This last summer, when I was 36 weeks pregnant, our AC stopped working. It was June and we live in southeast Texas, so you can imagine how hot it was in our house! I’ll never forget how two gracious friends invited us to stay with them until technicians were able to fix our AC. They had no warning, but these friends welcomed us into their … [Read more...] about How to Have a Hospitality-Ready Home
Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Spinach Soup
One really interesting thing that has been happening since my husband started pinning meal ideas on Pinterest is that he’ll select some options that include ingredients he doesn’t usually eat. This recipe is an example. My husband hates spinach, but he saw this recipe and it looked good to him (plus he knows I love slow cooker recipes) … [Read more...] about Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Spinach Soup
6 Tips for Getting to Church On Time
There are a lot of families with young children in my church. These families are generally easy to identify because we’re the ones straggling in after service has begun! Being prompt is important to me, so I decided to take action when I realized we were falling into a pattern of arriving late for church. If your family struggles to … [Read more...] about 6 Tips for Getting to Church On Time
Spring 2017 Menu
The warm spring weather is on its way in, so we’re starting a new menu! I won’t delve into the details of my menu planning process here because I’ve described these in a previous post. In summary, I plan a new menu that contains a month’s worth of meals at the beginning of each season (spring, summer, fall, and winter). We use each of … [Read more...] about Spring 2017 Menu
DIY Flannel Activity Board with House Scene
I made my oldest daughter a flannel activity board last fall. I’d been wanting to make her one for some time because there are so many fun and educational flannel board activities that parents can make for their toddlers and preschoolers to enjoy. In addition to being the foundation for so many activities, flannel boards are affordable … [Read more...] about DIY Flannel Activity Board with House Scene
The Terrific Twos: Why the Toddler Years Aren’t All That Terrible
When we think about toddlers, we often dwell on their challenging traits and behaviors: Throwing fits, being picky eaters, having mercurial moods, etc. These traits earned the toddler years the moniker of “The Terrible Twos.” If we really take a look at our toddlers, though, we’ll quickly see that the toddler years really aren’t that … [Read more...] about The Terrific Twos: Why the Toddler Years Aren’t All That Terrible
Eco-Friendly Clothing Choices
Last week we examined how the manufacturing of clothing, our use of it, and how we discard of unwanted articles can have a negative impact on the environment. I want to be a good steward of the earth, but I’m not about to go without clothes! What are some green choices we can make when choosing, wearing, and disposing of clothes? Check … [Read more...] about Eco-Friendly Clothing Choices
4 Ways to Remember Names
I have such a hard time remembering names. I’ll sometimes know a person for weeks and have asked his or her name several times and still not remember! Though this seems like an inconsequential quirk, it’s something I’ve been working to change because I believe it really means something to a person when you remember his or her name. When … [Read more...] about 4 Ways to Remember Names