12 fool-proof ways to have a stressful Christmas

November 26, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

With Thanksgiving upon us and Christmas right around the corner, it’s officially time to panic. The holiday season sneaks up on us every year and, as moms, we are the ones responsible for MAKING ALL THE MAGIC HAPPEN. It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m here to help! Today I’m sharing some tried and true […]

The best gifts that give back: an ethical gift guide

November 20, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

Over chips and salsa last month, a friend and I were bemoaning the fact that it’s just impossible to live our lives as ethically as we’d like. Every time we turn around, it seems like we are stepping on the rights of others or contributing to oppression and injustice. If I only buy fair trade […]

7 hands-on ways to celebrate Advent with kids

November 13, 2019.Reading time 13 minutes.

Last week, we got a toy catalog in the mail from Amazon. It was just like the ads we used to get from Toys R Us, only this one was thicker and glossier. Inside the front cover, there was a card you could tear out labeled “My Holiday Wish List.” I smuggled it into our […]

How life is defined by quiet moments of bravery

November 6, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

After a lifetime of going, the bravest thing I’ve ever done was to stay. My story starts with the bravery of my parents, when they left everything they knew in California to become lifelong missionaries in France. I was seven when we moved, oblivious to the fact that I should have felt some measure of […]

How to combat the Fear of Missing Out

October 30, 2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

We moved to France when I was seven. My parents had signed on to become lifetime missionaries and I was along for the ride. There were moments I definitely wanted to get off that missionary kid ride, and other moments when I wouldn’t trade the thrill of it for anything. But every October 31st that […]

How to Monitor Your Own Use of Social Media

October 23, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

My inner-16 year old made an appearance last Monday. I thought that I had left her behind, with all of her neediness and angst, but she followed me upstairs when I got home late from youth group. The house was dark and quiet as I crawled into bed beside my husband. My younger self wanted […]

What to read when your life falls apart

October 16, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

“The struggle is real,” they say, typically in response to some first world problem. The baby won’t go down for a nap.I can’t find a parking spot at Target.The kids won’t eat the dinner I made for them.I can’t decide between a pumpkin spice latte or a caramel apple cider. But what about the times […]