Category: Writing

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TV Shows you WANT your Kids to Watch

Shows You WANT your Kids to Watch

We all know the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend TV for ages blah, blah, blah. Well, that’s just fine & dandy if they are willing to come watch my kids for a few hours so I can make breakfast, lunch & dinner for said children!

Seriously, though, I do try to limit the amount of screen time my kids get. But when you hear your 3 year old counting backwards from 10 and realize you didn’t teach her that, you let up on the “mom-guilt” and allow your kids to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

The following are a few shows I can feel good about my kids watching…

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

PBS, Netflix, Amazon Prime 

This show kind of annoys me. I can’t stand Katerina and her “meow meow” after every single sentence! BUT I love how relevant this show is to kids. It teaches tots and preschoolers how to handle their emotions and new situations. Every episode has a phrase put to music to help kids remember what they learned. For example, “When you get frustrated, take a step back, and ask for help.” On a side note, my kid doesn’t take too kindly to me when I sing this to her in her moment of frustration. Heh heh. Another side note: this is an animated spin off from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood with all the characters you remember watching when you were a kid.

Wild Kratts

PBS, Netflix, Amazon Prime

I WANT to watch this show with my kids. There’s so much to learn! The animal-loving Kratt brothers have been around for a while. I remember watching Zoboomafoo with my little brother when he was a wee one. This show introduces some animals at the beginning of the show and the Kratt brothers have a “what if” moment where they enter the animated world and continue the adventure. I love that this show teaches facts about animals that I don’t know and therefore could not teach my kids. Lots of shows teach counting and shapes and colors, but Wild Kratts is unique in that you probably won’t find this info on any other kids show.

We were in the store the other day and G saw a picture of an eagle and says, “Look Mom. It’s a harpy eagle” I was like, “Huh?” I thought she just wasn’t making sense until she said it a few times, and I remembered she had watched Wild Kratts that morning and learned about a bird. The harby eagle? Harpy eagle? I didn’t even know! Are you smarter than a 3 year old?

Cooking Shows

Giada at Home, Giada in Italy, Pioneer Woman

It’s strange I know, but hear me out. My kids love watching the Food Network with me, and it gets my 3 year old excited about trying new food. She says, “Ooh let’s make that Mom!” About everything. If you have a picky eater a cooking show might be worth a try! Kids are more likely to eat food they help you make.

I have no idea why my kids like cooking shows so much, but they do. My favorite chef is Giada DeLaurentiis, and just yesterday G told me, “I like watching that lady.” Then Barefoot Contessa came on and she said, “No! I don’t want to watch her!” Haha! My sentiments exactly G. They seem to like the Pioneer Woman too. Both shows have kids in them at least occasionally, and I think that makes a difference. I absolutely LOVE being snuggled on the couch, watching Food Network with my kiddos.

Magic School Bus

Netflix

My third grade teacher used to record episodes to show us during lunch. It was such a treat to watch the Magic School Bus. I loved the eccentric Ms. Frizzle and her unusual field trips. I was so excited to find it on Netflix. That being said, the science may not be up to date. In episode 1 the class goes on a field trip to outer space and visits all 9 planets. That’s what I was taught in school, but kids these days are being told there’s 8 planets. Of course, then I heard they (whoever they are) are changing it back to 9 planets, and Pluto gets to join the club again. C’est la vie.

What about you? What shows have you found that your kids like? Share in the comments!

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Be Kind.

Be kind for everyone you meet isfighting a hardbattle.

Sometimes we can see the trials people are walking through. They are posted on Facebook openly where friends can offer encouragement and prayers. My cousin Leah just started her Senior year of high school and has been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Everyone knows the battle she’s fighting. It’s not difficult to offer kindness.

Others walk through trials privately and we know nothing of the pain they battle daily. Couples who struggle with infertility – losing babies they fight so hard to have. Few know the heart ache they are living with.

Whether physical or mental, emotional or spiritual everyone is fighting a battle. Every life has a story behind that cover we are so quick to judge.

Perhaps, we could offer a little more grace. To the slow driver. To our boss. To our parents. To our siblings. To the person who messed up and got us feeling all offended over something that is likely insignificant.

I’m speaking to myself here.

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.

Be kind.

Kindness is underrated.

It must be, because how often are we surprised by acts of kindness? And yet, how simple it is to be kind. To smile. To offer kind words. To push down our justified offense, realizing we are far rom perfect, and, in the words of Queen Elsa, “Let it go.”

