During the Great Depression, everyone HAD to use their ingenuity to create gifts conveying their heartfelt love. Here’s some ideas to get you thinking now, during the Great Recession. You could even make a couple of these homemade gifts for each person on your list.

1.  Know a child learning Spanish?  Save several sizes of clean tin cans with unique labels in Spanish, with any jagged points bent safely down.  Fill with slightly used pens, sharpened pencils, paintbrushes, markers, and dried flowers. These make great decorative storage for your el esponol student’s desk or dresser top.

2. Write a letter to your child, niece, or nephew telling them how excited you were before they were born, about their upcoming birth. You could even frame the letter, for a gift, showing your anticipated love.

3. Print out your favorite Bible verse as a small poster. Add a label at the bottom that reads, “Mom’s Legacy Bible Verse” or “Dad’s Legacy Bible Verse.” Others, including your children, love to know what’s on your heart and in your head. Share yourself with them at this level and they will cherish your gift.

4. Give a gift of a picture of you and the gift recipient. Write at the bottom of the frame, “You are Loved.” It could be Grandpa/Grandson, Mom/Dad/You, Daughter/Mother.

5. “I love you all year long.” Write a letter about the year just ending. Make it twelve paragraphs long for each month. Tell the person just how much they meant to you each month of 2008, including a special memory from each month and a canister of homemade granola (granola takes a long time to eat)!

6. “What I’m going to Change, to Love you More.”  Write a card to those on your list, with something that you intend to change/improve, with God’s help, about yourself, in your life this year. Make it something that will make you an easier person to live with. (Now, that will be a welcomed surprise gift to the recipient, a gift that keeps on giving all year!)

7. Shine everyone’s shoes for Christmas morning. Under the tree, have everyone’s shoes lined up looking brand new. It’s an act of service that will be appreciated.  Or, give another act of service, such as car detailing. “Borrow” someone’s car a day or two before Christmas and detail it for them by hand for a Christmas morning surprise.

8. Give a gift of your professional services. Maybe you are a teacher and could offer to tutor. Maybe you are an accountant and could offer tax services as a gift.  How about a plumber, carpenter, or electrician for some home repair services? Perhaps you are a great writer and could help a family member with an updated resume.
Perhaps, you have nice handwriting and can address envelopes as a gift.

9. Regift books you have already read. Wrapping it up beautifully, adding a small letter, detailing why this book was special to you and why you want to bless them by sharing it.

10. Give each person on your list, a souvenir of your life or heirloom. Give them something of your’s, that they would enjoy having. Clean it up, fix it up, and wrap it up.

photo credit: Mr. T in DC

1) Apologize quickly and sincerely as soon as you realize that you’ve wronged someone (particularly your parents and siblings).

2) Never feel sorry for yourself (self-pity is another form of pride).

3) Stay in control of your emotions.

4) Never burn bridges behind you, in relationships.

5) Nothing is ever gained by quitting.

6) Remember, there are more people counting on you than you realize.

7) Don’t forget that God is at work, even when you can’t see it. God is working right now, in ways you don’t know about.

Love your family!

9) Meet every day with prayer, praise, and God’s Word.

10) Stay connected to the hearts of your family (particularly in a time of testing). To solve a problem with another person, soften your own heart first.

11) Listen to those who love you, before making a life-changing decision.

12) A good name is more valuable than great wealth.

2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret.”

By Bob and Cheryl Moeller.  Bob and Cheryl, married for 30 years, are parents of 6 (and one-son-in-law), and Co-founders of For Better For Worse For Keeps Ministries, connecting 2 hearts for a lifetime.  Cheryl is a comedian and speaker for mom’s group and blogs at Momlaughs.

(These are intended for married couples… to fan the flames of continued courtship)

1. Make a dinner for your husband where everything begins with the first letter of his name. For instance, if his name is Robert, you could make roast beef, rice, and radicchio salad. Serve red licorice and raspberry ice cream for dessert.

2. Add “I love you” to his calendar on the day of his birthday, every month. So, if he was born on December 15, write ” I love you” on the 15th of every month.

3. Clean the house. Pack a lunch for you and the kids. Leave a lunch behind for your hubby. Tell him his gift is a quiet house. He’ll get to be alone for a whole day.

4. Ask your wife to marry you on the anniversary of your engagement. Ask her in the same way you did the day you became engaged. Set the scene again. Relive the moment and celebrate! Look her in the eyes and pop the question again.

