By the grace of God, my husband and I will celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary this May. When I look back, we were just babies when we married in college. We now have a child older than we were at that time. Like every marriage, ours has walked through some very brutal storms, and I praise God that we have come out on the other side. Even in ...
Parenting to Impress Blog...
...A sister site to ABCJesusLovesMe
Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:7
Do I Deserve Happiness? A Biblical Look for Moms
As moms, we often hear, “I just want my kids to be happy,” or even, “I deserve happiness.” But is this what God promises or desires for us? Culture tells us happiness is the ultimate goal—choose what makes you happy, change your circumstances if you’re unhappy. Yet what does Scripture tell us? Read the episode transcript What Happiness ...
Preschool Curriculum Made Simpler: It’s Here!
After a year of praying, researching, testing, rewriting, and listening to teachers and families, the 3rd Edition of the ABCJesusLovesMe Preschool Curriculum is here. This update was created to make teaching toddlers and preschoolers clearer, lighter, and more effective. It maintains the foundation of play-based learning, strong academics, ...
When It Doesn’t Go as Planned
About a year ago, Melanie and I recorded a podcast episode we didn’t know would be our last for quite some time. The break wasn’t planned, but life required it. 2025 brought confusion, heartbreak, grief, and parenting decisions that didn’t come with clear answers. Today, I want to share why that pause happened and what God has been teaching us ...
How to Know If a Child Has a Disability
There are moments in motherhood when a quiet question keeps returning: Is this just a phase, or is something more going on? I remember asking that question again and again, unsure if I was being overly concerned or not concerned enough. This post was originally written in April 2015, a season when I felt confused, overwhelmed, and desperate for ...
Training a Child to Release Anger
Sixteen years ago, I wrote a blog post during a season when my oldest child —affectionately called Bubs—was struggling with safely releasing anger and frustration. Reading it again now, I’m reminded of how much growth can happen when an adult slows down, listens, and chooses to train instead of simply telling a child to stop a behavior. Why ...
Trusting God in a New Year
Happy New Year! Do those words bring peace…or anxiety? I used to love the start of a new year. A clean calendar. A fresh planner. Excitement about what might be ahead. That changed. When the New Year Brings Anxiety While I still enjoy a brand-new Be Intentional planner, I've stepped into this new year with an anxious heart. Honestly, ...
Turning Ordinary Moments into Faith Lessons
Several years ago, I caught Peanut (5) singing a silly childhood song about trick-or-treating, smelly feet, and underpants. (Go ahead…you know the one.) While it tiptoes the line of being inappropriate, it’s a song kids have sung for generations because of its catchy tune and simple, sing-song lyrics. Peanut was clearly proud of his new ...
13 Tips to Navigate the Holidays with Sensory-Sensitive Kids
The holidays are hard for most children and adults. But for children navigating Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism, or ADHD, the large groups of people, over stimulation, and changes in routine can send the whole day into a downward spiral. I learned—many times after the fact—that the best way to help my children (and myself) was to prepare for ...
Who I Truly Am
A few years ago, my daughter came to me with a statement that stopped me in my tracks. Sweet Pea, who was 13 at the time, looked at me and confidently said she was a follower, not a leader. When I asked how she knew that, she shrugged and said, “Because my friends told me I am.” I remember taking a long, slow breath. Those simple words revealed ...