A word from a seasoned older mama: Don’t waste your car rides. I get it—time in the car with small children can be stressful. The tired baby who refuses to nap (or whom you’re trying to keep from napping), the hangry toddler, the melting down preschooler can all be a challenge when enclosed in a…
Since going back to work full time, I’ve learned even more the importance of living seasonally. It’s ok—I’m not about to go all basic white girl and start talking about Pumpkin Spice Lattes In The Fall. What I mean is a little more along the lines of Ecclesiastes 3:5- “a time to scatter stones and…
I’m naturally a trusting person. Really, I am. My husband and I joke that my method is “you have my trust until you break it,” while his is “you get my trust when you earn it.” And this way of operating holds pretty true for us…unless you’re remaking a story I love. In that one situation,…
I have a conundrum. Perhaps you’re in a similar pickle. (I’ve talked to many of you out there about this issue, so I feel like I’m in good company.) I have a daughter that is a voracious reader. She’s 12 now, and she’s been through Narnia, Middle Earth, and Avonlea. She knows all the American…
If you were to look at my Amazon order history, you would see two books that have been bought over and over again. I hate buying them. I’ve tucked them into care baskets for mothers who have lost children. I’ve brought them into homes along with casseroles for the bereaved. I’ve shipped several copies across…
A few nights ago, I was on an airplane home from an incredible trip to Colorado Springs. My eyes were glued to the view outside the window as we were literally flying through a sea of clouds, enveloped in light and water, set afire by the sunset at our backs. The entire trip was encounter…
When I was in my 20s, I had two warring identities within myself. I was a professional musician and music teacher but also a mother of small children. Why were these warring identities, you ask? Because as a mother, I wanted music that was appropriate and edifying for my children, but as a musician, most…
Want to know my little classroom secret? I love to teach children about idolatry. Not what you’re used to hearing from a Christian educator? Let me explain. This year, I’ve had the opportunity to build a homeschool co-op class from scratch. We’ve made toilet paper mummies, played Medusa freeze tag, staged gladiator fights on the…
Every Friday night, our family snuggles up on the couch with pizza, popcorn, and ice cream to watch a movie. It’s our way of sliding into home plate after the typical chaotic week of all of the activities in all of the places at all of the times. The only problem is, after years of…
If you’ve been around the Story Warren for any length of time, chances are you’ve encountered the famous passage in CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe where Lucy asks if Aslan is safe. The beaver replies, “ ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” I usually hear this passage quoted in reference…
My back porch is what I have affectionately termed a “plant hospice.” Every Spring, I bring beautiful plants home and gently ease them to their deaths. I do it lovingly, and tenderly, but inevitably, by August, they have all gone to the great nursery in the sky. All that to say, horticulture is not my…
The first time I met Amy Grimes, I ended up ugly-crying in front of a large group of complete strangers, and even my six-year-old daughter was trying to distance herself from me. When I finally was able to choke out words about how much her work had meant to me, her kind eyes and sparkling…
