Parenting

Grace & Truth For Life Changes

Heather Hart · May 7, 2021 · 1 Comment

So… my oldest son graduates from high school this month.

To be completely candid, I’m a mess.

They finally found something that is helping my migraines, (which is fantastic! – Yay, God!) However, we’ve realized that my head has been in so much pain over the past few years, I was completely numb to everything else.

So here I am, feeling all the feelings I haven’t been, attending scholarship ceremonies, the final state meet of… not just the year, but their lives. And I’m an emotional wreck.

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Peace Be Still: One Mom’s Struggle to Overcome Yelling

Candid Guest · April 21, 2021 · Leave a Comment

Peace Be Still is a Guest Post written by Rachel Nelson

I didn’t know I was a yeller until I had kids.

When my first born transitioned from babyhood to toddler-hood, I learned that I could get angry, irritated, and stressed a lot quicker than I’d like to admit.

And although I am filled with guilt every time I have yelled or otherwise expressed anger to my kids, I haven’t been able to completely break the habit.

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Becoming Women of Grace

Candid Guest · March 24, 2021 · 10 Comments

I finally had a moment to myself.

I was all alone, mindlessly browsing the aisles of a local department store. It was not a high-end store, but I didn’t care in that moment. After the week I had, I’m a mom of four here, I was in heaven.

A unicorn toy sitting on a shelf, out of place, caught my eye. I knew my five-year-old foster daughter would love it. I grabbed it, tossed it in the cart and continued enjoying the peace and quiet. As I weaved in and out of the aisles, my mind went back to her behavior that day and the days before. Her behavior, as a result from trauma, was the very reason I needed this break in a local Walmart of all places. So I stayed on that thought and on what had transpired as a result of her actions. I found myself, inadvertently, taking the unicorn toy out of my cart and placing it back on the shelf. Even though I knew she would love it, in my mind, she did not deserve it.

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15+ Ways Our Gracious God Safeguards Our Hearts

Sherry Chamblee · March 3, 2021 · 6 Comments

I sat in church last Sunday as a preacher brought us a message. He touched very briefly on James 1:5, almost a throwaway line and not the main idea, but it struck me particularly hard that day.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5

As a mom, I tended to be a bit of a lecturer. I wanted my kids to understand what’s happening and come away with clear knowledge of what they’ve done wrong and how to fix it. But I’ve also been on the receiving end when someone continues to lecture even after I’ve come to them to apologize. It’s not fun, it doesn’t feel like they’ve forgiven me. It feels like they’re piling on.

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Do You Need to Take a Moment & Just Breathe?

Heather Hart · August 24, 2020 · 10 Comments

Stop.

Just stop where you are a take a deep breath.

In through your nose and out through your mouth.

Seriously.

When was the last time you took a moment to just breathe?

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We All Need Undeserved Grace

Candid Guest · June 29, 2020 · 14 Comments

It was turning into a rather trying day. Ashley, my nine-year-old daughter, had come home from school in a sour mood. Nothing was to her liking. The lunch I had sent was to large, she didn’t want to do her homework, her teacher was mean, why did she have to pick up her coat she had thrown on the floor.

I tried to joke with her, hug her, cheer her up, but her bad mood moved in, like an unwanted flu virus.

“Ashley, you need to complete your homework before you read your new magazine,” I reminded her absorbed form hunched over the kitchen table.

“Mom,” she exploded, “why do you always have to tell me what to do? Nag, nag. You’re always telling me this and that. I hate it and I hate you.”

I stopped washing the lettuce, frozen. It was the first time she had said she hated me. The first time my usually cheerful and obedient daughter had talked to me in this manner.

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Why I Don’t Use A Gratitude Journal

Heather Hart · November 11, 2019 · 25 Comments

Everyone in my family kicked off the year with their very own gratitude journal. It was my husband’s idea and I went on Amazon and picked out journals that fit the personalities of everyone in our family.

I mean, do you know how many gratitude journals are on Amazon?

Anyways, so we each had our own gratitude journal, and we kicked off the new year writing down what we were thankful for each day.

Now, before I go any further, I want to remind you that I’m a Mary not a Martha. I’m more of a #HotMess than #MomBoss. I’m the one who gets superglue in my eye while trying to fix her son’s shoes (true story).

Why is all that important?

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Giving Advice & Offering Support -> What You Need To Know

Valerie Riese · October 2, 2019 · 4 Comments

When my teenage daughter is hurting, I want to fix it. When she rejects my first pearls of wisdom, I offer alternative suggestions. Sadly, it always ends with her insisting, “But you see, Mom, I just don’t care that much!” She’s frustrated, I’m hurt, and nothing is resolved.

Have you ever been on either side of a similar conversation? Your best efforts to help a loved one are rejected. Or you only wanted to know you’re not alone, but now you feel more isolated than ever.

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3 Things To Remember In The Storm

Jessica Schneider · August 26, 2019 · Leave a Comment

It was a beautiful summer day. Weather reports said there was a chance of a severe thunderstorm, but we took our chances and went on my parent’s boat with the kids. Like usual we went to the island so the kids could play in the sand, but when we got there, there were nasty looking clouds coming at us.

We watched to see if the storm was coming directly at us, and we began to see bolts of lightning light up the clouds. Plain and simple. We waited too long to leave the island.

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Oh No He Didn’t! …When Mother Doesn’t Know Best

Heather Hart · February 25, 2019 · 29 Comments

The off-handed comment was followed by laughter as the two guys exchanged looks. The only purpose to that remark could have been to rub salt in the wound and I could feel the anger building in my teenage son who was standing next to me.

All three of them were oblivious to me at this point. But I was there. Oh yes, I was there in all my motherly glory, and I was taking names and keeping score.

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