True Christmas: Parenting Until it Hurts

This time of year gets me thinking about Mary. I wonder what it was like back then; pregnancy and childbirth in times where there were no cars or hospitals. She was most probably contracting while riding around town late at night on a donkey. I can’t imagine a … Read More…

Homeschooling with Toddlers: Tips from a Mom of 15

I have to admit, homeschooling with toddlers has not always been smooth sailing. Our 15 children are spaced an average of 21 months apart, and between some there were only 14 months. At one time we had three under the age of three, and another time we had … Read More…

God Loves Your Family

Family matters. The culture says, “Don’t worry about it, just let it happen,” or, “Family can be anyone or anything, even a group of regulars at a bar, college roomies, or two mommies and two daddies.” None of this is true. Yes, people can enjoy the bond of … Read More…

How Did You End up with 15 Kids?

I was not raised to want a lot of kids. In fact, when I was carrying my first child I was very, very afraid. Babies and children were a mystery to me. Even the men I knew were better with infants than I was.     But as … Read More…

Large Family Stress Reduction: Getting Ahead Part 2

In my last installment in this series, Large family crisis reduction: getting ahead {part 1}, we discussed the basic ideas behind doing things ahead, or, as Don Aslett puts it, creating a “frontlog” instead of a “backlog.” Of course there are times when even the best of plans … Read More…

Good Moms Know How to Ignore

If you don’t develop the art of ignoring, you will crash and burn as a mother. Oh, yes, I believe in keeping a neat house, of doing things ahead, and of making life simple, but if you looked deep into my psyche and tried to learn the secrets … Read More…