I just found some old photos today.  Here are some photos of me 5 years ago – March 13, 2005, at the ripe old age of 27.

These photos were taken at my Grammie’s kitchen table and it was a little dark in the house.  Nevertheless, a fun blast from the past!

Get more Wordless Wednesday here and at 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Blast From the Past – Danelle Ice is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Ministry of Mom: Do it Today

How will God use you today?  There’s one way to know for sure: ask him!

I can’t get enough of this new Christian worship song, and even my kids are singing it day and night.  Here is “Something Beautiful” by Need to Breathe (subscribers will have to click through to hear the song).  I’ve even included the lyrics below so you can sing along if you want!

"Something Beautiful” Lyrics

In your ocean I’m ankle deep
I feel the waves crashing on my feet
It’s like I know where I need to be, but
I can’t figure out, I can’t figure out

Just how much air I will need to breathe
When your wave crashes over me
There’s only one way to figure out
But will you let me drown
Will you let me drown

Chorus:
Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
‘Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me

I know that I’m in reach
‘Cause I am down on my knees
And waiting for
Something beautiful

Oh, oh, oh something beautiful

And the water is rising quick
And for years I was scared of it
We can’t be sure when it will subside
So I won’t leave your side
No I can’t leave your side

Chorus: 
Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
‘Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me

I know that I’m in reach
‘Cause I am down on my knees
And waiting for
Something beautiful

 
Oh, oh, oh something beautiful (x2)

In a day dream, I couldn’t live like this
I wouldn’t stop until I found something beautiful
When I wake up, knowing all I have
Is still not what I need (something beautiful)

Chorus:
Hey now, this is my desire
Consume me like a fire
‘Cause I just want
Something beautiful to touch me

I know that I’m in reach
‘Cause I am down on my knees
And waiting for
Something beautiful

Oh, oh, oh something beautiful (x2)

Something Beautiful By Need to Breathe (with Lyrics) is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Danelle’s Weight Today: 139.2 Pounds

Welcome to the Losing 71 pounds in 90 days Weight Loss Challenge!  Baby Seven was born on January 9, 2010.  I started at 171 pounds. 8 weeks after delivery, I weigh 139.2 pounds.  This part of the challenge is very difficult, because I’m currently breastfeeding and have to eat at least 1800 calories per day to keep my milk supply up. 

This means that even if I make it to the end of the day with good eating and low calories, I may have to eat 3 snacks right before bed just to get in my 1800 calories for the day!  As you can imagine, that seriously slows down my weight loss, but I can’t lose the milk supply.

If you didn’t see the introduction or previous updates in this weight loss challenge, go read them now: 

• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 1
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Weeks 2 & 3
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 4
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 5
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 6

Weeks 7 & 8 of the Weight Loss Challenge

Measurements: I’m disappointed that I didn’t get starting measurements before the challenge.  My first measurement was at 4 weeks, so that will have to be good enough as a starting marker!  In the last 4 weeks, I lost 2.4" inches total.

• Waist: (Week 4) 39.8”, Today 39”
• Hips: (Week 4) 40.5”, Today 40.5”
• Chest: (Week 4) 39”, Today 38.5”
• Thigh: (Week 4) 25.5”, Today 24.2”
• Calf: (Week 4) 15”, Today 15.2”
• Biceps: (Week 4) 11.5”, Today 11.5”

Weight loss:  During the 7th and 8th weeks, which ended on Sunday, March 7th, I lost 1.2 pounds. 

Cardio: Due to a foot injury, I stayed off of cardio for all of week 7.  I picked up on the elliptical on week 8 and did 5 cardio sessions.  I noticed that my workouts got easier each day and I could feel soreness in my legs and butt the next days.

Strength training:  I had no weights sessions this week, but instead did 2 days of packing, unpacking, and moving heavy boxes.

Eating:  My eating was practically on autopilot since all non-diet-friendly foods have been removed from the house!  I ate very simply:  lots of hard boiled egg whites, bananas, salad, spinach, veggie stir fry with tofu, and protein bars for quick snacks on the go.  I’m also working on my goal of 80 ounces of water per day.  The less junk food you eat, the less your body wants to eat those bad foods.  Don’t believe me?  Try it for yourself.

