View life through God’s agenda—the Great Commission and the Great

15. Commandment.

16. Give thanks to God in all things.

17. The importance of prayer.

18. The art of asking good questions, carrying on good conversation.

19. How to grow as a Christian.

20. How to handle temptation.

21. By faith, trust Christ as your Savior and Lord, and share with others how to become a Christian.

22. Seeking wisdom—skill in everyday living. Knowing how to make good decisions.

23. Gaining a sense of God’s direction and destiny for your life.

24. Stay teachable and not becoming cynical.

25. Obtain godly counsel.

26. The importance of flexibility and adaptability to cope in life.

27. Truth is best passed on through relationships.

28. Leave a legacy of holiness.

29. Keep life manageable. Prioritize decisions.

30. Tame selfishness—you can’t always get your way.

31. Choices are yours to make and results are yours to experience.

32. Respect the dignity of another person and of all people.

33. Be faithful in the little things.

34. Character is the basis of all leadership.

35. Life isn’t fair—don’t compare with or be jealous of others.

36. Live by commitments, not by feelings.

37. Express grace and forgiveness.

38. A strong work ethic.

39. Surrender to the authority of Christ.

40. How to handle your finances.

We should mention that, after number one, the items on this list are not presented in any order or priority. We realize the list may appear long and daunting. But we suspect that if you began a list of your own, you’d quickly find that it’s just as lengthy.

That’s because parenting is a long and challenging task. Fortunately we have a God who gives us the strength to accomplish the tasks He lays before us (Philippians 4:13). We encourage you to lean on Him.

No, we didn’t perfectly teach each and every one of these 40 things, but it was a guide to remind us of what was important. We never stopped training, teaching, and cheering them on. As Galatians 6:9 tells us, “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”