I don’t want my children to be simply entertained through life. I want them to show up for the purposes for which God has created them. I want them to do the things that only they can do. I want them to have the living conversations that can only come from their hearts and mouths….
Tag: creativity
My Book Now Available!
UPDATE MARCH 29, 2023: At the time I wrote this post, there was no physical copy of this book (only a read-aloud of an earlier version via podcast). But now the book, complete with text and illustrations, exists! You can find it here: ORIGINAL POST: *At this time, there is no hard copy of this…
Rhythms for Motherhood and the Creative Life (Podcast 28)
This is the story of my life as a creative soul–going all the way back to my childhood, my teenage years, the early years of college and marriage, and then into the wonderful and difficult and all-consuming seasons of motherhood (15 years and 8 children into it..). I share the things I truly needed as…
Free 3-Week Creative Family Culture Curriculum for At-Home Learning (Easy, Fun, and Adaptable for All Ages)
Wishing you could gather up your family together and do something meaningful with your time at home? Do you love the idea of art and creative play, but don’t know where to begin or how to teach it? Are you looking for something easy, with little-to-no preparation required and no previous experience needed to teach…
Creative Family Idea Box: 14 Days of Fun, Simple Projects for Inspired Home-Learning
I am so happy to publish a series of posts that I have been wanting to write for quite some time. Over the next 14 days, I will be sharing some simple ideas for creative family fun. Each day will feature a new idea for low-stress, engaging creative projects for children and adults alike. I…
Marking a Season
I miscarried nine days before our 15th anniversary. There we sat, across the table at a little cafe, drinking coffee together. Our six living children were home with a friend who gave us the day together to celebrate our marriage. The week before, Randy and I had privately laid the whisper of a body down…
The Sacred Everyday
This morning I woke up to a miracle. All of my children are still soundly sleeping in their beds, except for the baby, who came down early to snuggle. Her head is fuzzy and soft like a little duck. The house is dark. And quiet. There is no birdsong yet. The hum of thought in…
Family and Flexible Vision
I wish that I could find a (nonexistent) journal entry from back when I was in college where I said something like: “Ten years from now, I can see myself…” And then I described the vision of my life. The vision I had before marriage, before kids. Wow. That would be good for a laugh….
Today (Making Creativity Happen)
Please tell me you’ve gotten behind on your Creative Family Advent. (((Well, I have too.))) Just checking back in here to tell you (and myself) that it is ok! This doesn’t have to happen every day, and you do not have to go back and make up what you missed. If you have participated in…
Found Object Nativity Scene: Creative Family Advent Day 1
This was a really sweet project. I told the kids we were going to make a Nativity Scene from found objects. We bundled up, went out, and started gathering materials. The picture I had in my head originally is drastically different than our finished product, but I am sooooo happy with the way it came…
The Reason I Write
I wash the dishes a lot. (((When I say a lot, I may mean world record.))) Lately I have been listening to podcasts while I clean the kitchen, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to be in a season where my mind is really awake, and I am learning new things. It…
This Is Not Working
This is not working. I say that all the time. The baby won’t stay in her bed. This laundry pile stretches out infinitely from prehistoric past to all predictions of the future. We are outgrowing the kitchen table, which is the biggest table we can fit in the kitchen. Cat in the house. Math. Bedtime…