Common-sense grace for the try-hard girl
How do I feel shame? Let me count the ways. I feel shame when I see a man in his 60s on a run while I’m on my daily power walk. I’m ashamed when my housekeeping doesn’t meet my own standards, permission slips are misplaced, and dinner is dilatory … again. I feel shame over […]
It’s fair to say that you have a love-hate relationship with the summer. You love the freedom it brings, love not making sandwiches every weekday morning, love going to the pool. But you also hate the lack of structure, hate the change in your well-oiled schedule, hate wondering how to keep the kids busy and […]
As a guest on The Christian Woman Leadership Podcast, I was excited to talk with host Esther Littlefield about my leadership journey, and how women can receive God’s grace + rest in their God-given worth. The interview was fun because Esther is fun and I love talking with women about Jesus. But I had a […]
How many times a day do you and I say, “I love my people, but they are driving me crazy”? Like a million. Here’s the deal: I would take a bullet for our girls yet I want to scream when I see their out-of-control rooms. I mean, how hard is it to not throw your […]
You feel the push and pull of the holidays: the errands, the buying, the too-tight pants, the traveling, the expectations, and All The Things. Feeling stressed, tired, and a bit worn out from all the celebrating has stolen your love for the holidays. You want to make the holiday season memorable AND you want to […]
I stand in our kitchen and scan the house. Dishes in the sink. A project due for work in two hours. Two girls complaining. Dinner in the oven late. And my text messages are going crazy. I’m behind, disorganized, and overwhelmed. I feel like The Worst mom ever, like I’m failing at doing in the […]
Gene Krantz, flight director for the Apollo 13* mission, tells his team that failure is not an option: they must bring home the three astronauts catapulting through space in a handicapped module. Thank goodness they didn’t fail, and all astronauts came back to earth safely. Although my circumstances aren’t so life-or-death, I’ve adopted Krantz’s motto […]
In May, I start thinking of all the things summer will be: slower, sunnier, fun-er…really, all the -ers. I dream of Creamsicles and starry nights, staying up late and road trips. I think of all the memories we’ll make and the essays the girls will be able to write in September about what they did […]
Last year, our oldest daughter brought home a cabbage to grow for a school project. To help us understand, she pulled up an image of the world’s largest cabbage and matter-of-factly told us that all cabbages look like this one, and her plant would get that big too. She was sorely disappointed. We clearly saw […]
In 2013, Ryan left for a whole month. Work called him away, and I was at home with our two girls, ages 3 and 4 1/2 years, by myself. In hindsight, I see how hard that month was: an extrovert home alone with two littles, a performer who wasn’t able to accomplish much, one parent […]
