functioned in a state of semi-condemnation for decades. It seemed to me that no matter how hard I tried, I could never do enough or be enough.

I wanted to please God and earn His, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” I wanted to sense the smile of my Heavenly Father on my efforts to extend His kingdom. This was not always the case, and in retrospect, I can see that pattern of behavior was not present when I first believed in Jesus but emerged years later after I began earnestly seeking to follow Christ.

When I first heard the gospel as a teen, I learned of God’s love for me, His offer of forgiveness from past sins, a fresh start as a new creature, and the promise of eternal life. I happily responded to this generous offer of unconditional love and sensed the presence of God. I was the first person in my family to have this born again experience and meet Jesus.

Sometimes I struggle with having joy in my motherhood journey. With three fairly young kiddos, there are so many needs to be met and so many meltdowns to navigate. It’s a trade-off though, isn’t it? You look forward to your children being able to do more and whine less, but you trade that for some of the hilarious cuteness and childlike sweetness. I’ve been writing down the things Jack (who’s four) says in particular lately because I don’t want to forget them. For instance, we were walking past some stores the other day and one was closed with a security gate in front of it. Jack looked at me with a questioning face, “Is that jail?”

One morning, I was spending a few minutes on the back porch where I like to soak in the sights and sounds of the day and sip on some coffee before “kid o’clock.” I was feeling tired and not up to the whole mom gig that day. So I started a dialogue with the Lord about this and how sometimes I feel like motherhood is just happening to me and I’m that little hamster on the wheel who slipped and keeps getting hit over and over again. If you all haven’t seen that, Google can help, and it will make you smile.

otebooking is a great way to assess your students’ comprehension and document their learning adventures without using traditional workbooks and worksheets. It’s perfect for upper elementary through high school students, but did you know you can also use notebooking with younger children as well?

If your children can draw and orally narrate—or tell back to you—what they have learned, you can start notebooking with them. You may need to ask your children questions and write down what they say if they don’t have the ability to write it for themselves. But they will have a blast drawing what they see in their minds, and their notebooking journals will be treasured keepsakes for years to come.

If you are like me, you read lots of books in your homeschool! When you read a book that offers learning opportunities, you can grab a sheet of paper, a blank notebooking template, or a Notebook Companion™ and set your kid loose.

A Filtered Life: How to Escape the Comparison Trap

What was supposed to be a relaxing few minutes to just look at your phone turned out to be a draining highjacking of your emotions. Mothers of small children can be especially vulnerable, as nap schedules keep us home more, and we fall into the fear of missing out on what is going on in the outside world.

If you struggle with comparison, and feel like a Negative Nelly, approach this article by only reading the text in black, including the black highlighted words. Afterwards, pause and reflect on how this glass-half-empty mindset makes you feel. Are you caught in a cynical and crushing comparison trap?

ust the other day, I was discussing the concept of the “summer slide” with a friend. We both agreed it was a real thing for us when we took the entire summer off from homeschooling. Our kids seemed to forget as much as they remembered!

Our family settled on a summer schedule where we continued with reading, math worksheets and games, and science. But our science turned out to be science projects that were kept on the patio, in the garden, or at one end of our long kitchen table.

Each summer, we always had at least two batches of butterfly larvae. We also have been known to raise crickets from the yard in a shoebox and to feed the lizards and skinks that lived between the cracks of the driveway and house. Summer brings some unique science opportunities!

hear countless stories from parents who are dismayed when their children start making poor financial decisions after leaving the nest. They think, “I would never spend my money in such a way. Where did they learn that?”

The pressure to consume comes from everywhere in our world. As a young adult on my own for the first time, I learned the hard way how easy it is to give in to that pressure and how long it takes to repair the damage. When my children were born, I was determined to counteract the consumer mindset that they would inevitably face. So, I set about living as an example of frugality and discernment. I even congratulated myself when I took the time to explain to my son the rationale for my decisions: “Yes, this grocery store is closer, but their prices are not as good, so I go a little further in order to make my money go farther.” I thought I was so wise…

We were at a vocal competition and sitting in the lobby waiting for our musical theater kids to finish up. The mom I was talking to took several trips to the restroom over the course of our hour-and-a-half wait. Each time, she’d come back with news about the vocals of one girl versus another or a snippet she’d heard from one of the evaluators giving feedback to someone on the stage—and then she’d make a comment or two explaining to me why our daughters would fare better than those she’d just heard. The walk to the restroom, you see, took her right past the performance rooms and their open doors. (I stayed far away from that wing of the building as I refused to hover and distract my kid—or tie myself up in knots by hearing all the amazing talent the kids in our area brought to the table… but we can talk about the right ways and wrong ways to be a stage mom another time.)

ave I ever told you about my family? My wife, Debbie, is my everything. I met her at Purdue, fell in love with her sparkle, and married her almost thirty-three years ago. Together, we make an amazing team and have eight children, four of whom are married. We are expecting our eighth grandchild by the end of the summer.

We also have a dog with a piercing bark and… our RV, The Familyman Mobile (queue the heavenly background music). Thirty-eight feet of pure, mechanical wonder. We’ve renovated her three times over the last fifteen years, and this year we celebrate her thirtieth anniversary. The old girl gleams like an ocean liner and purrs like a panther. She’s traveled from the New York island to the Gulf Stream waters a dozen times, has supplied us with hundreds of memories, and is as dependable as the day is long. She’s perfect… that is until I drive by the Newmar RV manufacturing plant a mere ten miles from my home.