Ever since my kids were born, I’ve bought them a new ornament every year to hang on our Christmas tree. From their “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament and on, I set out to carefully create a collection for my kids to take with them when they leave home and celebrate Christmas on their own. I can’t remember if I heard…
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I’m so happy you’re here, I just want you to know that this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click and purchase I will be compensated for being the helpful reason you found these amazing gifts! My daughter came up with a list of gifts that are 100% teenage boy approved. I mean, seriously, her roommate’s 16-year-old…
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I’m so happy you’re here, I just want you to know that this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click and purchase I will be compensated for being the helpful reason you found these amazing gifts! Do you have a college guy? We’ve covered our bases on this particular gift guide. Our college-age boys always seem to…
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Let’s create a spirit of gratitude in our kids and within our families with this Gratitude Bundle! We want to raise grateful kids and yet, it can be tough to find practical and simple ways to cultivate a spirit of gratitude and appreciation in our kids and within our families. I created this Gratitude bundle: Family Gratitude Prompts, Conversation Starters,…
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I am challenging myself to hug my teen and do so as often as I can. Does anyone else ever deal with an irrational teenager? Asking for a friend. May the Lord have mercy on me because some days I feel utterly exasperated and exhausted. The mental exhaustion is so draining I find myself physically exhausted too. Then,…
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If my 1980s childhood were a museum exhibit, it would feature jelly shoes, Noxzema cleansing cream, and dozens of dog-eared Sweet Valley High books. My middle school friends and I consumed this young adult series like we guzzled Slurpees. Sweet Valley High chronicled the lives of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, identical twin sisters who lived in a fictional, sun-drenched,…
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My daughter had a big day ahead of her. She was anxiously anticipating the final assignment of her internship with our church’s local outreach ministry where each intern would be giving a presentation they had worked on for several weeks. She spent every day of her summer serving our city’s communities in need, participating in leadership training and book…
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Dear teen son, There are many different skills you’ll need to learn during these pivotal years that will help you be responsible and successful when you’re on your own. You know we are pretty intent on teaching you the values and virtues we uphold in our family and seeing you demonstrate them in your choices every day brings me…
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There are many things that are positive about social media and the internet. After all, you’re reading this and I’m so happy that you are! BUT, social media is not so great when it comes to comparing and measuring ourselves, our kids, and our lives. Social media is an illusion of “happy,” “perfect,” and “my life is great.” Social media…
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I know you’re wondering how time has flown by so quickly. Your adolescent seems to have grown up in front of your eyes. If you’re finding yourself contemplating how you’ve been doing as a parent lately, wondering if you’ve done enough, I’m here to tell you don’t worry. You see, while I don’t have children of my own just…
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Communicating with our teenagers can be a challenge. At times, it can seem impossible to get them to open up and talk to us. When we’re lucky and they finally do, they can say some things that are really hard for us to hear. When our child says something that upsets us, it’s easy to feel like we’ve blown it…
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Here’s a no-brainer: moms wear a lot of hats. There’s one particular mom-hat that is absolutely crushing our skulls in these days of pandemic parenting. I like to call this hat the I validate your pain but also I promise that the world is not conspiring against you so listen to your trustworthy mom as I provide some encouragement…
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