Today is the Carnival of Beauty posted over at Two Talent Living. Be sure to click on over when you have a few minutes and read through the submissions on this week’s topic: “The Beauty of Giving.” Next week will be “The Beauty of Tradition,” so here’s something for you to be thinking about. You can email me your thoughts if you don’t have a blog and would still like to be included. I’d love to post other people’s ideas on tradition besides just mine.

I wanted to share with you today the words of one of my favorite songs — I haven’t heard it much lately because of all the Christmas music. It’s called “Here I Am to Worship.” Have you heard this song? It’s by Tim Hughes, an artist from the UK.

I didn’t even know who wrote it until the other day when I looked it up — I guess I’ve been too busy changing diapers and driving my taxi around to know this: “Tim Hughes has become one of the most well-known lead worshippers of his generation in the space of just a few years. Tim’s first solo project…won the Inspirational Song of the Year category at the Dove Awards in Nashville 2003. Tim was also nominated for Songwriter of the Year” (from Christianbits).

If you play guitar, I found a great site, Just Worship, that has chords to dozens of songs. Here are the words for Here I Am To Worship:

Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness.
Opened my eyes, let me see.
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with You.

[Chorus]
So, here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You’re my God,
And You’re altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

King of all days, oh so highly exalted
Glorious in heaven above.
Humbly You came to the earth You created.
All for love’s sake became poor.

[Chorus]
Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You’re my God.
You’re altogether lovely,
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me.

I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross.
(repeat)

[Chorus]

P.S. If anyone in my family has drawn my name for a Christmas present and gives me this CD, I’ll be so happy, I’ll probably knock over the Christmas tree doing a cartwheel (and put my back out in the process — but that’s OK because I’ll just lie around listening to this song over and over!). Plus, then I’ll know you care about me because you’re reading my blog!

Edit: Yes, I did get a praise music CD with this song on it! But no, I didn’t do a cartwheel because nobody asked, thank goodness.

This is my first piece written for Sallie’s Carnival of Beauty at Two Talent Living — if she’ll allow me to participate. I’m so thrilled to discover another soul out there who loves inspiring others to write. I feel like a student who’s been assigned an essay by a teacher. But since I don’t have to worry about red ink or grades, writing an essay is FUN! Our topic this week is “The Beauty of Giving.”

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a man who owns a convenience store near my house — he always exhibits a cheerful attitude, despite having to put in 16-hour days, with no vacation. He said his schedule now is actually much easier than it used to be — since he’s no longer working 22 hours a day. He used to work day shift at one job and night shift at another. He kept up this manic schedule for 12 years so he could save up money to buy the store.

He worked those unbelievably long hours in order to support his family. His wife and two school-aged children sometimes help him in the store.

When I heard about how hard this man works, it made me feel convicted about my attitude as a mother. Lately, I’ve been complaining in my heart about how much work I have to do in raising my family. It seems like someone is always tugging at my sleeve or crying my name. No matter how many hours I put into keeping up, there’s always another milk spilled, another cheerio crushed beneath a foot, another load to wash.

Many of us are surprised by the round-the-clock obligation mothering demands. We give all we have, and yet we still must reach further into our hearts and give more. How many of us played with dolls when we were young girls and dreamed of a wedding, marriage, and a baby carriage? It all seemed rosy and charming.

Yet for some of us, the weeks of sleepless nights with a newborn left us in a gray fog of overwhelming depression. “Why am I so tired?” we ask ourselves. “Why can’t I get anything done?”

As our family began to grow with each new child added, I prayed for God to give me strength to endure. And it’s still my prayer, especially as I approach the busy Christmas season. I’m a strong-willed person, but I’ve reached a point where I can’t get through one day without seeking help from Christ through prayer and His word.

When people see me with my grocery cart full of children, they stop and ask, “How do you do it?” My answer used to be something like, “Well, my older kids help me out” or “Oh, I’m hanging in there.” That wasn’t telling the truth. Now I say, “Jesus. I can’t get through a single day without Jesus.” It’s been amazing how many people open up to me when I say that — and they begin to tell me their own spiritual quests.

So, in my role of round-the-clock mom, I seek to have a beautiful, quiet spirit that gives without expectation of receiving. I love reading books and now blogs by other women who have made the discovery that God can indeed supply their every need during this endeavor. Jesus says to us worn-out moms, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28, 30 NIV).

