Lisa Jacobson's Blog, page 19
June 23, 2016
BBQ Chicken Skewers
I thought that once summer rolled around, I wouldn’t be as tired. But, continually tired I am. I’m only 32 years old, but once we get our kids in bed, I’m counting the minutes until I too, can hit the hay. At least I’m not the only one who feels this way! Josh is just as tired as I am (though sometimes he still has to carry me to bed).
A few weeks ago we stayed up till midnight (midnight you guys – we sure know how to party it up!) to finish a movie, yawning while we tried to pay attention to the storyline. Of course, this was also the same night we decided to watch Zootopia with the kids, so it was our second cinematic experience of the evening.
And we haven’t watched a movie since.
Maybe it’s the season we’re in (or maybe we actually are getting older), but whatever it is, Josh and I are ready to be in bed with lights out by 10pm, which is a strange, new feeling for these two night-owls.
Unlike Josh, I do have the luxury of sleeping in (a bit) if I want to.
Continue reading BBQ Chicken Skewers at Club31Women.com
June 22, 2016
Braving the Broken: When You Don’t Know What to Do or Say
“We’ll watch the soccer game with you and then afterward we’ll go out to dinner with our husb…” Her words stopped short. We felt their weight as soon as the sound escaped her lips. And awkward silence filled the car.
Husbands. She was going to say, husbands. We all knew it; we heard it coming. Except, her husband wasn’t here any longer. She had been widowed for a few months now and was still adjusting to her new role. Alone.
The discomfort was palpable.
What do you say when you don’t know what to say?
Do you avert your eyes and look away? Pretend you really didn’t know what was coming next? Do you give an easy out and change the subject, interject with a quick life preserver that numbs the awkward for everyone involved?
I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see that momentary flash of recognition and pain in her eyes, her own surprise at the still raw wounds she is learning to guard so carefully.
Sure I could ignore it, but the hurting aren’t afforded that opportunity.
Continue reading Braving the Broken: When You Don’t Know What to Do or Say at Club31Women.com
June 20, 2016
How Do You Know If Your Home Is Too Parent-Centered?
Not too long ago a shirt arrived in the mail. It was a t-shirt covered with pictures of pizzas.
Pizza!!!
A few days before that the mailman delivered a package with a skirt. The skirt had alien heads all over it!
Alien heads!!!
Theses pieces of clothing belong to one of my daughters.
Now my daughter is the sweetest most compliant person I have ever known. She is quiet, never complains, creative, kind and loves the Lord.
But when it comes to her fashion style we are very VERY different.
It is something I have been struggling with and a topic that the Lord is gently challenging me on.
He is challenging my view of fashion
Who said that flowers or stripes are better than alien heads? Where is it written that cream and lace are better than hot pink? Isn’t it ok for one person to love a shirt with a giant unicorn on it while another person prefers something more plain? The Bible does not speak to these things but it does speak about modesty and so modesty will be upheld in our home.
Continue reading How Do You Know If Your Home Is Too Parent-Centered? at Club31Women.com
June 19, 2016
One Exciting Series for Building Strong Character in Our Tweens
What resource do you recommend for raising tweens? You know, those kids who are no longer really “little” but not quite teenagers yet either.
I’m asked this question often.
Probably because I have a bunch of kids (8 is technically considered a “bunch,” right?). And so we’ve done this tween-thing a time or two.
But also because it’s such an important age – those “in-between” years are so critical – and what can we do for them?
I get it.
Which is why I’m sharing with you one of my favorite resources for encouraging, inspiring, and, yes, even entertaining those wonderful tween-age kids.
Ready? Da-ta-ta-da!! (I’m guessing I just embarrassed our older teenagers).
We love the Jonathan Park Audio Adventures!
Our older children listened to these engaging stories for hours. And I mean, hours.
And now those kids are grown up, out of the house, and our younger set is enjoying them every bit as much as their older siblings.
Our tweens all like these stories because they’re fun, fascinating, and entertaining.
Continue reading One Exciting Series for Building Strong Character in Our Tweens at Club31Women.com
June 15, 2016
How Your Response Has the Power to Heal or Destroy in Your Marriage
It’s not a matter of “IF” it’s a matter of “When”.
Put two people in a room – different backgrounds, personalities, experiences, sensitivities – and then throw in marriage and season it with a little sin and you’ve got the perfect recipe for conflict . . . sometimes very sharp conflict.
Sound familiar?
But, Lisa and me? Oh, we’re different. When it comes to marriage communication, we basically walk on water, never a harsh word passing between us. Isn’t that great?! So, being the picture of godly self-control and gracious communication, what follows applies to everyone else.
. . . and, if you believe that and are interested in owning your own star, I can get you a good deal on one within our galaxy!
No – the truth is that, while Lisa and I have a great marriage, we also can have our “moments” when we give way to our flesh. We don’t plan on it and it’s not common but, it does happen . . . like, two days ago.
