Little Bird

Tonight I am in awe of how much has changed and shifted in my life in the last year. Agreeing to listen to the Lord and be in community has led me to paths and trails I never expected to come across, or even knew I wanted. Much has been written about how important it is to make time for oneself when one is a mother, but that is much easier said than done in my experience. Most evenings I am worn out and done . I don't want to go out. I don't want to find clothes that match, or put on anything other than pajamas. And yet this week I went out after the kids went to bed last night and tonight. What's even more surprising is that I wanted to go. So often I make plans and then when the time comes to go I'd rather stay home and read. I love you friends, I really do, but I often prefer to be alone after a day of the kids hollering demands and smothering me with love (there is nothing as intense as toddler love is there?). Last night I went over to a friend's house f

I don't really feel like we've had a summer . We are in the thick of things on the small bathroom remodel, there's a lot of life stuff going on, and we haven't stopped to do anything fun . So this morning I loaded up the kids and headed for the beach. I hate taking on solo trips by myself, but the beach isn't too far from us - just over an hour - and we have a great spot we go to that has a shallow stream. Chasing two kids around the roaring ocean waves isn't very fun, but finding a nice spot along a shallow river on the beach is perfect for me. Today my hands were very full, and the kids didn't care in the slightest about seeing the ocean, so we didn't even attempt cresting the small rise for a view. We walked straight to the stream and crashed with all of our things. I went all out for our trip. I hauled every sand toy we own, as well as the giant beach ball, and packed extra outfits for everyone (although I forgot my extra clothes bag and had

I feel like I've read a lot of books in this vein lately. Like it's popular to write about how hard it is being a mom and how we all feel overwhelmed, but with Jesus moms can do it! Which is not to say there isn't truth in that! I am a) a mom and b) overwhelmed and c) so glad I have Jesus to guide me as a parent. And where some of the books in this category have been a little overdone, Becky Thompson does a nice job of being honest about her life while imparting Scripture based tips on how to mother with faith and joy. I read through Hope Unfolding on my own, but I would like to go back through it with friends and talk about some of the topics Thompson unpacks. Thompson writes on everything from feeling alone, to feeling insecure, to comparison mothering, to how mothers can rely on God and learn to tune into Him and away from the negative broadcasting that comes from the Enemy. Thompson's writing about her day to day life is engaging and fun wh