Simple Living, Homeschooling, Faith, Homemaking, & Books
“It is comforting to know that the God who guides us sees tomorrow more clearly than we see yesterday.” Unknown
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For a long time I wasn’t sure how to describe our parenting approach. Labels carry so much baggage these days that I try to avoid them whenever possible. When I was deciding on a website category name for my general parenting posts, I finally landed on Gracious Christian Parenting. Then after I came to that …
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This is originally from January 1, 2011. I’m reposting it today, over eight years later. When I wrote it, Caroline was not yet four and a half. She will be thirteen in ten days. We have wandered in the desert quite a bit during that time regarding churches and such. But God gives me glimpses …
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Sometimes I like to call upon the collective wisdom of the women who read this site. Today is one of those days. A couple of things have happened in the past few weeks that make me wonder how other people make decisions regarding the safety of their tweens and teens. The New York Times had …
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There are so many warnings out there to enjoy your children when they are little because the tween years hit and things are never the same again. It’s strongly implied that the years are difficult and the parent-child relationship becomes a constant struggle. I’m here to say this was not the case for us. Our …
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What are snowplowed sauce girls? Take a listen to Episode 3 of A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink. We’re breaking down what this means, where it comes from, and how to avoid it in our homes. As always, please feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic! …
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“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27
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Several months ago I started thinking more deeply about the family culture we have created in our home. It was an appropriate time to reflect on it because I saw the first eleven years of our parenting journey all culminating when we had our daughter tested and finally had the answers we had been seeking …
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Over the past several years, I’ve written numerous times about our challenges with parenting and church. But some things have happened over the past few months that made me realize I needed to write an update regarding children who struggle with church and how it has played out in our family. I think it’s especially …
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Introverts generally enjoy social activities in small doses and in a controlled manner. As they mature and better understand how they are wired, they learn to proactively plan their social life in a way that makes the most sense for them. This is just as necessary for introverted children and their social activities even though …
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I am not responsible for my child’s salvation. And neither are you. Does that statement bother you? Creating Perfect Christian Children Some time ago I ran across an older article from Christianity Today entitled The Myth of the Perfect Parent: Why the best parenting techniques don’t produce Christian children. It’s been on the back burner …
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I don’t have too many parenting regrets at this point. Sure, I wonder if we’ve made the right choice about certain things, but we’ve prayed and researched and made the best decisions we could with the insight we had at that moment. But I remember realizing at one point that I had stopped seeing my …
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In the hustle and bustle of shopping, wrapping gifts, sending cards and attending special events, it is easy for families to miss the entire point of Christmas – Christ himself. It’s especially important to focus on keeping Christ in Christmas with children. Here are several simple ways to focus on Christ during this special season …
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“Learn all you can from the mistakes of others. You won’t have time to make them all yourself.” Alfred Sheinwold
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When Caroline was little, redirection worked amazingly well. However, when we reached the point when distractions and redirections no longer worked, I realized I needed to figure out a way to come to some kind of agreement with this child who had an iron will and a mind of her own (from the womb). Thus …
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Last year I wrote a series of posts called Raising Gifted Children in the Christian Faith (first post here and all posts here). If you haven’t read that series, I encourage you to read it first because this post about discipling children will make much more sense in that context. Discipling Children in Christ In …
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We don’t do Santa. It was a very deliberate choice. In fact, it was a choice David and I made before we ever had a child. For us, it came down to the exact same reason my parents did not do Santa with my brother and me when I was a little girl. It is …
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Christmas is a time when each family enjoys its unique traditions. While some Christmas traditions are passed on from generation to generation, others are born out of a desire to do something new and meaningful. If you are looking for ways to create new Christmas traditions for your family, then you are in the right …
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While most people associate holiday traditions with Christmas, Thanksgiving traditions for families can be just as wonderful. Thanksgiving traditions can bring your family together in new ways and also help you reach out to those in need during this special time. In fact, the best Thanksgiving traditions are sometimes the simplest. Here are some simple …