Have you taken Him up on His offer today? He doesn’t stop at only working the day shift; his job never ends. And He wants to listen to you. He’s put you in this demanding role so that you can bring Him honor and glory through serving Him.

Even us stubborn moms who think we can handle things on our own — when we reach a point where we realize we can’t, He’s waiting for us. His giving knows no end. And through Him, we can find the energy and love to give a little bit more…always a little bit more.

How can I begin to describe this movie? Entering the wardrobe into Narnia was more than a film; it was an unforgettable experience.

As I’d mentioned earlier, we were concerned about it being too scary for our 5- and 7-year-olds to see. So we almost didn’t bring them. But at the last minute, we decided we could take them out of the theater if it got too frightening. On the way in, we crossed paths with a family we know who’d taken their children. “They’ll LOVE it,” the mom told me. “Oh, it was the most wonderful movie. They’ll be FINE.”

We had to wait in line once we were inside with our tickets. “The last show was sold out, so we’re still cleaning the room,” the ticket man told us. “It’s been packed all weekend.”

I don’t want to tell you too much because I don’t want to spoil it for you who haven’t seen it yet. It was breathtaking, awe-inspiring…majestic! If you haven’t been, you’ve GOT to see it. The film brought the book to life for me. All the pictures I had in my mind from reading the book were truly enhanced by the spectacular photography — it was filmed in the beauty of New Zealand.

I loved the professor — it was almost like C.S. Lewis was smiling at us, welcoming us to the world he’d created. And the timing for making this film is perfect — the digital animation is so amazing, there’s not a thing silly about the talking animals — they’re so real. And Aslan — “he’s not a tame lion” — you’ve got to hear him roar.

When Lucy first enters the wardrobe into Narnia, I love the icy-blue lighting, the soft snowflakes she sees in her white, unspoiled adventure. Her encounter with shy Mr. Tumnus is adorable. OK…I don’t want to spoil it. But it was all the more fantastic for me since I’d read these books as a child, and now I understand the Christian symbolism. Lewis created a magical world for me so I could better understand the depth of my sin and what Christ did for me.

The battle scenes — and the evil, disgusting creatures that accompany the White Witch — remind me how every day we war against evil — every single one of us. And to remain on the offensive, the only possible chance we have for victory is by carrying the sword of truth, God’s Word. This is demonstrated throughout the film with Peter’s sword.

After it was over, our whole theater burst into applause. I remembered Mike Parker said not to miss the credits — so we stayed for the last scene with Lucy and the professor. Don’t miss this! Everyone just stopped walking and stared at the screen again.

The best part about the film is that it creates a hunger for more, and I won’t be surprised at all if boxed sets of The Chronicles of Narnia are the number-one selling item this Christmas. Everyone’s going to be reading these books…and waiting impatiently for the next movie to come out!

And truly — this is only the beginning.

Here’s something fun for you — if you’ve read the book or seen the movie. Which Narnia character are you? Carol pointed me to this Narnia quiz. (I’m Peter Pevensie!)

There are tons of articles online, but here’s a good one from WORLD Magazine’s 12/10 cover story: The Chronicles of Making Narnia.

For those of you who saw it, write me and tell me what you enjoyed most about it. I can’t wait to hear from you!

Jeunes filles au piano (Girls at the Piano). Pierre-Auguste Renoir. c. 1892. Musée d’Orsay, Paris.

I hope you’re enjoying the gift of music in your home. It sets the whole mood of Christmas preparations, doesn’t it? We’ve been hearing a lot of “Jin…gle…Bells” being played very sl…oooo…wly on our piano — by small hands making music for the first time.

I’m hoping 2006 will be the year we start our children in piano lessons. I would love to hear back from some of you parents who have ideas and advice about motivating children to practice. Once we begin, it’s a commitment I want to keep. The piano teacher we know is very much into memorization and training for “the guild,” (so I hear) — though I’m not quite sure what “the guild” is at this point.

I do know that God created us all with a yearning for music — it’s an act of praise to lift our voices and instruments in song. Here are a few inspiring quotes about music:

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” — Plato

“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosphy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” — Ludwig van Beethoven

“Bach gave us God’s Word. Mozart gave us God’s laughter. Beethoven gave us God’s fire. God gave us Music that we might pray without words.” — quote from outside an old opera house

“Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best.” — Henry Van Dyke

“The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.” — Johannes Sebastian Bach

I wonder if any of you saw “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” yesterday. What did you think? There’s a good review and parent discussion guide over at Christianity Today’s site. My main concern is whether it would be appropriate for my kindergartener. This is the warning on the CT site:

The film is appropriate rated PG for battle sequences and frightening moments, including the disturbing ceremonial murder of a central character—though there’s no blood or gore. There’s also a violent battle scene near the end, reminiscent of the battles in the Lord of the Rings films—though not as graphic. There are some scary creatures in the Witch’s army, and her legion of wolves are also rather frightening. Young children may be troubled by some of these scenes and images.