5. For Valentines’ Day, set up a mini Christmas tree in your bedroom, with heart ornaments and lights. Your heart ornaments can be handmade, with construction paper, doilies, and scissors.

6. Make a taco salad, with her favorite ingredients. Buy a bag of large taco chips to use as the silverware. Take a moment to feed her with a chip.

7. Go out with both sets of grandparents for a triple date.

8. Practice smiling throughout the day. It could be contagious!

9. On her next birthday, send her the number of cards that matches her age. For instance, if she’s going to be 38, then send her 38 cards to arrive on her birthday. Some of the cards can be homemade. Fill up her mailbox with your love and good wishes.

Happy Valentines’ Day from Cheryl Moeller Production. Bob and Cheryl have been married nearly 30 years and have 6 children, ranging in age from 9 to 26.

photo credit: The G-tastic 7

We were making last-minute preparations when we heard a loud knock at the front door. Another interruption, we thought as we trudged toward the door. When we opened the door, we were greeted by two delivery men from Sears.

“Will you sign for this?” one of the men asked as he shoved a clipboard our way.

“Sure, what is it?”

“A freezer,” he answered.

“We didn’t order a freezer.”

“Someone did,” he said. With that, he and his burly partner pushed past us and wheeled a full-length deep freeze up the steep steps and into our church.

As we studied the invoice, we discovered a sister church had purchased the appliance for us. That’s strange, we thought. They never told us it was coming.

Our minds returned to t he Thanksgiving dinner. Within a few hours, the first flakes of snow started coming down. In Minnesota in late November, that can mean anything from a dusting to three-foot snow drifts. On this particular day, it meant the worst. By 4:00 p.m., the flakes had turned into a major-league blizzard. The timing couldn’t have been worse. By that late hour, all the food for our dinner had been prepared-a dozen turkeys, nearly a hundred pounds of mashed potatoes, and scores of piping-hot pies.

But we had no one to eat any of it. All our food and effort was about to go to waste.

That’s when we remembered the gift we had received only hours earlier. We wrapped the food and carried it upstairs to our new storage freezer. One week later we held the postponed dinner and served a hot Thanksgiving meal to a church packed with grateful neighbors and needy friends.

Looking back, we realize we received more than an appliance from a department store that day. We received a postca r d from God.

What’s a postcard from God? It’s one of those providential, serendipitous events that appear in our lives, marriage and family-a reminder that God has not forgotten us. For us, it’s like receiving a short note that reads, “Dear Cheryl and Bob, I was thinking of you today. Just thought I’d let you know. Love, Your heavenly Father.”

The ways in which he sends these timely postcards are as unpredictable as they are amazing. The net effect seems always the same: to encourage and strengthen us, often when we need it the most.

It’s easy to overlook the simple notes our heavenly Father sends to remind us of his love. When we take the time to sort through “coincidences” of my life, we discover simple but much-needed messages reminding us, “I love you. I haven’t forgotten you.”

Signed, Your God.

Need a unique recipe to add sparkle to your Thanksgiving feast? New punch recipe? Crunchy salad? Fabulous dessert? Cheryl’s cookbook Aunt Sarah’s Alaskan Cookbook will give your guests cause for a standing ovation. As a reader of Mommmies Magazine, here’s a free copy of the cookbook from now until Thanksgiving Day http://www.currclick.com/product_info.php?products_id=25778&it=1&filters=0_0&manufacturers_id=199&discount=49965

photo credit: riptheskull

When you are starting to write or get writer’s block, the smartest idea is to write about what you know about. Otherwise, you are going to be doing a lot of research. While research is something you may want to consider in the future, novices should begin with writing about what they already have experienced or know best. It helps you to improve your writing skills, while not worrying so much about the subject as you begin to improve your craft.

Get to know your best writing self. Do you write best alone or with others in the room? Can you concentrate with music and television blaring in the background or do you need dead silence. I write best when it’s quiet, but my husband writes more words an hour with his favorite inspirational music playing softly in the background. Not me! If I hear a song while I’m writing, I am thinking about the words of the song, not the words on my computer.

A lot of people have asked me about my writing process. I always tell them, “writer’s write.” Most people talk about writing and don’t actually write; but to complete a book you need to write, write, write. As my daughter says, “a book is a lot of words!” Writing is not easy nor for the faint of heart.

I believe God gives the heart and vision for the story or article. It also takes talents and gifts, but you can’t pull off an article or book without determination and discipline. You write one word at a time just like you play the piano one note at a time. You can do it, if you put your mind to it and overlook other distractions.

