5 Things I Lost When I Became a Parent
It’s amazing how quickly life goes by and how fast we transition from newlyweds, to love birds, to the parents of three amazing little kids (with one on the way!). These years have gone by so fast, and we’re excited to see what God has planned for the future. But who could have prepared…
Yelling for Quiet
We’ve all done it. At one time or another we’ve all been total hypocrites while parenting. It’s ironic and almost comical if you think about it. We’ve yelled at our kids for being too loud. We’ve lost patience with their impatience. We’ve corrected their unkindness unkindly. We’ve complained…
The Perks of Being Unplugged and Unavailable
We live in a world that’s always on and we’re expected to be available at all times. There are so many perks to being unavailable, though! Moments pass so quickly with our spouses and our children— we can completely and unwittingly miss them if we’re glued to our screens. First let’s look at how…
3 Thoughts on Parenting in the Smartphone Age
This conversation will benefit all of us, in all seasons of life* but especially parents with teenagers. Navigating your teenager’s relationship (or potential relationship) with a smartphone is no joke— here are some guiding thoughts that have shaped the way we view and use tech in our home. *Many…
4 Steps to Turn Your Smart Phone into a Dumb Phone
Spoiler alert: these tips are just as helpful for parents as they are for kids! This post is all about practical tips and tricks that will make your smart phone less addictive. Check out our previous post for more on our philosophy and why this approach might be right for family. Set Your Phone to…
Your Family Needs a Tech Policy
Your Family Needs a Tech Policy Sarah walked into my 8th grade Language Arts class a little sheepish one morning— and that was unusual. I started teaching and realized Sarah didn’t have her phone out— also unusual. While students worked on the assignment, I asked her what was going on and a nearby…
A Sample for You! Our Current Family Tech Policy
If you’ve already read our previous post establishing why your family needs a tech policy, we’re back to help you craft one by sharing our own. This is a sample of the tech policy we’ve established for our family. Our children are still young, so they didn’t have as much input in…
4 Practical Ways You Can Care for Orphans
When we are adopted into the Kingdom of Christ, we’re made brand new. We’re given a new heart and a new spirit, committed to living out our lives on earth as it is in heaven. The most amazing grace is extended to us as we are born into a new family of believers, with the beautiful responsibility to…
On Home Education: What Our Day Looks Like
“What does an average day of homeschool look like in your home?” I get asked this question (or something like it) often. And I find it a difficult question to answer. Our “school” day looks an awful lot like normal life. Make Space for Conversations and Connections Education is something that…
How We Talk to Our Kids about Pornography
I looked at porn for the first time as a seven-year-old boy. While playing at a friend’s house, we went into his attic and found his dad’s stash of porn. I didn’t really know what I was looking at but I took a centerfold home with me and hid it in a drawer in my bedroom. A few years later I found a…