For many years our family lived in "little girl world". It's a magical place flowing with tule and dripping in pink! And my husband and I loved every minute! Now we're parents of a boy which is also loads of fun. I've learned a lot about boy stuff including all things Star Wars! I must admit I've never really been a big Star Wars fan before, but I work on learning the characters (I'm still getting them wrong) and I watch the movies with the rest of the family. We have a great agreement: I'll sit and watch a Star Wars movie with them, and they don't mind me working on needlepoint or reading a book while the movie plays. It's fair. And it's love, lol. Because I enjoy seeing my kids get ... Read more
Teach Them Tuesday: Homeschool Highlights of the First Week
We had a fun first week of school here at our little home academy! As with every year, I prayed all summer about our upcoming school year. And, as always, God resolved every question, concern, and decision I took before Him, and got us off to a great start. I love homeschooling my kids and am so thankful for the journey we've experienced together, and, because of that, I can easily get excited for the start of a new year. Here are a few highlights of our first week: We always have a "Pre-First Day of School" on the Friday before our first whole week. This is just a fun day when we take first day photos, hand out school surprises, set up new notebooks, go over the year's plan, and have ... Read more
What to do With Mom Guilt (or any kind of guilt!): Part 2
Today I'm continuing my two-part series on what to do with mom guilt, which can be applied to any kind of guilt really, whether you're a mom, aunt, friend, coworker, wife, etc. Yesterday I addressed dealing with misplaced guilt and you can read about here if you missed it. Today we'll look at dealing with guilt when we've truly done something wrong. When my first baby girl was just a newborn, I was so smitten, I'd cuddle her while looking into her little angel face with much pleasure, thinking, 'I don't see how we'll ever be upset with each other. I could never get mad at her or hurt her feelings. We're going to be the best of friends!' Are you laughing yet? Yep, my girls laughed ... Read more
What to do With Mom Guilt (or any kind of guilt!): Part 1
In the following posts, I use examples of motherhood to examine guilt because, well, I'm a mom. That's where I am in life right now, so that is currently where my life lessons often come from, but these thoughts and tips on handling guilt apply to ALL. Whether it's mom guilt, aunt guilt, friend guilt, wife guilt, daughter guilt, coworker guilt, church member guilt, or ANY kind of guilt burdening your heart, I hope to encourage you through this two-part series with my few humble thoughts on where our guilt might be coming from, and some helpful responses to that guilt. So even if you're not a mom, please keep reading! If the words "mom guilt" resonate with you, I assure you, you're not ... Read more