How To Survive When You Get Laid Off

So today I wrote an article on How To Survive When You Get Laid Off What does unemployment have to do with Christian Parenting Tips? Well, nothing really except when you are unemployed, your children will see your reaction. I recently was laid off from my teaching job, our only income. Most people would panic and not know what to do. I am not panicked at all. I am calm knowing the Lord has a plan for me and my family. Anyway, the article shows steps you can take to help when you are unemployed. There are many programs out there that can help with food, health insurance, money...

As I am looking for another teaching position, I take faith that the Lord will provide the position he wants me to be in.

Potty Training Part 2

All parents go through potty-training. It isn't easy! Its a stinky situation! It is something necessary. Parents have a hard time because the child will want to go potty at the most inappropriate times. The following are some tips that will help the process.






Start by praising them - When they actually start using the potty, it is so important to praise them! Over-exaggerate the praise. This will encourage your child to want to use the potty more.



Read or Tell a Story - My daughter wanted to know about when I was a little boy. I would tell her stories about when I was growing up to get her mind off the task at hand. This would allow things to flow easier and we had better results.


Use a potty seat on the big potty. The potty that sits on the floor isn't the greatest. When the child gets to sit on the big potty, he or she will feel like a big kid and have better results. My daughter wanted a Diego potty seat and she felt like a big girl when sitting on the big potty!

Create a potty chart - Children love stickers. Create a chart. When your child goes in the potty, put a sticker on the chart. When it is filled in, give them a surprise. Take them to get ice cream, to the toy store, or something else your child likes. When they feel they are working toward something, your child's results will be better!

Raising Christian Children

Many parents want to raise their children in God's light, yet they do not know how to do it. The following are some steps you can take to make sure you are on the right path to raising Christian children!



Live a Christian life yourself - A child will not learn to live as a Christian if the child's parents are not living a Christian lifestyle. This is a case of "monkey see, monkey do." Change things in your life to make sure you are living a Christian life. It is not easy, and we cannot be perfect, but it is important to do this step! want to continue reading the bible if they see their parents reading to them.

Read the Bible with your children - You cannot teach what you do not know. Read the Bible to learn what to teach to your children but most importantly, read with your children. They will learn more and want to continue reading the bible if they see their parents reading to them.



Find a good church home - If you can, start right away. With our children, we started from birth so our church family has become an extended family and has taken part in raising our girls. This is so important. Find ways to volunteer at your church. This is big in the eyes of your children!

Pray, Pray, Pray With Them - This is probably the most important step. Parents need to pray separetly but parents need to pray with their children too. This will teach the children how to pray. After all, it has been said your relationship with the Lord is based on your relationship with your father. This means, Dads you need to be praying with your children.

Sing with Them!

I am amazed how well Haylee can pick up lyrics to songs. I am a big Bon Jovi fan. We have been playing their Have a Nice Day CD in the car when we go places. Now she asks for that CD everytime we get in the car. She has memorized the lyrics to the song Have a Nice Day and sings it. I am learning to realize she can learn better by music. She is like me. Music is my passion. We have put things to music to have her learn. Shannon has put her cellphone number to music so she can learn to call us if she were to get lost. This is why there are so many children's songs about ABC 123. They will tend to learn it better if sung to them. Don't be embarrased. Get out there and sing to your children!

Home-School or Not To Home-School

Shannon and I are torn. We have been bouncing around the idea of home-schooling the girls. For a long time, I was against the idea because Haylee especially is very social. Having her at home all day, everyday, would not give her the social attention she needs. It wasn't until I started substitute teaching did I realize home-schooling might be an option. The things that come out of children's mouths at such young ages scares me. Haylee already is a little parrot. I cannot imagine what she will bring home.

There are people in our lives that have given us advice on both ends of this topic. Some feel taking them out of the school system will not give the Lord a chance to let our girls shine their light for the Lord in all the darkness. There are also those who hate the school system and make us feel we are terrible parents for wanting them to go through it. This is such a difficult decision because it will effect the rest of their lives.

As of late, our decision is to put in her pre-school two days a week to see how this works. This will help with some of the behavioral learning. We will take a look when it is time for Kindergarten. I am sure this will change a hundred times until she is done with school.

Take a Time Out Parents

Parents give time-outs all day long and sometimes, in the hussle and bussle of life and parenting, we lose touch of reality of who our spouse is and why we got married in the first place. So what does this have to do with parenting tips? A lot! If you lose touch of each other, you start living separate lives and if nothing is changed, divorce is knocking on the door. This effects the kids. No child wants to see their parents split up. Many children will start to blame themselves for the divorce. So what is the parenting tip in this?

