About

Hi, I'm Rachel!  I've been married to Abe since 2004.  We're parents of two adorable little boys who are my very heart and soul.  But, like all kids, they can be a handful.  Or an armful.  Or a dump truckful.  

I have a tendency to come up with New Parenting Plans, call the boys together for a little family conference about the New Plans, implement said Plans for a week or two, lose steam, lose focus, and wander off.  Abe says I have a problem with mindfulness.   He's right.  That's what this blog is for.  Let me explain.   

A friend recently told me that his wife had been feeling discouraged about her weight.  She would try to eat right and exercise but the scale went down-- and then back up-- seemingly at random.  She didn't have the motivation to stick with anything because she wasn't seeing quick results.  Then she tried this 8-week health challenge.  He said it was great for her because of three important things:

(1) The challenge focused primarily on behaviors, not results.  It wasn't about losing weight, it was about implementing healthy habits.

(2) The challenge was centered on accountability.  She had to track her progress and report her points back each week.

(3) The challenge required a commitment over time.  The eight-week length of the challenge meant that the healthy habits were more likely to produce measurable results.

She ended up losing twelve pounds in eight weeks.  Not bad, eh?

But what does this have to do with parenting?  Well, I would like to lose the equivalent of twelve pounds of bad parenting habits and annoying kid behaviors.

So my plan is to create something similar to that health challenge, but for parents.  A program where parents can focus on improving their own parenting behaviors over a significant amount of time.  A program where they can track their progress and report back to each other.  A program where parents will offer support and encouragement, seek guidance and ask questions.

I'll make the disclaimer right off the bat that I am not a parenting expert.  Anyone who has watched me and my husband wrestle with our naughty kids during church can testify to that.  But I have done a fair bit of reading  and thinking to create my parenting philosophy, and I'm ready to give it a fair, 12-week trial.

Are you interested?  Let me know.  Find the "12 Week Parenting Challenge" on Facebook and request to be added as a member.