Little Women and Becoming Marmee
When I first read Little Women, I was 23 and I was Jo. Adventurous, free-spirited, confident, loud, a bit self-absorbed and dramatic. Not pretty Amy’s pet...
Category: FAMILY
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Letters to My Children: A Prayer for My Daughter’s Mother (Me)
This post is part of my series, Letters to My Children (more here). I wrote this letter to my daughter, though the message applies equally to sons. My Daughter...
A Lesson After the NICU: Receiving Rest
After six weeks in the NICU, our baby’s going home day was set for January 3. At 3:00 AM that morning, our 3 year old climbed in our bed with a fever.&nbs...
A Lesson from the NICU: Interrupted by Tenderness
Through the past four months, most days were marked by a steady and unearned peace. But, as I have recounted in this series, some included bouts of fear and tea...
Lessons from the Hospital Bed IV: Counting on Promises
Our daughter was born eight weeks early as planned and has spent several weeks in the NICU as expected. While I took the respite of the decade in the hospital f...
Lessons from the Hospital Bed III: Redefining Perseverance
The doctors said our daughter could not survive labor. Thankfully they had a plan and I knew God would strengthen me for the five-month-long journey. I sought G...
Lessons from the Hospital Bed II: Refining Gratitude
I sat on my couch with kids piled up on my lap as long as I could, soaking up every moment before I left for the hospital. Closing the front door and ridin...
Lessons From a Hospital Bed I: Experiencing Peace
I have a rare and dangerous pregnancy complication with our fourth child. In a nutshell, our healthy little girl cannot survive even early labor. To ensure that...
Library Books and Rabbit Trails: A Full Yet Simple Way to Preschool at Home
I have dubbed my approach to homeschooling my preschoolers Library Books and Rabbit Trails. It’s simple and wonderful. We read books aloud and they do what kids...
My Journey from Idolizing My Own Endeavors to Nurturing My Children
I did not become a nurturer on my first child’s birthday. In fact, it took three children for me to finally feel confident and interested in the job of th...
“Yet the Deeds Will Not Be Less Valiant Because They Were Unpraised”
I reread Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and was halted by a wisdom-packed conversation between dutiful brave Aragorn and glory-hungry complaining Lady Eo...
Why Nature Is a Wellspring and Mainstay in My Children’s Days
My kids and I spend a lot of time outside. Nature has become a mainstay in our family life and has proven to be a wellspring of joy and countless educational op...
Natures Role in Children’s Natural Development; My Memories and Theirs
I remember being six years old living in a log cabin on Texas acres. I remember sitting on the porch watching a lightning storm with my dad. And watching deer a...
Favorite Spring Time Picture Books
Here in California, spring comes in late February. What an adjustment for us after living in Upstate New York! We love taking a stack of books and cups of coco...
Making the Most of Your Library While You Have Little Kids
So your child is interested in horses (or beetles or manta rays or castles). If you already read my post, Library Books and Rabbit Trails, you know how great a ...
Letters to My Children: Don’t Let Anything Dominate You
This letter to my son is part of the Letters to My Children series. Learn more about these letters here. October 2016 Son, As you grow into a man, you will navi...
Letters to My Children: Introduction
I keep a journal for each of my children where I write letters to them and prayers for them. Each child’s journal is unique outside and in. My hope is tha...
Story Time #4: Mommas Care for Many Needs, But Who Cares for the Mommas?
My friend, Sue exemplifies the godly advice to “love the people in front of you.” Every week, she hosts a playgroup for over seven mommas and their toddlers. Su...
Patient Giver vs. Snappy Grouch
Sometimes Colossians 3:12 hits me over the head. I missed my quiet time this morning and was not exactly tender-hearted toward my children when they swarmed me ...
Panicking Like A Hebrew
Patience is virtue that babies have yet to cultivate. Especially hungry ones. When I lift my son from his bed he wiggles all over with excitement. “I̵...
Snippets from Favorite Autumn Posts
I’m lamenting autumn’s pending ending. Especially this year, possibly the last of six beautiful years in New England where colorful hills spread lik...
Labor on Labor Day: Birth Story
The good thing about titling a post as a “birth story” is only people interested in birth stories will read it. That’s your warning. But don’t worry I won’t str...
Homeschool Planning: A Guide to Finding Your Rhythm, Building Your Routine and Filling the Slots
Rerouting to Homeschool Planning Guides I, II and III. I have divided this post into three parts: Homeschool Planning Guide I: Finding your Daily Rhythm Homesch...
“Mommy, can the foolish man come over to my house?” Tonight My Son Taught Me a Lesson in Compassion.
There’s so much selfishness to teach out of my kids. I feel like I am teaching all the day long. Sometimes though, my kids teach me. Tonight my son’...
Reverberations: The Power of Your Words in Little Ears
Just type Peggy O’Mara into your Pinterest search bar and see dozens of prettified quotations. Chiefly, The way we talk to our children becomes their inne...
Lessons in Compassion for Kids at Christmas Time
Now that I have a preschooler, that degree in Curriculum Development and Instruction is leaking into my parenting. Today I considered how I could incorporate ch...
Complex Ways of Stating the Obvious
Dad’s top answer to my curious-kid questions was “to make you ask questions.” I may have actually believed that God made the sky blue so that ...
How I Weaned My Toddler off Moviethons
I confess that I relied heavily on that DVD player for those hectic months postpartum. “Good morning Linus,” I’d greet my toddler rubbing the ...
“I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good.” -Mrs. March
When I was 23 years old, I drove from Florida to Maine by myself. I borrowed the Little Women audiobook from the Jacksonville Library then mailed it back from K...
Encouragement for Our Great-Great Grandmothers. And for Us. 1893
It’s been one of those days. Low on memory-making. High on need-meeting. You feel like the whole day got eaten by a diaper. You reheated your coffee four times ...