There is something special about recognition and appreciation that brings teams together, makes people engage deeper, and give more than they expected. I look forward each year to building teams, working with students, and helping them meet their goals. Appreciation plays a big part of that.

All summer I look for little things to give to the students in my college groups. So many little teacher gift ideas can be repurposed for things on campus. This is a twist on a teacher treat idea, with pink erasers, post-it notes, and pencils all tied together with this little note.

I think that our officer team will love it.

The controversy and hurt feeling that can come with change makes bringing new people into the community more difficult. 

This morning at church we looked at the book of Titus, a letter written by Paul, full of advice to Titus. The preacher tied it into an Olympics theme. He asked the congregation, "Are you coachable?" Being coachable means you’re open to listening to feedback, able to receive constructive criticism without taking it personally, willing to take a look at your own performance in order to improve it, and generally a super-badass-enthusiastic go getter type of person. A proverb says that only stupid men learn from experience. Wise men learn from other people’s experience. 

An old Forbes article lays out the 5 traits of Coachable individuals and one of the things that article mentions is that being coachable is a risk unless you know you have the right coach. 

With my friends, especially those that I travel with for work, I tell them, "If You See Something, Say Something!" That isn't just an airport slogan. I mean, if I have lipstick on my teeth, my jacket looks better unbuttoned.. whatever it might be, tell me. For the love of Pete, tell me. You know you've seen people and you think, "poor thing doesn't have a clue..."

Years ago, I was on a date on Valentine's Day at a restaurant near a college campus. A girl at a table next to us had us saying that very thing. Her boyfriend handed her a gift bag and she pulled out a Playboy Bunny t-shirt. Who does that? What an awful, disrespectful gift. She was loud and a little tipsy, showing  her "gift" to us and the other tables around us. Then the guys she was with started burning the bottom the wine cork and wiping the soot on her nose, but when she did it, nothing was on their noses. She had no idea they were laughing at her. They were snorting, they were laughing so hard.

When the guys went to play darts, we called her over to our table, helped her wipe off her nose, and explained what we saw. We could have chuckled, rolled our eyes, and ignored it. Calling her over was the right thing to do. We don't know what became of her, if she listed to our advice, or if she kept seeing Hugh Heffner. 

Sometimes life gives us warnings. 

Life is sketchy at times. We need friends and sometimes strangers to give us advice, point out what is sometime obvious to others, and to help us avoid lipstick on the teeth and Hugh Heffner. 

Sometimes you see something and say then say something. Sometimes you have to stand back and watch.

Each morning and evening Susie Larson posts a blessing on Facebook. Sometimes I scroll right past, but sometimes it makes me stop. I read it again. I savor the words. I pour the words over my head like an anointing. Tonight that happened.

Can you image if we really, really believed in the depths of His love for us? So much that it would inspire us, inspire us to dream like we never have before? I have a professor in Bible College that told us he believed that "when we did what thrilled us most, it was then that we were at the center of God's will." That God placed desires in our hearts to chase after Him.

In these days of the 2016 Olympics, it seems like everyone is thinking about dreaming and taking crazy-faith-steps. The personal stories of the athletes, their families, their struggles to reach their goals have been filled with Olympic-sized dreams. leaps of faith, and leaning in to hear the voice that matters. I cry at medal ceremonies - all of them - as our flag rises and our song swells.

It reminds me of the tears and joy each time someone walk down the aisle at church, tells everyone that they are a faith-filled follower of Jesus. I'm almost positive that none of them know what an amazing journey awaits as they walk in faith and understanding that His will for us is the best-case-scenario. I'm not sure I can imagine what He has in store for me.

I am praying that His saving grace and enabling power compels me to dream, believe, and walk in faith. That my dreams, fueled by faith, would turn into faith filled steps.

What a blessing that is!

​Thanks to a tremendous Good Housekeeping list about how often to clean everything, I updated our chore chart. Let me tell you the kids were thrilled. Ok, maybe not. However, with the new more specific chore chart, they know what's expected.

​Now that they are older, they can do more to help around the house. They will probably tell you they are slaves and do everything, but here it is in black and white.

Everyone gets a day off. Some days people have two things to do in one day, but trash and dishes must be done everyday and there are only 4 kids so... sometimes it happens. They will live.

