Category: striving

A prayer for the wrong day

I had the wrong day. All day. There are weeks where Wednesday and Thursday are somewhat interchangeable. But this was not one of them. I sent the wrong kid to school with a note to stay after on …

A letter to all of us about Joy– the kind we can’t find at the mall

Dear all of you “Christmas joy makers”, this letter is for you and for me. I know you’re out there. You probably don’t even think you have time to read this little letter. You have Christmas joy to …

Thankful for things you can’t fix?

I am thankful for things that I cannot fix. My kid raises his eyebrows at me. He’s trying to finish his “thankful for” homework list and  I am not cooperating. “That makes no sense, Mom!” He starts to …

When life is like a pile of Legos

Please tell me that you have one of these piles at your house too? I banned screen time  last week because I say things I don’t mean and then am forced to follow through with them. So this has been my reward. Legos, multiplying on …

Learning how to stop

We played this crazy game as kids. We would stand on the edge of the cul de sac with our toes in the grass, fling our arms wide with abandon, tip our faces skyward and spin around and around as fast as we could go.  It’s been …

Giving it all up for Lent?

Nutella, homework, water, long pants, broccoli; just a few of the “what I’m giving up for Lent” suggestions that my boys have been tossing around lately. You can see that we are clearly making an impact with our …

How to stop being the holder of all the things

In our family, I have a very special and coveted title. I am the holder of all the things: the discarded sweatshirts, the muddy shoes, the unneeded hats, the random rocks, precious leaves, pre-chewed gum, tiny little reward stars, water bottles, tissues, backpacks. There …

The Truth about Joy — the Fourth in our Advent Series

The joy candle is broken. You can see it up there in the picture. And I keep forgetting to buy a new one. As if a trip to the store could simply replace the broken joy. I believe it …

For when you just don’t know what to be

“A zombie with blood dripping out of my eyeballs! Will that work? Can I be that? Or what about the guy with the chainsaw?” this boy goes on and on with his lists of possible costumes as we …

Doing the Dishes

It’s looking a lot like this around here this morning. There’s not a clean knife to be found and the boys nearly had to share the same cup at breakfast. And yes, we do have  dishwasher — this magical …