• Life as Mom - Writing Life

    Day 22: Help #write31days2018

    I think in our current culture, we as American’s are not always willing to admit when we need help with things, at least I see that in moms. We want to appear to have it all together and to be capable of caring for our families and other responsibilities on our own.  But this is not historically how mothers have done things. (The exception, perhaps, was in the extreme frontier days when pioneer women often went months without seeing their neighbors and had no contact with the families they left back east but occasional letters.)  In times gone by, women…

  • Homemaking - Homeschooling - Life as Mom - Life in General

    Setting Intentions and Atmosphere in Our Home

    I sat at the dining room table Sunday afternoon, notebook open in front of me and pen in hand, waiting for some ideas to come. After weeks of growing discontentment with our current routine and the attitudes in our home, especially surrounding chores and school, I was ready for a change.  But what kind of change? I knew I had to set the tone with more positivity and a fresh atmosphere, so I set down a few ideas for adding positive reinforcement and a little more loveliness into our day.  One of the problems we have been struggling with is…

  • Life in General

    My Goals for GROWTH in 2018, Part 1: Relationships

    As promised, I am back with a post about my goals for 2018! In my last post, I talked a little about the word I have chosen to be my theme for the year: GROWTH. All my goals this year center on that idea of slow, steady progress. I have divided my goals up into a few different general areas: Relational Growth, Personal Growth, and Professional Growth. This first post will focus on my goals in growing the relationships God has given me. Goals for Relational Growth Be more intentional about showing love to my husband in ways that mean…

  • Faith Talk - Life as Mom - Uncategorized - Writing Life

    Loosening My Grip, #Write31Days Day 7

    I never knew I had control issues until I became a parent. Up until that point, I had a pretty tight hold on my schedule and daily routines…when I slept and for how long, when I ate and what I did on the weekends. I was in control of the little details on my life, or so I thought. I planned out my days for smooth sailing, and other than little speed bumps in marriage or finances, things were pretty peaceful. Enter those predictably unpredictable, dependent and demanding creatures better known as children…and not just any children, but infants! Infants…

  • Life as Mom - Life in General

    We Are Family: Child Chore Training, Pt. 3

    Welcome to the final installment (for now) in this series on Child Chore Training! Last week I gave specific examples of what this currently looks like in our home. Today I want to share how and why we pay our children for doing chores. I guess we should start with why we chose to pay our son for his chores every week. First, we decided at age six he was ready to begin learning some basic money management skills. We want him to grow up with an understanding of how much things cost, how long it takes to earn enough…