Now is the promising time of year. The school supplies are in the story, the plans are on paper and not yet proven untenable, and the hope of a workable planner springs eternal. We’re fine with putting in the time to set up a planner. We’ll buy the planner, fill it out, decorate it with…
I have spent hundreds of dollars on planners. I have a large box full of every conceivable office supply product that might help with getting things done. I have spent hours – perhaps hours totaling days – setting up apps to help me track what I should be doing when. Back in the day, when…
“Make your bed.” “Did you brush your teeth?” “You washed your hands? Did you use soap?” “Stop. No whining.” Do you find yourself repeating yourself daily? Do your admonitions seem never to sink in or make a difference? Have you become the frustrated, nagging mom that you never wanted to be? I don’t have any…
At the time, I had a baby and a preschooler and someone who ought to be taught to read. But there were also 9-year-old and 7-year-old boys. I’d tell them to go get dressed, planning on starting school after they came back downstairs. I’d load the dishwasher, wipe the counter, start a load of laundry,…
Nothing humbles us quite like motherhood, I think. You don’t know just how sinful you are until you actually have to serve and love others 24/7. You don’t realize just how ugly your sins are until you see them unvarnished in your toddler – or teen. When you live alone or with one likeminded adult,…
Last week the Supreme Court of the United States accomplished something I never expected in my lifetime: they overturned Roe v. Wade. Near the end of “pride month,” when it seemed America was panting to swirl down the toilet faster, a flash of light nearly blinded both sides. Of course, what followed the Supreme Court’s…
True confession: I’ve tried every configuration of laundry routine out there and never found one that made me stay on top of laundry. I can discover a good rhythm, but then something will change. It turns out that laundry is not evenly produced over time, so if by a “consistent” laundry routine we mean one…
We always want to know how we’re doing, but instead of looking to our responsibilities and honestly assessing ourselves, we look sideways and compare ourselves to others. Comparing ourselves is bad enough, but then we end up actually comparing ourselves to a false version of others: the version they present on social media. We scroll,…
It is easy and oh-so-common to feel unsuccessful as a homemaker and mother. We start out with such high hopes and grand plans, only to be crushed by the weight of the daily reality of mundane duties. This is all the more true if we’ve bought into the magazine version of a successful, beautiful, organized…
You hear about mindset a lot these days. Mindset is the golden ticket of self-improvement in many circles. Do you have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset? An abundance mindset or a scarcity mindset? Choose the right mindset, and everything good will come your way. Have the wrong one, and you’re doomed to stay…