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 Mom Confession…I Don’t Like Toys. When I was a child, my family lived in a small town. Making the hour long trek to the “big city” for a shopping trip was always a treat. It was an even bigger treat when the city finally got the greatest store ever…Toys R Us. My child-sized heart…
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…
Two years ago, I began reading blogs with the view toward starting my own. In posts by Christian mothers, I kept running across comments like this: “I homeschool my children, but I’m not perfect.” “I use cloth diapers, but I’m not perfect.” Really? Why did you think that I thought you were? In topics…
Almost daily it’s likely you pack lunches. You wash your children’s clothes. You do their dishes. You probably even clean up after them, putting away toys and books, making their beds, and picking up their towels off the bathroom floor. These are all wonderful and motherly ways we show our family we love them. We…
I think we’ve all had those days when we just absolutely don’t want to be a mom. It may be because we have spent the day cleaning up messes, dealing with tantrums, and trying to teach obedience. It may be simply because we are tired and don’t want to play or talk or…
Is today boring? Are things routine and mundane — monotonous, even? Life has plenty of excitement for any parent, both positive and negative, but in between are row upon row of those routine, remind-me-why-I’m-doing-this-again days. This morning during my devotion time I read from Exodus 13, which is copied below. The backstory here is that God’s…
On a recent trip to a conference in Boise, Idaho I realized that I had once again fallen into a repeated bad habit. I had packed too many clothes. I knew when I zipped up the piece that I wouldn’t wear half of what I packed (and I didn’t). To compound my frustrations,…
As a mom of two girls, I hope that they will bring kindness into a world that so often feels dark with hate crimes, poverty, entitled attitudes and war. I just want kindness – for my girls, their friends and our world. And yet I myself have so far to go in being…
Exciting update! The series is here! It’s here! 😀 Come check it out! If you’re interested in adding your own post, leave a comment. There’s always room. 🙂 I am hosting a series in August, September and October called the Imperfect Mom Confessional. The strain of perfectionism is so strong, even among believers. Everyone wants…
Every day, I make mistakes with my kids. It could be a pretty good day with one little mistake, but often, I yell too loudly and too much, lose my patience too often, and just act like a complete fool. On those days, I can completely blow it. I don’t treat my kids in a…