That’s right, two days ago, when we had a sharp disagreement about a serious matter.
Continue reading How Your Response Has the Power to Heal or Destroy in Your Marriage at Club31Women.com
June 13, 2016
For the Girl Who Doesn’t Have Much to Say On Father’s Day {& giveaway}
You would think that my fondest memory would be all the trips to Disneyland.
Because there were dozens of those.
My dad was -and still is – a big fan of Disneyland and we lived only a short distance away.
But somehow that’s not what stands out in my mind when I look back on my early years.
What I remember most was meeting him after work and our walk home together.
Dad was part of a car pool and commuted every weekday the long, slow trip to downtown Los Angeles – and then back home again. The guys dropped him off about a mile from our house and so often one of us kids would go down to meet him at the stop.
Maybe my memory is wrong, but I think it was mostly me who went. More than either of my brothers.
I loved that walk home with him.
My dad is a relatively quiet man and not one for talking all that much. But he was a good listener, and I sure never ran out of things to say.
Continue reading For the Girl Who Doesn’t Have Much to Say On Father’s Day {& giveaway} at Club31Women.com
June 12, 2016
What If My Husband Isn’t Leading Our Family Like I Know He Should?
How do I still respect my husband when I feel like his lack of faith negatively affected the plans God has for our family? Don’t get me wrong; my husband is a strong believer. And there’s not a big sin issue. I just feel like he isn’t believing and relying on God in several areas where we really need it.
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Oh Friend,
I know exactly what you mean. I used to get frustrated with Dennis for not leading our family in what I thought was the right way. I believed we couldn’t be a truly Christian family if we didn’t have to sit down family times regularly. At the moment, I felt we were failing. I was concerned our kids wouldn’t grow up to know God if we didn’t teach the right way.
When I questioned him, he would reply, “There’s more than one way to lead and teach.” I felt dismissed.
But over time here’s what I learned. It wasn’t that he wasn’t leading our family. It’s that he wasn’t leading the way I thought he should.
Continue reading What If My Husband Isn’t Leading Our Family Like I Know He Should? at Club31Women.com
June 9, 2016
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie
Sometimes…no, a lot of the time…I’m in awe of him. I’ll stand there, silently observing his words and behavior and smile. I don’t know how he does it!
How does he wake up before five every morning, do the hour plus commute to the office, work all day and then come home and greet the kids and I with a smile on his face with his arms open to welcome us all with a hug?
I wonder even more how he does it when bedtime rolls around. If I wasn’t near the end of my rope when he got home from work, I sure am at bedtime. Come 8:30 or 9, I’m spent and feel like I can’t do anything more until I get some sleep. I kiss the kids wherever I’m at and send them on their merry way, with their father chasing them upstairs, laughing and making jokes with them.
I know that Josh is probably even more tired than I am. He wakes up before me, puts out fires at work (not literally, unlike some of you with real firefighting hubbies!), navigates morning and evening traffic…and literally runs on coffee.
Continue reading Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Pie at Club31Women.com
June 8, 2016
How One Mom Can Raise A Boy Into A Strong and Godly Man
I could tell that there was something going on with my sweet boy.
He wasn’t his usual self. He seemed really unsure about something, but he wouldn’t open up to tell me what it was. I invited him to come and talk with me and we talked a little bit, but I could tell that it wasn’t really about what was bothering him. As he went outside to play, I sat in my dining room and I said a quiet prayer to the Lord.
I needed help.
I could tell that there was something on my son’s heart but for some reason, he just didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with me that day.
After praying, I got up to start fixing a snack and it was then that I heard a small voice say in my heart he needs to talk to a man.
When my son came back in for snack a few minutes later, I pulled him to the side and I asked him if he wanted to call his uncle. His whole face lit up and he said yes.
Ten minutes later all was right in his world again.
Continue reading How One Mom Can Raise A Boy Into A Strong and Godly Man at Club31Women.com
June 6, 2016
The Surprising Benefits of Speed Dating for the Married Couple
He stepped outside on the front porch to get some fresh air, and that’s when I walked out with a handful of garbage that I was carrying to the dumpster.
Destiny.
“Hey,” I said, all flirty like. “Walk a girl to the garbage can?” I tucked my hand into the crook of his arm, and we made a romantic stroll from the front door, across the driveway, to the dumpster.
We took it nice and slow. It was the day after our 25th wedding anniversary, and we were professionals at speed dating.
So here’s how it works.
First, you can’t get enough of that man, which means you’ll use any situation as an excuse to move in close.
Second, you have an imagination. (You do have an imagination, right?) Be always a little bit six years old. Pretend yourself into someplace grand and expensive –make sure it’s someplace expensive –and pretty soon you two are alone in the world, and love is hot.
Let them stare. (You know, them –the people you imagine are watching you both, wishing they had your young love.)
Third, talk to him like you just met.
Continue reading The Surprising Benefits of Speed Dating for the Married Couple at Club31Women.com
