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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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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This was originally supposed to be 10 Lists of 10 Things from 10 Years of Parenting. And then life. So now it is eleven lists of eleven things. Here is motherhood for me summed up as I reflect back. 11 Bloggers Who Shaped My Parenting These are the women who shaped my parenting starting before …
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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 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 social activities even though parents might …
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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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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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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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The first time Caroline asked me a “hard” spiritual question I was not prepared. I love theology, discussing doctrine, reading meaty books, studying the Bible, etc., but discussing these topics with a little girl wasn’t on my radar! And yet many gifted and 2e children ask the hard questions, often long before you expect them …
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I know from reading conversations online that gifted and 2e children at church is often a big issue for Christian parents. And I’m going to say up front I do not have the answers for this. More than any other post in this series I’m going to raise the questions and I’m sincerely hoping others …
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Several of the posts I wrote in my 31 Days of Learning Differently series apply to parenting and homeschooling gifted/2e children in the Christian faith. If you aren’t familiar with that series, I did touch upon a number of topics related to disciplining children. The following posts would be helpful background to this topic of …
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The idea of giftedness provokes very strong feelings among parents. When some parents hear the words “gifted” or “twice-exceptional (2e)” used to describe their child, they feel relieved. It might be the final piece of the puzzle regarding their high-maintenance child who simply doesn’t function like other children. When other parents hear the term gifted …
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Since learning of Caroline’s giftedness (2e), the past year has been a huge learning curve for me. I’ve had to rethink so much about learning and parenting. Because I’m a Christian, I think about these topics in the context of my faith. I realized at one point that there is very little out there about …
