My kids got bit by the hot cocoa bug this week. Somehow, when the weather changes, it takes our diet with it.  Does it change yours? My menu shifts completely from summer cookouts to soups and roasts. It doesn’t matter the season, I know giving my kids a cup with 1,000 grams of refined sugar in it isn’t the best idea. So, I cringe a little when they ask for hot … [Read more...]

I couldn’t believe my ears. Relief flooded over her face as she told me her story with a beaming grateful smile. As she talked, I wondered silently: Could raw milk really change someone’s life? It’s funny I could wonder, because people tell me every week how raw milk is changing their lives. People constantly tell me stories of raw milk healing eczema, clearing up breakouts, … [Read more...]

The most important thing about your trip around the sun Yesterday, I completed another 584 million-mile trip around the sun. If you’re like me, my brain can’t comprehend that many miles. In order to travel that many miles in a year, Google tells me that’s 67,000 mph or 18.5 miles per second, which is like running a marathon in 1.4 seconds. Traveling that fast would be like … [Read more...]

What if life was a raft?  What if the waterline rose with every addition? Would we keep piling things on as the water rushed over the edge? Would we invite more into the raft if it was already taking on water? How foolish would we look if our raft was sitting on the bottom of the ocean but we were still accepting “passengers”? At some point, we’d have to realize there is no … [Read more...]

See – I have this thing called a comfort zone. She’s my favorite place to be – at least if I’m not thinking beyond today. She knows just what I like and she keeps me far away from what I don’t like. If something sounds like it might fall outside of her, we just avoid that. She and I are pretty tight. This week, I told my comfort zone to take a hike and we launched our silo … [Read more...]

My eyes jolted open, only to see what I shouldn’t see through my windshield: tall grass whipping by as I drove somewhere I knew I shouldn’t be. Confused and panicked, my foggy brain picked my foot off the accelerator. What in the world had I done? Where was I? My breath escaped me as I realized what I was doing: I had fallen asleep at the wheel – crossed oncoming traffic, and … [Read more...]

You might want to sit down for this. What if your kids asked to get out of bed early to happily clean and organize the house? I’m fully aware I sound crazy. I never thought my kids would do it. But they are (some days) and it’s rocking my world! “How does this work?!!!” Thanks for asking - I’d love to share. Recently, I was introduced to Paul Akers’ “2 Second Lean” book … [Read more...]

What if “I do” wasn’t about taking? FamilyLife Today sends a daily marriage tip to my inbox. The subject never fails to give me pause. “I Do Every Day,” it reads, followed by whatever topic is being covered for that day. The first “I Do” I said on my wedding day in response to the long string of intense questioning about having and holding, forsaking all others, in sickness, … [Read more...]

Sneaking down the creaky stairs of my old farmhouse, I popped my earbuds in for a few quiet minutes of the Family Life Today podcast before my kids were roused. I wasn’t expecting what I heard but it was exactly what my marriage needed… maybe yours does too? (I’ll share it below!) My husband and I are actually doing something new in 2023. We’re making a vision board for our … [Read more...]

I’m experimenting on my kids.Don’t tell them that. Some of you actually know my kids, so I’m serious. What’s the experiment? For several years, I’ve been curating lack in their lives. Before you call Protective Services, don’t worry... my kids are clothed and fed. But here’s what I mean: Convenience in America has turned into quite the little beast. Somewhere along the … [Read more...]

Mom-life is no joke; but we often don’t take it seriously. Sure, keeping little people alive is serious, but the person who holds the “mom” title is often an afterthought. For many years, I ignored my mom-nutrition, and my whole family suffered for it. I’ve learned the hard way, that there is a better way. Recovering from my first daughter’s birth nine years ago was … [Read more...]