Long and Short: Parenting Beyond this Exact Moment
"Hey little brother, sneak into big brother's room. He has candy. Get some for us." What would you have done if you were around the corner from that discussion? Intervened? What a grea…
Tag: mothering
Parenting your First Kid Vs. Parenting your Last
"I don't know what's more exhausting about parenting: the getting up early, or acting like you know what you're doing." -Jim Gaffigan My Sweet and I have seven kids. And because th…
ReThinking Christmas
Christmas Love One year it was so tall and round we had to keep whittling away at the base so we could stand it up in our entrance. The living room didn't stand a chance to host it that year. Big …
Your Kids will Benefit from this One Thing for the Rest of Their Lives
It was a life jolt, one of the few experiences I can point to as a Game Changer. It rattled me then and it rattles me still, affecting all of the months and years in between. Out of the country for…
4 Ways to Get Scripture into Your Busy Life
The alarm clock rings. Feet shuffle and your day begins. Serve. Hustle. Grind. The alarm clock is set again. You lean into your pillow, exhausted by the day. Anybody? Once upon a time, I h…
4 Super Quick Tips for Surviving Busy Seasons
As parents of the 21 Century, Busy gets all up in our business. Like a nosy great-aunt. Slipping into survival mode is what saves us stout-hearted parents. We are smart that way. What sends one …
What Makes the Tween Years Fantastic
Did you know the word tweenager is a smash up of the words between and teenager? These kids of ours are stuck somewhere between teenagers and little kidhood. (If they can invent words, then who's t…
In Over Your Head? A Literal Story
Have you ever been in over your head? Or thought you were? Because I am going to show you how those are two different things. I've got a lot of kids and they all still live at my house. Therefore…
Why Moms Should Disappear for the Weekend
I sat in my jungle and methodically pulled out the tall weeds harassing my peppers and squash. It was cheap therapy and it allowed me to keep an eyeball on my five littles prancing around the yard.…
What My Dough Belly Tells My Girls
My daughter couldn't have been more than eight the first time she came to me sobbing about being fat. Fat? You're a kid. You hardly know your addition facts. I was shocked at the language coming fr…