My fourth son is a sniffer. (He’s also a licker, but that’s irrelevant right now.) He likes to go around smelling things, sniffing them out like a puppy. He especially loves sniffing me. When we’re snuggled up close, since he craves tight hugs often, he’ll sniff my neck, face, and arms. His eyes are closed,…
What Rhymes With Reason ABOUT: Tragedy ignites a group of teens on a quest to find a legendary landmark hidden in the wilderness. Together, they navigate the adventure while confronting the darkness within themselves in an attempt to find hope. The WORLD’S favorite coming-of-age, faith-adjacent, adventure/drama is NOW available on all major digital platforms to…
This was originally written as a guest post on my friend Holly’s site. It’s been over 5 years now, and her site no longer exists. I’m sure you all know that song from childhood, Oh, be careful little eyes what you see, Oh, be careful little eyes what you see, For the Father up above…
A friend was lamenting over the lack of Mother-Son songs for the Mother and Son dance at her son’s wedding. Having four sons, and hoping to someday have daughters-in-law, I set out on a hunt! I decided to be very selective and only use highly appropriate choices. If you know of a song you feel…
My friend was looking at a particular site for Wildcrafting, and I think the site’s ideals are not in line with mine, so I wanted to find some others. I searched for a while and found a few good ones. 🙂 So let me save you the Googling! WILDCRAFTING FOR KIDS: Wildcrafting With Kids +…
I don’t often hear people say this about my boys, but I can tell they’re thinking it. The disapproving looks. The not-so-subtle eye rolls. The exasperation and frustration. They wonder how we could possibly let them get away with that. After all, all they need is a good whipping. You know, when they were younger,…
Busy Being…Busy I don’t begin to know what your days are like. You could spend three hours with the Lord each day, in praise, worship, prayer, and Bible study. If so, you’re my hero! As for me, I always have the best of intentions, but much of the time, devotions go to the wayside. My…
(Note: This post was originally a guest post in 2015, which can still be seen here.) There are so many days that homeschooling is just another chore to do. For the kids…And for Mama. “Get it done, guys!” “Keep it moving!” “Don’t get distracted!” “Mama has two ears and four voices are talking. One at a time, please.”…
Note: This post was originally published here: http://thestay-at-home-momsurvivalguide.com/2015/09/teaching-children-to-obey.html [biblegateway passage=” [biblegateway passage=”Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother” display=”Ephesians 6:1″];”] I don’t know about your children, but my son hadn’t yet received the memo on that verse. Now that he’s almost six, he’s a bit tamer…
(Note: This post was originally a guest post, which can still be seen here.) “Mama, this is great. Just you and me. Nobody else. I like it.” My newly turned six-year-old looked at me over his ketchup-covered plate. He was wearing his Steak-n-Shake hat and a tiny, cute mustache sticker, and sporting a bit of…
Our school name used to be what we always pray to be–Happy Hearts Homeschool. We have dealt with severe attitudes over the years, but they get better every day. 🙂 Once the boys got a little older, they “outgrew” the name. Now we’re using H.O.G.W.A.R.T.S Homeschool. At first, we came up with Heritage of Grace…
Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): The following is a review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. As a mom to…
Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): The following is a review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post. My son saw me…
That whole thing about the apple and the tree? Yeah, it’s kinda true. This isn’t breaking news, mind you. It’s just that four times in the last week, I’ve had conversations with different people about Luke’s various idiosyncrasies. These discussions inevitably resulted in some form of, “Where does he get that?” At which…
The day my nine-month-old fell off the bed, a friend was over. We were chatting in the hallway, sorting clothes to donate. I’d set him down on his back, sure he was in a good spot. I briefly hesitated, but knew it would only be a minute or two, and satisfied myself with…
My oldest son will be twelve years old in a couple months. That’s old enough that we should have had more sensitive subject talks sooner than now. Unfortunately, we have put it off. I guess I’ve been the head-in-the-sand kind of mom without realizing it. We have used the real words for private parts since…
What do you do when it seems like you never feel well? I get a little tired of hearing the mantra myself. Like a broken record-player. Playing the same old song over and over again. Those sad, disappointed little voices. “Mommy doesn’t feel good… Mommy’s tired… Mommy needs to lay down… Mommy doesn’t feel good…”…
Ouch! That one small word can hold so many feelings and emotions. For some it evokes sympathy or compassion, even pity. For others it evokes shame and weakness. For me it’s always held feelings of all of the above, so I just didn’t let it out. I never saw this as a real problem. Occasionally…
Common wisdom says that the best thing a mom and dad can do for their children is to love one another. But more important than that is for a child to see that his parents love Jesus Christ. Not, and I’m being very specific here, not merely hear it said that they love Him, but see everyday,…
Dear Momma, Today I want to share some of my imperfections with you. I yell. A lot. Sometimes it seems that the only way that the boys will listen is if there is yelling involved. I lose my patience easily. I discipline out of anger. I have a hard time apologizing. Is it…
I am sitting on an airplane on my way to a conference and I am so frustrated! I couldn’t find the top I need to wear tonight. Just couldn’t find it. I tore the house up looking for it. How do things like that happen? How can you lose an outfit you wear…
We cherish of the sweet moments of motherhood, of tucking our little ones in at night with soft moon-glow as they drift off in peaceful sleep. Reality strikes in any of the following scenarios that develop after the supposed final goodnight. “Mommy, I need a drink!” says the bright-eyed preschooler in the doorway….
Some days it is not easy to be a mother. I have known this for a long time, but never had it been so apparent as when when my 3rd little one showed up. He is so cute, smells so great – I love newborn smell – and he is up all. night. long….
A couple weeks ago my son came home from school so excited to show me he had gotten 6 blue ROYAL tickets. These tickets represent the code of behavior in his school: R = Respect O = On-task Y = Your best A = Attitude L = LeadershipI looked at him and expressed how…