Practical Ideas to become the next Pulitzer Prize Winner:

Treat writing as special as you do reading. I act as though my writing time is very important. Give yourself big challenges in the writing area, perhaps you are asking too little of yourself. Do you only believe you can do what you have already done or do you truly believe you can do more? You need to believe you can climb some higher mountains than what you did the last time up the slopes.

Give yourself a reward for each writing completion each week or each month. Sometimes I let stay at the pool for an extra hour in the sauna or buy a coffee mug that looks like a Hemingway mug.

Make lots of great stories available to yourself in a variety of ways. Do everything from checking out from the library old Fibber McGee radio shows to buying tickets to that community playhouse you always drive by. Tell stories to your children each night to keep expanding your creativity, vocabulary, and fun quotient.

Always edit your work the next day, never the same day. A fresh perspective always helps. Keep reading books about writing so you learn all the tools you need for writing, not just the mechanics of writing. For example, you also need to be an expert on other things, like your audience and how to understand the genre.

It is a writer’s joy to fan the flames of the written word within themselves and others. Do you have a mentor in the writing field and are you mentoring new or young writers? Both keep you honest and fresh.

photo credit: Caitlinator

We can nurture and develop a preschooler’s imagination and awareness of the world around them by giving our preschooler time for play.  They also need plenty of time to just make stuff up by themselves. Watch creativity come out of nothing, but it all takes plenty of time. Make things available, suggest things, and even play with them at times. Just make sure they have plenty of time for puttering and idling. For it’s when they are dawdling, inspiration may hit for some new play.

photo credit: anglogean

Here are some ideas for your child’s time for free play:

1.  Drive-in. Pretend your home is a Drive-in Restaurant. Have Mom and kids sit in the car while Dad comes out (perhaps on roller skates) to serve hot dogs, drinks, and fruit. Play your favorite CDs in the car. Make sure you give Dad a big tip!

2.  Have a Halfy Birthday Party. Hold a “halfy” birthday party for each preschooler in your family (to determine the date it’s exactly six months after their real birthday). Make sure you remember each preschooler’s halfy birthday and serve half a birthday cake. Sing “Halfy Birthday to you.” Give the child a half dollar for a present. (Half Birthday cake recipe: For the cake, you use a 9 inch round pan. Cut it in half and stack it using frosting between layers and all over the outside. For candles use their birthday number plus one half of a candle.) (The idea is from Ginny McMillan.)

4.  “I’m Proud to be an American” Parade. Pour through your local thrift shops in search of old dance costumes, vintage clothes, and funny looking hats for a dress-up chest. Invite other kids and parents over for a kid performed parade down the sidewalk or cul-de-sac. (The idea is from Lisa Hemmingway Harris.)

5.  Silverware People. Knives are the dads, forks are the moms, and spoons are the babies. Allow your preschooler to use your silverware, if they are old enough. Otherwise use smooth children’s toy silverware to form imaginary families that talk to one another. You can show your preschooler how to make a “swing” for their baby spoons by using the belts attached to the high chair. Let the belts hang down below the seat for a swing. Whee!

6.  Skating Rink. Set up a room, without carpeting, like a skating rink. For skates allow the preschooler to wear the cover-ups for shoes that doctor’s use. Cover the room with aluminum foil and tape it down. The preschooler can make tickets, sell tickets, and have ice skating shows. Make a muff by rolling up a scarf around your hands or cutting the end off of a lunch bag.

7.  Swiss Alps Day. Set aside a day for a pretend trip to the Swiss Alps. Make the Swiss Alps out of your family room couch cushions. Serve Swiss cheese or yogurt for lunch. Have a yodeling contest. In fact, you could yodel your way through your day. If you have your “Swiss Alps Day” on a day after a fresh snowfall, you can make Snow Ice Cream.

8.  Winter in July. Cover a small blow up pool with whipped cream (won’t sting a preschooler’s eyes). Fill a bucket with white balloons (made into water balloons) so the preschoolers can have a summer snowball fight. Your preschoolers can make snowflakes out of paper ahead of time and you can hang them in the trees. Set up a dome tent and cover it with an old sheet that has ice blocks drawn on it. Insert a 20 pound block of ice inside the tent and you have an igloo on a hot summer day. The ice block will last for days, by the way. (Idea is from Lisa Hemmingway Harris.)

9.  Box Heaven.  Collect and save up ten or fifteen different sizes of boxes (make sure all the staples and nails are out of them). Have your child stack them from biggest to smallest, then smallest to biggest. Some of the boxes can be very tiny. Allow them to play with the boxes and discover.

