I Don’t Help My Wife
I’ve been thinking for some time now about our roles in society. Our cultural “norms” when it comes to marriage. Specifically when it comes to help. More specifically, for us men. Why are so many household chores just assumed? What are these presumed gender roles that so many of us are taught (intentionally or unintentionally)? […]
Cultivating The Fruits Of The Spirit In Your Home | How To Bear Fruit
Every fall, since even before our kids were born, Matt and I would go to apple orchards, and pick our own apples to eat and devour in my favorite season of all here in Michigan. This tradition has continued on as we’ve had children, and it’s something we look forward to as a family every […]
Snarky Minimalist Christmas Gift Tags (with free printable download!)
Christmas is officially LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY!! Can you believe it?!? Do you have your presents bought yet? What about wrapped? Yea, me neither…BUT, check out these awesome Christmas gift tags we have for you! I don’t know about you, but we’re pretty excited over here at the Mager household! And at the risk […]
Establishing Family Traditions (Or Eliminating Them)
If you’re not establishing your family traditions, who is? Family traditions go beyond the magic of the holidays and are present in our everyday lives, even if we don’t always give them a name. Traditions strengthen the bond of a family, establish connection, provide a source of identity, teach values, and offer comfort and security […]
A Child’s Reminder: What Your Child Wants You To Remember MOST This Christmas
What your child wants you to remember this Christmas isn’t the top item on their wish list, or the cookies left out for Santa. It’s not remembering to move their elf on the shelf, or even reading them the perfect bedtime story. It’s not rushing from activity to activity or party to party, or cultivating […]
No One Has It All Together (Even Becky With The Great Hair)
“People always say to me ‘I don’t know how you do it with two. I can’t do it with one.’ And I’ll always say, the first is your hardest. And the other truth, no one has it all together. I had never been more shocked, more overwhelmed and more sleep deprived ever in my life. […]
Attention Seeking vs Connection Seeking
Why Do Toddlers Need So Much Attention? As I sit here trying to write this, the joyful squeals of young kids fill the air. The attention seeking shouts of “Mommy, look!” and “Me do it!” echo through the play structure tunnels and down the slides like a megaphone bringing smiles to every parent in the […]
THAT Mom – Be Her | A Doubting Mom’s Reminder To Pause
So she was one of the [many] moms that gave me a pep talk before becoming a mom. But not the pep talk like, “oh you can do it, you’re going to be a great mom” No, the honest -real life-mama-bear- pep talk. You know, that mom. The call-in-all-hours-of-the-night mom in your village. Everyone needs […]
My Story With Postpartum Depression | Overcoming Postpartum Depression
CLIMBING OUT OF THE POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION CLOUD + FINDING NEW PERSPECTIVE Writing, along with capturing moments through imagery, has always been a form of healing for me. A way to shift my perspective, alter my reality, or in some cases bring me back to the some-days awesome, some-days messy, reality I get to call mine. […]
How to Create a Family Mission Statement in 5 Easy Steps (with free printable download!)
Ok, being real here – we put this off for years. Writing a family mission statement seemed like a daunting task, but turned into being a life-giving experience for us. Not necessarily in the crafting of it, but in the fruit of daily pursing it, and being intentional about the values and beliefs that are […]