Ideas to do with younger kids: Have a marathon story time. Pile together on the couch or on the bed and snuggle into an adventure — or a lot of…
Janel Breitenstein
Janel Breitenstein graduated summa cum laude from John Brown University and began her career with NavPress, where she worked on The Message Bible. She is a mother of four and she and her family served as missionaries to Uganda for five years. Janel has continued using her gift of writing by serving as a writer and editor and you can read more from her at A Generous Grace.
A New Night Time Ritual—to Speak My Kids’ “Love Languages”
We’ve had some major upheavals in our family recently, of the moving-to-the-developing-world variety. It’s refreshed my experience of God’s faithfulness, to say the least—and of the resilience of children! But…
What Christ Did at Christmas
We were all excited. I’d planned a sparkling Christmas family night: soup with cornbread, making popcorn balls, and then cuddling up together for “The Polar Express.” Ahh. Christmas! What started…
20 Ideas for Kids Waiting on Thanksgiving Dinner
Wondering how to keep them occupied while you’re whipping up Aunt Marge’s sweet potato casserole? Set up a small table in an adjacent room, grab a few minimal-mess supplies, and…
A Note for You on the Day You Blow It
We’ve all had them. Sometimes you can see them coming, as if watching a sippy cup of red juice fall on someone else’s beige, suede sofa in slow-mo. Maybe you…
30 Ideas for Pent-Up Energy on Hot Days
School’s out, and the kids are in—because it’s hot. Real hot. But, you know, not enough to actually affect all that energy ricocheting off the walls of your house—and the…
He’s Driving Me Nuts!
“Noooo!” This cry reverberates daily from my own lips and is directed at some endeavor of my wily nineteen-month-old. It’s not so much that he’s devious, I’ve discovered, though he…
Disappointed, Don’t Be God Has a Plan
This week my heart had a small version of what many of you experience on a much larger scale. I carted my adorable (there is a consensus on that), squirmy…
Letter to a Tired New Mom
To a weary woman— Does your time to read blog posts feel expensive right now? Maybe you’re reading this with a bottle in your hand and/or a baby sling on…
8 Ideas to Teach Our Kids to Say “Yes” to Discernment … and “No” to Judging Others: Part I
Let’s say you’re on a playdate, and another child offers a colorful presentation of precisely how not to behave. The parent is busy in conversation. Do you: A. Make sure,…