This is an excerpt from my new book Homeschool Your Preschooler on $1 a Day by Cheryl Moeller.  Purchase at www.currclick.com or www.theoldschoolhousestore.com

Why was that so hard to do that one spring? Materialism teaches the lie that we are what we own. It promises that whatever we lack in our self-confidence we can make up in what we own.

God offers a wonderful alternative to materialism. It’s called contentment. Contentment is the choice we make to be at peace with the provisions God has placed in our lives. It’s a radical and counter-cultural thought.

Who we are is shaped by what we worship. True self-confidence comes from worshiping Jesus Christ. He allows us to be at peace with what we own, even if God never adds anything to it. If we have worked hard and followed Christ diligently, then all we own is all God must believe that we need for right now. Do you know the best news of all? God’s contentment doesn’t cost us a thing – except our misery.

Maybe instead of just doing spring housecleaning this year you need to consider downsizing to give yourself time for what is really important. Maybe you don’t need to sell your home but maybe you need to give up something else that is hindering the new true wealth which is time. You will finally be able to afford both quality and quantity time with your family. You may finally have time for a date night every week with your spouse. You may have time to deepen your relationship with Christ. You may have time to find that Christ can meet your needs in any and every situation because you won’t be chasing and running after everything else. You may have time for Scripture memory, prayer, church attendance, and Bible study.

At the Christian college that Bob attended a most unusual college course was offered. For thirty days each January during the coldest month of the year in Minnesota, a history professor took students to live in what what was known as “The Depression House.” The idea was to replicate the difficult conditions of rural America in the 1930’s. For one month the students would forego hamburgers, pizza, and tacos for a diet consisting of cornmeal, homemade bread, and beans.

The irony is that students flocked to the course. The majority were from affluent homes in which they had never known deprivation or struggle. The value of the course was that they discovered true contentment and happiness can survive even a Depression.

The apostle Paul from the New Testament wrote most of his letters while held in damp and dreary prisons. We can assure you those awful prisons needed a real spring housecleaning but Paul could speak of joy and contentment because he discovered that even in prison Christ is present and alive. The secret of contentment for the Apostle Paul was his relationship with Jesus Christ.

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12b

God wants us to learn the lesson in our family and marriage that Christ is contentment. That’s the secret to really doing a spring housecleaning where it matters most – in your soul.

————————–

By Cheryl and Bob Moeller
Cheryl Moeller is a columnist for www.mommiesmagazine.com. She’s also an outrageous stand up comic for moms. Her syndicated humor columns will make you laugh until you feel better. Find out more about her new CD “Spin Cycle,” her humor columns and how you can bring her to speak at your mom’s group at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com

Bob is President of Marriage. His conference website is www.forkeepsconference.com. He is a pastor, speaker, TV show host, and writer on marriage issues.

They have co-authored two books. Marriage Minutes, Moody Press and For Better, For Worse, For Keeps, Marrriagevine Press can be purchased on www.momlaughs.blogspot.com.

Hunter and Haley have been married nearly ten years. They already have two preschoolers. To outsiders, their marriage would appear to be a success, but not everything is as appearances suggest. Before they were married Hunter wanted to go overseas and teach English in a two-thirds world country. Haley resisted the idea, citing health concerns, poor pay, and the lack of good schools for their children. To accommodate his wife, Hunter reluctantly gave up his dream and has spent his career in a civil service position instead.

Today he finds himself struggling with anger and resentment toward her. He seems obsessed with the past, imagining what life could have been like it he had not listened to her. “If only,” he says day after day to himself. “If only I had followed my heart.”

Jack and Courtney have been married seven years. Jack comes home from work one day and finds the house strangely quiet. When he walks up to their bedroom, he discovers Courtney’s closet is empty. Bewilderment soon gives way to panic, and Jack begins furiously searching the house for some clue to what has happened. In his hunt, he at first misses the obvious – a note pinned to a throw pillow on the bed. Trembling, he picks it up and scans its contents.

“Dear Jack, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. But it’s the only way I know to get your attention. I’ve been trying to tell you for a long time that I couldn’t go on with things the way they are. But you wouldn’t listen. Maybe now you will. Don’t try to contact me. Right now I just need space. Don’t worry about Lexi; I have her with me. Love, Courtney.

Jim and Jen are on the third day of their honeymoon in the Caribbean. Seated on the balcony of their hotel room overlooking the crystal-green ocean and coral white beaches, Jen believes it is an ideal setting for love. But Jim is unusually quiet.

