-
Create a Beautiful, Low-Tox Schoolroom on a Budget
Let’s face it- most new things are full of toxins. Clothes, cabinets, couches, carpets- all of them. Now, while we don’t need to become terrified hermits to avoid every possible toxin, it is important for the health of our families that we’re conscious of this concern and do what we can to limit our exposure…
-
God Has Everything You Need
Visiting the ocean, there’s really no way to miss God’s lavish abundance. Standing on the shore and looking out over the vast expanse– that’s really the only word that describes it properly- I just marvel at the size and volume. It’s incredible. Wave after endless wave repeating a roll and crash onto the sand. If…
-
Is Homeschooling Worth It?
Our new homeschool curriculum for this year is scheduled to get here today, and I’m so excited! I’ve always been a nerd, I guess- I remember being so excited to fill my backpack with new school supplies each school year as a kid; now I still get to be excited as we get all the…
-
If You’re Tired of Hearing That Everything is Bad For You, Read This
It seems that everywhere you look and read these days, there’s a new thing to be “informed” of- particularly all the things that are toxic and bad for us. I know many people are, understandably, annoyed by this. Can’t we just live our lives without being worried about everything from our candles to deodorant to…
-
Life is a tradeoff
“Life is a trade off” my great aunt Wraye would say when we little girls would have to forego one “good” in order to have another, like choosing between a soda or a piece of cake as a sweet at a party, or choosing between going with Dad to Home Depot or staying home with…
-
Disturb Us, Lord
I came across this poem this week and think it’s so relevant to today, though it was written in 1577. Disturb us, Lord, whenWe are too well pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come trueBecause we have dreamed too little,When we arrived safelyBecause we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, whenWith the abundance…
-
Mid-Year Reflection & Planning Ideas For Christian Families
This year is half over. And whether that feels like “already??!” or “finally!” to you, I want to encourage you to reflect on this year so far. It seems like our years often develop their own themes- growth years, fun years, grief years, rest years, waiting years. As much as we may plan, we don’t…
-
Our Moldy Kitchen and The Worst Quality a Christian Can Have
We’ve coined the last couple months “smell-tastrophy” (or something to that effect; you’ll get different versions depending on which family member you ask). It started with the mold (which is a continuing situation)- I kept thinking I smelled something like an old forgotten citrus and had the kids help me empty and re-shelf the entire…
-
Learning is More Than School
Recently we had a lake-school day— that is, we went to the lake instead of our typical day at home during “school hours”. I feel both timidly defensive and passionately activistic of the approach we take to homeschooling- an untidy mix of classical, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, and child-led learning methods. There’s loose structure and mismatched…
-
Season For Soft: Tips For Postpartum Intentionality
The morning Willa was born, after everyone had a few hours of rest, we all just lounged around. We would spend another night in the AirBnb and had the whole day to just nap, talk, be together and coo over brand-new baby. I had thought often during the end of the pregnancy about how I…
-
7 Tips For Gardening In A Hot And Dry Climate
The other day I was doing some research on growing flowers and came across a progress picture of a beautiful tulip farm- the “after” was long planter boxes full from edge to edge with tulips in a huge, green, grassy field, neatly mowed into aisles between the planters, with big bushy trees in the background.…
-
Does God Cause Suffering?
Here’s a big question- why would a loving God allow evil? And the big question that comes after considering that one for a while- does God cause suffering or only allow it? This is a theological debate; most Christians probably have an immediate response and opinion. Reading Elisabeth Elliot’s “Be Still My Soul” this week…
-
What Does It Mean To Abide In Jesus?
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me, you can do…
-
Considering Homeschooling? Encouragement From Someone Who Never Planned To
I never had any intentions to homeschool before having kids or when they were very young. Honestly I’d never given it the thought, I just assumed I’d do what “everyone else” did and send the kids to school. But I thank God for having other plans. One Sunday at church after the service, while little…
-
Endurance- How Trials Produce Strength
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1:2-4 A key step to making good sourdough is the “stretching”. After…
-
My Home Birth After 3 C-sections
It seems crazy to me still, to be able to say that I had a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). After three c-sections I had really thought it was impossible. I’m incredibly thankful for what God has made possible for my family, and I hope my story might inspire someone else to believe that a…
-
71 Simple Family Advent Activities!
Advent is such a special season- looking forward to the birth of our Savior with joyful expectation and anticipation! It’s a wonderful time to slow down, focus on God and His Word- particularly the birth of Jesus, and have fun together as a family in the days leading up to Christmas. Wanting to make the…
-
Does The Bible Say To Be Thankful For The Bad?
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 I’m a week late writing this, as last week was Thanksgiving. I’ve been lovingly made fun of for being the “grandma” of the group at thanksgiving and making everyone take turns saying something…
-
What I’ve Learned After 3 C-sections (And Why I’m Having A Vaginal Birth For My Fourth!)
The information that led me to opt out of a repeat c-section after having had three, as well as resources and encouragement for anyone considering VBAC and/or natural birth. How we birth All of my births so far have been c-sections. Three times I’ve had five layers of me cut through and my baby extracted.…
-
Why I’m Choosing A Midwife Over An OBGYN For My VBA3C
I can’t quite believe how things have worked out, how God has worked things out, for this upcoming birth. From three c-sections and a tubal to a natural home birth (but not in my home)… all of it is just something I could never have orchestrated on my own, and I’m so thankful for God’s…
-
Simple Artisan Sourdough Instructions
No special equipment, gram measurements, or exact timing needed. I have to admit that I didn’t know there was anything different in how sourdough is made compared to any other bread until i was an adult. When I was a kid, my mom bought it for sandwich bread for a while and I just liked…
-
Is Comparison the Thief of Joy?
“Comparison is the thief of joy” is the famous warning these days. It seems to be a new issue that’s arisen in the age of social media- for the first time we have access to everyone’s inner lives, not necessarily their real lives, but at least the parts they choose to show; we see everyone’s…
-
Basic Triple Bunk Bed Instructions
When we sold our house in town and moved out to our 17 acre property two years ago, we didn’t have a house yet. Our family of five moved into a 32 foot fifth wheel where we lived for a year and a half. I say often, and honestly, that the only way it was…
-
“I Regret Getting My Tubes Tied”
My story of tubal, regret, and reversal A Seed Planted The first time I thought about a tubal relating to myself was at a prenatal appointment when I was pregnant with Lyla, my second. I was surprised when my doctor asked plainly, as if bored with the idea, whether I wanted my tubes tied after…
-
Make Your Own Simple Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent
First of all, please believe me that making your own laundry detergent is very effective and very easy. When it comes up in conversation that I make our own, people usually react with either awed amazement like I’m some sort of super-mom, or with dull skepticism like I just don’t care if our clothes are…
-
Why You Need To Share What God Has Done In Your Life- Even Though He’s Not Finished
“After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ‘Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.’”Luke 1:24-25 ESV Elizabeth thought the thing she and her husband had been praying for- a baby- was…
-
A Goat Kidding Nightmare (With A Good Ending)
“Oh what peace we often forfeit / Oh what needless pain we bear / All because we do not carry / Everything to God in prayer” I’ve often forfeited the peace God offers and, instead, fretted and worried and let myself be burdened with fear and anxiety. But how wonderful it is when we carry…
-
Why Our Family Of Five Moved Into An RV
In 2015 we bought our first house- a plain and simple little 3 bedroom. We loved it, made it our own, and did a lot of updates ourselves. Almost all of the little bit of skill and handiness we have we gained improving that house. Over the five and a half years that we lived…