With Mother’s Day later this week, I’m reminded of how painful Mother’s Day can be. It’s a holiday laced with immense pain for many . . . those who struggle to have children . . . those who had a bad relationship with their mother. Then there are those who have lost a child. Those who wait with longing for a …
Review: Dating Like Airplanes: an invitation to soar
As the parent of one teenager and three more who will become teenagers, I’m always looking for tools to help as we coach our kids through dating/courting/finding a spouse. In Dating like Airplanes, Caleb Breakey issues an invitation to do dating differently. He honestly talks about how hard it can be to know how to do relationships the right way, in …
An Unexpected Pause
This week I got hit with the stomach bug — hence no midweek post. It laid me flat on my back. Fortunately, it was quick. But I’ve thought about grace as my plans for this week exploded around me. Two days of school gone thanks to the stomach bug. But God’s grace showed up in so many ways in the …
3 Tips for Loving My Now
As a mom who has so many irons in the fire, it can be a real challenge to sink into my now moments. Instead, I can easily be distracted by everything that’s on my list instead of taking the seconds, minutes, and hours that exist in today. Can anyone relate? It’s so easy to focus on the next 2 practices, …
Struggles of a Homeschooling Mama: Algebra
As a second-generation homeschooler, not much fazes me. I’ve experienced it, heard about it, done it. However, we’ve just hit a stumbling point in our homeschooling. ALGEBRA. The big, bad, oh-so-necessary-to-graduate algebra. So what’s a mom to do when Algebra becomes a daily battle? Here are a few things I’ve done: 1) I’ve had to reexamine why I homeschool. Do …
Balanced: You’ve got to be kidding, right?
This week is one way out of balance. I’ve decided those are the times God most shows up. I am desperate for Him, and He meets me in my desperation. Over the weekend I got 24 hours to hang out with my writing friend Tricia Goyer. It was such a treat and delight…but if there’s anyone on the planet who …
Parenting 101: Secrets of Happy Families Review
What makes a family work? It’s a question I think about frequently. While each family is different, I love to find principles that I can apply to our unique dynamic. The Secrets of Happy Families is a fresh approach — taking business principles and transforming them for families in a dynamic way that has me eager to try adapting some …
5 Tips for Surviving Bitter Cold with Kids
If you’re family is like mine, you meet yourself coming and going. There may be days that you and your spouse meet in the garage for a quick kiss as you run from activity to activity. It’s easy to get used to that pace of life. Then something happens. Maybe it’s that cold, hard, snowy winter. Indiana has been locked …
Do We Dare to Dream Crazy Dreams with God?
Last summer my family had a crazy adventure. For awhile the longing for a shared adventure had grown in my heart. Because my husband spent seven of his growing up years in the Far East, I’ve harbored a desire for our children to share a similar experience. The more I thought and prayed about it, the crazier it seemed. Yet …
3 Ways to Live Beyond Ourselves
This week a friend of my husband’s from college lost a valiant battle with breast cancer. She fought the disease as hard as anyone could. As I’ve read people’s tributes to her, I’ve been reminded of a couple ways she impacted me and in turn has challenged me to live a life more focused on those God has placed in …