10 Great Dates What is this? It is a marriage study that will energize your marriage. They have different books depending on where you are in marriage and in life. We took it through Relationship Skills Unlimited We met for 20-30 minutes once a week to watch a short video on the topic of the day. After that, we briefly discussed the video and we were then sent on our way to have a date. The only rule is we do not go home. We had to go on our date, read the portion of the book, and complete the tasks in the workbook. The topics you will learn about include:
*Communicate better
* Put the sizzle back in sex
* Process anger and resolve conflicts
* Develop spiritual intimacy
* Appreciate your differences
* Balance busy lifestyles
* And much more!

Do your marriage a favor and check this out. Don't just get the book and read it. You will experience so much more in a group setting learning about how to revive your marriage.

Why Won't They Stay In Their Beds!

Why is it children are scared to stay in their beds? I went through it and now my daughters are doing the same thing. Haylee comes in the middle of the night saying she is scared and wants to sleep with us and now Sarah has started it with us. We end up with everyone in our bed. No one is getting sleep and we are all tired. We went through the "There are monsters in my bed" phase. We started having Haylee sleep on the floor when she comes in hoping this would stop her from coming in. This was working but now she wants to start the night on the floor instead of her bed. Last night I started when she comes in, I say nothing to her and take her back into bed and tuck her in, and then go back to my bed. She screamed and cried and came in about 15 times. This started Sarah crying and screaming as well. So I had both girls screaming and I wanted to go to sleep. I did not give in. I kept it up. Finally I told Haylee to stop crying because her crying is scaring her little sister and she is a big 4 year old and should be able to sleep in her bed at night. She stopped and went to sleep. Sarah, still worked up from crying, took a little longer. I am hoping to keep this up tonight to see what happens.

OK most of you are saying, this does not sound like a parenting tip because he is still experiencing this issue. I agree with you except for the fact that the tip is, get them into a routine. There are a couple of steps you can follow at night time that might help which we are going to start to implement (I know a little late but better late than never)

1. Stick to the same bed time as much as possible This is very difficult in today's times of meetings, sporting events, church stuff, etc but it needs to be done. This will get them on a routine of ok now it is 8:30 and we should be in bed.

2. Read the bible with your children before bed pointing out God's love for children This will hopefully show them that God is watching over them and will keep them safe while sleeping.

3. Create a bedtime ritual that you stand by such as dinner, dessert, bath, jammies, story time, sleep time

4. No monsters in the room or under the bed I don't know where they get it but every child says there is a monster in the room somewhere. Prove to them there are no monsters in the room by going on a monster hunt. When they do not find one, eventually they will realize there are no monsters. Telling them God will protect them during the night will help as well.



Good luck and don't give up. This won't take place the first time you do this and it might not even take place the 100th time you do this but it will eventually work. Have patients and trust in God to lead the way!

Shop.com

I came across a great internet shopping website called www.shop.com Shop.com is a comparison shopping website. You can use this website to shop for the best price on an item. This website offers many products for sale. The reason I was interested in this website is because they have many products for Christian parents. There are books, magazines, and Christian music for sale. After doing a search on Christian Parenting, the site came back with 94 items for sale.

After doing a search on Christian music, the site came back with 2,641 different items. There are many different styles of music to choose from. Check the website often as they have special offers constantly so you can save even more. You can check their sale page for more discounts and on sale items. Shop.com also has a coupon section where you can get great deals. Stop by their contest page to enter for great prizes.

I really like this website because it offers many items. You could in a sense do all your Christmas shopping on one website and not have to go into one store during the holidays. Check out their free shipping page before you start shopping for an extra savings.

Pray With Them!

If you are like me, you only prayed with your family at meal time and it was something simple to get it out of the way. I don't have many memories of my parents coming into my room and praying with me before bed.

It is such a good thing for children to see their parents praying. People get their vision of the Lord through their relationship with their father on earth. If you have a father who does not pray with you and is not the spiritual head of the household, it is very hard to envision God and pray on your own. This is something I struggle with to this day. On the other hand, if you have a father who prays with you for more than just the nightly meal, you will have a better understanding of having a good relationship with the Lord.

Parents, especially dads, pray with your kids. There are men in my life who I look up to because of their relationship with their children. I know this is directly related to them praying with their children. My goal is to have the same relationship with my children.

Please pray with them. Not just about food or finances. Hit the big topics about what is going on in the world, blessings to all, and serious health issues. If you do not know how to pray, find a church home and get into an ALPHA group. There you will learn to pray with your family!

Fireproof Your Marriage

Yes I am talking about the movie Fireproof with Kirk Cameron. Here is the trailer from the movie...


You might be wondering why I am writing about marriage on a parenting tip blog. This is a fair thing to wonder. My thought is a solid marriage is a parenting tip as well. Children know if you are constantly fighting. It creates a very intense way of living. Older children will start acting out to get you to stop fighting. The one thing they do not want to see is their parents getting a divorce.

