The morning began like any other: snuggles, breakfast, coffee, schoolwork, chores. Mid-morning, my son was reviewing his list of words for the day, which focused on the short “i” sound. After reading each word, I asked him to use it in a sentence to make sure he was connecting the sounded-out letters with real-world meanings. He got to the […]

Over the years, I’ve heard something offered occasionally that I think is a terrible motivation for living life and making choices for yourself or your family, and it is this: “You get out there and show ’em. Do it well and prove them wrong.”  It can play out in a wide variety of ways in our […]

It may sound like a headline from Cosmo, but I know the surefire way for you to have the best sex ever. This isn’t a list of 20 tips, or 8 spine-tingling things to do. No, this is better because it applies to anyone, anywhere, in any relationship. Here it is: Have sex the way the […]

Each month I get a number of e-mails and private comments asking interesting questions that may be applicable to more than just the person asking. My plan is to select a few thought-provoking and practical questions, keep the asker & identifying details anonymous, and share my answers with all of you, at the end of each month. Let’s […]

TO CIRCUMCISE OR NOT TO CIRCUMCISE? Q: To circumcise or not to circumcise? I’m anxious about the subject and my husband and I disagree. What do you guys do? And what were your reasons? Thanks! First, don’t be anxious (this is a biblical command for believers!) and stop reading nonsense anxiety-giving mom stuff on the Internet. […]

“O God, You are my God;  earnestly I seek You; My soul thirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” ~ Psalm 63:1 ~ In our 6 years overseas, we experienced a number of challenges: my husband inexplicably collapsed (all but unconscious) for 5 days, […]

It can be easy, as a stay at home mom, to forget the significance of what you are doing. In our modern busy-busy-busy, degreed, careered, materialistic, overcommitted society, it is easy to devalue the perfect normalcy of the simple everyday routine, and how that will sear warmth and joy and security into our children’s souls. For example, […]

{Note: This article has been updated from its original publishing in Dec. 2008.} Today I want to share the ethos behind some big choices of my life. I’ve lived as an at-home-on-purpose mom for the last 13+ years of my life because I believe this simple truth: as a mom of young children, the best place for me to be […]

I recently shared my answer to the question, IS IT BIBLICAL TO TEACH OUR KIDS ABOUT SEX? …and it was so good to hear from you readers. Many of you shared your experiences, and many offered specific questions and suggestions for what should be included in this series. (By the way… do you have more questions/ideas on your mind? […]

It was 2006 when I knowingly traded in my perceived freedom of privacy. We were three flights into our four-flight journey. Our two wiggly boys, then 3 and 18 months, rode atop the heap of duffels piled on a baggage cart as I –with half-grown pregnant belly– waddled past the eyes of the watching customs guard. We were […]

It seems universally true that humans are prone to wait too long to do things we should be proactive about. For me right now, I’m realizing I need to work harder to help my nearly-3-year-old be self-controlled when things don’t go his way. I’m apt to let him go too far down the self-pitying, emotional, tears-down-cheeks train track. […]

As women, we are apt to be controllers. We tightly grip the things that matter most to us. We clutch our children, control our husband, treasure our possessions, count calories meticulously… whatever it is that matters to us, we tend to hold it tightly. But… it happened to me again this week: whatever we try to […]

Moms of sons, you want to take note of Titus 2:6. In the verses before this, Paul is instructing Timothy about HOW he should be pastoring the people in his church. In Titus 2: 1-5, Paul tells Timothy to give: older men a list of 6 things they are to DO and BE, older women a list of […]

You’ve already given your best to the kids. all. stinkin. day. long. So what’s left for your husband– this man you pledged your life and love to? Scraps. Can I ask you a personal question? You don’t have to answer me… just answer in your heart: how long has your husband been surviving on scraps? […]