We hear the term self-care all the time. More often than not, we are probably joking about our lack of self-care, but something I see so often is a misunderstanding of what self-care really means. And let me tell you, when I finally realized its true meaning—woah. It was like a switch flipped. I was surprised at all of the self-care that I had been unintentionally doing in the past few weeks—because I didn’t realize what basic self-care was. Spoiler alert: It’s not just about bubble baths and ...read more
Through the Fire and Coming Out Refined
Being refined. Stripped of all that I knew...All that I held on to. Often thinking to myself "I'll be ok once I know what my new-normal is"...only to realize there wasn't such a thing. Purifying....Sanctifying....Refining.... The title of this blog series first came to me when my late husband Matthew was in the hospital after brain surgery that had not gone so well. I was speaking to a newspaper reporter who had contacted me regarding Matthew's situation and prognosis. Really, at the time I ...read more
From Broken to Blended… Be Intentional, Be Engaging
Living with Intention...... definitely one of the first "must haves" for any Blended Family to be on the path to success. The parents MUST both decide to be intentional in their everyday lives. This takes some planning, you can't be "intentional on the fly". It is about pre-deciding how you plan to interact with those in your home, what your goal/expectation is and how you plan to get there. Most stepparents have goals/expectations, they just don't pre plan or decide how they will ...read more
From Broken to Blended… Must Have’s for Success
Happy New Year!!! The series on from Broken to Blended continues through the month of January. There will also be additional blog topics throughout the week that I hope will stimulate conversation, inspire hope, and get us thinking about "life things" a little deeper. Those blog posts will be for anyone and everyone. Those will begin to be sent out next week. I am very excited about where the Lord is leading me tos share with you the grace and mercy along with some strong convictions He ...read more
The Simple Life
We All Long For It.... But What Does It Really Look Like?? I might be wrong, but I think in today's culture we tend to look at the Simple Life as less responsibility, fwer time contraints being free to do as we wish when we want to, or possibly even not being tied down to one particular place, job or person. I would like to challenge that picture of simplicity if I can It is something my husband and I mention and joke about, to be honest, as we are busy in the hustle and bustle ...read more
Perseverance
Happy New Year!!! The series on from Broken to Blended continues through the month of January. There will also be additional blog topics throughout the week that I hope will stimulate conversation, inspire hope, and get us thinking about "life things" a lithe deeper. Those blog posts will be for anyone and everyone. Those will begin to be sent out next week. I am very excited about where the Lord is leading me to share with you the grace and mercy along with some strong convictions He has ...read more
From Broken to Blended, December Series
This post was due to be published last week. As most things go in my world of medical drama, time-lines and to-do-lists often get trumped by ER runs, hospital admissions, and multiple phone conferences with doctors. For those who are new to my blog and new to me, I am a mom to to 4 kids and step mom to 3. The youngest of my four, Deacon who is 6, has multiple health issues. What first started out to be a startling discovery at age 6 weeks that he was missing sections of his brain, soon turned ...read more
From Broken To Blended, and All The Steps In Between
From Broken To Blended, and All The Steps In Between: I see it all the time. Scrolling through face book, looking at all the family photos and comments to go along with them. I love looking at these. Everyone looks so happy, sometimes goofy, but in the end appear to be having a good time. Many status statements reflect thankfulness and feelings of being blessed by this "wonderful husband and great kids" that they have. They truly do "look" picture perfect. Family... I love the idea of ...read more