Today as you interact with the grumpy cashier at the grocery store or the coworker who ticked you off remember that everyone is fighting a hard battle. Help them out by being kind.

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Why You Need Girlfriends: from the Girl who Hangs with the Guys

girl friends lisamuccio.com

I used to dislike “girlfriends”. There was a time in my life when I just hung out with guys, because they were easier. I didn’t have to worry they were judging me for not being pretty enough or funny enough or just… enough. Some of this was based on my own insecurities, but you know full well my fears weren’t completely unfounded. Girls can be mean.

Let me also state that I hate “fake”. I hate when people are fake with me, and I hate when that, in turn, forces me to be fake with them. I despise it. This cut out about two-thirds of all girls as potential friends growing up. (I always had one close friend who was a girl, but otherwise I surrounded myself with guys – it was safer.) 

Fast forward to tonight. Five women. Different cultures, different walks of life, different situations, gathered in a Starbucks being totally REAL with each other. Walls down. Hearts open. Talking about life and God and love and there is not a hint of “fake-ness”. Not a drop. Nor a smidgen. Just 100 percent real-ness and we are having the time of our lives.

We’re hitting every topic from loving God to inappropriate ways to wear bikini bottoms. And I love it. God, I love it! So much. I love that we can all be real and open and there is no judgment. I love that we can all be godly, christian women and yet no one is pretending to have it together, and no one is playing the holier-than-thou-card. It’s just so beautiful. So gloriously beautiful. This is what girlfriends are supposed to be.

It’s figuring out life together. It’s having someone to relate to. It’s someone to text when your day has gone down the crapper and you just need some prayer and an encouraging word. Oh my word! I don’t know what I would do without my girlfriends now! Thank God for them. Thank God I didn’t stay the way I was. Thank God I didn’t let the fear of rejection or judgment keep me from making friends. I would be missing out on so much! I’d be missing out on the fun, the laughter, the support, the quality time. I would be missing out on LIFE!

Don’t let fear hold you back. Don’t let insecurity steal your friendships. The beautiful thing about women is that we are all different. We are different shapes, sizes, and colors. We have different strengths, talents, and abilities. It’s what makes us strong. Together we are unbeatable – a force to be reckoned with. Find yourself some girlfriends, and go do life with them. We are not meant to go it alone.

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Purity

My kid had a total meltdown in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s this afternoon, complete with people staring and making comments. I blocked them out, remained calm, and gave myself a pat on the back when I finally got her calmed down – which didn’t happen until I finally prayed, “Lord, please show me what to do here!!”

I’m planning my sister’s baby shower, two weddings, and a middle school girls sleepover in the next 2 weeks. Sorry hubby. I haven’t even thought about your birthday next week :/

I swear I spend half my day rolling toilet paper back UP the roll and the other half exhausted, trying to motivate myself to check off the things on my to do list. Even coffee didn’t seem to work today…

And, now, here I come before the Lord to find out what I should be saying to 20 middle school girls Friday night. The topic: Purity. Guard your heart.

Guard your heart (1)

Honestly, it’s a topic I thought was boring most of my life. Ew, purity doesn’t sound fun. More like fun-killer! And yet,two years ago the Lord started speaking to me about purity. But wait. You’re married Lisa. Aren’t purity talks for teens and tweens. Save yourself for marriage and all that. Why is God teaching you about purity now?  Excellent question. Thanks for asking. Because purity is necessary to keep your marriage strong. That’s why God wants us to come into marriage pure. So our foundation is solid. From then on it’s about keeping it pure. Keeping out the things that will deteriorate your marriage – the things that will deteriorate the trust between you and your spouse.

But how do you stay pure? What does that mean? Continue reading “Purity”

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Live Generously

Last night began our 6 week study of the book Story of Marriage by John & Lisa Bevere. A group of women married 3 years to 30 years. We were discussing the chapter, what we liked, what stuck out to us when a little tidbit of truth revealed itself… When we give to others, when we live selflessly, it feels good, right? We’ve all heard it’s better to give than to receive. And you’ve probably experienced that feeling of joy when you’re able to help someone and give of yourself. But there’s a double bonus here. When you give to others, they want to give back to you. The selflessness we exhibit is attractive. It draws people to us. They want to be generous with us and invest in us.