Were the scenes really scary for little children? We’re pretty sensitive over here, especially when it comes to Aslan — so I just wanted to ask.

We’ve only got two more weekends before Christmas is here, so I know you’re busy. But I did want to let you know about something coming up. I’ve recently been introduced to Two Talent Living, and Sallie is doing a great job of gathering Christian women bloggers together. She’s announced her recent Blogs of Beauty Award winners, and now she’s going to be hosting a weekly Carnival of Beauty to showcase beautiful writing.

The two main purposes of the Carnival of Beauty are:
1. Encourage women by reflecting the beauty of Christ in our writing.
2. Meet women online who cherish the beauty of Christ that we might not have met otherwise.

You’ll have to read all the guidelines on her site, but here’s how it works. Each week the writing will center around a topic, which will be announced at least a few weeks in advance. The first three topics will be:

1. Week of December 11: The Beauty of Giving
2. Week of December 18: The Beauty of Tradition
3. Week of December 25: The Beauty of Excellence

The entry should be a newly written piece, published in the week of the Carnival. The hostess (which will be Two Talent Living the first few weeks) will announce the Carnival pieces on Wednesday. So, you should post your writing on this topic Sunday, Monday or Tuesday so it will be up when people start to look for it on Wednesday.

Sallie writes, “Although the goal is about promoting the beauty of Christ, the piece does not have to be explicitly about Christ. It can be about family matters, home life, children, marriage, nature, friendship, cooking, homemaking, hobbies, etc. Anything that reflects the beauty of Christ and fits the topic.”

Over the weekend, you can be thinking about what you’d like to write about the topic of giving, if you’d like to be part of this week’s topic. You need to send your first name, the title and link to your post, and a brief one or two sentence description to Sallie by 3 pm on Tuesday. This is a tremendous responsibility she is taking on — because she’ll have to read all of these as well as visit the blogs to make sure they fit within the guidelines.

If any of my readers don’t have a blog, I’ll be happy to post here for you on my site. This Carnival of Beauty is a great excuse to flex your writing muscles and share what’s on your heart.

For the topic of giving, do you know any stories of people who enjoy giving to others? What do they give? In your own life, how do you give to others, and what do you receive in the process? As a parent, what are some ways you can instill a love of giving in your children? I’d love some practical tips — then I’ll post them all together next Tuesday.

I wish you all a safe weekend. Thanks to those of you who like this site design and are voting for me in the Weblog Awards. I appreciate your support — but remember — if you have several computers in your office, only vote from your own. Thanks!

This is how I feel right now.

I have to tell you — I couldn’t stand it! I peeked over at Professor Bruce Edwards’ blog this morning. He’s already SEEN “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and so I HAD to slip in there and see what he’d posted. But I didn’t read all of his review — “Not a Tame Wardrobe: 2 Views and They’re Both Mine.” If you’re going to see the movie today, you may want to hold off reading part two of his review — but part one is a great introduction.

I quote a tiny snippet:

I’m no scholar. I don’t know anything about Lewis’s childhood or Mrs. Moore or Greek mythology or who heads Walden Media. I am in the theatre to enjoy, to be entertained, to be swept away into Narnia. My Narnia–the one I remember, the one I cherish. I wouldn’t know an allegory if it bit me. But this I know: it’s Christmas, and, despite the temptations of secularism, I want to keep whatever there is of him, Christ, in Christmas, even if I barely know what that means. That’s why I’m here, in this theatre, wishing away winter so it can be Christmas again. This is the movie for me. So, when I get through the wardrobe, what will I find?

…First moments: I am in tears from the opening sequence…I can’t believe I’m here, and believing, this is so rich, it can’t get any better than this, yet it does, in its subtlety and quiet pacing–the build up of the first 60 minutes is brilliant.

Now how come blogging wasn’t around when I majored in English! I wish my professors had kept a blog — I barely had a chance to get to know any of them outside of the classroom (except for my creative writing professor who invited us over to her house to show us how a REAL novelist lives.)