You can see my full weight loss plan here.  See you next week with my latest weight loss challenge update as I shrink down to 100 pounds!  Remember the disclaimer: I don’t recommend this weight loss challenge for anyone else – this is my personal baby weight loss project.

Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Challenge & Measurements – Weeks 7 & 8 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Newborn babies grow so fast!  I did something new with my new baby, Seven Ice-Simmons.  I admit that I stole the idea from my friend Toni at The Happy Housewife.  Each week, I take a picture of Seven with her care bear, Baby Hugs.  It’s a fun way to watch baby grow alongside her toy!  I didn’t get started until week 4 since her carebear had to be shipped here from out of state.

Week 1:

Week 2:

Week 3 (with Grammie):

Week 4  (with her Carebear, Baby Hugs):

Week 5:

Week 6:

Stay tuned to watch Seven grow next to Baby Hugs!  See more Wordless Wednesday at WW and 5 Minutes 4 Mom.

Wordless Wednesday: Seven and Carebear Weeks 1-6 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

To all the fans and friends who have been asking for pictures of Seven, here they are!  Below are some of the photos we got done for Seven’s 1 month old portrait session.  Below, you’ll see photos of Seven, Truett, Michael and Danelle.

Seven Magdalena Ice-Simmons, 1 month

Seven Ice-Simmons’ 1 Month Old Photos is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Danelle’s Weight Today: 141.4 Pounds

Welcome to the Losing 71 pounds in 90 days Weight Loss Challenge!  Baby Seven was born on January 9, 2010.  I started at 171 pounds.  6 weeks after delivery, I weigh 141.4 pounds.  If you didn’t see the introduction or previous updates in this weight loss challenge, go read them now: 

• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 1
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Weeks 2 & 3
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 4
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 5

Week 6 of the Weight Loss Challenge

Weight loss:  During the 6th week, which ended on Sunday, February 21st, I lost 3 pounds.  The biggest victory this week was that I dropped a pants size and went from wearing my size 15 jeans to my new size 12 jeans!

Cardio: Due to a foot injury, I only got to do 1 treadmill session this week.  Following doctor’s orders, it looks like I’ll be off my foot for the next 4 days at least. 

Strength training:  I had 1 weights session this week – I did upper body with Arms of Steel.  My day-by-day weight loss table is at right. 

Eating:  To track my eating, I’m using MyFoodDiary.com.  Would you like to know what kinds of food I ate this week?  Here is my food log from Wednesday for a 1,649 calorie day:

You can see my full weight loss plan here.  See you next week with my latest weight loss challenge update.  Remember the disclaimer: I don’t recommend this weight loss challenge for anyone else – this is my personal baby weight loss project.

Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Challenge – Week 6 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Danelle’s Weight Today: 144.4 Pounds

Welcome to the Losing 71 pounds in 90 days Weight Loss Challenge!  My baby was born on January 9, 2010.  I started at 171 pounds.  5 weeks after delivery, I weigh 144.4 pounds.  If you didn’t see the introduction or previous updates in this weight loss challenge, go read them now: 

• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 1
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Weeks 2 & 3
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 4

Next week I’ll be including my foods list and clean eating menu recap to show you which foods give the best weight loss.

What Was Different During Week 5 of the Weight Loss Challenge

No weight loss:  During the 5th week, which ended on Sunday, February 14th, the weight loss was nonexistent! This week I lost 0 pounds.  The transition into my plan was slow and rough. 

Eating:  The biggest challenge was getting my eating under control.  To break my pregnancy eating habits and get back to clean eating like I do when training for competitions, I had to start keeping a food log and counting calories, carbs, protein, and fat.  To automate this process, I’m using MyFoodDiary.com, which is a pay service with a low monthly fee ($9).  The site makes calorie counting less painful, and really is eye-opening about what kind of nutrition you’re getting from the foods you eat every day.

After being pregnant for 10 months and eating such a different diet (larger portions, fattier foods, whole milk and tons of dairy, higher calorie days, etc.), it is proving to be difficult for me to remember how to eat like a non-pregnant woman! 

I also had one major eating slip this week: I had lunch at Wendy’s on Sunday.  One sandwich had almost half the calories I was supposed to eat for the entire day (not to mention tons of sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat).  I learned my lesson and will not give into my weakness for a cheeseburger on the way home from church again.

