The tree glistened behind him as we sipped hot chocolate on the sofa. “Mom,” he wondered, “do you ever feel like there’s an empty seat at the table?” I glanced over at the table dressed with sparkling silver, holly berries, and fine white china. For us, holidays had become a memorable affair. We had come to love dressing up and…
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For when there’s an emptiness in your heart
For when you feel like you’re not enough
It was 2am and darkness blanketed more than just the empty hotel room. As sleep teased my exhausted heart, the light from my phone illuminated the moment. The message was as long as it was heavy, making the tears difficult to push back. “My greatest struggle is I don’t feel like I’m enough. My track record proves the truth; I’m…
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Free Printable Chore Cards for Kids (you can edit)
I don’t know about you, but managing chores with my kids has been one of those parenting things that has taken a lot of “tweaking.” Ok it’s taken multiple overhauls and a lot of tears. Haha. Who am I kidding? It’s difficult to come up with the right balance and a consistent plan that will keep your kids motivated to…
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A Chore System that Teaches Good Money Habits (without entitlement)
The one thing I’ve probably struggled with most as a parent is finding a chore system that teaches good money habits without making my kids feel entitled. For me, money has been a personal struggle. I was one of those kids who graduated from college with 30K in debt and a nice sampling of credit cards to go with it….
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6 Ways to Find Peace in the Storm
It’s the longest 52 minutes of my life every single time we enter that room. It would be easy to blame it on the chill of the air or the stiffness of the chair, but I rather think it has more to do with the lack of distraction. For safety, one must leave all possessions outside of the scan room. No…
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How to Teach Homeschool Math (A Simple Plan for Non-Math Lovers)
Homeschool math… I have to admit, just the thought once made me feel a twinge of queasiness. Now don’t get me wrong, I love school. Like, absolutely love it. I’m the kid who was always counting down the days until the new school year. I love learning new things, love the smell of school supplies, and actually find lectures fascinating. BUT,…
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How to Teach Homeschool Language Arts
Homeschool language arts is perhaps the most difficult subject to teach. It’s not difficult because of the actual subject itself. It’s often difficult because of what we make of it as parents. We realize the importance of it and as a result often put so much pressure on this one thing that our kids begin to suffer. So before we…
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Teaching Homeschool Social Studies (a simple plan)
Teaching homeschool social studies is one of those things that leaves many homeschool families feeling confused, frustrated, and often with a long list of questions. How does it fit in? Is it necessary? Will my elementary child fall behind if we don’t use a textbook curriculum? What should we use to teach it? How much is enough? How much is too…
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How to Captivate your kids with a Summer Reading Challenge
Are visions of lazy, video-game-addicted, junk-food-eating kids haunting your summer, too? My friend, you’re not alone! Summer break around here means a house full of children who need something to do besides playing video games, tv, and bad eating habits. Can I get an amen? Haha. Like you, I want them to have some time to take a breather over the…
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How to prepare your heart for the hard things
We’ve walked through the doors marked “Pediatric Oncology” 18 times since November. It’s the place no one ever wishes to go and most people never imagine they will face. But we’ve done it over and over again. We’ve sat down in the waiting room next to babies with no hair. Teens who can barely walk with walkers. Little girls with…
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How to help your child obey when it’s hard
I’ve found that some kids just really struggle to obey. Have you? I saw this a lot as a classroom teacher. Some kids were just natural rule followers who couldn’t get in trouble if they tried. Others couldn’t stay OUT of trouble if they tried. Even their best efforts fell short. Every. Single. Day. As a parent, I wasn’t surprised…
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Do you really want to start over?
Have you ever wanted to start over? Life is hard and sometimes ugly. We mess up and get messed up. Painful circumstances haunt our joy and bad choices laugh in our face. Sometimes we long to just start over. I think that’s why there’s so much hype around New Year’s Day. There’s something about a brand new year that motivates…
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How to have a victorious year (even when bad things happen)
It was 2010. We sat crammed around a table too small for all of us, but no one seemed to mind. Over the years we had come to love this time away to renew our hearts, eat kettle corn, and play games into the early morning. It was our church’s women’s retreat, but to us it was so much more. Although…
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Why bah-humbug and good riddance really won’t make you feel better
I won’t lie. This year has been hard. Ridiculously hard. As the year dawned, I found myself walking yet another friend through an unwanted divorce, mourning the pain of 3 very young children, the strained hopes and dreams of a dedicated parent, and the brokenness of a faith tossed aside. Then there was a failed romantic venture that etched deep…
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Choosing God’s glory in the face of the unknown
Have you ever thought about how difficult it must have been for Mary to face the circumstances surrounding Jesus’s birth? We’re usually quick to focus on the words of the angel proclaiming that Mary was highly favored among women and chosen. Because we know the ending of the story, it’s easy for us to see this visit as a blessing…
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How I became #Notconsumed
Whether you’ve landed on this blog for the very first time today or been reading along for five years, you might not know the story behind it all. So, may I tell you? The year was 2011. From my spot on the couch the blessings were overwhelming. God had provided a place for us to live despite a foreclosure, impending/unwanted…
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Finding community when life is hard
It was 3:47am and the ceiling tiles were closing in on me. Honestly, I’m surprised it took so long. We were now on Day 16 since everything changed and I had spent all but four nights staring at those tiles. With each new room, hallway, and section of the hospital came more tiles. They were hard to miss. Some brightly shared…
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How to find thankfulness when life is hard
It was 4am on Saturday. Exactly 3 days after the morning our lives were forever changed. The overhead light in our fish-bowl PICU room was dim, but Luke was wide awake. (Can’t say I blame him after they stuck a needle in his arm for “routine lab work.” Not to mention, he had been in bed since Wednesday so what…
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Why I disappoint my kids
It was a blistery winter day and the snow fell fast on the porch before us. In our very southern town, those beautiful little snow flakes meant only one thing: everything was canceled. Because we see snow so rarely, we don’t have plows or salt trucks. No one here knows how to drive in flurries, much less snow that has…
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One simple tip for teaching kids discernment
His little 6-year-old hands were shaving carrots as I cut the onions for our dinner that night. His siblings were at piano lessons and it was the perfect opportunity to monopolize mom’s attention. He didn’t hesitate. Within seconds he was telling me tales and chattering away about LEGO masterpieces. Then he stopped and looked firmly at me. “Mom, Marilyn brought…
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Why all homeschool conferences are not the same
I walked the aisles of the vendor hall conversing with business owners and curriculum creators for hours. And I loved every second of it! Touching the books and learning the heart behind them was fascinating. Looking at their design and set-up made this teacher-nerd giddy. I couldn’t get enough. Later that night, I had to laugh at myself because I…
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