And God gave Heman fourteen sons to empty his refrigerator.

By on February 4, 2012 in Uncategorized

Not! God gave Heman fourteen sons to exalt him! That’s right, to exalt him. It’s pretty encouraging to think about, really. While we are considering that thought, though, our sons are probably in the kitchen eating the leftovers we were saving for lunch tomorrow. Oops, there goes my son. He was sitting beside me working on school, but when I started typing, he started feeling a little “rumbly in the tumbly.”

How do you keep those bottomless pits fed? It is challenging, especially when you go through so much milk that things like this happen:

Hal, dressed in a shirt left over from his days in engineering at the power company puts his seven gallons of milk up on the conveyor belt at the grocery store.

The cashiers’ eyes are as big as saucers, “Do you know something we don’t?” she says with alarm.

“Nooooooo…” Hal mumbles, all-puzzled, only realizing when he got to the car what she was alluding to: a power company employee buying lots of milk must mean a snow storm was on the way! She really would have been surprised if she’d known that was just a normal weekly supply, wouldn’t she?

So, how do you keep those guys fed?

Always balance carbs, protein and fat if you want to avoid constant noshing. Those growing boys will plow through a box of cereal and an hour later be starving again. That can get expensive! Keep them full through the morning by serving carbs (quick energy) with protein (slower energy) and a little fat (very slow energy and brain growth). How to do that? Oatmeal with milk (the fiber slows down the rise in blood sugar, making it last longer). Grits with cheese (guys really like them with garlic or Tony Chachere’s). Breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs and salsa in them or cowboy eggs with onions, peppers and cheese and biscuits on the side. Even something as simple as cheese toast will give them a lot more staying power than the cereal with skim milk that is the typical American breakfast. Similarly, for snacks think celery with peanut butter or apples and cheese instead of chips, cookies or popcorn.

Cook from scratch. It’s a whole lot cheaper and a lot healthier for you, too. Get a good basic cookbook like the Joy of Cooking (this 1985 edition is better than more recent ones) or Mennonite Country-Style Recipes for starters.

Buy in bulk. When you see it cheap, buy a lot. You can often buy a whole sirloin tip or whole ribeye for less than half the per pound cost of a roast or steak or two. The butcher will slice it for free (or a tiny charge per pound) and you can freeze what you don’t use right now. When you see chili beans on sale for a song, buy a case or two. They won’t go bad and your overall food cost will drop significantly in a few months of buying like that. Only bulk buy things you really like, though. Three cases of hominy that you don’t know what to do with won’t help.

Cook in bulk. Save time and money by cooking a lot at a time. Remember those cases of chili beans? Next time hamburger is on sale, buy enough for 5, or better yet 10 batches. It only takes about twice the time as one and you’ve got a bunch of meals stored in the freezer for rough days. Afraid they’ll get bored? Chili can be served in bowls with sour cream and cheese, on noodles with cheese (Cincinnati style), on baked potatoes (as they do in Pennsylvania), on mashed potatoes (as Amish friends do), over open face hamburgers (patty melts) and over cornbread. They won’t even know it’s the same meal!

If you’re strategic about these things, it really doesn’t cost all that much more (or even as much) to feed a family full of hungry boys as it does to feed other families. When we’ve compared with other families, to their shock, we are usually spending less than they are! And no one is going hungry around here…

For more encouragement and help saving time and money in feeding boys check out our workshop, Sanity’s in the Freezer.

Hal & Melanie Young

Hal and Melanie Young are the authors of Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys, Christian Small Publishers 2011 Book of the Year.  Join them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and check out their home blog at Raising Real Men.

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It Takes a Village…

By on January 31, 2012 in Uncategorized

The kids were fighting, AGAIN!

It was Christmas and raining and being all cooped up was leading to a lot of frustration and unkind words flying back and forth between my daughter and my son.

I was in a relative’s home, trying to keep my cool and hoping to keep my kids from flying off the figurative deep end. The culprit were cupcakes, and who was going to get to frost and decorate them.

This particular incident went well…a compromise was reached, apologies were made, laughter was echoing, and the cupcakes were transformed into works of art few minutes later.

The challenge??? This all happened under the eyes of watchful family.

I don’t know about you, but nothing else gets my heart racing like trying to discipline my children in front of family members.  To be honest, I have not always handled discipline well (who hasn’t?!), nor have I always appreciated input into my parenting style and decisions. What I’ve slowly learned over the years is that it really DOES take a village to raise a child.

