This is the mismatched shoe bin at our house right now. WHAT????! (As I told my husband… “SOCKS are explainable. They get wedged behind dressers and slip under beds. But SHOES?????!”) WHY do I have this many mismatched blue flip-flops and mismatched black dress shoes???! The struggle is real. CLICK TO SEE A 30-second VIDEO of my […]

Early in our homeschooling journey, someone put the book, Better Late Than Early, by Raymond & Dorothy Moore, in my hands, and it has invaded not only our homeschooling, but every area of our parenting. “Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” ~W.B. Yeats There is a general approach to education in […]

As we’re talking about with Lisa right now on the podcast, mom life can make it tricky to be actively engaged with the Bible. What my kids look like when I’m postpartum-schooling from my bed, doing our read-alouds Oh goodness, how precious is this? I love newborn sincerity. No cynicism here– just trust. (I told […]

Awhile ago (actually several years ago–oops!), a reader asked: I’d love to hear your thoughts/tips on things you do during pregnancy to ease nausea, to get the rest you need, to keep the household running smoothly, etc.  HOW I DEAL WITH PREGNANCY NAUSEA First, I should say, I don’t deal with hyperemesis (crazy-terrible nausea/vomiting through pregnancy) […]

You’ve heard the advice. (heck, I’ve told you to do it!) “Postpartum moms, REST MORE!!” And yet, maybe you wonder… what does that practically look like? Especially when we have other children, and when they’re all/only littles, the advice can seem impractical. “HOW exactly am I supposed to do that?,” you might wonder. Well, look no…

As Christian women, the topic of modesty can be a conversation fraught with traps. What does”modesty” even mean? Do we all have to dress according to some standard of not drawing the gaze of the biggest creep in the room? Or be like the most school-marm-y woman in the congregation? Is it a matter of inches on our […]

{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 […]

Words can build up; words can tear down… this is true in the words we use regarding our children. Unfortunately, moms can often be heard openly griping about their children. I believe that we have to be intentional and thoughtful in the words we speak TO or ABOUT our children. And I believe those words ought to be kind, […]

Last week, I wrote about how I stop tantrums lickety-split. Make no mistake, I’m an advocate for parental authority and consistent discipline: But it made me think– I am coming at these things from a perspective of having GREAT AFFECTION FOR my children, and lavishing GREAT AFFECTION ON my children every day. And, sadly, I am quite certain […]

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, Is laid for your faith in His excellent word! What more can He say than to you He hath said— To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?” HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION, YE SAINTS OF THE LORD IS LAID FOR YOUR FAITH IN HIS EXCELLENT […]

In 2011, I took my first biblical counseling class, and one session focused on the “Anti-Psalm.” The goal was to better understand what a text is saying by carefully thinking through the exact opposite meaning. It can be insightful to see the “opposite” of a text, and gives an excellent way to clarify the actual meaning. I previously did this with Proverbs 31. Let’s […]

This mom: steps up to “do it all,” taking on more than she can cheerfully do, then feels bitterness and frustration doesn’t ask (but still expects) others to help may keep an internal “list” of all the things she does that no one else appreciates magnifies her own responsibilities, contributions, and burdens, and thus expects that others would […]

I’m guessing, as a mom, you’re pouring your heart and soul into this child or these children that God has given you, yes? And that you’d love for them to turn out ok? Or even amazing? Sometimes people (even pastors) say things like, “just have faith” and “you’ve just gotta believe” and “claim it in […]

Parenting can be such a challenge. Sin outside our home… sin inside our hearts… the stresses and strains of life in a family… These things swirl together and threaten to knock us off-kilter.  As my husband and I go about life with our seven children (currently, ages 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 2, and 7 months),… […]