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Monica Swanson
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Monica Swanson
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parenting+ marriage

I love to help you build strong families, beginning with a healthy marriage, and purposeful parenting.

faith

Every good thing comes from God and healthy families are built on a firm foundation of faith.

homeschool

After 15+ years of homeschooling, my family agrees it’s the best choice we have made!

healthy mind+body

With a background in sports medicine and fitness, I am passionate to encourage women to embrace a healthy mindset and lifestyle.

Latest bit of encouragement

A Reveille for the Underestimated

An excerpt from Mary Marantz’s new book, Underestimated Note from Monica: I recently joined a mastermind group of wonderfully gifted, hard-working Christian authors. I was…

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God, Can We Chat? (Book Excerpt + Giveaway)
Encouragement and faith

God, Can We Chat? (Book Excerpt + Giveaway)

A Daringly Honest Guide to Growing Closer to God, One Doubt at a Time, By Niki Hardy Hey Friends! I am honored to get to share…

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A Parenting Lesson (from my walk-in Closet)
Encouragement and faith | Parenting and Family

A Parenting Lesson (from my walk-in Closet)

What my messy closet taught me about parenting in hard seasons. My bedroom closet was a source of frustration for a few years. Then… last winter…I…

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9-1-1 Prayers, by Rachel Wojo
Encouragement and faith | Miscellaneous

9-1-1 Prayers, by Rachel Wojo

Excerpt from Desperate Prayers: Embracing the Power of Prayer in Life’s DarkestMoments by Rachel Wojo 9-1-1 PRAYERS When my husband came home without a job,…

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Leaving a Legacy that Lasts, {a book excerpt and giveaway with Bob Goff!}
Encouragement and faith | Miscellaneous

Leaving a Legacy that Lasts, {a book excerpt and giveaway with Bob Goff!}

Hey Friends! Happy New Year! I just love getting to share a bit of Bob Goff’s whimsy on my podcast to celebrate the New Year!…

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5 Things I’d Cover Over Coffee! (+ a giveaway!)
Encouragement and faith | Home & Country | Miscellaneous | Parenting and Family

5 Things I’d Cover Over Coffee! (+ a giveaway!)

Updates, links, photos, and a giveaway (at the very bottom 😉) Hey Friends! Happy Fall + beginning of the Holiday Season! 😉🍁🍂🎄There is no better…

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Like many families, we became homeschoolers unexpe Like many families, we became homeschoolers unexpectedly. ☺️ And over the years, the gifts we have discovered are too many to count. But here’s three that pop into my mind quickly…..

1. A relaxed environment to grow up in. No pressure to carry a phone, dress a certain way, keep up with trends, or daily compare their school work (social status, looks, etc) with everyone else. 
 👍🏼 Instead they spent the majority of their time in the restful, supportive, secure environment of their home. Sure, they still got out and mixed it up with peers and the outside world. But bc of the healthy environment they spent their days in, they went out with strength and confidence. 💥

2.  An incredibly close relationship with each other. Instead of going separate ways every morning, and only seeing their siblings at night and scattered bits on the weekend, my boys have mostly done life together. Sure they had separate friends and individual pursuits, but the bulk of their days they were together. When they faced difficulties or disagreements, they have had the space to work it out and grow even closer. These are relationships that will last lifetime, and I’m so grateful.🙏

3.  The ability (and desire!) to learn! Without hours and hours of busy work and feeling confined to a classroom environment, my boys, each developed unique passions and interests. When their schoolwork was challenging, they had to learn…how to learn. 👍🏼 This now spills over into other areas of life as they have grown to be great thinkers and creative problem solvers. 👏🏼❤️

If you’re even curious about homeschooling, I hope you will grab a copy of my book, Becoming Homeschoolers. It will answer your questions and give you a great picture of what Homeschooling might look like for you! —> And if you decide to homeschool, it will walk you through every stage of your child’s journey, from preschool to college! 

Comment: LINk and I will DM you a link to the book on sale on Amazon! ❤️
Daily devotions! - it’s what all the cool kids a Daily devotions! - it’s what all the cool kids are doing! 🥰 

I hear from a lot of parents who want to help their kids develop a devotional routine.  This summer may be a great time to work on that habit! 

Today on the podcast my firstborn, @josiahswanson, and I have a really good chat about how he learned to spend time with God growing up, and how that has developed into a favorite part of his daily routine as a young adult. 

- We talk about what to look for in a good (kids, or any!) devotional. 📕 And Josiah shares the heart behind his newly published: The Gospel in 30 Days! 🥳 (for tweens/teens!) 

I hope this chat encourages you to make the summer ahead a special time to help your kids learn to live by “every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 💪🏼

Link to the podcast and the new devo in my bio and in stories! 
* Age rec. for devotional: (approx.) 10 and up!
💝 My Mother’s Day weekend was extra special t 💝 My Mother’s Day weekend was extra special this year b/c of a couple big “wins” for my boys. But what made their victories sweet…was all of the time, effort, uncertainty, struggles, prayer, patience, sacrifice, and investment (in so many ways) that have gone into each of their sports. 

⚽️🏀🏈. If you have kids in sports (or working hard toward something!) then you know that what they do on the field (or court, or water, or golf course) is just a small part of what goes into their passion. And sometimes, with all the hard work and dedication, things still don’t go how you/they want them to. 😢 We’ve been through plenty of discouraging competitions. It’s painful for all of us. And over time we’ve learned not to get too excited about the wins or too discouraged about the losses. Bc there will be more of each ahead. 🥹🙏 

🥰 YET, boy it is sweet to see them have some success, and break through mental and physical barriers! 

🏄‍♂️ @lukeswanson_ just returned from Tahiti where he made the final 4 (out of 64) in the first @wsl.qs of the season. This was a huge way to kick off his next season. 

⛳️ @leviswanson_ and I just returned from Maui where he had his best golf tournament ever, with a hole in one, an eagle, and scoring 6 under par. 😲🤩. 

⭐️ Both celebrations are sweeter bc of what it’s taken to get there. Both boys have more than once been tempted to give up and find something easier to do. But I am so proud of them for giving it their ALL, training incredibly hard, and trusting God with results. 🙌🏼

Of course there will be more ups and downs ahead, but these breakthroughs go in their memory banks to help them keep going. 

🙏 If your kids are aiming for big goals, I’m cheering for you all over here. 👏🏼👏🏼 The sports are great but the character development that comes with them is even better.  Keep up the great work, and enjoy the ride!!
Being a mom has been the greatest joy of my life! Being a mom has been the greatest joy of my life!  And I’ve been so blessed to have two amazing moms show me the way! (As well as a whole lot of mentors and role models along the way!) 

Happpy Mother’s Day to my incredible mom, and thank you, God, for many memories with my mother-in-law. 💝

Big love to all of the ladies out there who pour out, nurture, encourage, and support the people God has placed in your lives. 🙌🏼 What a beautiful idea motherhood is! 🥰💝

More about my uniquely special Mother’s Day coming  in stories! 🤩.
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  • Start Here
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    • The Secret of Your Naturally Skinny Friends
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