As I journey through life, I am surprised that pain takes me so off guard. Pain is inevitable in a fallen world, stemming from Adams decision so long ago, and still reeking havoc in our lives today. The question is not if pain will happen, but when. Then the choice lies, how will we respond […]

Here’s a little secret… marriage is hard! After a long day of wrangling kids, doing the ever mounting dishes, folding the Leaning Tower of Pisa laundry, you may collapse on the couch wondering, is there really time or energy for your spouse? I am here to let you know the answer is no. Just kidding. […]

Teaching your kids how to learn certain life skills takes energy, patience, determination, and flexibility as they learn and make mistakes on the way. Yet, the value of teaching how to do chores not only benefits you, but also your child for now and the years to come. Let’s be honest here. There is always […]

A sandy-haired boy with deep ocean blue eyes and a strong stature, coyly sits. He reminds me of a young David in the Bible; fearless, handsome, and loveable. His emotions dangle off his sleeves as he lives his life in extremes. Hate and love are often on his lips… as he either disdains something or can’t imagine life without it. This boy, a warrior at heart, filled with passion and emotion is my son, Jayden.

A Father’s hands tell his story. Dedication and sacrifice are how he spends his days as his life no longer becomes about himself. It has been broken for another. He tirelessly rises and grinds so as to make sure his family is fed and clothed. His hands and back hurt, his body aches, and yet […]

My son has always been a natural born leader… Some call these attributes strong-willed. :) It depends on what paintbrush you grab, or what lens you view it through. His candle is bright, and his presence is unhidden. Each day he is being molded and shaped; crafted with God’s hands through time and experience, knowledge and love. As I look at my sweet boy, I am motivated to grow, to learn truth, to live out truth, to abandon excess baggage in myself so I can guide him with a clear mind and heart. His eyes are watching, and emulating everything to the umpteenth degree, because whatever he does, he does big and loud… Because his roar is meant to be heard.

Do you know you’re beautiful, Ms. Isabella? We, as women, sometimes question our worth, our beauty… We seek admiration by the way we dress, the way we talk, the choices we make. We want so bad to feel loved. Our heart cries for this attention, and when we don’t receive it, we criticize ourselves as though we didn’t reach the standard that we needed to achieve. We question if we are of value. Well, sweet child, I pray this is not a vice for you. I pray you know you don’t measure your worth with these shifting scales. You are beautiful… Because you are YOU.

This year I started homeschooling. Pause for a cyber five to all my homeschooling peeps. :) It’s been fun… and challenging… and rewarding! I remember in the beginning doubting even the ability to homeschool. Now, after almost a full year of kindergarten… still having days where I can doubt my ability to homeschool. Let’s be honest with ourselves, even in parenting we can find ourselves here, questioning if we have the strength and capabilities to do a good job. There always will be people who seem more put together than us and those who seem less. Yet, I am grateful for the opportunity to spend the extra time with my daughter and have the privilege to watch her learn and grow throughout the day.

As parents, we are bombarded with information on how to be a good parent. It’s overwhelming. Society tells us. Our kids tell us. Other people tell us. It is easy to feel like a failure, even when you give everything you have. We need to quiet out the excess noise, and pare down the hundreds of do’s and do not’s to what really matters. Setting priorities is essential to avoid the extra unnecessary stressors that distract us from what needs to be our focus. Take the reigns on what’s important in parenting and focus less on the frills that won’t make or break your child.

My body is tired from a long day, I have a slight headache, and some crazy hair. Yet, as I sit here, I fully comprehend why God called the man blessed who has kids. It is not the temporary discomforts that affect anything in a large scale; your body will have good and bad days. So as I sit here with my youngest on my lap, I am extremely thankful. I am thankful for the impromptu dance parties, the silly jokes, the brilliant way that children’s minds work, the sweet cards, the time they want to spend with me, and their pure faith. The list could going on endlessly. How do you show your appreciation to the ones who mean so much? How do you bless your children and express your thankfulness?