It is early morning. I stole away from the nursing baby and am sitting in my little quiet corner of the world, on my back-deck, surrounded by potted plants and birdsong. I am writing and contemplating my messy life. I am a homeschooling mother of seven children. My husband and I have a home business…
Tag: family
Innermost Journaling Course: Mining the Depths of Your Sacred Everyday Life
Have you ever had a dream where you wonder if you are dreaming? In those kinds of dreams, I have often told myself I must be dreaming, because in real life you never question if you are awake. Or in real life, have you ever suddenly been jolted into a heightened sense of reality–through intense…
Faith and Miracles (How Do You Feed Them, Answered)
One of the first questions people ask me when I tell them we have seven children is, “How do you feed them?” It’s posed as a joke, and even though I’ve been asked this dozens of times, I still scramble for a good response. I know people don’t only mean how do we pay for…
Looking Deeply Inside Myself (The beautiful work of journaling)
5:17 a.m. My eyes open in bed. I had a dream that woke first my mind, then my body. My face is pressed against a sweet, softly-sleeping baby. In the dark I lift him up and carry him across the room to place him gently in his crib. He doesn’t wake. A small miracle. I…
Creative Family Quarantine: 15 Inspired Projects that will help your family slow down, show up, and create lasting memories from this season together at home.
Let’s all admit we need a break from what’s going on in our own minds right now. We need a little time where we can turn off the phones, shut the laptops, look into the eyes of the people we love and find some joy in this season where our worlds are turned upside down….
Broken Open-Hearted Love
Yesterday I learned that a dear friend is dying. There is no time to visit. No time to wrap up loose ends. This news just rips it all back open–that wound that I thought was nearly healed. The blow from my fall where I realized that death is actually a part of the human story….
Embracing This Breath
The perfect beauty of this morning actually hurts me. As I steal a quiet hour in my little garden with a cup of coffee, the world saturated in green, trees in bloom, birdsong, the first signs of new life coming up in my raised beds… My heart aches. The unabashed brilliance of life. It stings….
Treasure Hunt, Creative Family Idea Box Day #13
Kids are natural treasure hunters! Get outside, take a walk, find some woods or look in your own backyard for natural treasures. Anything can be a treasure! Be inspired by your children’s natural curiosity and wonder. Find something to photograph or bring home. Draw your treasures or write about them in a journal, or tell…
Things I Like, a Sensory Snapshot (Creative Family Idea Box Day # 12)
You might be surprised to find out what your family likes! Fill out this sensory snapshot for a peek into some of the lesser-known likes of your children. Have them write (or have little ones draw) as many things as they can think of. (If your children need some motivation, set a timer, choose one…
Poetry Delivery Project, Creative Family Idea Box Day #11
This short, sweet, simple poetry project will help those you love to know you are thinking of them from afar. Choose a poem, read it aloud, and send it via text or email to a friend or family member. Allow each child to choose his/her own poem to send. (Even the youngest children can choose…
No-Stress Paint Party, Creative Family Idea Box Day #8
You know why I love watercolors so much? Because it just doesn’t matter how big the mess is. If there are any spills, it is just water! There is no reason painting can’t be a regular part of a child’s life. Surprise your children with a paint party! Set the table with brushes, watercolors (even…
Family Journal Time, Creative Family Idea Box Day #7
I love journaling. It is truly the heartbeat of everything I do creatively and has been my whole life. Nearly every good idea I’ve ever had my whole life is scribbled down in a notebook somewhere. Today I’d like to introduce you to the idea of Family Journaling. Gather around the table with some paper…