Cardio: 4 treadmill sessions.  This exceeded my goal of 3 sessions per week, but if I want to melt these pounds, I’m going to have to step it up.

Strength training:  Oops – no sessions this week.  I’m starting to see why I lost 0 pounds.  My day-by-day weight loss table is below. 

Now to Lose 44.4 More Pounds in 2 Months…

Next week it’s time to get stricter with my eating and exercise.  You can also see my full weight loss plan here.  I need to do better in these areas:

• Keep my daily calories under 1700
• Meet my water goal to drink 80 oz. per day
• Do 2 weights sessions per week
• Increase 3 cardio sessions per week to 6 cardio sessions
• Don’t eat any fast food!

See you next week with my latest weight loss challenge update.  Remember the disclaimer: I don’t recommend this weight loss challenge for anyone else – this is my personal baby weight loss project.

Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Challenge – Week 5 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Danelle’s Weight Today: 144.4 Pounds

This weight loss experiment is about how a woman’s body performs naturally to lose weight after pregnancy.  The control portion of the experiment meant that I not start an exercise program or change my eating for the first 30 days after my baby was born.  This would allow me to see how much weight would be lost naturally after having a baby without putting any effort towards weight loss.  Welcome to the Losing 71 pounds in 90 days Weight Loss Challenge!

My daughter was born on January 9, 2010.  Exactly 30 days after delivery, I weigh 144.4 pounds.  If you didn’t see the introduction or previous updates in this weight loss challenge, go read them now: 

• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Week 1
• Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Recap – Weeks 2 & 3

After Baby Weight Loss Challenge: Week 4 plus 2 Extra Days

During the 4th week (plus 2 extra days), which ended on Sunday, February 7th, the weight loss was slow, but steady: this week I lost 4.6 pounds.

My day-by-day weight loss table is below.  Starting on 1/31/10, I had a bout of mastitis that caused a lot of night sweats, which probably accounted for the large weight loss overnight.

The Findings for Month 1 of the Weight Loss Experiment

In the first month after having a baby, I lost 26.6 pounds without exercise or diet change.  Can I do better than that in 30 days by eating strategically and starting an exercise program?  That’s what I intend to find out!  I found that on days when I got a lot of sleep, my weight would be lower the next day.  I also experienced a lot of night sweating while sleeping, losing fluids which I believe accounted for a lot of my excess pregnancy weight.

Here’s How I Plan to Lose 44.4 More Pounds in 2 Months

Unlike the celebs who have a personal trainer to help them lose their baby weight in 6 weeks, I’m doing this on my own.  I’ll be applying my previous experience as a body builder with clean eating and conditioning to achieve my weight loss and reshape my body after baby. 

Weight loss is easy when you know the simple actions to take and you do them consistently.  My weight loss efforts will include:

• Daily weigh-ins
• Reporting results with before and after pictures weekly
• Breastfeeding and pumping milk for my newborn
• Drinking 10 to 12 8 oz glasses of water per day
• Eating smaller portions at meal times
• Eating small amounts every 3 hours to boost metabolism
• 30 minutes of low to moderate cardio, at least 3 sessions per week (treadmill, elliptical, or workout DVD)
• Strength training: 1 day of legwork per week (squats, lunges, and deadlifts with weights)
• Strength training: 1 day of upper body per week (biceps, triceps, chest, back and shoulders with weights)
• No ab work until month 3
• Month 3 will see the cardio increase to more than 1 session daily, several times per week

Now, For the Rapid Weight Loss!

Now is the part of the experiment I’m really excited about!  The size large clothes and size 16 jeans I just bought fit perfectly right now… I’m hoping to shrink enough to drop down a few sizes before too long.  It will be nice to fit into my old clothes again! 

See you next week with my latest weight loss challenge update  Remember the disclaimer: I don’t recommend this weight loss challenge for anyone else – this is my personal baby weight loss project.

Danelle’s After Baby Weight Loss Challenge – Week 4 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

If you didn’t see the introduction / week 1 to this weight loss challenge, go read it now and look at the pics.  My daughter was born on January 9, 2010.  Exactly 20 days after delivery, I weigh 150.4 pounds. 

