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 in
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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
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You may roll your eyes at our story, and believe, like the rest of the world, that we were so naive meeting so young and being each other's first TRUE love. While many of you may have seen us the 9 years of marriage (14+ years together, and 18+ years of great friendship + middle
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“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. Yes, two is
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Squeals from my 4-year-old at the top of the stairs as her little legs caught up with her big girl plans yelled, "Mommy I can'ttttt. I just can't go any further alone, I need help." As I rushed to her aide, it made me think... How many times have I tried to find strength all by myself? How
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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 building. “Mommy,
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It's November, which hand-in-hand goes along with thankfulness. However, this month, we're asking you to join us on a 30-day pursuit of growing in gratitude through the Word of God. If I'm being honest, I woke up today a bit grumpy. I woke up to kids (who rarely eat candy) starfished on the floor because they couldn't have
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I don't know about you, but I am always looking for toddler-friendly Halloween activities to do with my little ones growing up in our Christian home. As a family, we love this time of year! We love the crisp fall leaves, and fresh donuts and cider...YUM! But you know what I don't love as a parent? I don't
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Have you ever walked through a season of grief? Days you can barely wake up, crippling grief? Or maybe you’ve walked through that season of grief with someone. I’m talking real, messy, nearly-unbearable-grief. One thing we have lost in our culture is the acceptance of true mourning. We need a period of time set aside where we can be
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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 THAT Mom. As we sat in
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Four years, and a million little miracles later, here we are. Your birth... Wishing our sweet little Luella a happy FOURTH birthday... (How did THAT happen?!) But let's rewind 4 years ago...to her birth... to the day she took her first breath in our arms, and I almost took my last. I had always imagined the heart flutters I would
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I feel like there are so many guys these days who don’t understand or care what it means to be a real man. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not claiming to be the perfect guy or have it all figured out by any means, but it’s just mind-blowing how clueless and careless some guys are! When
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