Shannon and I have a great marriage. I am not saying we have a perfect marriage. I do not think anyone can have a perfect marriage. We realize this marriage was from God. When we got married, we signed a marriage covenant acknowledging our marriage is from God. We have gone to marriage courses and weekends away because we realize a good marriage needs to be worked on.

Fireproof is about a couple whose marriage is all but done. I recommend this movie to couples who might be considering a divorce but I also recommend this movie for any married couple. This movie teaches us that 40 days can change even the most destructive marriages. If there are children involved, you owe it to them to at least see the movie before calling it quits.

Potty Training!

This has always been a interesting topic because there is no right or wrong time to start potty training. Check out this video from The Dad Lab



With Haylee, we started potty training around 15 months but only because she started motioning she wanted to use the potty. We never pushed her to do it. She went through stages of wanting to and then not wanting to. She was doing really well and then Sarah was born. She went through a phase where we had to put the pull-ups on especially at night. She was about 3 1/2 and she finally was potty trained. Sarah is now almost 2 and she takes her diaper off and goes and sits on her potty.

The key is not to scold the child for accidents. It is not their fault. Do not get angry with them if there are accidents. Work with your child. He or she will eventually be potty trained, just keep working with them!

Don't Buy Your Child's Love!

Remember Vercua Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Here is a funny momment!


We all had a laugh watching this scene in the movie and many of us laughed when she fell down the shoot with the "bad eggs". The problem with this is her father would buy everything for her instead of dealing with the issue. Parents who buy presents to "smooth things over" so they do not have to deal with the child screaming are in for a shock as that child gets older. When the child gets older, he or she will start to learn that if a temper tantrum is thrown, he or she will get their way. This will get out of hand and also get expensive.

I mean think about it. A 16 year old girl wants a car. If she asks her parents in a respectful way, she might not get the car. Now, she has been raised all her life getting things bought for her when she throws her temper tantrums. Knowing this, she starts a temper tantrum wanting a car. Her parents, not wanting to hear her scream and yell, buy her a car.

Some might think, she got what she wanted but there are more serious things going on here. The child never learned to share. She never learned to obey her elders. She never learned to have respect for others and she has become very spoiled.

Don't let your child become a Veruca Salt. If your child is throwing temper tantrums and your instinct is to give in for what they want, STOP. Take a deep breath. It is ok to spank your child but please remember to do it out of love and not anger!

A Good Church Home!

One thing that is so important is faith! From early on, Shannon and I discussed faith. We came from different "religions" and of course there were concerns. We started talking about getting married and having children and we really wanted to raise them up how God wanted them raised. We knew we needed to find a church home that we could raise our children in. We found Grace Lutheran Church in Huntington Beach. We attended the ALPHA course they were teaching there. I, being a bass player, joined the Praise Band. We become members. After Haylee was born, it was time for Grace to plant a church. As part of the Praise Band, we decided to go with them. Robinwood Church was born. We recently moved into a new, larger venue. The members of this church have been through the good times and bad with us when we had no income and especially when our girls were born. They are an extended family for us and I can see the benefits in our girls lives already. It has been a blessing to find such a wonderful church home and I encourage everyone to find a good ALPHA teaching, bible-based church to make their home.

Teeth Brushing!

We had a terrible time getting Haylee to either brush her teeth or let us brush her teeth! We have to keep in mind, those little teeth are always cutting in, swelling up, and generally not comfortable. When we stick that toothbrush in there and brush back and forth, we are hitting those swollen gums. It doesn’t feel good. This is why the Lord has us forget the pain of cutting teeth. One thing we started (after her first visit to the dentist) was saying it was time for dentist boy (Me). She totally gets into this. I act like I am the dentist and she is my patient. She tells me her daddy brought her to the dentist but he is waiting in the lobby. She tells me about her day while I brush her teeth. When we are done, I tell her she has perfect looking teeth and to thank her mommy and daddy for doing a great job with her teeth. She says good bye and then asks, are you daddy now? My point is, I have distracted her enough to get her teeth brushed and we do not have to pin her down anymore!

Change Their Diapers Dads!

I know this is a disgusting topic. Trust me I have (very recently) had to change some really explosive diapers. With Sarah, it was so bad, I had her in the kitchen sink spraying her down with the dish sprayer. It is a smelly situation but it does a couple of things. By changing your diapers, your spouse will appreciate the fact that you are not leaving it up to her to change the diapers. It will also help you bond with your little bundle of joy (even if it doesn’t smell like joy) I have two children so far and I have never been grossed out to the point I wouldn’t change them (although there were times I needed to call reinforcements in, Thank you Shannon) This is not just an effective parenting tip, it is a tip from the heart. Bond with your kids by changing them. Dads do not get the bonding of breastfeeding so we need to find other ways to bond. Don’t blow off this important phase in raising your kids!