This challenge is less about the weight loss and more about how a woman’s body performs naturally to lose weight after pregnancy.  My strategy includes not changing my behavior or eating for the first 30 days after my baby was born.  I want to see how much weight comes off by itself before I start trying to lose pounds intentionally.

Welcome to the Losing 71 pounds in 90 days Weight Loss Challenge!

During the first week, weight loss was fast (18 pounds).  In the 2nd and 3rd weeks, which ended on Friday, January 29th, the weight loss slowed dramatically, with me only losing 2.6 additional pounds.

My baby belly is still here, and the abdominal muscles were extremely stretched out, so it’s hanging pretty low.  It takes constant self-reminding to contract the tummy muscles and hold it up.  However, because of diastasis recti from pregnancy, I won’t be doing any ab exercises for several more weeks.  My day-by-day weight loss table is below.

See you next week with my latest weight loss challenge update!  Remember the disclaimer: I don’t recommend this weight loss challenge for anyone else – this is my personal baby weight loss project.

After Baby Weight Loss Challenge – Weeks 2 & 3 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Danelle’s Weight Today: 153 pounds

Heavy with a 39-week gestating baby, I weighed 171 pounds before Seven was born last weekend.  You can see the before photos of me at the hospital before giving birth.

The easy part is over… now for the difficult part of losing all this weight.  My pre-pregnancy weight this time was 118 pounds (I’m only 5’ 1” tall), meaning I gained a whopping 53 pounds to give birth to a 7 pound baby!

I’m aiming for my regular weight of 100 pounds so that I’ll be able to wear my smaller range of maternity clothes for a bit longer. 

I’m calling this challenge the Losing 71 pounds in 90 days Weight Loss Challenge

(and no, I don’t recommend it for anyone else – this is my personal baby weight loss project).  The end date will be April 9th.

Here are a few photos of me that my husband snapped of me today, January 17, 2010, exactly 8 days after delivery.  Today I weigh 153 pounds.  My day-by-day weight loss table is below.

Unfortunately, I outgrew all my largest maternity clothes from last pregnancy by about 6 months along in this pregnancy.  So, I’d like to lose all this weight quickly, as in before I get pregnant again! 

It took 9 months to pack on 53 pounds, and I’m going to try to lose it all in 3 months (before the next pregnancy – fingers crossed).  I’ll be posting updates on my weight loss challenge and the activities and eating habits that help me reach my goal weight of 100 pounds.  Of course, I’ll post photos too so we can see the shrinking body along the journey!

Weight Loss Challenge After Baby Seven – Week 1 is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

You may know I just had a baby on January 9, 2010 (her name is Seven Ice-Simmons; you can see her birth announcement here).  Thanks to God, I was blessed to have an amazing delivery. 

I was glad that my husband and I thought to take some before photos of me (Danelle Ice) at the hospital, which we didn’t do last time when our son, Truett, was born. If you scroll all the way to the bottom of this article, you’ll see an after photo of me from after Seven was born.

When we arrived at the hospital, I was already 2 centimeters dilated and 75% effaced.  I’d been in early labor for a few days already and was ready to have my water broken.

Our delivery was at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Just like at my last birth, I was able to wear a pink gown that I brought instead of the standard fare, open in the back, rear-end-flashing hospital gown! 

Last time, my gown said “World’s Best Mom” on the front (I bought it around Mother’s Day).  This time, I had to settle for pink and grey flowers- but hey, anything pink is good!

I also got to sport my pink fingernails and toes, pink massaging bedroom slippers and pink robe at the hospital as well.  Of course, I’d never dream of delivering a child without my makeup on and hair done; I just wouldn’t be a Mary Kay girl if I did

In the picture at right, which is more of an aerial view, I look a lot smaller.  Upon arrival at the hospital to give birth, I weighed in at 171 pounds (exactly 6 pounds heavier than delivery day on my last pregnancy). 

This is the heaviest I’ve ever been.  I notice the extra weight making the most difference in how my face looks.

My swollen fingers have not allowed me to wear my wedding ring for about the last 4 months.  However, I did get to wear it on a gold necklace around my neck.  My swollen legs and feet were quite unattractive!  They look like elephant legs and I definitely had “cankles”.  Thankfully, you can’t see them in the photos.