Dr. Bruce Edwards’ Further Up and Further In definitely takes me behind the scenes — I hope you’ll go visit. And also La Shawn Barber’s new Fantasy Fiction for Christians blog has a live Narnia feed — boy, does La Shawn know how to make you feel like you’re missing out if you don’t visit her blog!

And this email came from Mike Parker, author of one of the many Narnia articles on Crosswalk:

We got to see the film again tonight, and we loved it just as much the second time around. Hint, don’t leave when the credits start.

Now, I told you I’d be writing about FlyLady every Friday — and this is week 2 — but guess what? I’m going to have to wait until next Friday to tell you all about the “27 Fling Boogie” because I’m too busy today doing what FlyLady has been telling me all week. I’ve got to run get our house spiffed up for the weekend.

But I beg you, my fellow WAHMs (work-at-home moms), please join up at the FlyLady website so we can at least feel like our Friday cleaning is fun and social. As I’m doing all these mundane things that women have done for centuries, it’s a lot more enjoyable to know that many of you out there are doing the same thing — and on FlyLady’s emails, she tells you all these success stories…from real readers. And she gets you a little more enthusiastic about decluttering and shining your sink. We gotta make this intellectual for those of us who’d rather be reading than mopping. So, do you care to join me?

The anticipation is building…Christmas will be here before we know it! How are your Advent readings coming along? We’ve had such a hard time getting our two-year-old to be quiet to hear the story. Carmen suggested letting the younger kids color while my husband reads.

We’re really enjoying Jotham’s Journey (remember that book I mentioned by Arnold Ytreeide?) A friend came down and borrowed Book 2 of his Advent trilogy for her family, Bartholomew’s Passage. And my other neighbor is using Tabitha’s Travels with her children, which is Book 3. These books really bring the story of traveling to Bethlehem to life.

I want to take a minute and welcome all of you who’ve come in here to read Mom 2 Mom Connection because of the Weblog Awards going on right now. Thank you! When I asked Lisa to design my site like an international cafe, I really was only imagining sharing a cup of coffee with my handful of friends from Japan and the Philippines. But because of this contest, you’re coming in here from 31 countries.

Here’s where you’re visiting my site from the past few days:
the U.S., Japan, European Union, Australia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Guam, Canada, Singapore, Great Britain, Germany, China, the Netherlands, Israel, France, India, Denmark, Finland, South Africa, Taiwan, Norway, Malaysia, Iceland, Austria, Bermuda, Thailand, Estonia, Brazil, Italy, Belgium, the Philippines, and a few unknown.

I would love to know what customs and traditions you all have going on right now in your countries during this season of Advent. Here is a mom, Kathy, who has taken the time to create a beautiful website page of her family’s Christmas traditions. What a great idea. I think I’ve mentioned to you that we have an Advent wreath and candles, which we’re lighting as we read the Jotham’s Journey book and devotions. We also pulled out another one of my favorite Christmas books last night, One Wintry Night, by Ruth Bell Graham.

The illustrations by Richard Jesse Watson are truly exquisite. One Wintry Night is the story of a boy who gets lost in a snowstorm and ends up with a sprained ankle at the cabin his grandfather helped build. The woman who lives there now takes him in and offers him a warm, cozy place to recuperate. She tells him the story of Christmas, which really begins when God created the earth. Then she takes him throughout several highlights of the Old and New Testaments, including the birth of Christ.

I can’t tell you how beautiful Mary, the mother of Jesus, is in these pictures! I sometimes forget how young she was — only a teenager! And if you love cats, you’ll adore the beautiful paintings of the gray-striped tabby throughout the book. I’m not at all good at drawing, but I plan on sitting down with my five-year-old and copying some of these pictures with her crayons. As we read last night, she kept saying, “Look at that kitty cat! I want to draw that kitty cat.”

And the lions — I’m noticing lions more everywhere! Are you? In the Christmas tree illustrations, the artist has drawn an ornament of a lion and lamb together, which are both symbols of Jesus. There’s also a beautiful full-page illustration of a lion as the woman tells the story of Daniel and the Lion’s Den.

Now we have only two more days, for those of us who are counting the hours until “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” comes to the big screen. And we’ll finally get to see how Walden Media and Disney portray our beloved Aslan. You know, a couple of days ago, I gave you a link to a USA Today newspaper article, Is That Lion the King of Kings? And I quoted Bruce Edwards, professor of English at Bowling Green University in Ohio and author of the newly released, Not a Tame Lion (Tyndale House).

