I just wanted a break. I had been up since 2AM. My toddler did not need sleep-apparently. My wake-up call for the day happened at a time when during my college years I would just have been going to bed. I reached my limit as a mom. Ah, but this is adulthood. Adulthood with two kids, a husband who was working Monday through Friday 3 hours away and not coming home at … [Read more...]
Life Lessons in Christmas Activities
{Post by Lisa Brown} Life Lesson: Viewing Christmas Lights Viewing Christmas lights is one of our family’s favorite activities to partake in during the Holidays. I love bundling up in warm clothes with a big hot mug of flavored peppermint coffee. I’m moved by each little light that twinkles so bright and the delightful sighs my children express. Christmas lights are … [Read more...]
Trusting God When Things Don’t Go As Planned in Motherhood
{Guest Post by Lauren Gaines} At our daughter’s 3 year well visit her pediatrician mentioned they had a new technology that could check children’s vision. They asked if we wanted to have the screening done and warned me it may not be covered by insurance. I said sure, thinking it would be a good idea. But I was not fully prepared for the result. Soon after the nurse … [Read more...]
In My Rocking Chair
{Post by Lisa} I find comfort and rest in my eight-year-old rocking chair that sits in my living room now. It wasn’t always in this place. At first it was used to rock my baby girl to sleep in her room before I put her in her crib for a cozy night sleep. I nursed her in this chair, sang her lullabies, and read her stories. A sweet family sold me this lovely rocking … [Read more...]
Stay at Home Mom, Find Balance and Be Joyful
Motherhood can make us feel that we are in a juggling act. We try to seek balance and be joyful, but kids, husband, house, our needs and wants all pull us in different directions. We worry that if we drop one ball they all will come crashing down! We are busy and yet not feeling productive many days as the line between needs and wants become blurred. Attempting to keep it … [Read more...]
Fighting Depression as a Mom
{Post by Lisa} Our four-day hospital stay with our first born was spent holding our happy infant almost every minute. That filled our time with peace. We were so content to just rest together. My husband and I were glad to go home, of course, but on the way out of the hospital door we both became aware that we were alone without the support of caring … [Read more...]
Finding Peace in the Busy Seasons
{Guest Post by Lauren} Have you ever felt like you are drowning in your to-do list? Finding peace in the busy seasons is something I am currently struggling with. We recently got back from vacation, which was wonderful! I feel so grateful we could find time to get away with our family. Yet somehow my feelings of joy are mixed in with anxiety and stress! Who knew you could … [Read more...]
Surviving, Then Thriving
{Post by Lisa} It seemed like every time I moved forward there was a brick wall to get past. I felt suspicious that something was going on. I wondered if I had made the wrong decision. I tried to settle in, pray hard, and do my part. My efforts were ignored or not good enough. Making a change didn’t seem like the right thing to do. Surely, I will be seen for who I am … [Read more...]
The Treasures We Teach Our Children
{Post by Lisa} Why do we focus so much on our failures? Seriously, though. How have feelings of guilt and shame served us? They don’t. Instead they hold us down like a heavy weight and makes us feel defeated. Focusing on the treasures we teach our children can help. Every day we set an example. Parenting is not about doing everything right all the time. We will … [Read more...]
The Horrible News of this World
{Post by Lisa} Today another shooting and the killer is still on the run. The horrible news of this world is so scary that I am literally shaking from the inside out and my mind is filled with vain imaginations. Anxiousness gets the best of me and my head fills up with worry that something bad will happen to me or my kids. Most of my day is consumed with fear. I make … [Read more...]
Embrace the Quiet, Let Go of Busy
{Post by Lisa} Sometimes there are no friends around to call and that can be a good thing. I know that this is a strange thing to write. Hang on though and let me explain what I mean. Friends can be too busy or need space or they moved on without us. Or they are tired of waiting for us to call them and catch up. Caring Moms tend to think that they did something wrong. … [Read more...]
31 Scriptures to Pray Away Fear
{Post by Lauren} With the start of a New Year I always like to look back and reflect. What did I learn last year? How did I grow? What can I do better moving forward? That being said, I've never been a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. I guess I was just never good at keeping them. It also feels somewhat corny and disingenuous to me. So the past few years I've done a … [Read more...]
The One True Gift of Christmas
Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom. {This week: Post by Lisa} My first manger scene was a little ornament, I was five years old. I remember holding this fragile manger made of straw and plastic in the palm of my hand. Being a little girl in love with baby … [Read more...]
Letting Go of Shame
Beaming with a smile and tears in her eyes, she quietly whispers to me, “I found myself.” I give her my full attention. She tells me that for years she had stopped doing the things that she loved and now she feels, once again, a passion for it. When she was a younger lady she had a fire in her bones to pray for others and visit the poor. She loved prayer meetings and … [Read more...]
Encouraging Kids to be Thankful
Our family has a tradition of sharing the favorite part of our day with each other. We usually share while we are all together eating dinner. It is one of the ways we are encouraging kids to be thankful every day. Even on nights when daddy is away the girls will make it a point to ask him over the phone what his favorite moment was. With so much negativity surrounding … [Read more...]