November is often called the month of gratitude, but I’ll be honest—there have been years when I didn’t feel thankful at all. Whether it was health challenges, parenting struggles, marriage stress, or financial worries, the weight of life can make November feel more annoying than inspiring. Grumpiness can sneak in so easily. When we’re tired, ...
Gratitude that Lasts Beyond November
I don’t know about you, but it’s easy for my family - and me - to slip into complaining instead of thanking. Meals, messes, overflowing laundry, busy schedules — sometimes the negative flows out so easily. Psychologists have found that children who practice gratitude are more positive, more satisfied, and experience fewer negative feelings. ...
8 Teachable Moments Hidden in Halloween Candy
Opening the pantry, I was welcomed by the delicious aroma of candy my kiddos collected at our church’s Fall Festival. While I love the yummy smells, enough candy and sugar greet me to start a small candy store. The do-not-waste-anything mentality inside of me won’t let me throw it away. But I don’t want my kids eating all of it. Heaven knows ...
Two Simple Holiday Traditions That Teach the Gospel
There are two holiday traditions I’m especially thankful we started when my children were young. I truly believe they were key in helping them understand the Gospel and Jesus’ deep love for them. Holidays are filled with excitement, decorations, and gifts—but when faith is woven into those moments, they become powerful teaching tools. These two ...
Teaching a Child to Sing Bible Songs with Joy
You’ve chosen the perfect Bible song for learning time — but instead of joyful singing, you see blank stares, half-hearted singing, or rolling around on the carpet. You wonder, What am I doing wrong? It can feel discouraging when music time doesn’t go as planned, especially when you know how powerful songs can be in shaping the child’s faith. ...
Pumpkin Carving Fun… and a Tasty Treat!
For 20 years, our family has had a special pumpkin-carving tradition with Papa. When the kids were young, their favorite part was picking shapes for the faces—triangles for eyes, zigzags for mouths, and even some creative asymmetrical designs. Carving the pumpkin also opened the door to share the Gospel. As the kids got older, their designs became ...
Moving from Temptation to Fruit
We know the verse by heart, yet living out the Fruit of the Spirit can feel nearly impossible—especially when we’re running on our last nerve. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” ~ Galatians 5:22-23 Yet there is hope! Check out this ...
Parenting Without Comparison
We all do it. Compare the things we own. Compare our marriages. Compare what we know. And yes… compare our children. As another school year begins, let’s pause and talk about how comparison affects us as parents — and what we can do about it. Here is Becky's story. When Comparison Creeps In “I need to teach Jack Bible stories!” I said to ...
Progress You May Not See
I remember oh so well. At the age of four, Peanut wanted what he wanted— and he was ready to test every limit to see if he could get it. Lying on the floor in protest? Worth a try. Yelling and stomping? Also worth testing. He just wanted to make sure that our boundaries were firm and that he could trust me to be consistent. But Peanut isn’t the ...
Raising Kids Who Truly Apologize
As moms, we’ve all been there—two kids in tears, one clinging to a toy, the other muttering a quick “sorry” before running off. But deep down, we know that kind of apology doesn’t build character or heal relationships. What our kids need is to understand why their actions hurt others and how to respond in a way that shows genuine heart ...