Gather Moms

Thumper’s wise words echo in our minds: “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all!” Join us as we delve into how this teaching has shaped our approach to motherhood. We’ll offer heartfelt reflections and practical tips for daily interactions with our kids.

As an added bonus, we get a little Disney quiz to see if you truly are a Disney fanatic or if you need to brush up on your childhood movies. Regardless of how you do, we hope you are encouraged and challenged as we think through a biblical way of parenting and setting an example for your kids.

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WE MISSED YOU!! Let’s catch up or, as some would say, SHOOT THE BREEZE; which begs the question: what does it mean to shoot the breeze? Join in as Rebecca speculates on the meaning of the phrase and tells us her tale of the yellow river of Israel.

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If bad karaoke sounds like a good time to you, you’re gonna love this episode! We start off talking about classic summer songs, the kind you might sing along to on a road trip. Let’s hope if Kate and Rebecca are in the car with you, the music is turned WAY UP to drown out their voices. Bless their hearts.

One of the fun things about summer is getting to take a trip. Whether it’s a big one out of state or a smaller one close by, many of the same truths apply: something will be forgotten, something will go wrong and someone will ask: Are we there yet? This episode is all about tips and tricks to make your summer trips the best ever! Let’s go make some memories with our families, mamas.

Travel Tips:

• Teach kids how to pack themselves
• Use packing cubes for each kid
• Each kid packs their travel bag (snacks, water bottle, books, blankie)
• Have a new book, coloring book, movie for your kids to watch or play with that they’ll be excited about (check out books from the library to save money)
• Make sure you have wipes
• Give everyone a job
• Go over the trip with your kids
• Accept that something will go wrong

Airplane tips:

• Mentally think through the logistics of suitcases, carseats, strollers and what all you will need BEFORE you get to the airport
• Drink or sucker at take off for popping ears

Road trip tips:

• Pack snacks-one gallon bag for each kid filled with snacks (saves money at gas stations)
• Incentivize good behavior (money for prizes, pick where you eat, reward tickets)
• License plate game, road sign alphabet, I spy

My biggest tip is that travel is an opportunity to make God bigger for your kids. They get to see a new part of the world, new people and get the blessing of a zoom out-a new understanding of who their God is.

Take the opportunity to help your kids be in awe of God. When they see a mountain, the ocean, beautiful flowers, a people group that looks and speaks differently than you do.

Psalm 19

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.

We can get so used to the beauty of our daily surroundings that we forget to marvel at them. We have a fresh opportunity to marvel at the goodness of our God, His creativity, his beauty in a new place. Help your children see him and worship him.

We love you. We’re taking a little summer break to be present with our families. Stay tuned on Gather Moms Instagram and Facebook as we continue to provide resources and encouragement for you throughout the summer.

Love you, moms!

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Kate Henderson: Instagram | Facebook

Rebecca Bradford: Instagram | Facebook

Listening to this episode in your closet or by yourself in your car and just trying to steal a few quiet moments? YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Summer can make us each want to get in our cars and head to Mexico for a little peace and quiet because this season requires so much of us as moms. Often, our rhythms get interrupted, our sleep gets off and we stop taking care of ourselves. The still, quiet moments where we snuck away to spend time with the Lord may slip away in the unpredictability of summer and we can find ourselves run down and even depressed.

We’re talking in this episode about the signs of depression, what to do if you start to experience them and how to implement healthy rhythms so you take care of yourself this summer.

• Summer-Onset Seasonal Affective Disorder (SO SAD)
  • Signs: sadness, lethargy, apathy, unmotivated, anxious, excessive sleepiness, food craving; especially carbohydrates, irritability or loss of appetite and insomnia
  • Don’t wait to get help! Reach out to a counselor and tell your friends if you’re struggling.

TIPS to help take care of yourself this summer:

Monitor your caffeine intake

Keep exercising

Get time with your friends

Drink water

Take rest days

Keep your healthy rhythms

Limit social media

Let others help

And most importantly:

Spend time with the Lord

Mark 6:31

And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

When you struggle, ask God to help you focus your mind on him. Are you getting anxious preparing to travel or about getting into your swimsuit? Ask God to help focus your mind on him and what is true.

Isaiah 26:3

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Summer will reveal weaknesses in each of us. It shows our limits, our lack of patience, the heat puts us on edge. As unbelievable as it sounds, we can celebrate that. Actually revel in it. Those weak places are where our God shines. When you see the temp tip past 100, look to your God and say: You’re up! He’s ready and wants to show his power in your weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Moms, summer is such a blessing of more time with our families but can also be a stressor as it often requires more of us. Take care of yourself and check on your friends.

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Kate Henderson: Instagram | Facebook

Rebecca Bradford: Instagram | Facebook

Mom, I’m booooored! Oh, the challenge of scheduling just enough fun things so you make good memories and keep everyone busy enough and not over-scheduling and wearing everyone out. Summer is a great time to slow down and let our kids get a little bored, for sure, but we all know that too much unplanned activity can lead to sibling fights, too much screen time and a summer that passes without purpose.

In this episode, we’re talking about how to make the best use of the time we have this summer. How we can practically set a schedule that works for us and our family, helps us create the memories we want to make and provides a framework for intentionality.

Scheduling Tips:

-get your family involved in the summer plans; brainstorm fun things you want to do together in the summer

-talk with your kids about summer rhythms, trips and expectations; the conversation on the front end is key

-give kids jobs and projects

-set goals

-let people help; if the grandparents want to take them for a couple of nights, let them!

Little kid tips:

-have a boredom buster jar

-have each kid do 5 things before screens

-get out early

-don’t feel like you have to do something every day

Big kid tips:

-be fun mom one day each week

-it’s fun to do stuff with friends but it’s also okay just to go as your family

-have one screen free day each week

TRUTH:

Ephesians 5: 15-16

¹⁵ Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15–16 in the King James Version says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

SPONSORS:

Mosquito Shield

Support Us: Monthly Donation | One-Time Donation

Connect with Us:

Gather Moms: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Kate Henderson: Instagram | Facebook

Rebecca Bradford: Instagram | Facebook