I've been thinking a lot about homemaking lately, and I had a thought that really changed my perspective on the whole cooking/cleaning thing: Great homemaking isn't about keeping a home that's perfectly spotless. It's about creating an atmosphere that allows those in the home to flourish. So, when I do the laundry, it isn't so I can be "the perfect homemaker." It's so my children can start their day calmly with clean clothes, instead of spending five minutes digging in the hamper for something that smells "okay." (Side note: yes we have been known to do this, and ewww) When I help them clean their rooms, it isn't so their room looks "Pinterest perfect." It's to give them a clean, safe place to play, and to teach them important character traits like responsibility and learn more...
50+ Easy Lent Recipes You’ll Love to Make
Looking for some easy, delicious Lent recipes? You're in luck. Here are 50 easy Lent recipes you'll love to make! Lent is right around the corner. You know what that means... Lots of fish. With certain restrictions on what Catholics can and cannot eat during Lent, fish is pretty much a staple this time of year. Same with cheese pizza, scrambled eggs, spaghetti, peanut butter and jelly, and macaroni and cheese... They're easy. They're delicious. But unfortunately, they can also get old real fast. Especially if you've been participating in Lent for several years now. After all, you can only eat so much pan-fried tilapia before you're like "Oh please. No more." Thankfully, while these foods are the most common easy Lent meal ideas, they certainly aren't the learn more...
29 Christian Christmas Gift Ideas Your Whole Family Will Love
Looking for some fun, unique Christian Christmas gift ideas? If so, you're in the right place! You see, year after year I'd always get SO frustrated trying to find just the perfect Christmas gifts for everyone on my list. I wanted something special, but not cheesy. Something fun, but useful. Something that'd help them grow in faith (if possible), but something that they'd actually really like and appreciate. That's quite a tall order! The good news is -- if you want to buy Christian Christmas gifts for your family too, I've already done the hard work for you! Scroll down to find some of my very favorite Christmas gifts for Christians or use the links below to skip to whatever section you'd like -- whether you're looking for Christian Christmas gifts for women, for learn more...
How to “Do it All” … and Still Have Time to Enjoy It!
Do you ever get to the end of a long day, look around at the mess, and feel like you're never going to catch up? Like, even if you had a whole day -- all to yourself -- to try to catch up, it wouldn't be enough, and you wouldn't even know where to start? You want to be a good, godly wife. You want to be a kind, caring mother. You want to be that friend that everyone can count on. You long for deep, powerful quiet times with the Lord like you used to have... But it's all you can do to keep up with the constant fire hydrants of needs and demands, and most days you struggle to even do that. If so, you're not alone. (At all!) In fact, I regularly get emails from sweet ladies saying "I want to make God my #1 priority. I want to spend more time with my kids. But after learn more...
Four Ways Your Health is Holding You Back Spiritually
So, I just read some pretty shocking statistics. According to a recent study conducted by researchers at three well-known universities, 97.3 percent of Americans fail when it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle. The standards weren't that high either. They simply asked if people get a moderate amount of exercise, eat right, maintain a healthy weight and refrain from smoking--all things doctors routinely recommend. And yet only 2.7 percent of Americans could say "yes" to all four. I knew American isn't exactly a healthy nation, but wow, that's worse than I thought! In fact, did you know that an astonishing 70 percent of American adults have chronic diseases? Or that more than 75 percent of the nation's healthcare cost is spent on managing and treating these learn more...
How to Get Your Spouse to Help Around the House When He Won’t
When my husband and I first got married, he didn't help out around the house much. It's not like I really blame him. He was working out of town all week while I stayed home with one sweet baby who was actually really easy to care for. He only made a fraction of the mess and I had all week to clean--it's not like I needed (or wanted) a lot of help. These days, though, things look a little different. Now we have three children who--at 6, 2 and 6 months--require quite a bit of time and energy to care for! I work from home and he works both in and out of the home (which is awesome!). It's fun--but it's busy. And it's messy. And it's tiring. And he helps out a lot. Which is also awesome. Unfortunately, however, I know a lot of moms aren't so lucky. You want your learn more...
