This is what I wrote in my journal last Monday: "It's an amazing thing to have nothing (absolutely necessary) to do right now. While the girls have swim team practice for an hour each day, other than that we can pretty much go at the...
When I was in my late elementary years, our family went to Six Flags for a day. At one point, my dad and brother went on a ride that was supposed to take them up really high in the air so that they were able...
We just did something pretty ambitious - we took our four kids ages 10, 8, 6, and 3 on a European tour of four countries in about 12 days. It was a whirlwind adventure across the ocean for one main purpose: We long for our...
My house was totally clean and stayed that way for two weeks once. It was unbelievable, really, and my husband and I stood in awe of the order and quiet in our home while our three girls were in Chicago staying with their grandparents after...
We all know what it is like to open up a social media app and see some event like a birthday party or fun night out that it seems like everyone knew about but you. Or worse, seeing pictures of friends having fun and pushing...
One of my favorite books for kids is You are Special, by Max Lucado. In the book, a little wooden boy named Punchinello lives with other little wooden people who spend all day long scurrying around sticking either black dots or gold stars to each...
Only a few days ago, my neighbor began to prepare the soil of his garden for spring. "Wow, is it time for that already?!" I thought, considering the snow that loomed on the horizon. And yet, before we know it, the first buds and blooms...
You know a book has made an impact on your child when they pick it up and throw it across the room! Never before has a book I have read to my children pulled out of them such feelings of anger, frustration, and justice as...
As a mother of four, I am regularly faced with a child who has fallen or been hurt crying to me for support and love. What tenderizes my heart in these moments is that usually the physical injury they have incurred isn't that bad, but...
The last few weeks have found me fighting the "winter blues." Coming off of the high of the Christmas season + getting back into a homeschool routine + some really cold, dark days have left me feeling more melancholy than usual. One day in particular, it...