As we head into March (and, hopefully, warmer weather!), I am so excited about our next Live course theme. This month we'll be talking about connection, friendship and community with Crystal Paine of Money Saving Mom. Crystal recently moved from Kansas to Nashville, Tennessee, where she and her family dove into their new community and…
Some women struggle with believing that they should take care of themselves and some struggle with overscheduling and finding the time to make it happen (I tend to fall into the second group). What I'm realizing this year, though, is that intentional living and self-care go hand-in-hand. At it's core, living intentionally means living in a way…
Since our trip to Snowshoe, I have been unbelievably tired. Not just tired: flat-out exhausted. Part of it is Jack's sleep (we've taken him off gluten to see if that could possibly be contributing to his sleep issues), part of it is the stomach issues our middle daughter is having, and part of it is my own…
For a long time, I had the terrible habit of saving the good stuff for "someday." Okay—in full disclosure—while I recognize this tendency these days, I still find myself tempted to hold onto things rather than enjoy them: A lotion or scrub that I want to save for a special treat. A journal I'm afraid to start because…
Last week, while my parents were out of town on business, I drove 5 hours to their house for a 3-day personal retreat. As I mentioned, I realized before I left that this is the first time in my entire life that I have ever been alone for that long (Sean and I both still…
If I was going to choose a second word of the year—or replace my current one—my word would be rest. Not just rest as in getting more sleep (although that sounds heavenly at this moment), but rest as in not trying to do it all, taking time off, being intentional about time away from the…
How do you measure the state of your life? For me, it can really be measured by two things: how many books I read in a week and when I last organized. As we ended 2014 and life began to calm down, the number of books I read skyrocketed relative to the previous 6 months,…
At the beginning of this year, as I was considering my "one word" options, I kept coming back to the word "live" again and again. Not [līv], as in U2 Live in Concert!, but [liv], as in "to be fully alive." I started the year wondering if 2014 could be my chance to really learn to live both intentionally and…
A couple months ago I shared the story of my daughter scoffing incredulously at the idea that I would call myself a "happy" person. That was hard for me to hear because most of the time I feel happy and optimistic on the inside, but it seems that the people who live with me every…
For the past few years, I've felt pretty comfortable in my skin as a working mom, entrepreneur and homeschooler. But the last year has been...different. It's not that I'm unhappy exactly, because my life is pretty amazing and I work really hard at choosing happiness even when things aren't perfect. But I do feel a…