Mom Monday Week 39 – Fall Decorations

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A few years ago, this friend asked me if I decorated for fall. I said, “No, I don’t decorate for fall.” We were both married with no children. She seemed to feel the pressure to decorate her home because she lived in a subdivision where people decorated. Plus, she was a successful REALTOR. Her neighbors knew she was a successful REALTOR. They looked to her for tips about their own homes and, indirectly, put pressure on her to keep her house just so.

Fall Decorations

I, on the other hand, was not that well-known in my subdivision. Plus, our neighborhood was and still is wooded. One can barely see the homes from the street. Whew! I don’t have to keep up with the Joneses in any way.

This year, however, I decided to put together a fall wreath. I explain here how I reached that decision. It was a lot of fun. I did it for fun.

Fun. Hmmm… Fun… When was the last time you, mom, took time for fun? Whatever fun means to you. I have a hard time with the concept of fun because I like to get things done. And, as a homeschooling mom, my list of things to do is long. It does not leave much time for fun. Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 37 – Life Is A Beach

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I hear the ocean. I smell it. I see it. I’m in a beach front condo in North Myrtle Beach. The wall décor reminds me that “Life is a beach,” “Our house rules are relax, relax, relax” and “If you are lucky enough to be at the beach, you are lucky enough.”

Why do we need a vacation to feel happy and to relax? Do we get happier while on vacation?

mom monday wk37

According to a study done in Holland and quoted by the New York Times in 2010, vacations do make us happy while we plan and anticipate them. But we don’t stay happy. Even those who said their vacation was “very relaxing” share that, two weeks after they come home, their happiness level drops down.

Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 36 – Your Physical Space

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A few years back, somebody told me that I have an organized mind. Maybe so. What I know for sure is that I can’t live in a disorganized home. Now, there are different levels of organization.

Trust me, my home is not picture perfect. A brutally honest relative came by a few years back and said with disgust as he looked at our living room, “This has become a play room now…” Well, those are his feelings. We like our living room peppered with LEGO bricks and dolls and toy trucks and ponies. It’s the price we pay for having children.  Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 35 – Just Pray

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I hate to sound like a Christian Pollyanna, but, many times in life, it really is that simple. Just pray. I could tell you story after story – mine or my friends’ – when results were not forthcoming. Then, when the people involved decided to make their situation a matter of heartfelt prayer, things went smoothly. Here are only two… Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 31 – All Eyes

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Still reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Just when I get lost in her poetic writing and can’t tell what she means anymore, I stumble upon a new pearl. For instance “All Eyes,” – the concept that spiritual life is a striving to become like the cherubim described in Ezechiel, who are covered with eyes. Thus, they can behold God’s glory constantly, from all the angles.  Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 30 – Ripe Raspberries

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Sometimes you just need to eat raspberries slowly to wake up to the sanctity of the now. Ripe, juicy, sweet, tart, red raspberries.

I am reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Finally. I have been circling and circling around this book, avoiding it because it is a New York Times Bestselling Book. Sometimes bestsellers disappoint me. So I did not have the courage to pick it up.

But then, thankfulness seems to be the answer to all my questionings.  Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 29 – Gratitude

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Lately, I have been receiving the same message from different sources of inspiration – which makes it bold and strong in my heart, because I realize Providence really wants me to get this. Ready? Here it is: Be thankful. Feel grateful. Count blessings. The glass IS half full.

On her gracious blog, Ann Voskamp recommends that we fight feeling with feeling. That makes a lot of sense.  Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 28 – Water, Water, Everywhere

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Homeschooling is uncharted territory with each one of your children, because each one is unique and may require a different curriculum. But when you homeschool your first born, we are really talking uncharted territory, 100%.

It’s no wonder that I am overjoyed to see how things tie in so beautifully for us, even though we are only beginning our second year homeschooling. Lately, it seems that the theme in most of our studies has been water, water, everywhere. Continue reading »


Mom Monday Week 27 – Meditate

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Can you believe we hit the half-way point in 2014 – and now we passed it? This seems like a great moment to pause and meditate on how the Lord has led us thus far.

Ellen G. White, a Christian author of the 19th century wrote, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us and His teaching in our past history…”  Continue reading »


Mommy Pick-Me-Ups Review

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For the past few months I have been reading the mommy devotionals from Mommy Pick-Me-Ups by Edna Ellison and Linda Gilden. The subtitle of the book is “Refreshing Stories to Lighten Your Load” and it aptly describes the format of the book.

Also known as the guru of Christian mentoring, trainer, international speaker and author Edna Ellison has written many other books that you may find interesting – look for them wherever Christian books are sold. Linda Gilden is a prolific writer, speaker, editor, writing coach, and Certified Personality Trainer. She has penned the popular Love Notes series.

Unlike a traditional devotional, Mommy Pick-Me-Ups offers 77 stories organized as follows:  Continue reading »