Happy to Hear “Happy Holidays”

We have ten kids in our family.  And since I homeschool them, they're all home quite a bit when they're not volunteering, working, playing sports or doing other extra-curricular activities. With that many personalities in one house, you can well imagine then that misunderstandings, spats, kerfluffles and even arguments might occasionally occur.  And when they do, the kids know well … [Read more...]

Thanksgiving Stuffing and Godly Motherhood

As a kid, making Thanksgiving stuffing at my house was a major production. The old-fashioned, metal hand grinder was attached to the counter and we all would take turns, through tears and laughter, grinding the onion, celery, dried bread, giblets and more. Each ingredient was dumped into a super-size Tupperware container and reverently stirred together with chicken broth, egg, melted … [Read more...]

Talking to God behind the Shower Curtain

As I stood in the shower this morning (yes, still with a backwards shower curtain!), I had no less than five small-to-medium-sized interruptions barge into my bathroom to tell or ask me some vitally important bit of information. Kia, age 6, who had been tasked with cleaning crayon drawings off his bedroom wall came in first, third and fifth - all with the same report.  "I can't get … [Read more...]

Today I Said Goodbye

Today I said goodbye.Goodbye to a dream to which the Lord led me.Goodbye to the hopes of being a world changer.Goodbye to stubborn insistence that love is enough.Today I said goodbye.Goodbye to prideful refusal to ask for help.Goodbye to long-term denial that something needed to change.Goodbye to felt pressure to be a poster child for a cause.Today I said goodbye.  Tomorrow I … [Read more...]

Rethinking Halloween

The front door opened and out bolted ten excited children dressed in a variety of costumes and disguises.  They quickly loaded into the van, eager to line up and participate in the July 4th parade commemorating Bayview, Idaho's centennial year.  Marching at the start of the parade meant each child had a chance to line the streets at the end of the parade route, to enjoy the remainder of … [Read more...]