Babies don’t come with an instruction manual. But with all the how-to books and unsolicited advice directed at us as mothers, it’s easy to feel like we can’t measure up. When we’re up all night and surrounded by laundry all day, it’s easy to forget why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Sometimes we just need to pause and remember that children are a blessing from the Lord. And that He gives us grace for each moment, strength for every day.
Jessica Telian 2 Minute Read I have always loved being efficient. Doing something quickly and effectively gives me a thrill. Of course, my husband’s appreciation of my efficiency contributes to my satisfaction. And in general, my affection for efficiency is a good thing. But lately, I’ve realized that sometimes, prizing efficiency isn’t always best, especially when it conflicts with my…
Jessica Telian 3 Minute Read When I first read Rachel Jankovic’s debut book, Loving the Little Years, my feeling of relief and encouragement was profound. Finally! Here was the author of a parenting book who understood where I was coming from. At that point, I had two little ones under the age of two, and it seemed like all the parenting books…
Elisabeth Adams 2 Minute Read Angie Smith didn’t set out to become a writer. Her blog, Bring the Rain, was begun as a way to keep family and friends up-to-date with the arrival of her fourth daughter, who was diagnosed as “incompatible with life.” Audrey Caroline lived a lifetime of just a few hours, but her mama kept right on…
Gretchen Louise 1 minute I watched her with her children today. The gentle voice. The soft instruction. She didn’t try to moderate disagreements from where she was at the kitchen counter; she didn’t wait until she was finished mixing the cornbread to explain their error. Swiftly, silently she was there dealing with the offender. She wasn’t so engrossed in…
LeAnn 4 Minute Read As my kids played in the sandbox later that afternoon, their daddy and I sat on the edge with our toes in the sand. We couldn’t help but observe all the other kids who were like those little girls: playing at the playground and making memories, but not with their parents…
Gretchen Louise 3 Minute Read Two potty accidents, a spilled bowl of oatmeal, no morning naps, and I’m finally stepping into the shower at 11 a.m. I take a deep breath and tell myself, “This is the new one.”
It’s just one of the memorable anecdotal reminders for moms in Rachel Jankovic’s new book Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches… She’s a young mom of young kids. She doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. She doesn’t tell you how to parent. Instead, she challenges other moms as she challenges herself: adjust your attitude, change your perspective.
Gretchen Louise 2 Minute Read People tell me my children are good. But those are the people sitting in front of us at church. I know how many times they have gotten up or acted up.
But I don’t want to be raising my children to look good. I want to raise them to want to be good.
I know how little good it will do in the long run if they are “sitting down on the outside but standing up on the inside.”
Guest Author 11 Minute Read From Mother, To Daughter Dear Lisa, It has been a long time since we really connected. I know my schedule is difficult to work around, and your little people need you almost non-stop, and I know you cherish the short time you have with your husband. I’m not sure there is a solution. But I…
Gretchen Louise 3 Minute Read It was the week before Thanksgiving. I was taking advantage of the sales to finish my Christmas shopping. It was one of my first attempts at shopping alone with two little girls in tow. The aisles of boutique shops are rarely wide enough for two people to stand side by side, let alone for a…
Gretchen Louise 7 Minute Read How often does it cross your mind that the way we live as Christian women is to actually commend the Gospel? Carolyn Mahaney has written a book that brings that point home in a powerful way, highlighting “the seven virtues of a godly wife and mother” straight from Titus 2. Feminine Appeal has a powerful…
Gretchen Louise 3 Minute Read “Too many women jump to some rather unfortunate conclusions when it comes to the concept of homemaking. They seem to associate it solely with child-raising, forgetting that in his divine order the Lord calls us to be wives before He calls us to be mothers. It is a wonderful thing to encourage women to be…
The End.
The End.