I got an email yesterday from Dr. Edwards, who thanked me for quoting him and told me some very reassuring news. I’d heard on the Focus on the Family radio broadcast that children under age nine might be too scared to see this movie, but Dr. Edwards says:

I would not hesitate to take your under-9 children to the movie, which I saw in its entirety last week. I will be posting my review on the BLOG site [below] at midnight Thursday.

Dr. Edwards says he blogs about Lewis and other news. So, let’s dash on over there at midnight and see what he has to say! (or maybe we should wait and see the movie first.)

And here’s another good article offering more insight by Mike Parker on Crosswalk.com: Deep Magic in C.S. Lewis’ Land of Narnia.

That’s all for today — except I have to remind you to be sure and VOTE HERE for Mom 2 Mom Connection in the Best Blog Design category in the Weblog Awards. Thank you to those who voted for my site yesterday — we’re still in the running, that’s for sure! Don’t forget — you can vote once every 24 hours until December 15.

I wish you all a blessed day, and I really would love to hear from you about what you’re doing to celebrate Advent. You comments will be read by people in over 30 different countries!

In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them all.
Isaiah 11:6 (NLT)

It looks like I may not be climbing up on the roof after all in my support of American Girl dolls. Thank you to my savvy mom readers who alerted me to the fact that this company is supporting a controversial organization. I didn’t even know about this.

Here’s an article I found in Newsweek from November 14: The Politics of Playtime. And Focus on the Family also has some good information for parents on CitizenLink from 12/1, with the quote, “Tough times call for tough decisions.”

This reminds me of the boycott of Disney when our first child was born. So, we made it through those early baby years with very little of Disney.

Carol sent a link to this article from the American Family Association. Wow — how disappointing this is. This site also tells you how you can write a letter to American Girl. If I had more time, I probably would. But maybe someone in the American Girl publicity department will do a blog search and see that they’ve got some problems.

For now, I leave it up to you. And I thank those of you who wrote to tell me more alternatives. Vision Forum seems to have some great products for families.

Below are people you may want to contact with your concerns. I didn’t know that Mattel owns American Girl. Now I do! You may find their email addresses here.

Mattel Chairman, Bob Eckert
American Girl President, Ellen Brothers
Public Relations, Susan Jevens

A big ol’ thank you to those of you who got out and voted yesterday. It wasn’t that bad, was it? Now you’ve only got to do it for 8 more days! Just GO HERE and vote Mom 2 Mom Connection in the Weblog Awards Best Blog Design category. I’ve had several of you email me and say you couldn’t vote for some reason. Bummer.

Even my own husband came home and said he couldn’t vote for me — it said he’d already voted — but it had been over 36 hours. So, all I can say is keep trying! ANYWAY! This is kind of exciting — reminds me of a horse race or something.

Right now, we’re WAY behind the first place blog, but we’re neck-in-neck for second. I have to thank Sgt. Hook who has endorsed me in his blog. Now, if you haven’t voted in the Best Military Blog category yet, you know who to vote for. He told me his blog is also designed by Lisa Sabin of Elegant Webscapes, who is currently running a free blog design contest for New Year’s!

Here’s what Sgt. Hook wrote this morning, the 64th anniversary of Pearl Harbor:

The Greatest Generation are passing at an alarming rate. I shudder to think what our world might be like today had not these brave men and women answered the call to duty. Thank you for what you have done for this nation and the world.

Today we ought to take a moment and remember that infamous day the world changed drastically. I’ve been to Pearl Harbor, visited the USS Arizona, walked the line on Wheeler Airfield, visited the cemetaries where our fallen heroes rest. Words escape me as I attempt to describe the energy one feels visiting that hallowed ground. National Geographic has an excellent multimedia presentation marking this auspicious day. We’ll wait a few moments of your time as we remember the Greatest Generation. (Sgt Hook out.)

So, as the Sgt. says, “I encourage everyone to vote. You can vote in each category once during a 24-hour period…so let’s get out and vote. That’s an order Soldiers!”

He says to “Get out and vote, and that’s an order!” So, do it!

NOW, SOME ADVICE ON RAISING TEENS (NOT FROM ME!)
I don’t have any teens in the house yet — but this is a topic I’m always interested in. Several of you have entered Mom 2 Mom Connection lately because you’re googling “Devotions for Teenagers.” If any of you have any specific links to devotions for teens, please send them my way and help out some of these people. (I do recommend the book over there to the left in my sidebar, What Really Counts for Students, especially since some of my devotions are in there!)

