Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
Take a minute to imagine this with me… You have two kids, and you want to make their Christmas magical. You hatch the best plan, 25 days of Christmas, that includes an activity, craft, or treat each day. You’re excited to create Christmas traditions and make memories. In walks reality. A few days in, your […]
Am I settling? You’ve asked this of yourself, and if you’re honest, you’ve judged others about it too. Did I settle for this job because it’s not what I had in mind? Did she settle for that guy just so she could get married? Is he content with his life or did he just give […]
I do it almost every time. When something difficult or painful happens, I jump right into thankfulness. Like when my grandparents died, I went on and on about the wonderful memories I would cherish, how grateful I was to have that much time with them, and how blessed I was that they were in my […]
I just can’t mom today. I can’t make another meal they’ll barely eat. I can’t drive to one more activity. I can’t hear them arguing one more time. I just can’t. Being mom is too hard today. My body begs to lay on the couch in the fetal position. My stomach is growling for junk […]
I see you there. I see you wake the kids up for school, and then get yourself ready and out the door while it’s still dark. I see you work hard all day with deadlines, demands and domineering co-workers before you have to pick up the kids, help with homework, make dinner, and tuck them […]
I’m not a fan of voluntarily scaring myself. You won’t see me on a tall rollercoaster or inside a Haunted House, and I haven’t seen a horror film since the Blair Witch Project released in 1999, which still gives me the shivers. And even though I don’t voluntarily scare myself, I invite fear to invade my […]
Sometimes I wonder if Jesus understands what it’s like to be a modern-day mom. I mean, it’s not like He had to attend the PTA meeting, pick up the kid, drive to gymnastics, make dinner, put away laundry, pay bills, build a marriage, and clean the kitchen. I wonder if He understands this pace I’m […]
We leave labor and delivery, and I climb into the backseat with our brand-new baby and tell Ryan, “She’s the best thing we’ve ever done.” And it’s true. Fast-forward almost a decade: This time I’m in the driver’s seat while she’s in the third row arguing with her sister. Then someone spills a water bottle […]
I thought that I’d left Perfectionist Jill behind and that her ways didn’t affect me anymore, but I was wrong. Perfectionist Jill recently made an appearance during a visit to Board+Brush, a place where you make your own wooden decor. My friends and I were to paint stencils on our signs, which sounds simple until […]
In the aftermath of my pancreatitis, my physician tells me something shocking. While my pain was onset by a common virus, the majority of cases are caused by alcohol abuse. The women he sees in his practice, women in my community, typically get it from drinking bottles of wine a day… bottles. My heart breaks. […]