The black and white photos below will definitely be blown up and framed, as well as added to Seven’s scrapbook.  I have only felt more beautiful on one other day in my life – my wedding day.  The anticipation of giving birth to my new baby made me radiant!

I looked mostly the same after Seven was born.  I didn’t put on any fresh lipstick, and the red spot on my nose shows a few small blood vessels that burst under the surface of my skin during delivery.  Other than that, I’m really starting to see the benefits of my new hairstyle – I mean, it looks exactly the same from before to after, with absolutely no combing!

And to all the fans who have been requesting my blonde hair back:  don’t worry, it will be reappearing sometime in the near future.  I’m enjoying the X-Files Scully hair for now, though.

Danelle After Photo:

At left, here I am holding my beautiful baby girl, Seven.

I only lost 7 pounds from before to after delivery, so I’ve got my work cut out for me as far as weight loss goes.  Luckily, I’m tracking my weight loss day-by-day and will be posting  updates as time allows on my progress. 

I know it’s ambitious, but I’d like to lose all this baby weight before I get pregnant again (hopefully 3 months from now).

I’ve not been doing any special weight loss activities yet.  Right now, there is only time for eating, sleeping, and feeding.  And yes, I’m lactating, so that should help to burn some extra calories.

Danelle Ice’s Pregnancy – Birth Before and After Photos is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

If you’re a working mom or even using a day care facility for your baby occasionally, you may be pumping breast milk for your baby to be fed by the child care provider.  Please be aware of something very important: what to do in case your pumped breast milk is accidentally switched with another mom’s and your baby is fed a stranger’s milk.

Although I had never considered this before, human error does make it possible for an accidental breast milk switch to happen.  This can be dangerous!  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which I consider to be the utmost authority on safety:

“If a child has been mistakenly fed another child’s bottle of expressed breast milk, the possible exposure to HIV or other infectious diseases should be treated just as if an accidental exposure to other body fluids had occurred.”

The CDC offers the steps to take if your child has been accidentally exposed to another woman’s breast milk accidentally, including information about the likelihood of HIV transmission.  You can read the CDC’s article here, and it never hurts to print it out and save it in your day care file or even take a copy to your daycare.

CDC Alert – HIV Risk from Pumped Breast Milk Accidental Switch is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Michael Simmons & Danelle Ice are proud to announce

the birth of their daughter:

Seven Magdalena Ice-Simmons

Born on January 9, 2010

at 10:45am

in Fairbanks, Alaska

Weight: 7 pounds, 3 ounces

Length: 19 1/2 inches

Announcing the Birth of Seven Magdalena Ice-Simmons! is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

Have you talked to your kids about the recent actions of Tiger Woods yet?  If your answer is no, you had better put it on the family meeting schedule for RIGHT AWAY.  You have an opportunity right now to send the correct message to your kids about what is right and wrong, before they start getting the wrong idea from the media and society in general. 

Whether you’re a Christian parent or not, you no doubt feel sad when a popular hero of kids around the world is caught in bad behavior.     

It’s time to talk to your children about what Tiger Woods did.  And before you interject your excuse for not talking to them about it (e.g. “They’re too young to understand”, “They won’t know the difference”, “They won’t hear about it anyways”, “They don’t know who Tiger Woods is”, “It’s not appropriate for them to hear about it”), consider this:  There is always a chance that your excuse is wrong! 

You might think your 10 year old doesn’t hear about celebrity scandals, but how do you know what other kids are talking about around them during recess?  There’s a good chance that your children will hear about it from DJs on the family radio station, from snippets on the news while in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, or on a magazine cover at the store.

If you don’t tell them your family’s views of right and wrong and connect it to this situation immediately, your kids will form their own opinion about a super popular role model having an affair and destroying his family.  They’ll do the best they can to take in all the opinions from different media outlets and even their friends and make their own opinion.  Do we trust that our kids can really know right from wrong when wrong is so pervasive an influence in our society?  NO!

Do We Send the Message to Our Kids that Cheating is Okay?