As for me, I feel the teen years are where the rubber meets the road, and it’s why I’m always trying to hang around moms who ARE raising or who HAVE raised teens who they enjoy being around. Teenagers who are not rebellious, but are instead leading pure walks with Christ. Now, while they’re still under age 20.

I know a handful of moms of teenagers who I can’t spend enough time with. They’re all about ten years older than me. And there’s something special, unique about their teens. They have a friendly countenance. They don’t act nervous and bored around me — they smile and look me in the eye and call me m’am (which we like here in the South — I’ve gotten over the “feeling old” part – because I AM getting older!)

My friend down the road who has this houseful of teen boys tells me, “Keep a tight rein when they’re young, so you’ll have something to loosen up on when they get to be teens.” Wait a minute — this goes against all those hundreds of baby and toddler magazines I’ve been getting that say, “Kids should have freedom to do what they want. Let them explore their glorious boundaries, and give them lots of choices.”

Choices! My neighbor gives her sons more choices now that they’re teens. She tells me the most rebellious they’ve gotten is that one of them didn’t want to wear shorts this summer — so he wore pants even when it was burning up hot. Big deal. One year, her boys said they were tired of piano lessons, and she said, “Well, let’s keep going one more year.” So they did. And now they’re thanking her. When they’ve come to visit, they perform extraordinary piano concertos, the likes of which have never been heard around here. THAT’S WHAT I WANT! (And they’re also smart, excel at playing chess and basketball, are avid scientists, and I must say — not a bit wimpy!)

In contrast, last weekend, we shopped at Toys R Us, and guess what we saw lined up on one huge wall. Bright, colorful, trendy…TV SETS. For kids! Does YOUR child have a TV set in his or her room? Please email or comment and tell me why. I’m very curious. Is there anything closer to inviting the devil to come right on into your child’s bedroom?

What do you THINK comes on TV after 11 pm? Clifford? Barney? Of course not. Especially if you have satellite or cable. You have no idea what they’re sneaking up to watch with the volume turned down — and don’t fool yourself into thinking they don’t watch TV while you’re asleep — if they can turn it on by themselves, they WILL.

Here are some moms who HAVE raised godly teens — or are in the process. I look up to these families so much!

Susan Alexander Yates — She’s the author of my all-time favorite parenting book, And Then I Had Kids. She also has one called And Then I Had Teenagers. I think she knows what she’s talking about because her five kids all grew up well and are writing their own books now.

Spunky — you’ve GOT to read her post Don’t Bend the Wire. It’s the most inspiring thing I’ve read lately. Her teenage son, while eating four Arby’s roast beef sandwiches, waxed an eloquent point on why parents should stay the course and show their kids they care by giving them boundaries — “Just say no, Mom!” (Really — if you don’t have time to follow any more links, you’ve GOT to read this post — especially if you’re a mom of a teen!)

The Maxwells — I have the book they co-wrote, Managers of Their Homes. And I receive their free monthly newsletter — which is the perfect dose of godly parenting insight I need every month. OK, anyone who can raise and homeschool eight children has my vote for having her act together. Both Steve and Terri Maxwell write columns every month. Now their sons and daughters are also columnists. Keep it coming. They go against the flow, and I love reading what they have to say.

Carmen Rockett — she has a new blog, Full Contact, Christ-Centric Living, and is in the process of raising a house full of children, including teens she enjoys being around. She enjoys posting poetry, so if you like to write poems, you’ll love her site. Her post on balancing love with discipline is a great one, as well as her recent one on reading aloud — in which she includes many of her family’s favorite books.

Focus on the Family — anything by this organization. You can’t argue with James Dobson when you see what his grown daughter and son are out doing — speaking and writing, sharing their faith. Dr. Dobson is my modern-day hero.

I could list tons more…but I’ll let you do it for me. If you’re familiar with any authors or other people who inspire you in the process of raising children who don’t rebel as teens, please send them my way, via email or comments.

And — as you shop for Christmas presents, think LONG-TERM character growth. For example, I don’t like some of the clothing on dolls today, and I refuse to buy anything like those repulsive Bratz dolls, with sultry make-up and skin-tight clothing. (Why, oh why, does Mattel make dolls like that? Can’t little girls be little girls anymore?)

[Note: This post has been edited.]