“…to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14, ESV). It’s easy to become focused on what our children are doing wrong. When the toddler spews the food he doesn’t like across the room, we have to clean it up. And we have to train him to behave differently. When angry boys resort to punching each other, we have to evaluate their stories. […]
Read More →Category: Motherhood
Loving the Little Years – Review and Giveaway
Every mother with small people should read “Loving the Little Years.” Several times. Yearly, even. The mother of 5 children five-years-old and under, Rachel Jankovic knows what she’s talking about and brings refreshing perspective on “motherhood in the trenches.” It is easy to feel exhausted and overwhelmed just with the task of keeping little ones fed and clothed. But they need so much more than that! We are called to […]
Read More →Time-Saving Ideas!
I loved reading all your time-saving tips from last week’s blog giveaway! I think my all-time favorite was the coffee filter in the bottom of the potty chair. Boy, do I wish I had known that one during our potty training years! Anyway, I wanted to organize the tips into categories for my own reference, and thought I’d share them with you here. Hopefully it will help you benefit from […]
Read More →How Do You Feed on the Word While Your Children Are Tiny?
Last Thursday we talked about ways to claim a regular (or at least semi-regular!) time for communion with God during the day. Getting up just a little earlier in the morning is one way to make time for this important time. However, for mothers who are caring for tiny ones during the night, an early rising may not be practical. Mothers with several little young children may also have trouble […]
Read More →Making Time to Nourish Our Souls
“Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). A daily time in God’s Word was my lifeline while our children were young. I know that even fifteen minutes of Bible reading and prayer can be incredibly challenging when the house is brimming with energetic children and sweet babies that interrupt normal nighttime sleep schedules. But it is worth fighting for! Mothering is a demanding […]
Read More →A Shopping Adventure
When our children were really little, we didn’t have a car that I could keep running reliably enough to take the kids out shopping. Shopping night was a family affair. Because we weren’t always sure if the van would start again when we turned it off, John often drove around the store parking lot with all the kids while I zoomed through the store. By the time we had a […]
Read More →A Mother’s Day Tribute
My mother’s life was a life of quiet service. She was a contented and diligent homemaker, a devoted and patient mother, a loyal and hard-working daughter, a proud and boasting Grandma, and a quiet lady who knew how to listen well. My memories as a young girl include vivid pictures of going along with Mom as she ministered to her parents and to the elderly in our congregation. She helped […]
Read More →Taking the Time to Get to Know Our Children
“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). My daughter and daughter-in-law introduced me to Loving the Little Years, by Rachel Jankovic. It’s a book for moms with little kids. My kids are not little anymore. In fact, in less than three weeks, I will be a retired homeschooling mother (ready and waiting to take on the […]
Read More →Why Do I Get Discouraged?
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalm 42:5a, ESV) How many times have I asked myself this question? Do any of these reasons for discouragement sound familiar to you? I am likely to become discouraged when: I am suffering trials (loss, death, troubled relationships, health problems, financial setbacks). I expect people to be and do what only God can be […]
Read More →Whose Time?
I’ve recently been rereading several of C. S. Lewis’s books, after first reading them during my college days. I have especially enjoyed rereading The Screwtape Letters. If you’re not familiar with this classic, it is a witty and penetrating look at spiritual warfare from a demon’s point of view. Uncle Screwtape, a seasoned older devil, offers written advice to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon who must learn the tricks […]
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