5 Ways to Help Your Daughter Select a Modest Homecoming Dress

When my oldest daughter was asked to her first high school dance,  she was excited at the prospect of dressing up, going to dinner, and then attending the dance itself.  Of course, one of the first things we did was shop for a dress. Financially, the journey to find...

Third Thursday Blog Hop: There are no perfect friends!

I signed up to bring my friend Amanda a meal after the birth of her twins. It was a busy season for me, but I rationalized that I had to cook for my family anyway, so I’d just double it and cook for hers, too, on Wednesday. I’d fed my Hamburger Helper and...

Friday’s Quote of the Week

“I choose gentleness… Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself. ”                                                   ...

How do you make a new friend?

My youngest daughter, Erica, is a just a year into her mothering experience. She’s an at-home mom trying to find her way into new friendships with other moms. The other day she was at a park where she struck up a conversation with another mom. They enjoyed a...

Comparison Kills Contentment

We all do it. We compare our insides to other people’s outsides. We size ourselves up to other people and we either come out looking better than they do or we come out looking worse than they do. Our insecurities drive this unfair kind of comparison and the...

Friday’s Quote of the Week

“We become like the object of our focus.  If our focus is on our needs we become more needy.  If our focus is on the harm others have done to us, we become harmful and angry people.  If our focus is on material things, we become grasping and greedy.  And, praise...

5 Ways to Help Your Kids Deal with Technology Triggers

Today’s post is a sneak peek from the next Hearts at Home book No More Perfect Kids that will be released in March 2014. Dr. Kathy Koch and I have been working hard to provide a practical resource that equips parents to lead their children well and empowers...

Are you a steward of your pain?

On Thursday, I flew to Florida to spend 3 days with a friend going through the same crisis I walked through over a year ago.  It was hard to relive some of the emotions, but it was good to allow God to use the broken places in my life for His good. I posted on...