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Marriage Oct 26, 2015

Marriage Killers and How to Slay Them

Early on in our marriage, our biggest issue was criticism. Mark thought it would be very helpful of him to point out all of the ways I could do things better, more like him. He is now quick to admit that he tends to have a bit of a critical attitude, but he didn’t realize it at the time. He honestly

Parenting Oct 21, 2015

What’s Going on in Your Child’s Heart?

When my kids were young, it was so easy to know what was going on in their heart because it usually came out of their mouth nonstop. The constant stream of random questions along with verbal observations about life provided a wide open window into their heart. I loved it. I just love to help people

Encouragement Oct 19, 2015

How to Chain, Tame, and Train Your Tongue

When was the last time you said something you didn’t mean? Spoke before thinking? Hurt someone with your words? Let a careless comment slip? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done all of those things! And I know I’m not the only one who struggles with my words. Why is it so easy to say things we

Parenting Oct 14, 2015

5 Answers You Need About Your Teen’s Social Media Use

Nowadays it seems like teenagers are born with an extra appendage attached to their fingertips. You know what I mean. That iPhone they just can’t seem to look up from may as well be a part of their bodies! Spending too much time using social media may be detrimental to your child’s mental, emotional

Parenting Oct 12, 2015

When to Let Your Child Quit

In our family, we discouraged our children from being quitters from a very young age. If they started a game, they needed to finish it. If they wanted to do an activity, they couldn’t just leave halfway through. Because quitting should only be allowed or encouraged in rare circumstances, we wanted t

Marriage Oct 7, 2015

4 Common Mistakes Husbands and Wives Make in Marriage

Guess what? There’s no such thing as a perfect marriage! No matter how great a relationship may look on the outside, every couple has struggles because every person makes mistakes. If you’ve read many of my blog posts, you know that Mark and I have made our share of mistakes. Instead of making excus

Parenting Oct 5, 2015

Wants and Needs: Can Your Child Tell the Difference?

“But mom, I neeeeed it!” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard these five words come out of my kids’ mouths—and the expression on their faces when they say it is almost funny! I use the word rather loosely here because, in reality, understanding the difference between a need and a want is extre

Encouragement Oct 1, 2015

Are You Too Serious to Laugh?

“Mommy, what’s wrong?” “Nothing, why?” “You never laugh anymore.” My kids can read me like a book. I have heard these words several times. We all have stress, but when stress exists for long stretches of time, it can become the norm. And we become too serious for laughter. During those periods, a mo

Marriage Sep 28, 2015

3 A’s for an Awesome Marriage

Join me on Periscope tonight at 9:00 pm EST to discuss: Will Your Child Stand for What They Know is Right? I recently posted a video of me and my friend Lesley doing a Periscope session where we talked about the 3 R’s of discipline. Today, I have 3 more letters on my mind to share with you: 3 A’s fo

Parenting Sep 17, 2015

The 3 R’s of Discipline

Don’t you wish there was one single set of instructions on how to discipline every child? We all do. But, in reality, there are lots of decisions which moms must make along the way with different answers for each child. Have you fallen into this cycle? Your child breaks a rule. You discipline (or, y

Marriage Sep 16, 2015

Are You Encouraging Your Spouse to Cheat?

Last month, countless lives were turned upside down when hackers posted the personal information of an alleged 32 million users of Ashley Madison, an online service that promotes and facilitates adultery. The website’s slogan reads, “Life is short. Have an affair.” The site claimed to have 39 millio

Marriage Sep 14, 2015

How to Be Spontaneous in Your Marriage

Once upon a time, I was spontaneous and fun. In fact, my husband would say it was one of the characteristics that attracted me to him. I was ready to go anywhere at a moment’s notice. I was always looking for a chance to be creative and romantic. Constantly, I was surprising Mark with impromptu scav

Encouragement Sep 9, 2015

Peering Into Eternity

I can still clearly remember the day my heart stopped. At only 17 years old, I had a cardiac arrest. I was a cheerleader for my high school, and our football team was playing for the district championship. It was an intense game. I was on the sidelines, willing our team to victory. Feeling every pla

Parenting Sep 8, 2015

3 Ways to Foster Friendships Between Your Kids

Even with a growing number of only children, about 80% of Americans have at least one brother or sister. And like it or not, they are to some extent stuck with each other for their entire lives! For most people, sibling relationships are the most enduring of all relationships, outlasting that with p

College Sep 3, 2015

6 Mistakes College Freshmen Make

Graduating from high school can be one of the most exciting times in a young child’s life, but it can also be one of the scariest! All of a sudden, your teenager is thrust into the world. They have to make decisions with potentially life-altering consequences. So how do you make sure your child does

Marriage Aug 31, 2015

How to Agreeably Disagree with Your Spouse

We all have challenging times in our marriages when we have to make tough decisions, and sometimes that can cause conflict. My marriage is no exception! When to start having kids. Whether or not to quit good, stable jobs to go into full-time ministry. How to discipline our children. What to spend ou

Encouragement Aug 26, 2015

Panic Gives Way to Peace

I sometimes wonder how people survive without prayer. I couldn’t make it through a single day, much less a lifetime, without prayer. For me, praying is almost like breathing. I’m not saying that because I want you to think I am acing the Christian life. I’m not. I have to pray simply to survive and

Parenting Aug 25, 2015

5 Parenting Speed Bumps

When I’m in a hurry and trying to get somewhere quickly, nothing irritates me as much as a speed bump—especially when it comes out of nowhere and takes me by surprise! While flying through life, attempting to balance the countless things on my plate, I sometimes get hit by a speed bump that reminds

Marriage Aug 20, 2015

Let’s Talk About Marriage Communication

Communication is the glue that holds a marriage together. But I can tell you that during our 28 years of marriage, there have been countless times when Mark and I have come a little unglued. Early in our marriage, I struggled to navigate the sticky communication situations we sometimes found ourselv

Marriage Aug 18, 2015

What to Do When You’re Not in the Mood

There is a lot that goes into making a marriage great, and it’s important to talk about the basics like loving your husband well, making him a priority, and spending time together. But there is a huge part of marriage that we can be afraid to talk about realistically. Yes, I’m talking about sex! Whe

Encouragement Jul 29, 2015

I Was Justified, and I Was Wrong

Have you ever made a decision for your life and been totally convinced it was right only to find out you were wrong? At the end of last year, I was convinced that this year I needed more down time for me. And I was justified! Last year was hard. I was overwhelmed, exhausted, and both emotionally and

Sunday Suppers May 13, 2015

Lamb Burger Dinner

I have recently discovered a new way to make burgers… have you ever tried a lamb burger? Oh my, it is so delicious! Your kids would never know that it wasn’t ordinary beef, and better yet, lamb is comparable in price! You can spice them up however you would like, but these are so yummy and simple. T

Encouragement May 6, 2015

Inspiring and Noble

Have you ever wondered how some people have so much courage? Have you ever thought to yourself, I am not nearly as brave as so-and-so? Or that because you are ‘just a mom’ you don’t have the grit that some others do? The truth is, you are brave, you are courageous–because you are a mom. A mom who lo

Encouragement Apr 30, 2015

You are a REAL Beauty–Celebrate It!

So, what you doing tomorrow? How about a trip to the club? Sam’s Club, that is! I am so excited because iMOM and Dove are partnering at Sam’s Club locations all across the country to celebrate mothers everywhere. Seriously, I have lunch at the club every Saturday–love those sample peeps. And they lo