Hi! Thanks for stopping by!
Whether you have stumbled onto this site by accident, through a word search or by recommendation from a friend I am honored that you are taking the time to visit. Whoever you are, Daddy, Mama, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt, Uncle, friend, teacher, care-giver, and in whatever way you have been given the privilege of influencing the life of a child, you are, by no small degree, changing the course of history. Those that take the time to invest their lives in children are among the greatest people in the world. This is my heart, my passion, and my purpose for blogging: To equip you with a few tools I have collected over the past thirty years of training up my own six children as we aspire to do our best to train up the next generation to be better than us in every way. My own upbringing, the wisdom of others and the Word of God are the substance of these tools; they come to you crafted by my own failures and successes and by other’s failures and successes, all in the forge of experience, observation and time. They come in the form of practical methods and suggestions of parenting, but also in the heart wrenching realities of our own self-examination. Change starts with us.
Born and raised in Griffin, Georgia on December 27, 1963, I consider myself very blessed to have grown up in a loving and stable, Christian environment by two very wonderful people, my parents, Warren and Fay Sellers. They instilled in us, my older sister, younger brother and me, the values that I still hold dear today: the values of honesty, respect, hard work, and individuality. Daddy overcame a difficult upbringing and went on to serve in the Coast Guard, Air Force and FAA as an air traffic controller retiring with 50 years in government service. Being the youngest of 6 children and raised on a farm in the coastal region of North Carolina, Mama was a wonderful example to me of a stay-at-home wife and mother, and inspired me to do the same.
My study of music waltzed me right into a relationship with the love of my life, Tim Riordan, and we were married on December 16, 1983. After I finished two years at Gordon Jr. College, we were blessed with our first bundle of joy, Sarah Ashley in July of 86, and so… the journey began. We never planned to have six children but decided we liked the idea of a big family and just couldn’t decide when to stop! At some point when the kids were sixteen, thirteen, ten, seven, three, and one, Tim was like a deer in headlights and it hit him! “It’s time to stop!” =) Since then we have added a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. All ten of them are the pride and joy of our lives. Our two darling granddaughters, have graced our 
home with the sweet sounds of small children once again. We are blessed!
I have enjoyed 32 happy years of marriage with my best friend. He has been the encouragement, support and anchor for me and the kids through the years, helping me to maintain a steady resolve in the day to day affairs of raising our family when, at times, I might have otherwise lost my mind =). Just like any healthy marriage, the flames of love have had to be stoked a few times through the years but our commitment to one another remains as rock solid as it was the day we said our vows. Being in full time ministry for 36 years is something we have done as a family and have always considered it an honor to serve in the courts of the King of Kings. The icing on the cake? Having no choice but to listen to the same preacher Sunday after Sunday for 32 years, I have never once grown weary of hearing Tim speak. He is one of the best! Tim is currently serving as senior pastor of Sonrise Baptist Church in Newnan, GA.
Last, but certainly not least….my faith. My relationship with God affects every area of my life. I would be a liar if I wrote blogs each week without ever mentioning the One who is everything to me; when I write, I must be true to who I am. Surrendering my life to Jesus Christ when I was eight years old was the best decision I ever made. The light of His presence and His Word daily illumines the path of my life, helps me to clearly see things as they really are in myself and the world around me, and gives me strength for each moment to live life to the fullest…. the life He passionately desires for all of us and gave up His only Son to prove it. If you are not a believer and you find my references to God offensive, I cannot offer you apologies for my faith, but I do urge you to not allow it to be a hindrance to the encouragement and help you can find here for the day to day struggles of parenting. Please feel free to leave questions/comments if you need more information on a certain subject or just want to share your story; they are welcome!
I am thrilled to be joining you on this incredible journey we call parenting.
Thank you for visiting and many blessings to you and your family!
Sandra Sellers Riordan