Free Child I.D. Kits from New York Life
Hey, mamas! We LOVE it when businesses offer a free service like this one to local moms. Two local agents from New York Life — Adam Wheeler and Brandon Shumard – will be giving away free Child Identification Kits this Saturday, January 28th, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Fun City Pizza in Springdale. (That’s located at 5320 West Sunset, in the Center Point shopping plaza.)
You’ll appreciate having this information (including your child’s digitally-scanned fingerprints) compiled into one I.D. card, and your kids will REALLY appreciate the trip to Fun City to get it.
Please note that this is NOT a sales pitch of any kind. It’s just a service being provided to local families, and New York Life has been doing events like these in communities across the nation for the past 3 years. As moms, we know there’s a certain peace of mind that comes from knowing you have ALL of your child’s most important information right at your fingertips, if (God forbid) you should ever need it in a hurry.
The Child Identification Kits include your child’s photo, their digitally-scanned fingerprints and emergency contact information. The I.D. is designed to be distributed to members of the family and placed in your wallet or some easy-to-find place in your house so that you can have it in an instant if your child were to suddenly go missing.
Our thanks to New York Life for providing such a useful, free service to families in Northwest Arkansas. We’ll see you at Fun City on Saturday where we plan to get our kids their free I.D.’s!
For more information about this event, call Elyse Tarver at 479-251-1077.
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Shoe and handbag sale is this Saturday!
Don’t forget that the huge shoe and handbag sale is happening tomorrow (Saturday, January 28th) at the Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. The sale kicks off at 8 a.m., and you’ll want to get there early and snag the really cute stuff. (Early birds 
get the deals!)
When they say sale, they mean it. ALL the shoes and handbags will only be $10EACH! The selection of more than ONE THOUSAND shoes includes NEW and gently used shoes (men’s, women’s and children’s) which were donated from the best stores and closets in our area. The fundraiser is organized by Ozark Guidance Center, one of our nwaMotherlode sponsors, and the sale will continue only as long as the shoes and bags last.
At this year’s event there will also be a raffle which will include a fur jacket and a Chanel purse, among other goodies!
This is definitely a worthy cause. Proceeds from the fundraiser, which is called “Walk a Mile in My Shoes … Sale for Mental Wellness” (Click here for more event details) are going to fund counseling services for kids and adults in Northwest Arkansas.
Because mental illness is not discussed as often as other illnesses, most people don’t realize that it affects more people than cancer, heart disease and diabetes. So the money from this fundraiser is incredibly important for our community.
Happy shoe shopping, ladies! We’ll see you at the sale!
Columbia coats on sale!
I’ve been to two different stores in Northwest Arkansas this week where I spotted really cute, high quality Columbia coats for kids on 
sale, so I thought I’d spread the word. I saw the coats on sale at Dillard’s as well as Academy Sports in Rogers. I snagged 3 of them for my kids and each one cost about $29. That’s a great deal, considering that one of those coats was originally listed for $90 and the other two typically sell for more than $50.
Here’s a pic of the one I got for my 5-year-old daughter. Kids seem to really like this style of coat because it’s warm without being bulky. (And moms know what a hassle it is to try to buckle a kid wearing a bulky coat into a car seat.)
Now might be a good time to pick up any type of coat because it looks like stores are getting rid of them to make way for new spring items coming in soon. Happy shopping!
2 AWESOME Valentine’s Day Deals you’ll love from Localiter.com!
Do you love getting flowers as much as we do? It’s just downright uplifting to see a vase full of fresh-cut flowers on the kitchen table — or on your desk at work.
Well, Localiter.com has a fantastic deal on flowers today. Customers can get $40 worth of fresh flowers from The Enchanted Florist for only $20! The Enchanted Florist is a broker for FTD and uses local florists to source their orders, so everything’s super fresh and available for delivery. Your order will be delivered to any home or business in the United States.
You can use the voucher to order a gorgeous bouquet for your mom, friend, sister or grandmother. You could also send the link to your boyfriend or husband to give them a very obvious hint that you might want some flowers very SOON (maybe even for Valentine’s Day!) But you don’t have to order them for the holiday. The voucher will be good through August, so you’ll be able to order flowers for any occasion. In addition to romantic Valentine’s-themed arrangements, The Enchanted Florist has flowers for events like weddings, birthdays and graduations. Mother’s Day is another perfect occasion to give — or receive — flowers.
CLICK HERE to jump over to the Localiter.com site and buy this LOVE-ly fresh flower deal!
We also wanted to share some insider news about an upcoming Localiter.com deal we know you’ll want to pounce on, too!! It’s a Date Night Deal just in time for Valentine’s Day! For just $32, you can get TWO VIP movie tickets good at ANY of the four NWA Malco theaters plus TWO $50 Restaurant.com gift certificates!
Your TWO $50 Restaurant.com Gift Cards can be redeemed at LOTS of great restaurants. And get this: this deal never expires so you can save your movie passes and restaurant gift cards for the next special occasion, whether that’s Valentine’s Day or an anniversary, birthday, or a Moms’ Night Out!
Once again, you can email the link to your significant other or just nab the deal yourself for future fun. The deal won’t officially launch until Monday, but the great guys at Localiter said Motherlode friends can go ahead and buy now!
