The Forgiveness Lifestyle

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Heather Patenaude

By Kimberly Wagner

A precious young mom shared with me last week that she had to ask her son and the rest of his eleven year old soccer teammates for their forgiveness. She loves the Lord, loves His Word, but in a moment of frustration, she lost her cool in front of the team. The next week, she gathered them together so she could look each one in the eye and explain why she needed to ask their forgiveness. Many of these kids are from non-Christian homes and had probably never seen or heard a gospel demonstration like that!

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Praying For More Than “Safe”

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Heather Patenaude

I pen these words the day after a bomber took out an 8-year-old as he waited for his dad to cross the finish line of the Boston marathon. There’s not a single day that I drop my son off at pre-school that I don’t think about Sandy Hook and have to fight the urge to do a U-turn in the school parking lot, bring him home and lock all the doors. Then there are super viruses, bacterial infections, and childhood cancers…It’s enough to make me want to say this desperate prayer all day, every day “Jesus, keep my kids safe. Jesus, keep my kids safe. JESUS, PLEASE KEEP MY KIDS SAFE!”

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The Mom Sex Challenge

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Jessica

By Heather Patenaude

This month as we celebrate Valentine’s Day, I want to challenge you women to spice things up in the bedroom! As the conclusion to our series on sex and motherhood, (if you missed it be sure to check out those posts here) we want to encourage you to take action in the area of your sex life. Continue reading →

What If He’s Not Interested?

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Jessica

By Erin Davis

Maybe you’ve been following our Mom Sex Challenge posts and think, “Yeah whatever, my husband is not interested at all in sex!” Trust me friend, you are not alone. Although it’s easy to think all men just want sex and want it all the time, there are cases where the wife has more of a sex drive than her husband. Continue reading →

Authentic Intimacy: Sex During the Little Kid Years

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Jessica

By Heather Patenaude

How can you keep the love alive after the kids arrive? Dr. Juli Slattery, founder of Authentic Intimacy, tackles this question in more in her final installment of my interview with her. If you missed out, read part one here and part two here. Continue reading →

Hit A Home Run

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Jessica

By Dougetta Nuneviller

I’m a 43-year-old stay-at-home mom who homeschools two teenage boys. I am also experiencing menopause. I am a wife to a husband who holds a very stressful job and comes home very tired. Sounds like there could be some rough days, huh? Continue reading →

Some thoughts on that guy in the red suit

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Jessica

By Erin Davis

(Originally posted Dec. 16, 2011)

It’s not that I have something against friendly old guys with red suits and reindeer. I like his belly laugh and think it’s cute that he has a perpetual twinkle in his eyes. Even so, my husband and I have decided to ban Santa from the Christmas activities at our house. Continue reading →

The Crime of Birthdays

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Jessica

By Shannon Popkin

“Mom, I need you to pray for me.” The serious look on Older’s face caused me to lean in with concern. “OK,” I said. “What is it?” Older took a deep breath and said, “Well, tomorrow is Younger’s birthday, and on my birthday, he tortured me all day long. I need the Lord to help me not to torture him back.” Continue reading →

Halloween: Celebrate or Avoid?

Posted on October 29, 2012 by Jessica

By Erin Davis

This time every year, I feel a little torn. Fall is hands down my favorite season of the year. I spend ten months longing for cooler temperatures, falling leaves, hayrides and hot apple cider. Oh, and fun-sized Snickers. Lots and lots of fun-sized Snickers. Continue reading →

Persevering in Prayer for our “Sons of Tears”

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Jessica

By Erin Davis

Augustine was one of the most influential Christian theologians of all time. His fifth-century writings in support of biblical orthodoxy and against the prevailing heresies of his day shaped Western thought for centuries to come. Continue reading →

Major Motherhood Burnout

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Jessica

By Heather Patenaude

In August, I wrote about ways to avoid motherhood burnout — during a time when I was experiencing some major burnout myself. I had been faithful in reading God’s Word, I was singing praise music all day long, I was trying to remember these seasons are short … but I was still struggling with burnout! I felt worn out to the core. I felt empty. Continue reading →

Keepin’ it Real

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Jessica

By Erin Davis

We’ve been getting real here on the blog and I, for one, feel refreshed by it. I’ve loved giving you a peep into the non-sugar coated truth about my life as a mom and managing a schedule, a marriage, fear, hospitality, keeping a clean (or not so clean) house, faith and even a real mom sex life (yep, we went there). Continue reading →

And Forgive Us Our Mom Sins

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Jessica

By Erin Davis

“And forgive us our sins” Luke 11:4.

Just about the time the epidural wears off the guilt kicks in. (You au natural mommas may get a pass on guilt for a few hours … you’ve earned it). Sometimes we get mom guilt over silly things. I’ve had to work through patches of guilt for giving my boys too many Pop Tarts, holding them too much, not holding them enough and not letting them have a dog. These are minor offenses. The best recourse is to simply let the guilt go. Continue reading →

Real Mom: The Real Moms of Every County

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Jessica

By Erin Davis and Heather Patenaude

In the world of Facebook, Pinterest, Pottery Barn catalogs and a zillion do-it-yourself shows, a mom can feel as if her life — her real, messy, not-always-tied-in-a-cute-bow life
isn’t normal. Continue reading →

Three Questions for Parents

Posted on September 10, 2012 by Jessica

By Shannon Popkin

(From www.shannonpopkin.blogspot.com, 07.20.12)

Recently, my friend and I were talking about getting to the root (heart) issue when we discipline our kids. I shared with her my 3 Questions (which I got from another friend!), which I have found to be helpful with my own kids. She asked me to write them down for her, so I figured I’d write them here, since there might be other moms who could use them. Continue reading →