Several weeks ago I was contacted by a writer for Mom it Forward and asked if I would be willing to interview for the segment,  Moms Making A Difference.  I wasn’t sure what qualified me to be lumped into the same category as the many admirable women who’d been featured prior to me, but I was flattered and agreed to the interview.

On the day of my interview, I had a huge smile on my face as I realized the direction the interview was going to move in. I didn’t blog very much last summer because I was too busy living unplugged. We had such an amazing summer traveling, hiking, biking, and being outside together. We don’t even have cable television anymore. Thanks to Mom it Forward, I now have pretty darn good documentation of what the best summer of my entire life was like!

Click here to read my story, The Bantering Blonde Unplugs

Sitting down to a dinner with the entire family is a great way to stay connected with your children (and also a way for siblings to keep in touch with each other). There are a few strategies that I follow with my three children to keep things fun and stress free:

Stop the short order cook syndrome. It might have been easy to acquiesce to a picky eater with one child, but once they get older or you add more kids to the mix, you are setting yourself up for many an evening spent on too much preparing and not enough enjoying dinner. Make one dinner (maybe allow for slight variations like a red and a white sauce served with the pasta) and serve it all at once to all family members. Everyone may not like everything, but they can just eat more of a different course to fill up.

Keep it positive. We used to do the ‘Best/Worst’ game where we all said the best and worst parts of our day, but I found that we spend a lot of time complaining and not focusing on the positive. Who wants to sit around the dinner table and listen to how awful everyone’s day was? Not me.

Get some conversation starters. There are many different variations like cards or books, but the premise is to ask an interesting question which will get conversation flowing. We have a variety of these in our house and our daughters love them, we actually end up at the table long after dinner ends once we bring them out. There are a variety of question you can find online as well just by searching for ‘Family Conversation Starters’. There is a great document here.

If it is entirely impossible to eat dinner as a family due to activities/work/school functions, then gather everyone to eat breakfast together.

It is proven that children who eat together as a family eat healthier, are less likely to be overweight, less likely to use drugs and alcohol and do better in school. It is just a great habit to start now that will keep your family close and create memories to last a lifetime.

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!

- Kalidasa

Have you ever been struck by lightning? Or perhaps fallen in love so fast that when you fall out you’re not sure where or when the time went? Or held your first child in your arms one morning and the next they’re already old enough to hold you? What about heard, read or saw a word that instantly inspired you to take action? Big, bold out-of-the-ordinary action.

Can words do that? Inspire? Do actions really speak louder than words or does the action simply take credit for what the words started?

I say, words not only inspire action, but can persuade, inform, change our perspective and even entice. Words can change lives for the good and for the bad. One act of kindness or hate can change an entire lifetime or inspire a world of hope.

Recently a colleague of mine told me a story. A story about me. A story she heard from a woman she worked with and it was about me. A moment in time that had impacted this woman’s life so greatly that she repeated it to strangers!  It made a difference in her life. A BIG, bold beautiful difference.

“Wait, it involved who?”

That was my first thought! I desperately wanted to remember and really understand why this moment mattered to this woman almost fifteen years later!

So the basic story goes like this:  We were in English class and each of us was asked to read some text aloud. No big deal, right? Well for some of us no, but for others who had only just learned the English language it was an entirely different story.  It came to be her turn to read aloud and she began to struggle with the pronunciation of a word or two. Apparently I realized this and simply leaned over and whispered the correct pronunciation to her.  End of story.

That’s it?

For me, yes. (Until now).

For her, no.

Such a simple gesture.  So quick, so long ago but still fresh in her mind. Words that impacted her life so greatly that her gratitude shines. She shines. I like to think that at that moment she realized she was welcome at our school. Welcome here in America. Welcome to speak her mind freely without consequence. Free to speak and inspire and create action!

I wish that I could remember.

Truth be told, I don’t. Not that moment, not a lot about high school in general. But I wish I did. I wish I could look her in the eye and say that I remember.  I wish I could bottle that moment and inspire others to have more patience and tolerance and kindness.  My colleague said that she told me the story so I could tell my children.  I did and I thank her for helping me to remember to teach simple acts of humanity and humility by reminding me to show my children what compassion is and how words can not only hurt, but heal.

Do words inspire action? Without a doubt. Words inspire a lot of things. Words inspire forgiveness. Words inspire giving.  Words inspire others.

Actions may speak louder than words, but words, words are the ever changing syllables of our mind and heart.

Lately I’ve been inspired to get healthy, lose weight and inspire my family to eat better and exercise more.  This didn’t happen overnight but I was struck by an amazing group of women on twitter who amaze me every day with their wit, strength and guidance. Just a few 140 word sentences have helped me to begin my journey of wellness and self discovery. A lifetime of action inspired by just words.

Let lightning strike. Let your words inspire action each and every day. Put your words into plans and put your plans to work.

“Never confuse motion with action.” – Benjamin Franklin

Don’t just go through the motions of life. Smile and share and breathe in the beauty of a new day. Embrace your children, count your blessings and don’t ever let a day go by without saying these words: “I love you”. Find the words that create change. Find the words that inspire action in your family’s life that will make a difference. Believe that not only is someone out there looking for exactly what you have to offer but are waiting for you to find it and that when you meet, magic will happen or already has.

If you heard Friday’s show, you know that I was approaching my weekend camping trip with some trepidation…. with a lot actually.  I knew the kids would have a blast, but I’m not one to go without showering for several days in a row and, while I enjoy the outdoors, sleeping with the critters has never been at the top of my “must do” list.