CLICK HERE to buy this fabulous Date Night Deal!
Tweens & Teens: Losing my religion
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” ~ C. S. Lewis
Welcome to the January 2012 edition of Tweens & Teens. I tell you what, readers of this column don’t hold back with their questions and Gwen and Shannon do pass them on. So, if you have one of your own, please email it to mamas@nwaMotherlode.com and perhaps we can help answer it for you.
Here is this month’s question:
My 15-year-old is really questioning issues of faith and told me last week that he’s not sure he believes in God anymore. We have raised our kids in church, and this is just killing me! He doesn’t even want to go to church with us anymore, and I don’t know whether or not this is something I should force him to do. Any advice on how to handle this?
Okay, let’s take this one part at a time and work through it together. First, notice that the adolescent is 15 years old. That means that, developmentally, he is learning how to think for himself and is also trying to test limits and establish his boundaries and independence.
With that being said, he is probably questioning a lot of things, not just religion. For example, who his friends should be, should he 
smoke (cigarettes and/or marijuana), should he drink alcohol, when can he have sex (not if because they all want to have it), etc. Just thinking about this gives me a headache and heart attack at the same time, as my son is almost this age. By the way…everyone reading this article knows that they were asking themselves the same questions around this same time in their life and we were giving our parents heart attacks, as well.
It is interesting how we, as parents, want our children to grow up and think for themselves, become independent, and start asking questions that will help them mature. Then, when they do, we back up and wonder how they got to this point so fast. Being an adult is hard. Being a parent is harder. Being a good parent is just plain exhausting.
It’s very natural for adolescents to start questioning their faith and asking questions such as “Is there a God?” or “How could a loving God send people to hell”? Logic versus faith, if you will. Their answer will shape their future and you need to be there to help guide them. You also need to make sure that you reinforce that you love them regardless of their faith or the decision they make about their faith.
Additionally, you must realize that teenagers don’t have the life experience that we have. They’re just now learning to live. They’re seeking FUN, FUN, FUN and may feel that Christianity, or any religious belief(s), will keep them from having fun. When I was in my teens, I wanted to play doctor with the girls and then I became a doctor. But not because of the girls. As a teenager, and into my early twenties, my primary goal was catching the cuties. Breathing and food was a distant second and third, respectively.
Also, adolescents want to have control over their life and may believe religion takes that from them. After all, if we have to follow a set of beliefs, then we can’t do what we want. We have to live spiritually rather than earthly and, as a teenager, or any age for that matter, who wants that? Certainly not teenagers. At our age, we have, hopefully, come to realize there is more to life than fun and control. Both are good, but only up to a certain point.
You must also recognize that if you’re judgmental and begin to lecture them, they will shut down and be hesitant about approaching you again with other questions. By talking to them, you may be surprised at how insightful your teenager actually is. You will most certainly find out that you do not have all the answers, which is okay. If you don’t know the answer, then please tell your teenager the truth, which is, “I don’t know the answer but let’s try to figure this out together.”
In terms of MAKING them go to Church, I would do so, but only until about age 15-16 years. At that point, I have to (big gasp) let go and let them make their decision about whether they want to go, or not. My thought is that if you have brought them up in a God-centered household, then the roots are there for them to eventually want to go on their own. Maybe not now, but somewhere down the road. Also, you do not want to alienate them into hating and resenting the Church. As for now, I’ll stick with my decision to allow them the choice at around age 15-16 years. Until that time, they will attend whether they want to or not. I know that many of 
you would disagree and that is okay. In fact, my wife, who previews the majority of these before they are posted, emphatically stated, “I can’t believe you wrote that our kids can make their own decision before they are 18 years old! They will ABSOLUTELY go to Church because they are not yet adults and still live under our house!”
At that time I used all of my professional knowledge and experience to say the only thing that could be said…”Yes dear.” This is certainly a topic you can discuss with your teenager, and wife, when you are talking about religion. I have now had that conversation with my wife, though not resolved completely, and will later be having with our two sons, I am sure.
Finally, I have many friends who are atheists. I, however, am not. I am a Christian. I have done a LOT of research, read books on biblical archeology, read the Bible, read books on evolution, etc. to reach my decision. My parents did not help guide me to my decision, though I wish they had. I wish they had allowed me to ask them questions and have them answer me honestly about their beliefs. I wish we could have had a real conversation about religion, but we did not. You, however, have that opportunity now…don’t let it pass you by. Talk to your teen and, equally, if not more important, LISTEN to them. THEY are searching for answers, not you. You need to know what they believe, what they don’t believe, and what they are seeking. Only then can you give them the advice and support so they can make an informed decision about what their faith and what they believe (notice I did not say an informed decision about what YOU believe).
Hope this helps because this is a tough one. Please feel free to comment and let us know how you have handled this situation for your family.
P.S. Husbands, talk to your wife, as well. It will save you from sleeping on the couch.
Until next month,
billy
Click here to read previous articles on Tweens & Teens. Got a question for Dr. Jones, a child psychologist for Mercy Health? Send it to us (we won’t use your name) and we may feature it in an upcoming installment of Tweens & Teens.
