Delighted Motherhood

“The global anti-aging market was valued at around 62 billion U.S. dollars in 2021 and is expected to increase to some 93 billion by 2027.” In the midst of all that angst over preventing physical aging could we be neglecting a far more important consideration in aging beautifully –the state of our hearts? From a physical perspective, what's okay and what's not? Should we be doing all the...

Nothing screams cozy quite like fresh baked bread. And with a quality sourdough starter bread baking is actually super easy.  That's because a mature starter is "alive" and will work its way into all of the dough in comes in contact with. Which is why in Scripture leaven to likened to sin. Listen in for a quick look at the Feast of Unleavened Bread in Leviticus 23 and a tutorial on...

It’s fall time! The majority of us love it. And really what’s not to like. It’s a time for lots of good food, reading, campfires, leaf piles, and delicious smells. But in Scripture there is much deeper significance to the season of harvest. Harvest is a time when God gathers in his peoples and completes his work in this present age. In many ways, harvest is a time for celebration and sober reflect...

The U.S. Surgeon General just released an advisory warning that parental stress is a significant public health concern. Reporting on the advisory, the Wall Street Journal ran a headline stating that, “ Parenting is Hazardous to Your Health .” According to the advisory, four in 10 parents report feeling so stressed they can’t function.  What is it about our current cultural moment that makes parent...

“Samwise Gamgee, my dear hobbit –indeed, Sam my dearest hobbit, friend of friends.”  There's something spectacularly lovely about a true friend. A friend who loves what you love, who understands your deep longings, and who helps you see the things that are truly beautiful --even in the midst of brokenness.   A friendship like that is a gift from God.  Since the dawn of sin, friendships have b...

As parents we all long for our kids to “turn out right.”  We want them to grow up to be kind, thoughtful, well adjusted and successful adults. And most of us, as Christians, are desperate for our kids to know the Lord. But how does the sovereignty of God factor into all of that? Does my parenting even matter? The biblical view of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility in parenting –as in the r...

Are Patriotism and Christianity Compatible? Is it okay to say "I'm proud to be an American?" How about politics? What does it look like to engage advocacy and activism as Christians? The presidential election in the United States is in full swing and it's an interesting election for sure. But as Christians, we must be careful to rightly order our allegiance and our passions wit...

Summer is a time for playing in the sun, splashing around, sleeping in, roasting marshmallows and all around soaking up a season of chillaxin.  But it can also be a season of planning. Before we know it the chaos of the school year will descend upon us. And if we don’t plan thoughtfully, we may end up overwhelmed when our fall schedules start to pick up. How can we prepare at a high level now so t...

Summer is upon us! Which means pool days, vacations, VBS, and lots of ice cream. It also means lots of our schedule and routines are all out of wack.  And that's slightly delightful. But in the midst of all this disruption, one practice we should safeguard is spending time daily in the Bible and in prayer.  Why is a daily practice (of any length) so important for our lives? How can neglecting...

Do you ever feel that your house is nothing but bad diaper smells, legos under the table and clutter? Is it even possible to have a "pretty house" during the season of motherhood? Or is it just frivolous to desire? And if not, how does one decorate sensibly without breaking the bank? Join me for a two part series with Rebecca Gallop, the creator of A Daily Something and a homeschool mom...

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful." -- Miss Rumphius God, the ultimate designer and cultivator, created the world with unmistakable beauty. Everywhere we look we see evidence of God’s glory in what he has formed.  “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." Psalm 19:1-2  As moms who are made in the image of God, how can we...

What is it about green growing things that is so appealing?  Why do we tend to feel so alive and at peace in a beautifully cared for garden? What deep eternal truths does God have to teach us through the process of tending the ground? In the midst of plant decapitating toddlers, is their hope for our plants?  Listen in for loads of gardening tips with kids of all ages and reflections on the God wh...

It's growing season! The weather is turning warming and it is time to get out into the dirt with out kids. During this two part conversation, I chat with Chelsea Svendsen -- homeschool mom to four, almost five kids, a student of horticulture, greenhouse gardener,  manger of the account, Life In the Yellow House -- all about Gardening. In the first half of our conversation (posted today) we di...

If there's one thing that drives me to prayer, it's my kids! It can be so hard to know how best to love and to parent them! Especially in the area of discipline.  Join for part three of our conversation with Kim Seville on discipline. Today Kim goes through and addresses a number of frequently asked questions --what if we are running late? What if my child "doesn't hear" m...

Some cultural streams seem to suggest that children may not need discipline, but just redirection. Redirection can be a glorious and wonderful thing. But are there times that a child needs to be corrected in his or her ways? When do you know if a child needs correction? How exactly does a parent discipline in a loving and effective way? What are the various stages of development? When should a par...

What is corrective discipline and why do kids need it? What's the difference between formative and corrective training? Why is it harmful to our kids and to our own hearts to withhold training? How does training our kids also train us to see God’s authority rightly? How is neglecting discipline an act of sin on our part? Is there any encouragement for the mom who feels like all she does all d...

Did you know that the paschal, or Easter Greeting, "Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed," likely dates back to the earliest days of the Christian church? The marvel of the resurrection of Christ has been capturing the hearts and minds of Christians since the first disciples discovered in wonder that the stone had been rolled away. Holy Week, or Great Week as it is known in some tradition...

In James 1:27  we read: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. " But the reality is that adoption usually doesn’t involve “Annie” style storylines. All kids will struggle at points during their development, but children who have been through the foster ca...

Winter months can be a little dark, and “blah.”  Most of us love Christmas, but when it comes around to late February and early March we are desperate for some tulips to start blooming. What do we do with these gloomy months of waiting? And how does the waiting help prepare us for the glories of Spring?  What is the connection between waiting and rejoicing? Why is waiting such a big part of the in...

And Happy Valentine’s Day – A Day of love! But beyond a day filled with cute cards, I love any reminder –in my calendar or otherwise, to show tenderness and affection to the people that I love most.  Today we are going to start a three part series on creating an atmosphere of affection within our homes. We will consider how to daily choose to practice love, recognize that we are always either movi...

Welcome to the month of love! A full episode on cultivating an atmosphere of affection is coming next week. But, today in preparation for Valentine's Day next week tune into this short bonus! We'll talk briefly about the history of Valentine's Day as well as chatting through a couple of easy ways to celebrate the day with small people. "The oldest known valentine still in exist...

Attending church with little kids can feel a little bit like wrangling monkeys. But in the long view, faithful church participation is always worth it. The best way for us to find joy and contentment in our calling as moms --or any calling for that matter --is to grow in our fear of the Lord. And one of the primary tools God uses to build up his saints is the local church. As Eugene Peterson has a...

Pregnancy tends to be a mixed bag for most of us. From extreme fatigue, vomiting, swelling in the most uncomfortable places, off the charts hormonal swings, to that unavoidable weight gain, pregnancy can be a physical, emotional, and spiritual challenge for the majority of us. During a time when so many things feel out of whack, how do we think well about maintaining fitness during and after pregn...

Welcome to 2024! The start of the new year is also a helpful time for considering our ways and specifically how we spend our time. Scripture teaches us that our lives are like a midst, we are here today and gone tomorrow.  How are we spending our time? What do our days look like? In what ways may God be calling us to re-evaluate our schedules? What things are most important to us?  In essence what...

For many of us, motherhood is anything but easy. From blowouts, to tantrums, learning difficulties, health problems, constant noise, conflict inside and outside our homes --the possibilities for us to feel like we are in an impossible season are endless. Sometimes this feeling of “hard” can feel completely overwhelming. And the truth is that some of the demands of modern parenting that feel really...