And just like a village full of people from all walks of faith and life and backgrounds, there is an abundance of family member’s opinions and traditions on why and when and exactly how you should do or not do discipline.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years when it comes to dealing with this often sensitive issue…

Most of the time, family truly means well

I’ve learned to view opinions at face value, and not inject them with my own feelings of real or perceived failure.  In other words, when a family says they are just trying to help by giving advice, I trust that they are “for” me…that they want me to be the best parent I can be.  I trust their motives, and give them grace when their words may not reflect that strongly enough. My family is often my biggest cheerleader, and I am confident that while I may not always do things just like they would, they truly want me to succeed and support my parenting in my own uniquely gifted way.

My reaction is often based on my feelings, not on truth

Nine times out of ten, any frustration, hurt, or anger I might experience at a suggestion is based on my own perception of what kind of mother I am.  In especially difficult decisions or situations, my feelings of “messing up my kids for life” can often skyrocket my insecurity and break open the flood of self-condemnation.  If I focus on that “feeling,” instead of the “reality” of what was actually said as advice, I can quickly lose the valuable input being given based on their experiences in what does or does not work. Above all, I always filter any advice given through the Truth of scripture.  Is what I am saying, doing, and teaching my children through that discipline or decision consistent with the Word of God?

Their  faith and beliefs might not match my own, and that’s ok

I have a melting pot of a family with a wide variety of backgrounds and faith beliefs.  In addition, some family members are more “present” in the day to day lives of my children more than others due to distance.  Some have had and raised children, others have not.  Some believe in God, some do not.  In the end, each and every one of my family members brings their own set of “skills” to the table, and I love the big jumble of ideas from which to draw from.  I also love that I can add ideas from a faith in God perspective that show teaching respect, kindness, self-control, service, and loving others unconditionally as a foundation in our home.

I remember to say “Thank You!”

This is honestly the biggest lesson I’ve learned. When it comes to showing family members you value and care for them, saying “Thank You!” is imperative.  Thank you for babysitting, caring for my child, loving me enough to give me advice and point out a different way I might not have thought of.  Expressing my gratitde for the caring behind the statement, even if I choose not to use the information offered, makes the world of difference.

I know that some of you might have challenging relationships with family members in this area, and I hope that what I’ve outlined above can give you the space and perspective you need to focus on what is really important in that matter…

Giving grace ~ even when it seems undeserved

Finding value ~ everyone has beauty to offer

Loving unconditionally ~ your family is in your life for a reason

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10 Favorite Bedtime Books for Boys

By on January 30, 2012 in a little fun, book review, growing godly men, Manly Virtues, Uncategorized

Mixed with the smell of baby lotion, footie pajamas, and snuggles, reading with our boys before bedtime is hands-down my favorite time of the day. Piled on the couch together and soaking up the last few moments before bedtime, it’s my last chance of the day to hear their giggles and to impress God’s truth on my boys…my two favorite things. Each night, my oldest son lingers over the bedtime book basket, choosing the perfect book to bring a smile and a laugh to our day’s end. Likewise, I linger over the shelf of books I’ve handpicked to point my boys to Jesus, because I realized long ago that I needed to use every opportunity to capture their heart…bedtime books included.

It works for us, this routine of two books and a Bible story before bed, and I thought I might share a few of our most treasured reads. Since Jonah (our oldest at 4 years old) chooses our “Giggle Book” for the night, I asked him to help me with this list. Our list is split into two categories–Giggle Books & Mom’s Picks. I hope you find a few new treasures!

Giggle Books for Boys:

Zoomer is just plain fun and all-boy! The hilariously far-fetched things Zoomer does gets my son laughing the deep, belly laughs. Although his dad begs him to get ready for school, how can Zoomer make time for school with such a full schedule? He has to blow the world’s biggest bubble, build a Brontosaurus out of sand, launch a rocket ship—and that’s just the beginning! Boys will laugh out loud at the surprise ending that proves Zoomer knows best after all.

You knew I had to go there…I mean, I am a boy mom, after all! Aliens Love Underpants is perfect for bringing out the silly in your boys. When little aliens fly down to Earth, they don’t come to visit because they want to meet the Earthlings. They simply want to steal everybody’s underpants! I double-dog dare you to keep a straight face while reading this one!

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? Boys & Dinosaurs. Need I say more?

