Chapter 1

I have four daughters, all born in the span of 2 years and 3 months.

I had a 2 year & 3 month old, a 14 month old, & newborn twins.

They are 13 months, 14 months, and 7 minutes apart.

(It takes a second for that to sink it…once it does…take a deep breath…it was as wild as it sounds but we are all still alive so, yay!)

“Yes, they are all mine.
Yes, they are twins.
Yes, they are identical.
No, they do not run in my family.
No, this is not a day care.
Yes, I know ‘how that happens’.
No, we are not, nor were we ever, ‘going for the boy’.
Yes, my hands are full.”

I used to tease that I wanted to get a button made with this all written on it so that I could point to it instead of repeating it so often.

I had 4 in diapers at the same time.
I pushed a quadruple stroller.
I was asked the question, almost daily, “How do you do it?”.
I still don’t really know. I just know everyone lived, everyone is thriving now, and everyone has happy memories of their childhood (to which I’m amazed at because I’ll just tell you right now…sometimes I was a mess, stick around and I’ll share so you can hopefully glean some wisdom from my blunders).

Girls, I fed my kids soy formula.
One time, I fed them dry cereal and cut up hot dogs on a mat on the floor, while I got ready for church.
None of my kids want to draw the American flag ever again because I lost my temper during a “fun” art project.

And mama, let me tell you, my kids are alive, healthy, and happy….despite.
God is good. He fills the gaps. He redeems our ridiculous mistakes.

I did the best I knew how in the moment and when I learned better, I did better.

I’m here to share the lessons I learned, the ‘better’, I hope they encourage you, I hope you find solidarity, perspective, and a big fat hug.

Grab a cup of something warm, I’ll be holding @sevenweekscoffee, and let’s chat.

Chapter 2

Jake and I have been “partying like it’s 1999” since 1999. 25 years in and we feel like we are just now getting the hang of this marriage thing. We’ve had some glorious years and we’ve had years that….well, not-so-glorious years….bad years. Marriage, between two people who sin, can be wonderful, and can be so hard. I hope to pass on what I’ve learned in 25 years…and it might get a little trite or boring because truly, it is just this:

“Pray for your husband and stop being selfish.”So, that advice might get old, but I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face so that the right person who needs to hear it, hears it. Marriage is a picture of Christ and the church. Christ gave Himself up for the church. Here we will chat about how to give yourself up for your marriage. Controversial, I know….but the world has a divorce rate of 50-80% so maybe we need to chat about a different way to do this?

My hope and prayer for this blog:

That you’d find a warm place to be encouraged, that your shoulders would relax just a little bit, that your mind would be renewed by truth, that something I share here would give you new perspective. That every once in a while, when you need it, you can hear the hard truths and when you lean into them, you can feel the freedom that hard truths bring.

I am taking the charge from Titus 2:3-5 seriously: Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.

Let’s grab a cup of something warm, sit across from each other (virtually), and just chat while the kids go crazy in the background (trust me, it’s not bothering me, it’s only bothering you). Let’s talk all things homeschooling, parenting, marriage, friendships, & Bible study in the different phases of your parenting.

Spoiler Alert: Sometimes I’ll be wrong. Always test what I say against scripture! That will never offend me. Ever. I’ll be so proud of you.

Chapter 3

I’m a graduated homeschooler (4th -12th grade).
My mom was brave and ahead of her time. It was the 80’s and homeschooling wasn’t legal in all 50 states yet. She homeschooled in Germany and Alabama where, at the time, it was illegal to homeschool. She had an adult-high-school-diploma and some community college. Seriously you guys, she was and is so brave. The legacy she passed down to my brother and me was a beautiful gift. Both of our families have picked up the torch and homeschooled our own kids from beginning to end.

I have had awesome years and I’ve had epic-fail years.
I have thrown away $800 of curriculum in one day, I made a kid cry over trying to write an X, and none of my kids ever want to draw the American flag again because mommy lost her cool….big time.

But (praise the LORD for ‘but’…) through His grace, we raised extremely hard workers who have deep character and solid walks with the Lord. They know I’m not perfect but they do look back at their childhood with fondness and security. Seriously, I hope you get the joy of meeting them one day. They are truly delightful.

I hope to pass onto you the good things and share with you some of my mistakes so you can glean from them. I hope our stories encourage you and “spur you on towards love and good deeds” in your homeschooling journey.

Curriculum changes so rapidly and the industry has grown exponentially since my curriculum-buying days. I won’t be giving very many curriculum recommendations. What I can offer are the timeless philosophies and encouragement about homeschooling. There are some things that never or rarely change.

Hugs mama, you got this, He will create in you a new heart, He will give you wisdom beyond your human capacity, you are not alone in this.