Jill: You know, summer is one of my favorite seasons. The sun is out, I get to tend to my garden, and I love getting to enjoy time with our grandchildren while they are on school break. Mark: I do as well. Along with summer, though, comes busy schedules, BBQs to...
Did you know that the average person has 48 thoughts every minute? If you add that up, you could be thinking over 70,000 thoughts in a day! There is an endless amount of thoughts and emotions that take up space in our brain and impact how we respond to others. This...
Many years ago when I was a young mom, I read two books that I had actually just picked off the shelf at a Christian bookstore. Those two books absolutely changed my life and my mothering—A Mother’s Touch and A Mother’s Time—and the author was Elise Arndt. To say that...
We live in an age of an endless and overwhelming amount of information. Whether or not we realize it, it can start to take a toll on us. It can begin to affect our personal well-being and create depletion, exhaustion, impatience, and it can bring out versions of...
Jill: I think it’s accurate to say that most of our conversations as Mark & Jill 1.0 (before our crisis) were not very emotionally-safe conversations. But now as Mark & Jill 2.0 (since we have been intentionally investing in our marriage), our conversations...
Ask any parent and they will tell you all the things they have sacrificed for their newborn, toddler, child, teen, or young adult. When Mark and I were in the thick of parenting, we often sacrificed our time, energy, finances, and more for our family. We still do at...
As I talk to women in the second half of their lives, I often run into the belief that the most meaningful moments of life are behind them. But what if the most meaningful moments of life are really yet to come? I talk about this in my Empty Nest, Full Life book. This...
If there is one principle I have learned in nearly 40 years of marriage, it’s the principle that love is a choice. It’s a decision. It is not a feeling. Dr. Gary Chapman believes that as well because Love Is a Choice is the name of his newest book. Dr. Gary Chapman is...
Years of mentoring hurting couples and navigating our own hurting relationship have led us to conclude that the number one cause of divorce isn’t money or sex or infidelity or even communication. These are all secondary issues of the deeper issue. They are symptoms of...
Dear mama, Thinking back, I remember the days each of my children joined our family like it was yesterday. The excitement. The fear. The love. The anxiousness. The unknown. I’m sure you do as well. For our biological children, I remember the hospital. I remember...
When Mark and I went through the dark season in our marriage, it’s no surprise that we sought out counseling. However, what most people find surprising is that our counselor focused more on untangling our childhoods than our skills as a couple. That was exactly what...
We love spending time with our grandkids as well as our nieces and nephews. That’s why we plan various outings with them from Grandparents Camp to other small activities. Mark and I can’t get enough of their cute faces and it gives their parents a break. A little...
Welcome to another bonus episode of the No More Perfect Podcast! We love surprising you with extra podcast content that’s super practical and beneficial for your life – it’s our way of saying thank you! Mark is joining me as we dive into the often...
Are you an innie or an outie? We’re not talking bellybuttons here; we are talking about how you deal with clutter. Innies tend to “file,” while outies tend to “pile.” I am naturally an outie, so I tend to pile, and that led to some...
For those of us who are married, we would testify that there are times when marriage is hard. There are ups and downs and challenges that we face while learning how to blend two lives into one. You may often hear Mark and I talk about that in this space. Relationships...