Rhyming Dust Bunnies Bug! Rug! Mug! Hug! These dust bunnies love to rhyme. Well, except for Bob. Much to the other bunnies’ frustration, Bob can never get the rhythm right. Then he saves everyone from a big, scary monster wielding—gasp!—a broom, and they all breathe a sigh of relief. But can Bob save them from the big, scary monster’s next attack? Vrrrrrroooommm . . .

Double Trouble In Walla Walla will have you doubled over in laughter from the antics of a magnificent red-head named Lulu who sets the entire school ablaze with catchy two word phrases such as higgledy-piggledy, chitter chatter when she is sent trit-trot down to the principals office for all of her fancy-schmancy yak-yak. Don’t miss this one. It’s a hoot!

Mom’s Picks:

The Boy Who Changed the World is one of our all-time favorites! This engaging story reveals the incredible truth that everything we do matters! The book is beautifully illustrated and shares the stories of Nobel Laureate Norman Borlaug, Vice President Henry Wallace, Inventor George Washington Carver, and Farmer Moses Carver. I love using this book to remind my son that he can do big things for God.

I’d Choose You is a book I pull out when it’s been a rough day around our house. This book helps encourage conversation about our bad day and reinforces that, even on our worst days, we are we are chosen and treasured (Deuteronomy 7:6) A message that even Mommy needs to hear some days!
His Mighty Warrior: A Treasure Map from Your King offers the truth about what it really means to grow up strong, brave and true. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! You know all those warrior prayers we’ve been praying? This book addresses some of the same things, but from the boy level. Take a look at the preview feature in Amazon…I promise you’ll be hooked!

Brave Young Knight tells the story of a boy in competition with other young knights to become prince of all the land. In a series of contests and competitions, the king recognizes the brave young knight as the winner, not because he was the fastest or strongest, and not because he was smarter or more cunning than the other knights. Rather, the brave young knight is the winner because he doesn’t follow the crowd, instead making decisions based on what is right and true and in accordance with his faith. The moral of the story is that the bravest young boys are those who exhibit the strongest character.

Lightkeepers: Ten Boys Complete Box Set Along the same theme as The Boy Who Changed the World (above), each book in this set takes a look at ten boys and how God changed them into men who changed the world in some way. I love the themes of each of the books and the ten boys who represent each of the themes are great role models. The individual books in the set include: Ten Boys Who Changed The World, Ten Boys Who Made A Difference, Ten Boys Who Made History, Ten Boys Who Used Their Talents, Ten Boys Who Didn’t Give In. And if you are interested, there are girl versions of all of these, too! (Note: My boys aren’t quite old enough for this set yet, but I can’t wait to read them to my boys! My set is waiting on our shelf! Recommend for Age 9 and up)

Our Favorite Bible:

I would be missing an opportunity if I didn’t share our favorite Children’s Bible!

The Jesus Storybook Bible is our absolute favorite because “every story whispers His name”.  I love how each story points back to Christ and God’s beautiful plan of redemption. The illustrations are gorgeous, too!

Moms, let’s not forget to seize every last opportunity of the day to have fun with our silly boys and to point them to Jesus. Do you have a book that should be on this list? Share it in the comments!

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let’s hear it for the boys!

By on January 12, 2012 in Uncategorized

In a world where it’s way too easy to see all of the negative about our boys, we want to help you intentionally look for something to brag on…

  • Maybe your boy made a good grade this week
  • Maybe he served someone spontaneously
  • Maybe he learned a significant life lesson
  • Maybe he did something hilarious!
  • Maybe he looked super cool in his costume/dress up clothes!
  • Maybe you took a fabulous photo of him you just want to show off.

Tell us all about it on Thursdays in the MOB Society’s new link-up…

Let’s Hear it For the Boys!

(#LetsHearItForTheBoys on Twitter)

There’s only two real rules for this link-up…

Brag on your boys! Tell the world how they make you proud! Take time each week to write down or take pictures of the good things they do and remind yourself of how God is working in their hearts.

And…leave a link back here to the MOB Society so other boy moms can brag on their boys!

We think it might change your whole perspective.

Link-up! (Or if you don’t blog, tell us about your amazing boy in the comments!)



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Thanks for joining the M.O.B. Society as we reach for the hearts of our sons. To join us every day, subscribe in a reader, by email or receive updates directly to your Amazon Kindle!

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