When the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, I will have read the entire Bible from beginning to end this year. I made the commitment to stick to it no matter what, and if the last few days of 2016 don't throw me a crazy curve ball, I will have done it. I'm not some kind of super-Christian, and every day hasn't been a gloriously amazing experience where I heard angelic choirs singing as I read. Some days, I wanted to skip it. In some books (Leviticus anyone?), I wanted to pull my hair out. I seriously looked at my husband some days and said things like, "I cannot read one more genealogy. I don't care who begat whom. Why do I need to know the dimensions of this building? How do you pronounce Beninu?" There were days I got frustrated. Times I began to daydream. Moments when I questioned if there was any application to my life. But now that I'm nearly finished, I'm so glad I stuck to the task. Here are some things I learned while reading the entire Bible this year: It's not like reading any other book. Duh, I know, but the app I used skipped around sometimes, and there...
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13.12.2016
30 Reasons I’m a Really Bad Mom
I tell myself I'm a really bad mom because: I don't make homemade bread for my children's lunches. I didn't deliver my children naturally or without drugs. I don't feed them only organic food. I don't use only natural cleaning products in our home. I let them watch TV so I can have a moment's peace. When they ask if they can have a silly string fight, I say no because I don't want to clean up the mess. When they ask if they can have ice cream after school and before supper, I say yes because I'm too tired to care. I don't force them to make their beds every morning. I make them wear the same pants two days in a row because I forget to turn on the dryer sometimes. I sit on the couch and ask them to bring me a drink. I forget to move the stupid elf. I make them clean their own toilets. I don't give them an allowance. I don't check their homework unless they ask for help. I only breastfed 50% of them. I let them sleep on their bellies as babies. I let my son stay up past his bedtime to...
13.12.2016
Twelve Gift Ideas for Book Lovers
If you're looking for gift ideas for a book lover this Christmas, look no further! Here's a list of books I have loved. (Some were released this year, and some are oldies but goodies.) Fiction Choices: Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings - I could not put this one down! Historical fiction centered around slavery in Charleston. Kelli Estes's The Girl Who Wrote in Silk - historical fiction about a Chinese girl's secrets. Fascinating. Page-turner. Loved it. Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale - historical fiction in WWII. I have told everyone I've ever met to read this book. Believe me when I say it's amazing. Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove - an old man alienates and endears his neighbors. I still can't believe how much I liked this one! Kristin Hannah's Winter Garden - the story of sisters who learn about their mother's past when they come together to care for their dying father. Nonfiction Favorites: Jerry Sittser's A Grace Disguised - perfect for someone who has faced a tragedy and needs a reminder of hope. I wept while reading it. Jessica Turner's The Fringe Hours - for those busy moms who can't find time for themselves. Super practical tips. Sarah...
07.12.2016
Two More Books On Sale Now!
Hey, everyone! I wanted to jump on here really quickly and let you know about two books that are currently a great price on Amazon. The first is a new favorite of mine, Grace for the Good Girl by Emily P. Freeman. This ebook is on sale for only $1.99! If you haven't read it, don't let this great price pass you by. (And if you don't have a Kindle or e-reader, don't worry. You can download the free Kindle app on any device, including your computer, and read it from there. Super easy.) Another one I wanted to tell you about is a new ebook by a new friend of mine! Cheryl Cannon has written a sweet little book called The Best Three Bucks You Will Spend This Christmas, and it's all about how to make holiday gatherings with your family a little more meaningful. You'll love Cheryl's voice. Great prices for these - let me know what you think of them! Disclosure - affiliate links are included in this post....
Before you get outraged by the headline and assume I'm bashing being an American - don't. I love being an American. I get misty-eyed at football games when 80,000 people pledge allegiance to the flag and fighter jets fly over. I vote proudly (if hesitantly like this November), and I cried when I bought a soldier coffee the other day. So please don't assume I'm unpatriotic or say I should move to another country. But I was scrolling through social media this morning (mistake number one), and I had a sudden realization that being American allows us to be ridiculous in ways others around the world don't have the luxury of being. I watch the evening news every day (I've turned into my father for whom the world stopped at 6:30 pm), and I know of the world's wars, famines, and threats. I follow organizations that try to stop human trafficking, and I give money to relief organizations that feed and educate the poorest children. My Instagram feed shows me every day the life-threatening, desperate situations people are facing. But it also shows me how self-absorbed and hypocritical I am. How are we Americans ridiculous? Consider these examples: we spend money on...
