Is a grumpy child just destined to be grumpy? Since his lip naturally turns downward and his arms easily fold and his body crumples, should we just give in and let him be a grump? Well, no. Just like anything else (how our kids approach their schoolwork, what sort of attitude they bring to family gatherings, […]

Parenting, Sex, and Birth Control are “hot topics” I often get asked about. Here are my boiled-down thoughts on these things. MY THOUGHTS ON PARENTING My favorite book on the subject is Raising Godly Tomatoes, by Elizabeth Krueger. In general, my thoughts are: Click to read more of my best parenting articles. THINKING CHRISTIANLY ABOUT SEX […]

Q: I am amazed by how I am noticing *already* eye rolling, sighing, attitude in general from my 5 and 3 year olds. We have zero tolerance at our house for disrespectful attitudes, and we also require obedience (“you obey Mommy the first time, with no sass.”). I am starting to notice especially with my […]

This is a sponsored post. This Christmas, Do you want to do your part to fight human trafficking? Is the advance of the Gospel through practical means a passion for you?  Would you like to provide practical help for refugees? Are you looking for a way to teach your children about Christmas GIVING rather than… […]

As a family, we love playing games together. Good quality games: contribute to a family environment of fun and learning together, make holiday times and extended evenings with other families more fun, give a great opportunity to model appropriate behavior for winning and losing, and allow you to observe your children’s reactions and tendencies to competition, […]

Q FROM A READER: How do you feed your large family? The older my son gets, the more he’s eating, and I’m realizing I need to get better at cooking more food for less money. Yup, with 9 kiddos (8 of whom are sons!!), you know I understand! This is an ongoing point of analysis […]

Last fall, I unexpectedly encountered someone I haven’t seen in decades. Mercifully, it was in a crowded setting where we did not have to interact, and I don’t think he ever saw me. I didn’t even recognize him at first. But when I was young and impressionable, that person-across-the-way deeply impacted my life through manipulative… […]

My blood began boiling over this issue a few years ago, when the (supposedly) “safe for the whole family” Christian radio station in my area began advertising “Mommy Makeovers” throughout the day, every day. The ad went something like this: “Sick of your post-baby flabby midsection? Ready to treat yourself and your body to some […]

While breastfeeding, I tend to stay (how should I put this?) plump fluffy voluptuous chunky heavier than I’d prefer curvy rounder-than-while-not-breastfeeding soft Yeah, those adjectives work. You might have other words you’d use. Keep those to yourself, please. 🙂  Basically, I’m not the gal the breastfeeding books all talked about. Nope.  I’m the one who […]

I was a child of a public-school Bible-belt upbringing in the 90s. The hurry-up-and-sign-it “True Love Waits” promise card at a yearly youth event clashed with my daily environment of couples-making-out-in-the-practice-rooms of the high school marching band hall. These competing elements formed a mish-mash foundation for my emerging personhood, all of it playing to a soundtrack of upbeat Amy […]

Christian woman, you may not even realize it, but are you pornifying our culture? Perhaps you say “no”– “I hate even the idea of porn!” “I don’t invite men to look at me with lust.” “I would never do that!” BUT– TAKE A FIELD TRIP THROUGH YOUR PHOTOS Go right now to the photos you have publicly posted…

You know what we had this morning? We had the perfect homeschooling day. Well… …perfect *for us.* Probably not anything close to what you’re imagining in your head right now. You DO know that the “perfect homeschool” doesn’t exist, right? But here’s what our perfect homeschooling day looks like: We make forward progress in areas […]

You may already know what I’m referring to. It’s the job where nearly everyone– celebrities, politicians, nurses, and stay-home-moms– struggles, almost from the first few minutes. In this place, we feel self-doubt we feel pressured to do it all we are ill-equipped in what we do we have no idea how to do it we’re pretty… […]

Last week it hit at once, unexpectedly. The wearying combination of both physical and emotional tiredness. We’ve had a busy couple months with life and ministry. I’d been schooling faithfully since our daughter was in the hospital, and that probably contributed, too. But the thing that had given the biggest gut-punch was that one of those… […]