Godly Parenting
Parenting as an extension of my redemption in Christ, of who I am as a Godly woman, who I am as a saved sinner and how that truth impacts my life and parenting.
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Say Yes to More Mud Puddles: Reclaiming Joy in Childhood
Have we taken too much JOY out of childhood? Are we so concerned about doing everything perfectly that we’ve forgotten how to just have fun? More importantly, have we regulated all the fun out of childhood? She came inside from riding bikes and asked if she could jump in the puddle. Bonus points for her asking prior to becoming a muddy mess! (Heaven not Harvard shares links as a participant in affiliate programs including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.) Would I say Yes to more mud puddles? I…
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Adventures in Advent
I’m trying to catch lightning in a bottle, carefully crafting my daughter’s impressions of Christmas as being magical, one of family and warmth, of cozy reading and precious traditions passed down to her, bonding her to our family, rooting her in love, creating the foundation of celebrating Christ’s birth in our adventures in advent season. She is four and a half, young enough that everyday moments still inspire wonder and excitement, old enough that these moments are becoming memories, hopefully that she will pass onto her own children someday. When I think back to my Christmases as a child, I struggle to remember more than a handful of specific gifts.…
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Adoption – The Paperwork Mountain
The paperwork! As I said in the first installment Getting Started, the paperwork mountain was the most daunting part of the process for us. What made it so additionally difficult was collecting all the paperwork. It seemed like every time we had everything together, we needed one more form, address, or certificate. Each state or agency will have its own list, but this list will get you started. Pet vaccinations and statements of health. You need to provide copies of all pet records Personal statements of health from your physician and lists of any medical conditions or medications. For private or agency adoptions any kind of major illness might be…
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Dear Birthmom, an Honest Letter from my Side of Adoption
I wrote this to our birthmom many years ago, but the years have brought a few changes to my perspective and unfortunately tragic changes to our circumstances. Have you ever had a letter you wanted to write, but knew you could never send it? It would be too real, too raw, too vulnerable? stir up too much drama? What about talk to someone who is out of your life? Sometimes, I have so many things I’d like to say specifically to our daughter’s birthmom due to our unique circumstances. This is not a letter to any birthmom. That would be easier to write. Birthmothers make a tremendously bold choice to…
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3 Reasons Having Children Will Not Make You Happy
Thinking of having children? Are you wistful at the sight of a swaddle blanket? Hopeful while gazing at bumper guards and high chairs? Delirious for tiny dresses with delightfully adorable matching shoes? We crave these pieces of parenting, but will having children make you happy? Oh, the ache for a baby. It can be something that swallows us whole. After my hysterectomy, I sobbed at my sister’s baby shower. Her children were prayerfully conceived after miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, and several rounds of fertility treatments. I certainly didn’t begrudge her having the twins, but I mourned the children I would never carry. Fast forward 4 years, and we were preparing…
