Grab a cup of something warm and join me for a holiday heart-to-heart...(and a Starbucks giveaway! at the bottom.) If you've been around awhile, you know I love coffee dates. I mean, I love coffee, but even more, I love to have coffee with a friend. Maybe it's because I homeschool my kids out in the country (on an island, no-less) so actually getting out to meet a friend for coffee is kind of a big deal. As in: It rarely happens. :) So, when it does, it can be quite a scene. Usually
Parenting and Family
How We have Raised Kids Who Love God.
I hear from a lot of parents who really want their kids to grow up to know and love God. I want so much to support families in this way, so I thought I would share a bit of what we've done with our boys, in case it might encourage a few people... As most of you know, my husband Dave and I have four sons. As I write, they are ages 19, 17, 14, and 8. And as I write, all four of them really, truly, independently love Jesus. (*Levi, my youngest, is just eight, so it's fair to say his faith
Favorite Pumpkin Granola
Sharing our favorite pumpkin granola recipe below. But first: You guys. I have a son in college. Does anyone else feel weird about that? No, this has nothing to do with my Pumpkin Granola recipe (except that maybe I should be sending some to him in a care package?) I guess I just needed to get it off my chest. Truth is, I just sat down at a coffee shop to put this post together, and got side tracked on Instagram (it happens.) When I saw that my college son, who has not posted any
Six Things To Do Every Day–Especially When You’re Busy.
6 Important things to do, especially during busy seasons. {**Be sure to scroll down and read a little note in my PS at the end! :) } It's that time of the year again, when everyone seems to be running in different directions. School. Work. Sports. Activities. Sometimes it feels like we're a bunch of ships passing in the night. These are the days we tend to skip workouts, eat meals on-the-go, and fall asleep saying our prayers. I have personally ended more days than I care to admit
The New Blog is Live!!!
Hi Friends! Ok, I am waaaay too excited about this news: The blog is all fresh and new! I mean, design-wise -- it has all been remade...re-did, re-done (?)...MADE-OVER!! I've been dreaming of a new look for, um, years!...and I am so excited with how it has all come together! While spending way-to-many-hours working on everything this week (I told Gretchen, my tech wizard, we could win an email-speed contest for how quickly we could shoot messages back and forth as she worked on
How to Launch Well: 7 Things to do Now to Successfully Launch your Kids when it’s Time
The launch. Sending our precious kids off - whether to college or the military, a new job, or any other adventure, is a huge milestone in our parenting journey. Just the mention of the launch can put a lump in a mom's throat and a knot in her stomach, no matter how old her kids are. Funny how our children can drive us crazy all day long, but the simple mention of them ever leaving us can turn us into a puddle of emotions in a heartbeat. And really: the whole idea of launching our kids
Coffee Date: Back to School, My Son is Going to College, and I-could-use-a-hug-Edition.
Aloha Friends! Man, did summer fly by or what!? And how are you? Refreshed? Worn out? Ready for a new season ahead? I want to hear, so please don't forget to make it to the bottom and leave me a little update! (That's part of the deal with coffee dates! ) I'm excited to catch up on things...So grab a seat (and your favorite beverage!) and let's dive in! First, let's get the painful exciting part over with: By the time this goes live I will be in California, getting Josiah
Helping Our Kids Through Lonely Seasons
I'll never forget a certain car ride when my boys were much younger. One of my sons was asking me a series of questions that I honestly wasn't following well. Obviously I wasn't giving him very good responses, because finally, with a very teary voice he just blurted out: "I guess I just wanted some advice on how to make friends, but never mind!" Oh...my heart. We've all been lonely at one time or another. And we can all agree loneliness is brutal. Yet there is one thing that may be
