True confession: many times I don’t feel like I’m “living up to” what I should be as a parent. I know lots and lots of dads and moms feel this way, but sometimes it feels like an extra weight on my shoulders. After all… I wrote a parenting book, for crying out loud. Are my kids […]
I often hear people who are suffering or struggling say some variation of “It could be worse.” We say it to ourselves: I shouldn’t complain, at least I don’t have [some illness worse than the one we’re discussing] My problems are small compared to all of the suffering in the world. At least my child is
Some Reflections on “It Could Be Worse…” Read More »
I’ve been having fun doodling and noodling and journaling in my Bible. Some of the pages are more personal than others, but I have no problem sharing some of my stuff, mainly because I feel a responsibility to do so. After all, I get tons of inspiration from Pinterest. If you’re brand new to Bible Journaling, check
Spiritual Practice: Bible Journaling (Part Two) More Pages and Ideas… Read More »
I’m on vacation for a little while, visiting family in Chicago (and letting the boys get spoiled rotten by grandma and grandpa!) It’s a great time to work on some spiritual practices that have become important to me in recent weeks and months, and also to write about them. I’m just going to tell you
Spiritual Practice: Bible Art Journaling, Getting Started Read More »
This morning 3 year old Clayton said, “Today is Easter Day again! It’s Jesus Day Again!” If I were to guess, he was referring to the joy of yesterday and wanting to repeat it. Butterflies. Candy. Egg hunt. Friends. I can’t help but reflect on how profound that statement is, theologically. Easter is not just
Family Paschal Candle: Celebrating Easter as a Season, Not Just One Day #seamlessfaith Read More »
Mindfulness, the practice of “tuning in to the present moment” is a word that I hear kicked around a lot in articles, podcasts, and conversation. Studies seem to support that mindfulness can ease anxiety and stress, something that is all too present in my life recently. I’ve been experimenting with some practices of mindfulness in the
Mindful Parenting Practices + 50 Days of Mindfulness Ideas for Families #SeamlessFaith Read More »
** NOTE: This is the lenten practices calendar for 2015. The 2016 version is available for $2.00 HERE. So excited to share this family Lenten Practices calendar! (PDF HERE) Each day there is either a prayer [P], service/almsgiving [S] or fasting [F] activity. The activities aren’t terribly time consuming and can be adapted for a
Family Lenten Practices Calendar Read More »
More and more, advent feels like lent to me: a time of darkness and waiting and preparation. The older I get, the less I am attracted to the hyperactive frenzy that our culture tries to impose on us during advent and Christmas. I’m starting to relish advent as a time to snuggle in, sit in
5 Simple Spiritual Practices for Advent (for individuals or families) Read More »
If I had a dollar for every time a mother said to me (about parenting) “make sure you enjoy it, because it goes by fast,” well, I’d definitely not have to say to Clayton “Not today because mama doesn’t have any dollars in her purse” when he’s asking me to go on that train in
Poetry as a Spiritual Practice for Moms (and everyone!) Read More »
I recently read an article on Slate called “Let’s Stop Idolizing The Home Cooked Family Dinner.” In the article, two sociologists from North Carolina State University point to evidence that the stress of putting together family meals is not worth the tradeoff. They conclude that the tradeoffs aren’t worth it. I disagree… strongly. Parents are
7 Reasons Family Dinner is Worth Fighting for & Resources to Make it Happen Read More »
