Mile High Girls' Weekend

This weekend I had the opportunity to get away from it all! I spent the weekend in Denver with my mom and we attended the Women of Faith conference! This was our third year to go and it was just as fun as the first time we went. I really look forward to this weekend because it is actually a pretty special time for my mom and I. It is nice to spend a few hours out of our busy lives to be encouraged and challenged by such an awesome group of Christian women. We laughed, we cried and we laughed some more. The weekend always begins for us on Thursday night after my mom and her friend have arrived in Denver and ends on Sunday when we all go back to our homes. It usually consists of late nights and early mornings as well as fits of giggles throughout the whole weekend! This time was no exception!



The conference was awesome and included some new guest speakers this year and the return of one who has been absent for a while. The theme this year was "Infinite Grace" and each speaker was phenomenal. One of my favorite speakers is Patsy Clairmont, she is such a dynamite woman and her spunkiness in her Christian walk is inspiring. I find that I have some things in common with her, the biggest one being my mouth! It is refreshing to see how God continues to work through Patsy to speak to those of us who aren't always mindful of our tongues. My other favorite guest speaker is Nicole Johnson - she is a dramatist and her sketches about life, love and the pursuit of happiness is always emotionally charged and heart wrenching. It was a pleasure to have her back with the Porch Pals this year, as she spent most of last year out on maternity leave being a new mom to her son Elliott. (who by the way is just adorable!) We also had the opportunity to hear some beautiful singing by Mandisa (season 5 American Idol contestant) and Nicole C. Mullen, their voices are so powerful and to hear their stories about how God has worked in their life and the journey they have been on was very encouraging. One new speaker this year was Louise Duarte, a female comedian/impersonator who had us all rolling with laughter and I had tears streaming down my face I was laughing so hard! It is such a blessing to have such awesome women in this ministry who give so freely their time to come and speak to thousands of women each weekend. What an uplifting experience and it definitely gets my system recharged!

Blog Extraordinaire...Parenting 101

I never set out to be a blog extraordinaire...that title actually is bestowed to my dear friend Jodie who is blessed with a wealth of BM's (bloggable moments) that she can tell stories for hours and hours and it is all due to the lovely family she has that keeps us all entertained! Yet I still get some flack from friends because I don't blog regularly enough! I have come to find that some days my life isn't all that exciting and I don't have too many BM's to share. I also find that I actually spend more time blogging when I am traveling or on business trips. Go figures. In the end, I do what I can with what I have! So on to the topic!


I recently had an opportunity to meet with a girlfriend and be introduced to her children. In the time we were able to spend with each other I was once again privy to some parenting skills that I am not sure I would use in my own home when the time comes. Not all of them were the skills that she demonstrated but we were in a public place with other families.



Question: Do you give a sugar cookie to a child that is already hyped up and running around the restaurant like a banshee?

Answer: I think not!



Question: Do you give dessert to a child who didn't eat their meal, but rather shredded it into a million pieces?

Answer: I think not!



Question: When said child begins to throw a temper tantrum in the middle of the restaurant do you simply ignore it or punish with a time out?

Answer: I think not!



I realize that I am not a mom yet and so some of you may comment that I am looking through the situation with my rose colored glasses, yet I think the above questions demonstrate that the parenting that was dispensed was clearly inappropriate and I don't have to be a mom to say that!



Matthew and I have had many discussions on how we would be the parent is certain situations when we have observed our many friends who already have children. Some of those skills we would definitely incorporate and others not so much! I personally am not in favor of the "time out" method for punishment! I simply don't believe it truly works in most situations and instead I believe that the child needs a firm swat on the behind! Like with the questions up above, I could see myself or Matthew taking the child out of the situation and talking to them about their behavior and if it persisted, then a good firm swat would be in order. Keeping in mind that the discipline would happen away from every one's prying eyes. (There is nothing worse than to have everyone in the restaurant looking at you while you try to deal with a screaming child.)

I am not saying that parenting is easy by any means, it just seems that sometimes parents simply don't think or are way too cautious and end up making unwise decisions. I am sure when my turn comes, I will make my share of mistakes and it will lead to someone blogging about it but I also hope I can set some good examples of parenting for those around me.

Traveling Again

Today marks the beginning of another business trip. This time I am in Denver. Which isn't too bad because the weather is still beautiful in September and it also coincides with getting to see my mom. Every year in September we have a girl's weekend in Denver and attend the Women of Faith Conference. This is our 3rd year doing it and it is always a lot of fun! Now I just need to focus on the work appointments for tomorrow before I can play!