Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

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3 Ways to Boost Our Kids’ Confidence

February 25, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

Perhaps one of the most important gifts a parent can give a child is teaching them to be confident. Of course, there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. For instance, teaching children to make justifications or excuses for every mistake will certainly leave them able to defend their pride quite readily but unable to truly connect with others as part of a team.

I often think: I want to raise kids who love Jesus and take responsibility. For me, that seems like a great combination for confidence too.

As much as I wish I could teach my kids all of life’s lessons one afternoon, that’s not reality. Parenting and teaching is a marathon with lessons coming in small doses over long periods of actually living.

Let’s consider then, how healthily boosting a child’s confidence can be achieved, what that even means, and how this can help your child grow up believing in themselves but also humble enough to know where they could improve. (Yeah, at 41 years old, I am still learning right alongside my kids.

Positive Encouragement

Positive encouragement is essential when caring for our children. We must make sure they feel as if we’re noticing their efforts, such as sharing toys with a sibling, taking turns, or even trying to unload the dishwasher. Of course, it’s also nice to compliment our children and help them feel good about their behavior. I know, it’s hard sometimes, especially with my personality that naturally seems all the room for possible improvement! I do want to praise my kids in our everyday moments because I know it’s valuable.

Socialization

Socialization is an essential part of making sure your child develops healthily. They can often get this from the best childcare services and schools – those that understand how children work in a social environment, how positive cues can increase their confidence, and how exposure to other children can help them develop healthy life skills.

I’m grateful my kids’ school believes in teaching more than academics and aims to equip students to grow into Christ-following people.  Yes, sometimes involving other people in our lives means we have to manage conflict, especially with other kids are who also learning. Socialization is so valuable even the hard parts are worth it.

Discipline & Reward

Discipline and reward go together quite nicely when we make use of it. (Yes, more than 13 years into parenting, and I still have to remind myself to be consistent!)

We use a marble jar for two of our kids. They earn marbles for completing daily tasks and chores, such as getting ready in the morning, cleaning their rooms, unloading the dishwasher, being kind to their siblings, and not complaining about dinner. Of course, they may also lose marbles for not completing tasks or behaving as expected. They can cash their marbles in for treats, extra screen time, or the freedom to choose dinner. This teaches them the foundational aspects of responsibility and reminds them of what they can achieve.

How have you seen a child’s confidence boosted?

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Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.

February 11, 2021 by Kristin Leave a Comment

I saw lots of writers post about this brightly colored book: “Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.: 10 Questions to Take Your Friendships to the Next Level” by Laura Tremaine. I didn’t order it right away because, honestly, I just wasn’t sure if I needed a self-help book on connecting with people more deeply. I’ve been limiting my non-fiction consumption because I really don’t want a lot of bossy voices in my head.

Well, I ended up ordering the Kindle version of this book on the last day preorders were available because I was totally intrigued by two of the bonuses, which, more honesty, I don’t usually care about. I wanted the downloadable journaling prompts (which are taken directly from the book but provided space to process more deeply) and The Secret Tapes, which are podcast episodes where the author talks with friends and family she wrote about in the book.

Goodness, I’m glad I got this book. I read it in two days, journaled about nine of the ten questions as I read the book, plan to journal more, and recommended the book to two my best friends and my counselor. In fact, I shared some of my journals and thoughts with my counselor.

This book is part memoir and part guidebook. Laura Tremaine is a good storyteller, but she’s not just a storyteller. She uses her experiences and vulnerability to empower people to share their stuff. She goes first, asks the hard questions, and ushered me into deeper thinking about my own childhood, friendships throughout different seasons, and decisions that changed the trajectory of my life.

About the book

“Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.” is the invitation you’ve been waiting for to show up – even maybe you didn’t know it! In spite of the hyper-connected culture we live in today, women still feel shamed for oversharing and being publicly vulnerable. And no matter how many friends we seem to have, many of us are still desperately lonely.

Openness and vulnerability are the foundation for human growth and healthy relationships, and it all starts when we share our stuff, the nitty-gritty daily details about ourselves with others. Laura has led the way in her personal life with her popular blog and podcast and now gives you the tools to build and deepen the conversations happening in your life.