“What’s wrong dear?” she asks, reaching out for his hand.

Jim feigns a smile. “Nothing, sweetheart.”

“No, really, something’s bothering you. Please tell me what it is.”

Jim looks away, a pained expression on his face. “I’ve been struggling the last few days. I…I’m not sure I should have married you, I just don’t know if I love you or not.”

Jen stares at her new husband for a moment, then she runs inside the hotel room. Jim can hear muffled sobs. He feels awful for what he just said but it is true. At last his agony is out.

What do these three stories have in common? They’re stories of marriages that have gone from “the better” to the “the worse.” They’re stories of people who need to learn to love each other again and to discover that God’s plan for their lives includes the person they married “for keeps.”

Many people believe that lifetime love is only for the lucky or the strong. God’s design for marriage is for every couple to know true intimacy, deep fulfillment, and the exhilarating experience of being loved just for who they are.

Yes, the design for marriage and the reality of marriage often don’t match. Each year millions of couples choose divorce, adultery, or an armed truce as a means of coping with a disappointing marriage. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Is Love only for the Lucky? No, instead hope, love, grace, a fresh start, a second chance – these are the essentials of renewing a marriage when the going gets tough.

When Bob was in high school he worked nights as a janitor in the Department of Agriculture building. Besides cleaning bathrooms and emptying wastebaskets, he was assigned a highly critical task: buffing the tile floors on the perimeter of the office complex.

You might not be familiar with what a buffing machine looks like. It resembles an upright vacuum cleaner with handlebars and a giant circular disk on the bottom the size of a manhole cover. As the disk spins around at the speed of light, it polishes the floor.

Using only one finger, the foreman demonstrated the relative ease of operating this high-powered machine. He slid the machine effortlessly back and forth across the tile. Together, he and the buffing machine resembled an Olympic figure skating pair, gliding on ice, responding in perfect synchronization to each other’s moves.

“There they go, Katie. This is the last move in the compulsories. They’re going to attempt a double axle. Yes! They’ve done it! A perfect 10!

“Do you think you can handle it?” the foreman asked.

“Piece of cake,” Bob replied.

As the foreman waved good-night, Bob swaggered up to the machine like John Wayne approaching a horse. Bob grabbed both handles, closed his eyes, and squeezed the trigger. The machine bolted away from me like a crazed Doberman pinscher on a short leash.

Bob desperately tried to hang on as the machine careened from one side of the hallway to the other. It would bang into one side of the wall and then another. Bob consoled himself with the Russian proverb, “Every beginning is hard.” In this case it was brutal.

Then the worst case scenario happened. As Bob went past the head supervisor’s office (the Grand Poobah of the Agriculture Department), his buffing machine leaped from the floor onto his carpet. Bob stood helpless, unable to react as the buffing machine whirled round and round, driving all the dirt, wax, and foreign particles from the hallway deep into the plush pile of the chief executive’s carpet. Bob buffed the boss’ rug! Stunned, he left from the office before he could do any further damage, dragging the machine with him.

The next day he came to work prepared to pick up his last paycheck. As he approached the foreman, a grin crept across his face. “I see you had a little problem last night.”

“I guess it got away from me.” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry. I cleaned it up before work this morning. The supervisor doesn’t know anything about it. You’ll get the hang of it.”

For reasons he still doesn’t understand he was given a second chance when he really didn’t deserve one. That’s the nature of grace.

You may have been pummeled, punched, and dragged down the hallway by the disappointments in your marriage. The fabric of your relationship maybe marred by deep, ugly, and stubborn memories. You may be all but certain it’s over. That’s where the power and strength of your vows can carry you through the tough times you’re facing. You can learn to love again. It’s not just luck.

Your promises to each other can put your marriage back on track. But to turn “for worse” into “for better” you will need to give and receive grace from one another. You will need to put the past behind and allow love to be rekindled. You will need to go beyond disappointment and despair and seek the beauty and reality of true intimacy. Fortunately, God is in the buiness of grace and will help you each step of the way.

A friend of ours was going through a difficult phase in his marriage when he came home one day to find the oak coat rack standing in the middle of the hallway. His wife had covered it with yellow ribbons and placed on it a note that read, “Who cares if it’s not a real oak tree? Any old oak tree will do. I love you.” His encounter with her unconditional love was a breakthrough. From that day on, their marriage started to change, for better.

