Q: how differently should boys be parented vs how girls are? Examples would be, I know that boys don’t like to sit still. They need to be physical, to run and climb and use up all of their excess energy. What tips could you give a new boy mom as to how to deal with…
Tag: mom
Mom Exhaustion Doesn’t Have to Steal Your Vision
Over the last year, I didn’t realize what was happening, but looking back, I was fighting a combination of fatigue and laziness. Though I still cared immensely about how our kids turn out, getting off the couch very often felt like too great a burden to ask. Being mentally engaged and physically active throughout each day with…
My 2-Year-Old Punched Me In the Face
Ever experienced the outplay of a two-year-old’s punch to the face? As a mom of 7, I’ve experienced some version of it, several times over. One little boy, many moons ago, slapped me in the middle of a Hobby Lobby trip. Several have yelled “no” at me. And this happened almost a year ago: It…
24 Hours of Motherly Affection
(I wrote this 11/29/12 as a way to chronicle the loving, affection happening in our home and spur other moms on toward loving affection in their homes. I never published it, recently found it, and am sharing it even though it’s now 3 years old.) This morning, when Moses woke up, he came and crawled up…
8 Practical Ways to Show Affection to Your Preschooler
Here’s a video my almost-3-year-old Theo & I made to share our favorite snuggly and silly things. These are eight of the fun and easy ways that I practically show affection to my 1-5 year old kiddos, and enter into their little preschool hearts and have fun with them: VIDEO 0:59- #1– zuburts & kisses, “big ones”…
6 TIPS for Choosing TOYS THAT LAST
As a mom of seven kids, you might imagine that I have some strong opinions about what makes a good toy. You’d be right. In fact, let’s just call them my personal rules for choosing toys that stand the test of time. As a family one of our guiding principles is to be good stewards of…
Motherhood as Artistry
As I’m typing this my daughter is practicing sixteenth-note scales on her violin. 1-e-&-a, 2-e-&-a,3-e-&-a, 4-e-&-a, and on and on it goes. Though her violin is in tune, and though she’s playing just as she should, it doesn’t yet sound proficient. Her sixteenth notes are uneven, and her finger placement lacks the precision required to…
Top 10 Newborn Tips
A young friend of mine, going through her first pregnancy, asked on Facebook for ten newborn tips. And since I try to use all my writing from other places, I figured I’d share my advice to her with you. Here are my top 10 newborn tips: Stay in bed for a week. Minimum. (See the comments for…
“I’m an Exhausted Mom”
Is this you, Mama? Weary? In desperate need of a nap, a soul-warming beverage, and a few hours of silence? I can relate! For over 14 years now, I’ve faced the continual foe of pregnant, nursing, and mothering women: mommy exhaustion. Through 10 pregnancies, 3 miscarriages, 7 postpartum seasons, and moving more than a dozen times, God has taught me much about…
Why I DON’T “Get Out Of the House More”
{Note: This article has been updated from its original publishing in Dec. 2008.} Today I want to share the ethos behind some big choices of my life. I’ve lived as an at-home-on-purpose mom for the last 13+ years of my life because I believe this simple truth: as a mom of young children, the best place for me to be…