20 Things I Love About Being a Mom

20thingsIlove

Hearing “I love you so much, Momma.” Sweet hugs just because. Little people fighting over my lap.  (It really can’t be that comfortable even with all the padding.) Getting to read rhyming stories. Bible stories every day – such a reminder of God’s faithfulness! My little girls joyfully singing songs to me. Late night chats [...]

Sticky Sunday and Putting Away my Grumpy Face

peanut butter sandwich

“This past Sunday was brought to you by autism.” That’s what my forehead should say. Sunday. That word used to evoke scenes of friends and church, long lunches, napping on the couch, and maybe a delicious snack. These days Sunday means a LONG span of time when Rachel has very little structure. Sunday = messes [...]

My Love Is Enough

1Peter4

I’ve been struggling lately with this debilitating feeling that I’m doing it all wrong with this whole motherhood thing.  I can’t seem to get a schedule in place, I’m grouchy in the mornings, I occasionally yell at my kids when my patience has worn thin, and I just can’t keep up with all the other [...]

Stompin’ On the Stepmonster

Pink Wellies

You would think after 26 years as a stepmom there wouldn’t be anything new to learn. Wrong. It all began when we decided to update our last will and testament. Our new attorney did a magnificent job of helping us navigate the major decisions. Steve has 2 grown sons, 2 daughters-in-law and 2 grandchildren. I [...]

“Help, I Don’t Like My Child!”

AndthenIhadkids

Ok, right now I just don’t like my child. It’s been a really bad stretch and nothing seems to help. I feel like I am the worst mother in the world.    A true confession from a very normal mother. Let’s be honest, we’ve all felt this way at different times. Your one-year-old who still [...]

BRING IT

  I’ve been joking about getting a t-shirt that simply says “Bring It.”  I’m totally kidding.  I don’t know that I can handle one more blasted thing! But, Golly!!!  That’s kind of my attitude lately.  It’s more my response to being overwhelmed – a realization that this is my life now and I just gotta [...]

Praying For Your Children

compassionprayer

Maybe I started the day she ran away. I’d placed Lexi in her room for a “time out” and five minutes later the doorbell rang. A woman I’d never seen before was standing there holding my daughter. “I found her three blocks from here.” Lexi explained through tears that if I was going to put [...]

Parenting is Like Getting Hit with a Sledgehammer… Continuously!

sledgehammer-plain

My children range in age from elementary to middle school to high-school. A few nights ago I was awake during the middle of the night going over my mental to do list. Sound familiar? Bake brownies for third grade chocolate unit. Not store bought box brownies, but brownies from scratch that resemble the cookbook recipe [...]

A New Night Time Ritual—to Speak My Kids’ “Love Languages”

childslovelanguage

We’ve had some major upheavals in our family recently, of the moving-to-the-developing-world variety. It’s refreshed my experience of God’s faithfulness, to say the least—and of the resilience of children! But helping my kids to best cope with so many stresses, both significant and minute, I’ve had to spend some time just praying for God-given wisdom on how [...]

Healthy Snacks 101 – 5 Helpful Hints

Healthysnacks101

OK moms… if there is one thing I have learned over the years it is that kids get hungry and they like to snack. And if you never realized it before they will pretty much snack on what you place before them, thus you are the one who is teaching them what they should snack [...]