On this St. Patrick’s Day remember love isn’t for the lucky; it’s for people of grace.

by Cheryl and Bob Moeller

Bob is President of MarriageVine.  They have a national marriage ministry including a conference you can check out on www.forkeepsconference.com.  Bob has written seven books and together they have written two books on Marriage.  They have been married for 28 years and have 6 children ranging in age from 9 to 25.

Cheryl is also a stand up comic for moms.  You can check out her syndicated columns and appearances at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com

Cheryl Moeller is a seasoned mother and an outrageous stand up comic who will
make you laugh until it comes out your nose. She uses her over-the-counter-top
humor to bring hope and encouragement to moms trying to cope with the
everydayness of life. She believes parents can experience new energy and
vitality in enjoying clean and honest humor, a view echoed by the ancient writer
of Proverbs 31:25, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at
the days to come.”

For example, after 25 years of motherhood Cheryl wonders out loud why there
aren’t more programs for gifted moms, who actually does buy those whole canned
chickens, and why aren’t more people using Diaper Genie leftovers to weave large
area rugs? Cheryl cranks up the spin cycle on her dryer and life to help moms
cope with too much laundry, raising preschoolers (on 12 hours of sleep per
year), surviving teenagers, pleasing relatives, understanding spouses, and the thousand other challenges.

Here’s what audiences are saying about her:

“Cheryl is so funny she had me rolling on the floor! It’s obvious that she has
`been there’ and she is willing to share her experiences to relate to other
moma…and she has a good time doing it!”
–Lisa, Mom of four under five

“Our MOPS group had a wonderful time and thoroughly enjoyed Cheryl’s comedy and
inspirational thoughts. It was great to laugh! Cheryl is doing great things to
serve moms.”
– Heather, MOPS (Mother of Preschoolers) Director

So who is this woman who causes bladder control problems in audiences everywhere?
She is a sister, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a niece, an aunt, a
granddaughter, a friend, a volunteer… well you get the idea. Let’s just say
she’s a lot like you and me and has decided the best way for us all to cope is
to laugh (don’t try to inhale at the same time — it only makes matters worse).

She’s been married to Bob for 28 years . Their children — who reluctantly admit Bob and Cheryl are their parents — range in age from nine years to 25 years old. They go by pseudo-names for obvious
reasons: Duke, Missy, Pooka, Skippy, Megs and Kenzie. The two oldest are in
graduate school (trying to figure their parents out), the next two are in
college (trying to get their names changed), and the last two are still at home
being homeschooled (trying to convince their friends that Bob and Cheryl are not
their grandparents.) We have played every sport imaginable. (Can anyone spell
lacrosse?) We have been in bands and orchestras.

Katie the dog thinks she is another daughter. Katie the dog has playdates with
other dogs in the neighborhood, scheduled and unscheduled. Katie also celebrated her first
birthday with a My Little Pony theme. The family gerbil is named Lily. Their
family passions include the Cubs, any sport, bike riding and traveling.

Cheryl is the youngest of four sisters. They are her inspiration. Cinda is a
children’s author and educator. Cathy is a special needs person who taught them all about love.
Carolyn decided to eradicate a life-long fear by learning to swim at age 50.
This was a catalyst in Cheryl realizing a life long dream and getting up the
courage to do comedy.

Cheryl is also a syndicated columnist with her own www.momlaughs.blogspot.com as
well as her monthly contributions to such on-line parent’s websites as:
www.familiesonlinemagazine.com, www.Christian-mommies.com,
www.mommiesmagazine.com, www.amomslove.com, and www.cwahm.com
among several others. She has also written for www.mops.org and Marriage Partnership.

Cheryl has also co-authored two books on marriage with her husband, Bob. Her
first comedy book for moms and parents will be released later this year.

Cheryl is wanted (in demand) in several states as a clean stand up comic who
offers her nose-mark humor in a wide variety of venues. She does comedy for
parenting classes, MOPS groups, wedding or baby showers, church retreats,
women’s conferences, and in the line at the grocery store.

If you’d like to book Cheryl for your women’s or mother’s group you can contact
her at at www.momlaughs.blogspot.com.

Warning: The surgeon general has determined that frequent use of Cheryl’s humor
will make you laugh until it comes out your nose.

Please excuse yourself from the table should this happen.

Cheryl believes, “Truly the Joy of the Lord can be our strength.”
Jesus is all we have and Jesus is all we need for being a mom,
crossing the finish line successfully, and for all eternity.
She trusted in Christ alone for her salvation when she was six
years old and it has made all the different in life and in parenting.
“To know Christ and to Make Him known,” is her vision and passion.