I want to be the happy, excited, well-balanced Mom who is cute and composed. Gray hairs freshly covered, manicured hands, glowing make-up, cute outfit, clean car, on time- all of it. I want to be crushing Mom life.

This morning I ate pistachio ice cream for breakfast. A new low of sorts. For 9 months I ate healthy and clean with an occasional splurge. I dropped baby weight like it was my job. My skin looked clear and my eyes bright. Then _________ threw me off. We can each fill in that blank differently- and I know just what it was for me.

I don't want to write this post. I don't want to be in a failing place. Being successful, and looking like it has

The BEST outfit we can “put on” as modern day homemakers is a gentle and quiet spirit. ♥

1Peter 3:1-6 says this:

“Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.”

This scripture reminds us that what is TRULY important as a woman-of-God, is what is inside of our heart, rather than what is on the outside.

When it comes to etiquette it can be hard to gauge what is unnecessary and out of date, versus what is timeless, important and still elicits people's favor.

We want to teach our daughters ladylike etiquette, but we also want it to fit with modern times and not feel out of place.

Here are three traits of ladylike behavior that never go out of style!

Sometimes it’s hard for a mom to understand the needs of her son. They can feel like a different breed of humans because, well, they kind of are!

As a mom of three boys and one girl, I can honestly say it has taken me a little while to really grasp what my boys need to flourish.

As we are all in this hunkered-down state, I can’t help but feel a certain sense of peace about how all of this is happening.

As believers in Christ, we are already attuned to the fact that God is in control no matter what. Not that fear or disappointment never creeps in for us, but the “peace that passes understanding” is real, and at times like this we can see that distinct mark.

I was talking to a friend the other day and we both echoed back what the other was feeling: This has brought about a lot of GOOD things. It has helped us to re-focus on things that REALLY MATTER.

Again, I am not blind to the tragedy. But I want to point out a few of the REALLY GOOD things taking place because of the restrictions this virus has enforced:

We’ve each grown up with different dynamics within our family of origin- and these relationships can be complicated, to say the least.

Many of us came from broken or dysfunctional homes where nobody modeled healthy relationships and boundaries. Some of us even grew accustomed to accepting extremely unhealthy behavior as normal.

I often hear from women about their parents’ unbearable behaviors. Sometimes these adult daughters did not even realize the issue until well into their adult years.

Even though my life is so blessed, and God has been so gracious to me, I am still such a loser sometimes.  

Tonight I sat on my couch scrolling through my phone on a Saturday night, ignoring my family. A temporary ease to the dull ache inside of me.

I try to keep it pure and look up only Christian content, but you know how things can spiral.

Christian celebrity Instagram accounts, and then onto the people they have tagged, and people those people have tagged... A lame, lame waste of time, I know. And tonight I somehow eventually wound up on a famous Christian authors’ daughter’s account. Nice.

This is something that many of us need to come face to face with.

It is a heart-of-hearts kind of issue, deeper than many of the topics being tackled in women’s circles at this moment.

Many of us are at home with our children, but our hearts have drifted far away.

This is not another plan, or checklist, or give-me-your-email-address-and-I-will-send-you-5-tips-to-have-a-simple-Easter!

This is simply what my family decided to do last year, amidst the general overwhelm of life, to have a close-to-home, simple, faith-and-family-centric Easter.

As Moms, it is very easy to get caught up in family traditions, and holiday pressures can pile up fast and thick.

We let our extended families know a few weeks in advance

This is what it feels like to have poor self-discipline: 

You're laying in bed angry, frustrated and wishing you had gotten up earlier. The baby is crying in his room, and you had been doing SO well for 2 weeks straight- getting up to have your quiet time, exercising and sticking to that eating plan. What happened?

It feels like you can't stick to anything longterm.

Why can my husband make a decision, and flip a switch

There is a season in life to say "no". When you are in the thick of motherhood with little ones who need your full time and attention, and a house and a husband, and quite possibly a job on top of it all, dear good grief you do not have to go to your second cousin’s gender reveal party. Or your Uncle’s surprise 70th, or your in-law’s barbecue to meet their college roommates. Nothing if you don’t want to. I give you full permission, sweet lady.

A few months back when I was looking up ways to politely decline invitations to things without lying, I came across some helpful hints. But mostly I already knew. I just had to

This smoothie is my go-to power, nutrient, vitamin and mineral packed punch for my kiddos!

I make this about 3 mornings per week and set a timer for 6 minutes.

My oldest son is my pickiest eater, but even he has learned to take this down no problem.

A common occurrence began this morning in my home. I could hear my oldest two children bickering back and forth. Whenever I go to break up the argument and tell them to be kind to each other, here are the typical responses I get:

Younger Sister (in whiny voice): 

• "He's being mean to me!"

Summer is here!! I have been DREAMING about these lazy early summer weeks with my kids, before camps, vacations, or anything else begins. I love late June for precisely that reason. It is slow going.  Trips to the library, the local beach, and plenty of time for the kids to laze around the house and

Please have patience with my son. I know that you see him as a strong man, and he loves showing off for you. This precious little boy was once my everything. My days were consumed with care for him. I watched him run around and play, and I kissed his boo-boos when he was hurt. I trained him to pick up his toys, share, be kind, use the potty and eat his vegetables (the best I could, anyway). There were days when I wanted to ship him off for someone else to deal with, and other days when my heart felt so much love for him I thought it would pop. I watched his little face asleep, and dreamed of who God made him to be. As he got older, I had to give him a little more freedom, let him make some mistakes and fight for him moor on my knees. I wanted him to love God more than anything and make the right decisions in light of that. I still want that- but he is human and a sinner just like we all are.

I'm writing this letter to you because I want you to know a few things: