Mark: January was a rough month for me. My construction business slowed down, winter closed in, and the darkness of depression returned. I felt like God was a million miles away. Jill: I knew Mark was struggling. We talked about it but I didn’t know how to help...
Iraq. Afghanistan. New York. Boston. Kenya. Paris. Brussels. All beautiful places in this world. All filled with innocent people whose lives were changed in an instant. The question posed by so many people is, “Where is God in all of this?” And too often they...
Dr. Todd Cartmell is a speaker at our 2016 Hearts at Home conferences. His newest book 8 Simple Tools For Raising Great Kids, is also one of our newest Hearts at Home resources! Every time I sit in on one of Dr. Cartmell’s workshops, I learn so much! I asked him...
A while ago I spoke at the Great Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati. While there, I decided to sit in on one workshop that caught my eye. The speaker was Kathy Lee and it was on maximizing the preschool years. All three of my grandkids are preschoolers, and I’m...
Jill: Yesterday was an odd Easter for us. There were no family pictures, no Easter eggs, no Easter dinner. Not because Easter isn’t important, but simply because of the season of life our family is in. Mark: The kids were either too far away, celebrating with...
“I just can’t believe your skin can stretch like that!” my husband declared one day in my ninth month of pregnancy. Honestly, I couldn’t believe it either. I was long past being able to see my feet, my ankles were swollen, and I was definitely feeling like a beached...
Mark: We’ve shared before about the challenge of expectations in marriage. Unspoken, unrealistic, and unmet expectations are dangerous in any relationship. Jill: However, there are some expectations that can actually be helpful for marriage. These are things...
Over the past few years Mark and I have worked to change our eating. We now eat very little to no gluten, no refined sugar, and no additives or preservatives as much as possible. My friend and co-worker, Lori, has also been changing her diet over the same time period....
The marriage relationship is directly affected by the emotional health of each partner. Once we get married, it’s important that we continue to grow emotionally, because it will strengthen our ability to relate to our partner. Today’s Marriage Monday is...
I can’t wait! This Spring I’ll be hanging out with over 6,000 moms from 40 states at the National Hearts at Home conference in Peoria, Illinois! It is the premier event for moms and I’d love for you to join the fun! Women come to Hearts at Home...
Jill: Friday was my birthday and it was a perfect birthday! Mark did a wonderful job celebrating it the way I wanted to celebrate it! Mark: It’s only taken me 32 years to figure this one out but I think I finally got it! Jill: We’ve been slowly remodeling our kitchen....
One year after our first Hearts at Home conference, I found myself driving across town alone in my filthy minivan filled with carseats and the last five weeks of Sunday School papers. I was having a conversation with God about the unexpected place he had me. I was...
It’s happened again. Yesterday we learned of another family that has been broken up because one person in the marriage says, “I don’t love you anymore.” There’s a common misconception that married couples will always “feel”...
I started a “read the Bible in a year plan” on January 1. I’ve always wanted to do that, and I decided 2016 would be the year. I did well the first 15 days of January. Then I got behind a few days, but was able to get caught up with a little bit of...
Today’s Marriage Monday is a guest post from Hearts at Home 2015 conference speaker Arlene Pellicane. Arlene is giving away one copy of her book 31 Days to Becoming a Happy Wife. If you want to enter, leave a comment on what you remember when you were falling in...
