I remember the day well. I had a newborn, a four-year-old, and a six-year-old. As a stay-at-home mom, I’d been with them all day and I was exhausted. Mark walked in the door from work and I said desperately, “I wanna make a deal with you.” He looked...
The early years are important years for developing security, self-discipline, and emotional safety. Routine and structure play important roles in setting those foundational elements in place. When you think about it, life is filled with changes. Even in a...
Mark and I have the joy of having 2 or our 3 grandkids all this week while Mom and Dad take their church youth group to a week-long youth conference. I’m knee-deep in diaper, sippy cups, and cutting up food at mealtime. Because of the age range of my five kids,...
Austin, Mark, and I just returned from a much-needed two week vacation. I chose to unplug during that time–I scheduled a few Facebook posts and blog posts so it didn’t seem like I disappeared. But in real life, I did. And it was wonderful. We started our...
I first wrote about this topic two years ago and the response was so strong that I decided it was time to talk about it again. On the Sunday after my third grandchild was born, a well-meaning friend at church asked me if I was heading to Texas that week. I told her I...
“If we want to live a wholehearted life, we have to become intentional about cultivating rest and play, and we must work to let go of exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as self-worth.” ...
We live in such a conforming society that many of us struggle with our unique qualities. And if we struggle with our unique qualities, you can only imagine how challenging it is for our kids to embrace how they are different from others. For uniqueness to be...
Welcome to all my Proverbs 31 Devotional friends today! I’m delighted you stopped by! Please take a minute to leave a comment and introduce yourself! Happy Tuesday to all my favorite blog world friends who hang out with me here on a regular basis! Please hop...
Father’s Day is just days away and sometimes the best gifts you can give Dad don’t cost a dime. Karen Ehman and Glynnis Whitwer are two celebration queens in my life. They inspire me to be creative (or better yet, they equip me to be creative!) and have...
The days of summer are upon us. For those with school-age children it means change. Within a matter of days many moms will have their children home for the summer. I always looked forward to that time with both excitement and uncertainty. As an at-home mom, I would...
My baby graduated from high school on Saturday. How is that even possible? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I brought all 9lbs 10oz of him home from the hospital? He’s headed to Moody Bible Institute in the fall to pursue a degree in Communications. He had...
Today’s guest post is from Dr. Debbie Cherry. Dr. Cherry is a licensed clinical psychologist, author, and speaker who is a workshop speaker at our 2014 Hearts at Home conferences. She has authored and co-authored several books including The Strong-willed Wife...
Over the past six months of my cancer journey, I’ve learned that a sense of humor is very important during the hard times. Joy is an inside job and is not dependent upon our circumstances. Looking back over this season, a few “funnies” come to mind...