Knowing what they are expected to do saves me from asking and asking and asking for things to be done the minute we walk in the door. I don't like starting our evenings like that and t hey certainly don't like it. It's posted. Everyone knows. 

​We looked at our family schedule and made some adjustments for recurring events that happen during the school year. There is grace. Sometimes life is nuts and dusting just isn't top priority. That's ok. Those times come with permission and reshuffling.

Chores that are not completed result in the child owing some of their allowance back to us. 

Trying out the chore chart before school starts. We may go through a few drafts, but with trash, laundry, and dishes being done every day, I think that we are off to a great start!

This morning I saw a story about a new Dallas Cowboy football player, someone we got from the Redskins. I was impressed. At the end of the piece, the newscaster said that the way he lives, specifically the car he drives, reflects his core values of hard work and humility. 

This video is from 2013, when he was still with the Redskins.

I started to think about core values. Since I was in Junior High, I've used a planner and not too long after that I discovered Franklin Covey's time management system, a system that is based on core values. They ask you to write a personal mission statement and define goals around that. If it doesn't align with your mission, it doesn't belong on your task list or on your calendar. It made saying no to the good things, to make room for the best things a bit easier.

Ben Franklin has a famous list of governing values and sometimes he lived by them and, like most of us, sometimes he did not. Legend has it that he would focus on one of the character traits util he felt it was mastered and move on to the next.  The blog, Art of Manliness has a post  about defining your core values and he says it prevents you from making bad choices, gives you confidence, and makes life simpler. 
 
A quick google search about Alfred Morris liked to this video that makes it clear where his values are centered.  Lifeway suggests the first core values your children should know. We as parents can model these, talk about them, hold our children to a standard, but ultimately, like Mr. Morris said it had to become his faith, not just that of his parents.

For some children, making that relationship with Christ their own takes a little longer, but I'm holding on to the promise that if we raise our children up "in the way they should go, they will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6).
 
Franklin Covey has a tool to help with developing mission statements and defining core values. As life moves and changes, it’s not a bad idea for me to sit down and re-visit mine.

One of our children had a friend over and a sibling asked the guest why they were still at our house. "Hey. What are you still doing here?!"
I was startled by the comment and told the child they were acting like a jerk.

The word jerk reminded them of this episode of Liv and Maddie from the Disney Channel and they asked the offending child it's he'd like to sing. Everyone chuckled - and a few started to sing.

The offending child thought he was being funny, but wasn't thinking about our friends feelings.

This little demonstration started me thinking about kids being jerks, what kinds of things they deem as funny, and how they use harsh words to gain favor with others. Goodness knows, I do not want to raise a jerk. The like of a jerk is a lonely terrible existence. So I started thinking about a Ted Talk by Deborah Gilboa that I'd seen on the Today Show where she says that as expectations for success have risen, expectations regarding character have plummeted.

I want our children to be successful, but if success comes at the expense of character...

As I let one of the kids out the car at the friends house, my child told me that I was awesome, most of the time. He admitted that the times when I wasn't awesome, were those times that he didn't get his way. Other than that, I'm the best. Regardless, before he shut the car door, he told me he loved me to Pluto, the depths of the ocean, and... I'm thankful he knows that he's not always going to get his way and that I love him (and he loves me) regardless.

I'm not responsible for their happiness, but their faithfulness. 

Today was a wonderful day full of fun and well wishes. It wasn't anything special. We didn't go on a trip or plan an adventure. It was an ordinary day, but the people around me made it extraordinary. 

In our family, we do birthdays big. I hope there are many days where our children feel celebrated, but there will be at least one day where they know it's all about them. On your birthday, the celebration starts as soon as you open your eyes. A song and a big breakfast start the day and the rest if filled with all of your favorite things.

Today was my day and it was perfect. 

I hope the people around me feel as celebrated as I did today. Everyone needs a champion, someone in their corner. Someone you can count on to be cheering when you back. Someone who never gives up and always expects your very best. 

Even if it's just one day a year, hearing people affirm you is a blessing. But everyday is filled with blessings, reasons to celebrate - if we just look. Today counting my blessings was easy.