Mother's Day is less than a week away. Stores, restaurants and social media are advertising sales, brunches and gift guides in preparation for Sunday. A day to celebrate, honor and remember. For some women though, Mother's Day is simply a painful reminder of who they have lost and what they don't have. I wanted to do a special giveaway to honor you! The mother with empty arms. The mother grieving. The mother waiting and longing. The mother hoping. You may be the one who stays seated during the Mother's Day blessing at church, but in your pew whether sitting or standing you are a mother. God sees your heart, He ... view the post
Midweek Musings
This past weekend we packed up and headed west to visit my family who we haven't seen since Christmas. Is was so good to see everyone again! The kids always get so excited, they can hardly sleep the night before leaving. We made great timing only stopping twice over six and a half hours on the way there. The way back home was another story...four stops in four hours, life with five kids. Now we are just on the verge of the official start of baseball season. Although the boys have been practicing since February, tournaments start this weekend. According to my husband baseball qualifies as the fifth season of the ... view the post
The Longing
It's Infertility Awareness Week. It is one of those crosses that many couples face, some soon after marriage and for others it comes after one or two children. It often goes unseen, unnoticed and unacknowledged. While it may not be talked about, the thought never leaves the mind. The longing, desire and heartache often becomes all consuming. They are perceived by many as the couple choosing not to have kids or waiting until they are older. Labels are put on them and questions are asked. Often leading to the feeling of more guilt and embarrassment about something completely out of their control. People tell them to ... view the post
It’s a Good Morning
It has taken me almost six years and five kids later to establish, put into practice and recognize the importance of a good morning routine. Let this be said, it doesn't always go perfectly or as planned, because children and motherhood are always fluid. I have found that in taking the time to be intentional about the habits and routine that I do in the morning sets up the day, puts me in the right frame of mind and allows me to be better focused on the tasks ahead. I recall the days when Grace was a baby and I would try to squeeze in a shower between morning naps, put on my makeup between teaching the older boys a ... view the post
Easter Lessons
Happy Easter! He is Risen, Alleluia!! He is Risen indeed! On Holy Saturday we made a late and last minute decision to take all of the children to the Easter Vigil starting at 8:00pm! Aaron's comment while weighing the pros and cons, deciding whether to go to the Vigil or on Easter morning, "Well it may not be our best parenting move." We went anyway! I was thinking the smaller ones would fall asleep pretty quickly with the Church being dark for a good portion of the time. They proved me wrong. Briella grabbed a quick 15 minute power nap on the way there and was an energizer bunny for the entire 2 hours and 45 ... view the post