I’m in the market for some flashcards. For the first time since starting school, Annalyn is struggling a bit with math. I’m grateful her teacher constantly communicates with us and let us know she needs to work on some math facts. With a little extra effort I’m sure Annalyn will be back up to par for third-grade math. Side note: I’m not so ...
My oldest is ten years old, officially a "tween," as she's informed me. I suppose this means a lot of things, but one of the most fun is that as her mom, I have a legitimate reason to listen to pop music. Unironically. Because that's what she likes, so that's what we listen to, along with showtunes and worship songs, country music and what has ...
As we ate our takeout and queued up our shows on the DVR, my husband and I caught up on the business of the week. We talked again about our daughter’s behavior, and I confessed something I’d realized about the situation. “I can’t start fresh,” I whispered. “My frustrations just keep building and building, and there’s no break, no relief, no blank ...
The first time we bought an SUV (or, if you want to be technical, a crossover), the strangest thing happened. When I drove it I began feeling like "a real mom." WHAT. I don't know. I don't know what A REAL MOM is, you guys. But when I drove my mom car? I felt like one. We bought it not long before I quit my full-time job to stay home with ...
On a Saturday morning I found myself with arms and mind overflowing as I hurried my girls into the car for a little road trip. Blankets and snacks and books and gift bags somehow made it into the car along with my people, and we were off. The first half of our drive was fairly peaceful, with the girls glued to tablets and books and me tuned into ...
Last year (or was it two years ago? Now that we've entered a new year, I can't keep my 20-teens straight.) my church read through the Bible chronologically. As we traveled through the desert with the Israelites and watched them make the same mistakes, over and over and over, I wondered if maybe we're all programmed to repeat history. I wondered if ...
Last year my husband turned 40. All of a sudden, I realized that my own fortieth birthday was barrelling toward me at lightning speed. Yes, I was just as melodramatic as that. Never before had my age bothered me much (except for a few months of "what have I accomplished" angst before my thirtieth birthday). But realizing that I'd be turning ...
This year has been a difficult one, even devastating for some. I know I’m not alone in looking forward to a fresh start as we flip over the calendar. But before we head into a new year, we still have a few days left in this one – and I’m determined to make the best of them. Rather than simply throwing up our hands or hanging our heads, let’s take ...
“Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. When you eat and are full, and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large, and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases, be careful that your heart ...
Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God. You return mankind to the dust, saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.” For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by, like a few hours of the ...
