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Empowered Moms and Kids
1st day of school

A Mom’s 1st Day of School Wishes…

(Inside: 1st day of school wishes from a mom who’s either full of hope or in denial. You decide.)

I love the start of a new school year. 

The 1st day of school holds so much promise.  Like none of last year’s challenges will arise. 

My now 3rd-grade son will love to work on his math facts.  When I ask him what 5 x 3 is, he wouldn’t say things like, “I have practiced that before, so I don’t need to again.” Or make silly comments like, “weird + weird = weird, weird.  Get it, mom?”  Yes, but I don’t want to. Instead, he would just spit out the answer without hemming and hawing about why he needs to know how to multiply.  Or add. Or subtract.

My now 2nd-grade son will take the time to write neatly like he does when he practices at home. His teacher will not write on every single assignment to work on neatness.

At school, my older boys will consistently eat their carrots I pack them in their lunches. 

Spelling tests will be a breeze; we won’t have to study almost every day for them.

My sons will always be calm and productive in the classroom. 

My four-year-old will not need everything he eats dipped in ranch. 

Meat, vegetables, fruit, bread…it all is covered in ranch before placed in his mouth.  Instead, he would enjoy the meals we cook him as is and politely thank us when he is done.  

He also won’t follow his older brothers around and demand their toy, or pencil, or book, or whatever they touch that magically makes him want the same thing.

As a family, we can get through the store without the boys getting bored and wrestling each other to the ground. Or my youngest running as fast as he can with the kid-cart until it falls over, then screaming at the top of his lungs across the store that he needs us to help him pick it up.

We will always get places on time, dressed appropriately. 

A new school year holds so much promise and hope. 

I love the clean slate feeling when we vow, as a family, to learn from last year’s experiences and try to do things a little better.

It feels like a New Year’s resolution.   

It feels like God’s grace.   

That grace I feel every morning when I wake up to a fresh start. 

A chance to reflect on what works and what I need to try differently. Of course, life won’t go perfectly; I don’t think it is supposed to. Failure is sometimes an essential part of growth and even success. And God loves us no matter what. 

But it always feels good to stand at the edge of a fresh start blanked with grace. 

Happy 1st day of school. 

It always feels good to stand at the edge of a fresh start blanked with grace. Happy first day of #school. Read on… #parenting #moms #motherhood #firstdayofschool Click To Tweet

Do you want to read more about seeing God in motherhood? Check out the whole series below.

Elijah’s my favorite. Elijah’s the Old Testament Prophet who went head-to-head with the Baal prophets to show who the One True God was. (Read more about that here.)

This man who experience God’s supernatural power, later found himself in complete despair, with shaken faith, trying to hear God’s voice. (Have you been there too?) 1 Kings 19:11-13 says:

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

When Elijah looked for God, he found Him. And God’s voice wasn’t in the wind, earthquake, or fire – it was in a gentle whisper.

Momma’s, God still speaks to us today. It’s deep inside of you, an inner knowing. I’d love for you to join me as I learn to discern that voice smack in the middle of my ordinary days. 

Read more faith-building stories…

Growing Your Faith: Imperfect Faith is STILL Faith
Momma, is God is More Control of Your Life Than You Think?
Mommas, Increase Your Happiness in the Chaos
Tired Parents, You are Beautifully Exhausted
This is How I Hear God Speak Through Motherhood
Kids, Do You Want To Watch God Paint the Sky?
A Mom’s 1st Day of School Wishes
A Miracle Happen Every Day: Do You See It?
Every Day, In Small Moments – God is Calling You
God is Using You Even When You Don’t See It
In 5 Minutes I Was Reminded of the Joy of Being a Mother
Worried about Becoming Older? Your best years are ahead of you!

Join this community of moms raising school-aged kids

I wrote this article a few years back, but this is my current parenting phase…

You just dropped your kid off at practice, picked up another, and are trying to decide what to make for dinner. Your days are filled with work, parenting, and waiting for password reset emails.

You are parenting tweens and teens.

It’s an amazing life-phase, but also challenging in unique ways. In it all, you’d love a little encouragement to help you laugh, grow in faith, see parenting hacks, get ideas to connect with your kid, and celebrate the awesome momma you are. 

I got you, friend. Sign up for Empowered Moms and Kids monthly emails and get encouragement in your inbox geared for someone exactly in your life-chapter. It’s totally free and you can unsubscribe at any time. 

Plus, you’ll get instant access to all the great resources in the freebie library. Join our community below. 

parenting tweens and teens
Cheryl Donely

Cheryl is a mom of 3 boys, wife, speaker, high school teacher, and author of Empowered Moms & Kids. She has a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and is passionate about learning and teaching. On www.empoweredmomsandkids.com you’ll find inspiration and encouragement for moms raising tweens and/or teens. Read more in the “about” section of this page.

10 comments

  • Brittany at Equipping Godly Women September 2, 2014 at 6:40 pm Reply

    yay! my little one started a few weeks ago, but it's still fun, exciting and new. Hopefully it will stay that way for a while!!

  • Courtney B September 2, 2014 at 7:40 pm Reply

    I love your view on this! I always thought I would dread the time that Mia has to start school… but looking at it this way, it will be nice to have a little motivation (aside from New Years) to start fresh and really tackle my goals! Love this! Hope your boys are loving school!!

  • normaleverydaylife September 3, 2014 at 1:43 pm Reply

    I always love the clean slate, too. Why do I always envision things so perfectly though?!? Haha, I love what your son says about math facts and what you're thinking when he does it! 🙂 #wakeupwednesday

  • Beckey September 4, 2014 at 12:56 pm Reply

    Oh, I love the new school year too. Even though my "kids" are now in college and a junior in high school – I still get giddy about new beginnings (and new school supplies) Love this! Visiting from the link up!
    Beckey
    http://reallyreallyrealhousewives.blogspot.com
    http://www.etsy.com/shop/queenbsbusywork

  • Hazel Moon September 5, 2014 at 5:56 am Reply

    Your sweet boys look very happy to be in school. Dream on for all your wishes to come true as your resolutions suggest. Just remember you have BOYS and even Christian boys get mischievous at times. 🙂 Thank you for sharing your lovely post with us here at “Tell Me a Story.” http://letmetelluastory.blogspot.com/

  • sinceibecameamom September 5, 2014 at 12:16 pm Reply

    Brittany, thanks for your comment. I love that you said, "for all while." That's what I hope for too:)

  • sinceibecameamom September 5, 2014 at 12:17 pm Reply

    They are loving it so far! 🙂 Thanks for your comment!

  • sinceibecameamom September 5, 2014 at 12:17 pm Reply

    I envision it perfectly too and it never happens!:) Thanks for your comment!

  • sinceibecameamom September 5, 2014 at 12:18 pm Reply

    I get giddy too! I haven't checked out your blog yet. I will do that!

  • sinceibecameamom September 5, 2014 at 12:18 pm Reply

    Thanks for letting me link up! And the reminder that they will get mischievous!:)

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