Laura’s stories about her childhood in Oklahoma, her complicated shifts in faith and friendships, and her marriage to a Hollywood movie director will prompt you to identify the beautiful narrative and pivotal milestones of your own life. Each chapter offers intriguing and reflective questions that will reveal unique details and stories you’ve never thought to tell and will guide you into cultivating the authentic connection with others that only comes from sharing yourself.

“Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First.” is a 224-page hardcover book published by Zondervan (Feb. 2, 2021).

About the author

Laura Tremaine grew up in small town Oklahoma and moved to Los Angeles sight unseen when she was twenty-two years old. She worked in film and television production for many years at MTV, VH1, Fox, and Paramount Pictures, before pursuing writing full time.

Laura has been sharing her life online for ten years. She writes about friendship, anxiety, motherhood, and marriage. Her blog posts and podcast episodes resonate with women looking for ways to connect more deeply with others as they transform from one era of life into another. Laura lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their two children.

*****

Nobody told me to share this book with y’all, I just can’t help it. It’s so good. I paid for the Kindle version of this book with my own money.

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Love Your Home Once Again

January 14, 2021 by Kristin 2 Comments

Life certainly doesn’t look like it did a year ago, thanks to the global coronavirus pandemic that interrupted our lives. So many people have spent more time at their homes – working from home, schooling kids at home, distancing themselves from crowds. Of course, this has come with much adjustment in routines, logistics, and even our spaces. Improving our home has been a good day to navigate our increased time here.

While spending more time at home, we have been made adjustments to our space and noticed possible improvements. Yes, you can use even this weird season of social distancing to fall in love with your home all over again. Here are some ways to do that:

Renovated Your Spaces

Conducting home renovations is important to make your space feel like home. Many people have the time to do this, so this is one way to focus on moving forward in your home, even when so much of the world is uncertain.

We haven’t done any major renovations, but my teenager did paint her little sister’s room. She may not have agreed to it had she known bright pink doesn’t easily cover mint green! We’ve rearranged closets and bedrooms as we make our spaces function better for all the extra time we’ve spent here.

Take Pride in Where You Live

Taking pride in where you live is vital, especially when you’re truly living in your home like we have been. I discovered how easy it is the clean my hard floors with the Shark VacMop, ordered more forks and spoons because we were eating so many meals at home, and ordered cleaning and household supplies online.

Honestly, I like a clean house, but I also know we live here, so taking pride for me involves some daily tasks to contain the clutter and crumbs. Of course, there are bigger projects, such as using window cleaning services, in order to really spruce up your views.

Speaking of views, I truly have appreciated country living as we’ve socially distanced ourselves from crowds of people. The wide-open spaces have been good for my soul, especially in the spring, summer, and fall. I’ve loved noticing how natural colors change. And we’ve all needed the extra space to safely roam.

Plant a Garden

We actually planted our first garden! It was small and barely successful, but I was so glad the spring and summer days at home helped me accomplish something I’d wanted to try. We planted zucchini, tomato, and pepper seeds in planters. Then once the plants grew, we transferred the zucchini and tomato plants to the ground. They grew well and produced, but then the deer ate all the tomato plants – produce and all! We got several zucchini and sweet pepper to enjoy. And we came away with some better plans for this year.

Making summertime fun is always important, especially during the pandemic when traveling may not happen as much. Gardening is one way to do this. Plus it improves and helps you appreciate where you live and the natural seasons.

How have you found yourself loving your home and property during these social-distancing days?

*****

I’ve written some other posts about social distancing that may encourage you.

  • Becoming Still
  • A Life with Goldenrod
  • Redefining Busyness
  • In Open Fields of Wildflowers

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About Me

Telling stories is my therapy and I love sharing them with friends on my porch.

The main characters in my stories are my entrepreneur husband, our eighth-grade girl who never forgets, our have-no-fear fifth-grade boy, and our joy-filled preschool girl. As we live out our stories, we seek God as the author of them all.

Learn more about my story here.

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