I love to read, and while I typically choose nonfiction, I just read three fiction books in four days that I want to recommend to you. They're all super entertaining, and I couldn't put any of them down. I read them on my Amazon Kindle app (which you can download onto any device for completely free! If you have your phone, then you always have a book to read when you're waiting somewhere). The Good Girl by Mary Kubica. Oh. My. Goodness. If you liked Gone Girl and love thrillers, you've got to read this one. I could not put it down! Mia, the main character, returns home from being kidnapped with no memory of what happened and a new identity - she only knows herself as Chloe. Her well-known father, a judge, and her beautiful mother try to uncover what happened to Mia during the months she was gone, and throughout the discovery process, the book moves from one character's perspective to another and back in forth in time. You will not see what's coming - this I can promise you! The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. (The author of Room, if you've read that one, too. Very good but...
04.12.2016
For When You Feel Ugly, Fat, and Stupid
Maybe I'm the only one who has days where I feel ugly, fat, and stupid. But I'm guessing if you arrived at this post, you probably feel that way too. Some days, for no particular reason at all, I wake up in the morning and just feel blah. Inferior. Incapable. Unable to move past the voices lying to my heart. Ugly. Fat. Stupid. I try not to compare myself to other women, and I avoid the 'keeping up with the Joneses' game as much as I can. But my enemy knows where I'm most vulnerable, and my Achilles heel is not feeling good enough. My weakness is wondering whether I'm doing enough and whether I myself am enough. So that's where he attacks. His plan to defeat me often involves degrading my appearance, and he's done it since I was 12. I know this about him, but knowing doesn't always prevent believing. Where does Satan attack you? Maybe he doesn't tell you you're ugly, fat, or stupid, but maybe he tells you you're a terrible wife. A distant mother. A sub-par business owner. Maybe he whispers that your personality is boring, or your giftedness is a joke. Maybe he reminds you of a decision you made...
When I learned my second pregnancy was with a little girl, I immediately had visions of tutus and hairbows. Parenting up to that point had consisted of Tonka trucks and John Deere tractors, so the thought of dressing up a little girl fascinated me. I left the ultrasound and went straight to the store, needing to buy something pink and prissy to hang in her closet. Today, that little girl is nearly 10 years old, and although I dressed her in pink and placed the biggest bows I could find on her tiny baby head, she did not turn out to be a prissy girl. She is athletic and strong, and she would rather wear running shorts and t-shirts than dresses and tights. Her dark brown hair cascades down her back, and a ponytail has become her signature look. But that dark brown ponytail has become the biggest argument-inducer between the two of us. She hates to condition it, hates to dry it, and hates to brush it. If she had her way, her hair would always air dry and be full of tangles and knots. We’ve gone around and around about it, and every night I find myself asking, “Have you...
28.11.2016
The Gifts to Be Found in Seasons of Waiting
Sometimes our lives feel like quicksand. What we thought was solid ground turns out not to be so solid, and it unexpectedly grabs us and pulls us down. No matter how much we struggle to escape, we continue to sink. We want to get out more than anything, but we're stuck. We are trapped in circumstances beyond our control, and there seems to be no obvious solution. Where are you stuck today? In a job you hate? With a spouse you can't change? In a financial crisis you caused but can't solve? Maybe there's no external situation trapping you - maybe you're stuck in your own thoughts. Maybe you're trapped in a cycle of self-hatred and depression. Worry and anxiety. Condemnation and doubt. Maybe your life is a combination of internal and external traps. I've certainly been there. It feels hopeless, doesn't it? Like you'll be there forever, and there's no way out. Every second drags by, and you look around at everyone moving freely while your own feet are in chains. You'd do anything for a change, but you've tried everything that didn't work. You literally have no control, and there's nothing you can do but wait. You are at God's mercy, and you pray He will...
When I was a little girl, all I wanted to be was a mother. Sure, I played around with being a marine biologist (who knew you had to be good at science?!), and I would teach school to my dolls and stuffed animals. I dreamed of being an ice skater when the winter Olympics were on, and I toyed with the idea of being a journalist. I considered different careers, but in my heart, I knew my greatest desire was to be a mom. And now I am. I'm the mom of two incredible human beings, and God has given me the desire of my heart. But man, is it ever hard. Before I gave birth, I knew exactly what kind of mom I would be. I'd be patient all the time, my house would always be tidy, and I'd be a phenomenal cook. But according to these standards, I'm actually a colossal failure. I lose my patience daily, my house looks like a tornado blew through, and my cooking would make Rachael Ray grimace. I am not the mom I thought I'd be, and I'm willing to bet you're not, either. I heard from a friend recently who said, "I always wanted kids and never...