You may be saying, “I’ve never told my kids cheating on your spouse was okay.”  But did you every specifically tell them that it’s not okay?  It may seem like a silly question, but it’s an important one to consider.  You, as parents, are the number one role model to your kids.  Believe it or not, what you say is held with more regard than their teachers, friends, or even *gasp* their favorite stars on TV!  Best you use this position wisely to teach them what is right while you still have a say.

Even if we don’t know it, we may be sending the wrong message to our kids about our moral views on marriage.  What are some ways we might send the message that cheating is okay, and not even know we are?

• When we don’t talk about it with our kids, we make it okay.
• When we make jokes about it around our kids, we make it okay.
• When we stand in line with our kids at the grocery store and they read the headlines on the magazines about it and we don’t use that moment as a teaching opportunity, we make it okay.
• When we let our kids listen to joking remarks about it on the radio, we make it okay. 
• When we let our kids watch TV comedy sketches about it (e.g. Saturday Night Live), we make it okay.

Cheating on your wife (or husband) is NOT okay! 

Our Society Gets Worse Every Time We Don’t Speak Up

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the society we long to have back (of good manners, the golden rule, and mom and dad growing old together) is eroding slowly. We take for granted that it’s too far gone and that we can’t fix it.  Well, guess what?  We can! 

In each family we have the unique opportunity to create a reality we are proud of for our children, and then send them out in the world to spread those values.  As moms and dads, it is our job to teach our children and mold them in our image, just as we were created in God’s image.  Every time we let something bad happen and don’t teach our kids the right way, our society gets a little worse. 

One bad thing slips in, then another, and another, until there is so much wrong and the bad is all around.  At that point, it’s hard to sift through what’s wrong and what’s right.  No wonder kids today are so confused!  No wonder that parents can get so confused that they aren’t sure what to bring up with their children anymore.

To all you young parents – and older parents – out there, I’m begging you desperately to use this opportunity to teach your little (and big) ones now. 

How to Talk to Your Kids About Cheating

Here are a few easy points to use when talking to your kids about Tiger Woods cheating on his wife (multiple times) and hurting his family.  This applies to any similar situation/person too; the talking points are the same.  You don’t have to use all the talking points, these are just good topics to get your discussion started:

• Let them know that you and your spouse are very sad about Tiger Woods’ recent actions.  Cheating is wrong.
• Let them know that when you get married, you make a promise to each other and to God to love and be true to each other. 
• God makes you and your spouse become one person.  Husbands and wives should never have secrets from each other.
• Let them know that when one person doesn’t keep their marriage promise, it hurts their whole family, including their kids.
• Tell your children that when adults cheat in their marriages, they might get divorced, which causes their family to break in half.
• Teach your kids that our families are so important that we never want to do anything to break them apart.
• Let them know that we can’t judge other people – only God can do that.  But we can recognize that their bad actions are not okay things for us to do, and that we don’t want to be around people who do bad actions or look up to those bad behaviors.

This conversation will be different in every family and based on the different ages of your kids.  But please – don’t put it off because you’re embarrassed to talk about it or think it’s not important.  It IS important that your kids learn the proper moral view from you, their most influential teachers, not from the media!

Talk to Your Kids About Cheating Now (Send the Right Message About Tiger Woods’ Actions) is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.

A few months ago I announced that I’d dyed my hair red instead of my signature blonde until after the baby is born in January.  Since then I’ve been barraged with people asking to see my new hair and pregnant pictures!  Here they are, just for you that wanted to see.

Here are a few photos of me (Danelle Ice) right before heading out to Thanksgiving dinner last week.  I’m 33 weeks pregnant in these shots and feeling like delivery day (January 9, 2010) can’t come soon enough.  It’s a girl, and we’re not telling anyone the name!

My hair is growing so fast that I keep cutting it more every few days.  I miss my blonde hair, but I’m really having fun with the Dana Scully look (you X-Files fans know what I’m talking about).  My husband begged me to try Scully hair for months, and here it is. 

The very last photo is with my handsome husband, Michael Simmons, at Santa Claus House the day after Thanksgiving.  We have a tradition to go there every year and get the family photo taken with Santa Claus.

Danelle Ice Pregnant Thanksgiving Pictures – 33 Weeks is an article from Home Ever After.
Copyright 2007-2009 HomeEverAfter.com by Danelle Ice/IS World Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction of content in this feed is prohibited.