Selective Hearing!

I remember growing up my mom would only hear things she wanted to hear. I always thought she had a hearing problem until I had kids of my own. Selective hearing is selecting what you want to hear. It is so hard when our kids are saying Daddy, Daddy, Daddy over and over when I am trying to read something or talk to someone on the phone. I have started the selective thing and I don’t like it. Sometimes this is the only way they girls know how to communicate and I am ignoring them. Parents need to listen to their children. There are times the kids need to understand mommy and daddy are busy and they need to wait but sometimes parents use the selective hearing thing too much! Just listen to your kids and chances are they will not do the Daddy, Daddy, Daddy thing!

Be Their Parent, Not Their Friend!

This could be a big mistake. Many parents, especially parents who are divorced, try to make up for the divorce by being the childrens buddy. This could mean less discipline than normal, wanting to hang out together, and eventually losing control of the child as he or she gets older. The child grows not to respect the parents as an authority figure and trouble begins in the house. Just don’t do it. They will respect you more as a parent in the long run!

Men Be Careful

This is directed at guys but women have the same problem. If you are married, do not go behind closed doors with the opposite sex. You are just asking for trouble. I am not just talking about the physical doors. I am also talking about the online doors such as email and chat. There was something that happened to me that if I did not show Shannon what it was, it could have potentially ruined our marriage. I look back now and I realize it was the Lord telling me to show her. If you get emails or chats from other women, either show her or stop it. It is not worth the chance of ruining everything you have worked together so hard for.

Anti-Christian Christian Churches

Today I was looking around the internet for topics I could write about. I came across a Baptist church that made me sick. The article I read was about disciplining children. They said to beat the child with a bible and refer to them as demons. I don’t know the entire bible but I can’t find a reference of where Jesus would beat a child with a bible and call them little demons. It made my heart hurt that children are being treated this way by so called church leaders. I usually do not comment on things I read but I had to send them an email saying they disgust me. I went away from that article thinking they are child abusers and not Christians. It really is bothering me that people call themselves followers of Jesus and then post things like:

The following violations will result in a monetary fine of no less than $200.00 as to be determined by Church Pastors and Elders: Failure to show up at church on time, Failure to attend a church service without written permission from a pastor or other agreed upon authority, Church parking lot violations, Single males or females caught in the houses of members of the opposite sex without proper supervision, out after curfew, failure to tithe, failure to perform Christian Service obligations, Use of a church key without proper permission, Sleeping and/or horseplay during church services, reading of ‘crime oriented’ comic books, possession of alcohol outside of Post Communion Party regulations, idol worship, inappropriate dress in town or in church, dress related to ‘counter-culture’ movement, beards are not allowed except with special permission from Pastor Smith himself, long earrings on women, use of tampons is strictly prohibited, men with earrings or jewelry of any kind, hugging, possession of pornographic material (except for widowed or single men over the age of 65), failure to identify oneself to a church authority, failure to answer a call slip, witchcraft, dancing and/or skipping, association with Catholics, Presbyterians, Mormons, Methodists, Unitarians, Episkypols, or any other occult activity (unless under supervision by Dr. J. Edwards), failure to conform to rules and regulations, failure to submit to authority, the questioning of church authority is not tolerated and may result in dismissal, failure to bring at least one new guest to church a week, failure to win at least one soul a week, disrespect, lying, stealing, cheating, plotting, failure to have a demon-possessed infant sterilized, attendance at non-Christian owned picture houses, and rock music. General Rules are subject to change at any time without notice. Members are expected to find out what the new rules are within two hours. Let us note here, ‘A Christian who is interested in doing their own thing, will not feel comfortable at xxxx.. we would even go as far to question whether or not that individual is a Christian to begin with.

No wonder why people get confused with “religion”. I am pretty sure Jesus wouldn’t get caught up in all these beliefs. I am glad we have Robinwood Church who believes we are all broken people. At Robinwood, we accept all people no matter how broken. The only people we do not accept is the unbroken and since everyone is broken, everyone is welcome!

Death is Just The Beginning!

I remember seeing The Mummy. In the movie, the mummy scratched the phrase “Death is Just the Beginning” in the top of the casket. I started thinking in a spiritual sense what that means. If you believe Christ is your personal savior like I do, you know “Death is just the beginning” but if you do not believe in Christ, do you still know “Death is just the beginning.” The main point is what is the beginning? If you believe in Christ, you know you will be in heaven some day and that is your beginning. If you do not believe in Christ, you will have a beginning of eternal torture. To me, that is a no brainer. Find a church that is bible-based and teaches ALPHA and start reading the bible. Find Christ and be eternally saved. Get ready to start your beginning!