“Selflessness is attractive”

This works wonders in a marriage. If I’m pulling on my husband all the time, drawing on him, thinking only of my needs it 1) drains him and 2) makes him resent me. He starts thinking, “What about my needs, and what I want?” Or he thinks, “All she does is nag me all the time!” But if I’m giving of myself, being selfless, focusing on Josh’s needs instead of just my own, he totally recognizes it. It softens his heart towards me, and he wants to give back to me. He starts thinking “What can I do for Lisa?”

You can have a marriage with two people both thinking of themselves and pulling on each other.

Picture: Tug-of-war. Nobody wins. Both parties usually end up in the mud.

OR

You can have a marriage with two people living selflessly, constantly giving to each other.

Picture: A cycle (I give. Then, you give. So, I want to give, so you want to give…) Everybody wins.

Selfless Cycle

In the first scenario no one’s happy, and no one’s getting what they want. Stalemate.

In the second scenario both people are happy and both are getting what they want. It just takes one person to make the first move.

Conclusion: When you think only of your own needs, they don’t get met. 

When you put your spouse’s needs first, YOUR needs are met.

Mind. Blown.

So why aren’t we generous, selfless people all the time? It goes against human nature – look out for number one. We can try and override that, and do a halfway decent job. But there’s a better way than striving to do it on our own. It’s through Jesus. When you love Christ and live your life immersed in Him, it is SO much easier to live selflessly. When I’m focused on Christ – not on myself and not on the things that are temporary (this world and all the stuff in it) – then loving others is easy. It doesn’t feel like a “HAVE to” anymore. Loving and living selflessly is a “WANT to”. You probably know the old hymn Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

The temporary things that will all pass away – the things that I let get to me that don’t really matter – all of it grows so dim when I’m focused on Jesus. Then I can love my husband, my kids, my friends, my family, the poor and broken, because I’m focused on something of SIGNIFICANCE. I’m focused on the things that matter. When you turn your eyes upon Jesus, living selflessly just flows out of that.

Turn your eyes upon Him. Live Selflessly. Live Generously. LIVE life!

What can you do to live generously, today? Test my theory. I’m confident you’ll like the results.

 

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What RSV Proved to Me about the Church

Last week our baby boy ended up in the hospital with RSV for 5 days. The week was not easy… lack of sleep, hospital food, separation from my husband and daughter. And, of course, the fear that tried to creep in through “What ifs..?” and my overactive imagination. The evenings ended with me fighting tears as my husband went home without me and exhaustion got the best of my emotions. As our son slowly got better the rest of our family got worse. RSV is extremely contagious. By the time I was home I was fully sick, dealing with a sick 2 year old whose time away from mom brought on tantrums like I’ve never seen before.

Continue reading “What RSV Proved to Me about the Church”

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She is Lovely

Look at this beauty.

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She’s such a gorgeous girl inside and out. I pray she’ll always know that, and I pray she’ll always let it shine through. I wish I could keep her from ever doubting it. I wish I could shield her from the messages the world will throw at her – the lies – that she has to look or act a certain way to be beautiful. All parents have hopes and dreams for their kids, but one of the deepest desires I have for my daughter is that she knows she is valuable and worthy and beautiful. I want to do everything in my power to instill in her the truth that G is the most beautiful when she is G. She only needs to be herself. I want her to always be bubbling little G even when she’s no longer little.

I know it starts with me. I have to believe I am beautiful. If I believe I am somehow of less value than those around me, my daughter will absolutely pick up on it. Children are sponges. Their brains can take in a lot more information than we think they can. The more information you give a child at an early age, the greater capacity the brain has to store information later on in life. Their brains are built to absorb massive amounts of information while they are young. I am constantly sending messages to my children with everything I do and every word I speak. What do I say about my appearance? Or how do I accept a compliment? What do I say about others? If I am confident in my value and self worth, I believe it sets up my daughter to value herself as well.

I am leading a small group this summer and we are reading the book Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge. This book is near and dear to my heart, because I read it in the season of my life when I learned to be Lisa. I learned to be comfortable being myself and confident in my beauty. I am reading the book for a second time now with a stellar group of ladies, and we were discussing the section where Stasi writes that the women at this ball she was attending were all exclaiming over each other’s beauty. I absolutely LOVE that we as women can delight in each other’s beauty. Instead of comparing ourselves, we should be celebrating each other! I think it’s such a beautiful concept, because it seems so rare that we truly delight in the beauty of others.  One of the ladies in our group shared this, “Admire other’s beauty. Embrace your own.”

So as I raise my beautiful little girl I hope I will exemplify a woman who delights in the beauty of others. I pray that she learns from me to admire other’s beauty and to embrace her own.

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Because I think she is lovely.

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