Be a Lighthouse

At the risk of sounding repetitive (see #6), listen to or read (depending on your learning style) the song that is my new parenting anthem. MY LIGHTHOUSE by Rend Collective In my wrestling and in my doubts In my failures You won’t walk out Your great love will lead me through You are the peace […]

Parenting Hacks for Teen Boys

While we’ve been parenting teens for a few years now, we are entering the throws of adolescence with our first child “from scratch.” You know, the first one who we’ve had from conception to now and have had to take full responsibility for how our parenting either prepared him or failed him. I am super […]

2 Books Every Parent Should Read

With the end of school in sight, parents may be feeling the need to brush up on parenting survival techniques to get them through the summer. These are two books that I’ve read this year that I’ve been telling everyone I know about. 1. Nurture Shock. This book by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman covers everything from […]

Let it Go!

I mentioned in this post how I was learning to LET IT GO! Here are some ways that is playing out in our family. FOOD. One of our kids uses food as a control mechanism. She’ll get upset and one of her attempts at control can sound like, “I’m not eating,” or “I’m not packing […]

Your brain is a mirror | Some notes on relationships

  Someone recently shared a video on a Facebook that really resonated with me. It’s a really-smart guy, Dr. Bruce Perry, validating our ETC Training, reasons for homeschooling, and experiences we’ve had with our kids. Watching this video (or a comparable one) should really be required of all politicians, parents, and education majors…or just everyone. […]

The Connection Wheel

As it turns out, Mercy Cards are an effective solution for stopping a cycle of craziness. We found we could be consistent with them for about 2 weeks. The good news? Once we had forgotten about them, they kids had also broken the habit of being so darn critical of each other. I’m sure this […]

Foto Flashback Friday

It’s amazing what you find when you have a couple hours to sit down and catch up on unedited photos.   I came across this from Kayla’s birthday back in January. She had been bugging me for a photo book of her own. It’s hard on our older kids that they don’t have baby books […]

Mercy Cards

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. ~Micah 7:18 As I’m sure most families with children experience, our children often have short memories when it comes to acknowledging the mercy given to them. It’s most […]