When our kids disobey us, and especially if they cop an attitude, it’s easy for us to feel out of control… as if we CAN’T harness our own anger amidst such outright defiance. Good desires, like for our children to learn to obey, for them to make wise decisions, for them to respect us as…

Well. I’ve been quiet for a couple weeks. And the truth is, I have things to say. I’ve got more to say than I’ve been letting on, and I’ve been listening too much to the gurus who give tips on how to write clickable headlines and how to curate your own message and why to […]

To the young lady, looking at a young man, as a potential husband: When you consider what you’d like in a young man, be honest… what ranks up there? Good looks? Nice eyes? Enjoyable sense of humor? Taller than you? Fun to talk to? Heck, I remember looking for those things (and getting them 🙂 I… […]

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 […]

Recently, I watched a video that appeared on my Facebook feed. Filling the comments section was a litany of moms who claimed they “couldn’t even watch the video because they were so distracted by the fact that none of the kids were buckled into their carseats correctly.” It got me to pondering… There are a whole lot […]

Well, this year we had a long summer. Longer than normal. And it was fabulous. Here are some highlights: Our family of 9 spent 12 days on a backpacking trip around Mt. Rainier. We were completely phone/internet disconnected during those days, and lived off of (1) what we could carry, and (2) what we stashed in 2 food/fuel […]

There have been seven times in my life I’ve personally heard the words, “it’s a boy!” 1. In July 2002, following a painful, long delivery, after fearful words were spoken about meconium and the baby didn’t breathe for a long while, I heard, “it’s a boy!” as an afterthought before the NICU team whisked him away. […]

Christian wife, could I have permission to speak into that place where your disappointment resides? The portion of your mind where reality shows up and shows that he isn’t, in fact, the perfect guy you may have thought he was in your early months together? The place where you are tempted to keep an opposite-of-1-Corinthians-13 […]

Have you ever caught yourself listening to a sermon on someone else’s behalf? What I mean by that is, are you mentally internally saddened because, “so-and-so SURE COULD BENEFIT from hearing this,” but she isn’t there? Or perhaps you’re cheering the pastor on because you think, “Boy, I hope that couple across the aisle is paying […]

Since October is my birthday month, let’s talk about birthday depression. Last year, I (seriously) typed in, “why am I sad even though it’s my birthday?” to Google. Yup, I typed in that phrase. It wasn’t much help, except to say, apparently, this is a thing. Some people get sad, instead of happy, on their birthdays. There […]

In the comments section of a recent post, titled, “Why Have More Kids?” I received this comment: While I can appreciate your thoughts, my big issue with extra large families, is that ultimately, it is unsustainable. Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone decided to have 6+ children!? We are already outgrowing […]

This question recently came in: I was thinking about what you spoke about [in this podcast episode, called “Lean In & Learn from Other Women”] and the thing that stuck out most to me was how you learn most by living life with others. While I completely agree, I am stuck wondering HOW to make… […]

“One day, I’d like to write a novel.”  Millions of people have likely spoken those words (whether out loud or in their own heads).  And yet, few accomplish it. If you’ve got “write a novel” on your bucket list, but haven’t ever done it, NaNoWriMo– National Novel Writing Month— in November of each year is an opportunity […]

WHOA, we’ve reached the end of March, and I have a four-month-old cutie. How did that happen? Have you heard about this excellent book? If not, and you want to read a surprisingly-prescient call to purposeful family life, written by a Christian couple in the 1950s, GET THIS BOOK. The Mom On Purpose podcast is going strong, and I’ve […]