When I was in college, I worked at a sleep-away camp in the summer. With my major in elementary education, I was almost always placed with the youngest campers. One week, however, they needed me to supervise a middle school cabin group. As the parents were checking in their 13 and 14 year-old daughters, […]
Halloween, the night when all rules about how much sugar you let your kids eat are out the window in the name of trick-or-treating! Bring on the candy, the costumes, and the sugar-induced meltdowns! Be sure to check if your neighborhood does trick-or-treating on Beggars Night or Halloween in our October Guide. Here are some […]
Every year, a group of six (or more) of our friends travel together on a Couples Weekend Getaway. We’ve traveled internationally and to more regional places like Minnesota and Illinois. Here are a few of our tips for planning a fun and relaxing couples trip! Find an Interesting Location As you can imagine, getting six […]
One thing that is important to both my husband and me is that we teach our kids where our food comes from, which is not a grocery store. Living in the Midwest, and in Iowa specifically, we are given ample opportunity to teach our kiddos about the joy of planting seeds in the spring and […]
Marriage isn’t always easy. My husband and I have been together almost 20 years and married for 13 of those. We got into a major rut a few years ago. We were focused completely on our young kids, and our lives together became almost like a business—no romance with lots of to-do lists. Marriage wasn’t […]
A few years ago I would not have been able to write this post because Hubby and I would start a project and mostly knock it right out. However, a few years ago we were way less committed to the outside world. I did not have my small business, Jon was not leading worship near […]
We are living in an increasingly electronic world, and while that’s definitely not all “bad,” it does raise an issue that many of us parents are facing, and that is… raising kids who aren’t just sitting behind a screen and being entertained but who know how to MAKE fun. So today I want to share […]
Sometimes after I get the last of my three kids in bed, not necessarily sleeping, but IN bed, my husband and I look at each other with a knowing look—a look of excitement, full of possibility. It’s time for… Wait. What should we do with this magical time that we are, after much hard work, […]
Last year I wrote about how I had chosen my word of the year to be Dance. I wanted to slow down and not stress the small stuff. Much harder than I could imagine – however, I feel I was successful in stopping and smelling the roses. I was able to live and laugh with […]
Last year, I felt like we spent a million dollars or something on gifts for Christmas. Since I’m not a millionaire, it turns out, all I remember is the debt we accrued. I can’t remember what we bought exactly, and I’m not sure if they even wanted it. As a lover of gift giving, this […]
