How do you feel when you walk into a bathroom, sit down, look over and see an empty cardboard tube where a fluffy white roll should reside?

Desperation sets in as you scan the area for something you may be able to pass off as wipe worthy. No such luck, so you start calling out hoping that someone can hear your plea.

Anyone? Can you PLLEAASSSEEE bring me some toilet paper?

I’m trying to teach my kids to fill needs before someone has to ask or call for their help.

This empty toilet paper roll symbolizes how some people choose to live their lives.

Entitlement is walking out of a bathroom knowing you are leaving the next person high and dry. Aware that there is a need and that you’re not willing to put forth the effort to fill it.

I know it sucks when you are the person who gets to the end of the roll and you question why this always happens to you. Just change the roll. Do unto others as you’d want done for yourself.

How you do anything is how you do everything.

This is one of our family mottos. If you’re being lazy in simple tasks, most likely you’re doing it in big arenas as well.

I was in a life coaching class and a grown woman was talking about how her husband was frustrated because she didn’t change out the toilet paper rolls in their house and that she was going to start trying to do it.

Yes, that empty toilet paper roll staring at him screams that you matter more than he does.

With teen sons, this is what I see most often in their bathroom. I’ll take it. It’s a step in the right direction.

toilet paper roll

Acknowledge a need and do your best for the person who comes behind you. Don’t wait for someone to have to scream HELP before you come to their rescue.

Let’s do a better job of replacing the empty toilet paper rolls in life for one another!

5-Ways-To-Set-Up-A-Summer-of-Significance

Summertime is here and the living is easy, right?

Or is it actually more difficult?

As a parent summer brings a different rhythm than the one we’re used to living throughout the school year. How do we take advantage of this slower pace and plan for a summer of significance?

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As another school year winds down, we feel proof of how quickly time passes. Many of my friends are graduating a high school senior and contemplating how it all went so fast.

Do you know how many weeks you have from the day a child is born until he or she graduates from high school?

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What makes a good Mom?

They ask the foster girl I mentor what makes a good Mom and she doesn’t have an answer.

She finally says a good Mom would take her places and buy her things. The team of professionals assigned to her don’t like the answer. But, when I went home that day and asked my own four what makes a good Mom, they answered the exact same way.

What makes a good Mom?

It’s a loaded question with infinite answers.

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Dear Teacher of my Beloved Middle School Student,

It’s that time of year that I have been asked to send in daily treats of Monday’s flower, Tuesday’s favorite snack, Wednesday’s gift card, Thursday’s school supply and Friday’s personal note all in the name of National Teacher Appreciation Week. I thought that in middle school perhaps I would be free of this daunting schedule, put out lovingly by our APT, but obviously, that is not the case. The problem is, I’m in the business of picking parental battles and asking my 14-year-old son to carry a flower for you on to the bus, isn’t one I’m willing to fight for. Please don’t take this personal.

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family-charitable-giving-plan

As parents, we have an essential role to play when it comes to modeling generosity. It’s up to us to make sure giving and serving others are a priority in our homes.

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I’m not exactly sure how I ended up at Bob Goff’s house loving life with complete strangers in his San Diego backyard. I’m pretty sure the other 59 people alongside me would tell you the same thing. I can only give the glory to God for inviting me. Read more

Do you know what colleges really want your kids to have?

Authenticity.

Colleges want students to stop working so hard at racking up accomplishments, accumulating extracurricular activities and taking AP courses because they think it will give them an edge.

Focus more on authentic community service.

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I’ve wanted to ignore the fact that this photo really took place just on the other side of the beautiful city that I live in. Yes, this picture makes me angry. I don’t know these girls at all and I’ve read that they are nice people, but I am embarrassed at their blatant privilege and disrespect. Their racial prank affects all of us.

I get that kids make mistakes. I know that I most certainly did and am glad I was fortunate enough to not have social media haunting my every move. But, I can guarantee I would’ve never posed for a picture like this.

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Snuggled on the couch with two of my children, it was time to head off for my weekly visit to mentor my tween, Jen, who lives in a foster care group home.

This particular night, I questioned myself the entire thirty-minute drive. What kind of mother am I? Leaving my own kids to go and spend time with someone else’s? That is until I pulled in to the driveway and saw her peering out the front window eagerly awaiting my arrival.

In that instant, I knew that we must carve out time in our lives to love those who feel unloved.

Lovenote

Our own kids need and deserve our love, but they can’t be the only ones we are willing to give it to. When I saw the joy in Jen’s eyes as I walked to the door, I vowed never to question this purpose again.

Don’t use your family as an excuse for not caring for hurting people. Yes, I miss some time with my kids and husband to spend time with Jen. Thankfully, my children are deeply rooted in love from a wide community of family and friends, where unfortunately many are not. You don’t end up in a group home if you have any stable adult looking out for you.

bestmentor

What exactly is a mentor? A mentor is a person or friend who guides a less experienced person by building trust and modeling positive behaviors. If you have ever wondered if you are making a difference in your life, mentoring is an incredible way to do so.

At Jen’s most recent CFT (Child and Family Team) meeting, everyone involved in her case was raving about her heightened confidence and related all the positive change to our mentoring relationship. Wow.

The power of Mentoring is miraculous. None of us achieve success in life alone. I am slowly building trust with a girl who has no one she can count on in life that isn’t being paid to be there for her. She has been abused, neglected and beat down in her short years. I am humbled to provide her with new experiences while instilling hope for a brighter future, even if it means having to miss some family time once in awhile.

There are many young men and women in foster care who could really use someone like yourself to invest in them. Out of the 10 girls in the group home, Jen is the only one with a mentor. Are you willing to spread love through the gift of your presence?

I am a certified mentor through AASK. Check them out and join me in helping make a difference in the lives of some of our most vulnerable children!