Daryl sometimes jokes that I’m a crock pot. Apparently when you go 10 days overdue with one baby and then five days overdue with the next, you get labeled a slow cooker. The thing is though, I am in love with my crock pot, so I don’t care. One of the easiest ways to simplify … More Cook Slowly (Soul Space Thursdays)
My 4-year-old loves Mo Willems’ books. There’s one called Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus that’s all about a pigeon who (wait for it) wants to drive a bus. But he’s a pigeon. Even 4-year-olds know you shouldn’t let him drive. Yet how often do grown adults let fear drive the bus? I know I do … More Don’t Let Fear Drive the Bus * 10 Minute Devotional
Daryl traveled to a pastor’s conference a couple weeks ago. I was genuinely thrilled he was going – he hasn’t spent a night without the kids since before our second born arrived, and times of focused study, rest, and renewal are a gift. I was also terrified he was going. It would be me and … More 5 Survival Tips for When You’re Solo Parenting
When it comes to clutter, I can be pretty ruthless. I don’t like excess stuff hanging around, and I’m not very sentimental. Still, everyone has a blind spot when it comes to accumulating junk. My Achilles’ heel is saving unnecessary and sometimes random stuff just in case. Anybody else? I get this from my dad, … More Jettison the ‘Just in Case’ (Soul Space Thursday)
We closed on a house at the end of August. It’s our first, and it’s the product of a ton of love and generosity from a lot of people. Buying real estate in southern California is no joke, and we couldn’t have done it on our own. The same week escrow closed, a dear friend … More Losing Home, Coming Home
I like to joke that most things in life can be explained by scenes from either The Office (the American version, of course) or The West Wing. Take this scene from The Office, for example, where Holly Flax tries to explain time theft to her officemates. That, to the company, taking extra time at the water cooler … More Don’t Give Away the Time (Soul Space Thursday)
An old Wheaton acquaintance of mine, Brett McCracken, created this great graphic. I came across it on Facebook last week and it stopped me in my tracks. You guys, yes. It seems so obvious – build everything on Scripture, learn from our local church and the great church tradition, spend time in nature, read books (actual, … More First Things First * 10 Minute Devotional
Rest Many of us have weathered the first days of the school year already, new routines and lunch boxes and pick ups and drop offs. The kids are all a little bit fried. We are all a little bit fried. So instead of packing this free day full of stuff to do, why not just rest? Let … More 5 Simple Ways to Make Labor Day Special
So… as of today I’m halfway to 70. Distinctly mid-30s. I no longer get mistaken for a college student or part of the youth group. Bikinis will never again be my thing. (Let’s be honest, bikinis never really were my thing.) I’m feeling all the things one feels when one realizes that life is moving by at … More On Turning 35
Our almost-5-year-old son is in a be-naughty-and-then-feel-terrible-about-it phase. He’s a really good kid almost always, but some days he gets this look in his eye (all parents know the one) and then he’ll disobey, and struggle to move on from the offense. “I’ll never be bad again, Mommy,” he told me a few days ago, … More He Loves Me, He Does * 10 Minute Devotional
Courtney Ellis 