From the moment Briney started talking at the ridiculously early age of four months, people began telling me how dreadful the coming teenage years would be. So I steeled myself. I read books about raising teenage daughters. I listened to parents of teenagers when they talked about parenting successes and failures. I talked to the teenagers in our youth group…
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Summer is my favorite season. I love how time slows down just a little. We are still incredibly busy, but there’s at least one night a week that we make time to eat some homemade popcorn and watch a movie or show together. With kids ranging in ages from nine to two, it can be difficult to find something that…
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My First Father’s Day Without a Father My son got knocked off his feet by a wave today. My wife and I were standing in the shallow, cool waters of the Gulf of Mexico watching our kids splash in the surf. It was going great. None of the kids were being brave beyond their skills and they were all getting along. …
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Y’all. Parenting is hard. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Probably tomorrow. There are approximately 652 things to do each day to make sure that your kid just stays alive. If you add in any extracurriculars or attempts to eat organically, that number increases to like 986. And there are some days that I really feel like…
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I recently had a friend stop talking to me for four months because I was late to pick her up for a lunch date. Twenty minutes before I was supposed to be at her house, my father-in-law died. I called her, explained the situation, and decided to keep the date primarily because I felt like my kids needed to be…
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Y’all. My kids whine and complain about washing their hands about 70% of the time, and yet when they get in the bathroom, they use ALL the water and soap. It’s nuts. This post, Cheap DIY Foaming Hand Soap, contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means that if you click on a link, we’ll receive a compensation at no…
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I hear you. You’re saying, “No, I’m not. There’s no way I’m the best leader for my church.” But you are. You saw this post, and you clicked to read it because you have at least some desire to serve in your church. And after fourteen years of being married to a minister, I’ve heard all the excuses. This post,…
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There’s a storm on Saturn that has been raging since 2004. That’s four years before my kids started their cyclone of chaos, but sometimes it seems like they could give the Dragon Storm a run for its money. I keep waiting to see the meteorologist switch to a radar over my house ME: Stays up until midnight loading the dishwasher….
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How to Bible Journal When You Aren’t Talented Or Creative Two years ago, my husband bought me a beautiful leather-bound journaling Bible. I was so excited! I’d seen tons of pins with lovely designs across pages with Washi tape and watercolors. So I sat down with my empty Bible and some colored pencils and… froze. Completely froze. This was a…
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Six Things You Need to Be A Healthier Mom I used to be one of those really lucky people that never had to worry about my weight. I would eat whatever I wanted, do minimal physical activity and still be fairly thin. Then I had kids. One day while I was sitting at my desk eating my third corn bread…
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Stop Telling Me to Enjoy My Kids Dear Sweet Little Old Lady in Walmart, Please stop telling me to enjoy my kids. I’m doing my best. I know that I look frazzled and angry and on the verge of crying while I drag two shopping carts filled with kids and groceries around the store. I know that I just spoke…
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