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Faith & Encouragement

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Faith & Encouragement Healthy Mind Series

What’s Cookin’ on the Back Burner?

February 19, 2019
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Her hands pat my thighs in an increasingly urgent pattern, my legs numbing under the repetition. I’ve been …

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Faith & Encouragement Freedom Series

Lessons from the Sofa Hole

January 24, 2019
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I don’t always enter a room thinking I’m the smartest person there, but that night, I am sorry …

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Faith & Encouragement Health & Nutrition Life Around the Table Series

Lessons From a Restricted Diet

September 13, 2018
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Dinner at our house has always been idyllic. Not “June Cleaver” perfect, but I’d make a simple meal, …

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Faith & Encouragement Home & Family Life Around the Table Series

The Table on the Go: Grace When it’s Needed Most

September 11, 2018
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The text message flashed up on the screen and took my breath away. Cancer. My precious friend, a …

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Faith & Encouragement Home & Family Life Around the Table Series

An Unlikely Sacred Space

September 4, 2018
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I show up at the sink to an insurmountable pile of dishes. Nothing is scraped. Nothing is sorted. …

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Faith & Encouragement Resilience Series

Cultivating Rhythms of Resilience

March 19, 2018
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He seemed quiet and more reserved than usual. Something was bothering him and I couldn’t put my finger …

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Faith & Encouragement Resilience Series

Strong and Brave

March 8, 2018
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Long before I kept a box of pregnancy tests in my medicine cabinet, I had a Pinterest board …

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Childhood Faith & Encouragement

A Quiet Christmas

December 4, 2017
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They say “beauty will save the world”, and I know it’s true. I know how beauty stands alone …

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Childhood Faith & Encouragement

Giving Birth in a Barn

November 30, 2017
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Usually I can hide from my grief in the everyday life as a busy mom to my six, …

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Faith & Encouragement Pregnancy & Birth Tender Topics

When Pregnancy Isn’t Perfect

September 25, 2017
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When I was pregnant with my first child, I was determined to have the best possible pregnancy. As …

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  • For the last week there has been a bunch of snow at our house, which is rare for Seattle. Since it is rare, I feel very anxious to get out and enjoy it while it lasts. ⁣⁣⠀
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The first day with the roads nearly empty, we decided to walk over to go sledding. We don't have sleds because we try to get rid of things that we don't use that often, and in a typical year, a sled wouldn't get much play. Armed with a sheet of thick cardboard and a couple aluminum drip pans that are meant to go beneath a water heater, we trudged along to to the nearest snowy hill. ⁣⁣⠀
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The kids had fun slipping down the hill but they were getting cold, because the snow pants and waterproof insulated mittens that we rush ordered especially for this winter storm hadn't arrived yet. Their fingers were ice cold under the thin cotton gloves. In my mind something was better than nothing, but the kids didn't want to go outside for days, remembering their frigid fingers. Until today. ⁣⁣⠀
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The roads cleared enough for the delivery truck to get through and the snow gear arrived. I swiped the box off the porch, cracked it open and shoved my kids into new snow pants, and mittens the final pieces needed to complete their winter-play ensembles. The older kids have been outside romping through the snow for going on two hours. The little one came in for a nap, and I'm sitting by the window keeping an ear out for her and my eyes on the boys. ⁣⁣⠀
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It delights my heart to watch them rolling in the wet snow like puppies, with little cares and especially warm hands. It is amazing how much more enjoyment we get out of life when we are just slightly better prepared. ⁣⁣⠀
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Sometimes you just have to work with spontaneity because you can't be prepared for everything. Go out and seize the moment, no matter how prepared you are. The memories you make are important. ⁣⁣⠀
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Then take notes of what worked and what didn't and make the necessary arrangements to ensure the next time you get to do a special thing, you'll be ready. --Jenni (@sweetsound37)⁣⠀
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  • Because we're taking about mental health for moms this month, it seemed that now was a good time for a reminder that picking our battles and relinquishing a little control is a good way to maintain your sanity. 😉💜 And if it helps foster some independence, even better!
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#Repost @hiheatherbender with @get_repost
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Guess who's dressing himself these days? #notapairdontcare .
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#momlife #preschoollife #threeyearolds #hewenttoschoollikethis #pickyourbattles #notdyingonthathill #reallife #realmoms #realmomsofig #instareal #averageparentproblems
  • "In the same whiny voice of my sniffly 5-year-old, I find myself saying, 'I don’t want to.'⁣⠀
⁣⠀ I don’t want to dig under my feelings to understand what is really bothering me. What if I find a lot of messy, scary, and painful things down there—things that will require work? I’ve been helping little people work through their emotional upheavals all day, and I’m spent. ⁣⠀
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It is easier to stuff down my own emotions because all of my energy is used putting out everyone else’s emotional fires, anyway. ⁣⠀
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Back Burner, here I come."⁣⠀
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-From "What's Cookin' on the Back Burner?" by Jenni Van Winkle (@sweetsound37), new on the blog today! Follow the link in our profile to read the rest. ⁣⠀
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  • Happy Monday, everyone!⠀
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A brand new episode of the #kindredmompodcast is available in your podcast feed today! ⠀
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In the first segment, host @emily_sue_allen chats with @lindseycornett and @alexdaviesliving all about worry and overwhelm. We chat about the differences between worry and anxiety or fear, and we share some of our own journeys with worry. We also talk about the big-picture and nitty-gritty ways we fight back against worry in motherhood.⠀
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Then, Emily is joined by special guest Lisa Apello (@lisaappelo). Lisa is a mom of 7 who lost her husband unexpectedly. We talk about the idea of how so often we worry about things that will never come to pass, but how to move forward when our worst fears come to pass.⠀
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We think you'll find inspiration and encouragement in both conversations, and if you have a friend who struggles with worry, please share the episode with them! ⠀
  • Happy Friday, everyone! It's time for #fridayintroductions ⠀
I'm Alex Davies (@alexdaviesliving), one of the Writers in Residence this Spring! My essay all about developing sisterhood with other moms went up on the Kindred Mom blog earlier this week. Here I am with my youngest daughter, and I have a 2 year-old girl as well!⠀
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Recently in Target, my toddler pointed and squealed, "Look, Mom. We know those guys. It's Chip and Joanna!" For a half second, I felt embarrassed as other moms in yoga pants perusing the eucalyptus garlands and dinnerware stared at me probably thinking, "Okay, that lady watches way too much Fixer Upper if her kid is on a first name basis with the Gaines." But then I just smiled and told my daughter that she was too cute.⠀
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Isn't it just like little kids to unashamedly squeal in delight when they recognize something they like the way we adults are jumping for joy on the inside? ⠀
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My girls are teaching me simple but profound lessons every day. How to not be ashamed of what you love. How to enjoy small things. How to stop time for what really matters. ⠀
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Motherhood makes me laugh. It also makes me cry, growl in frustration and tear my hair out. But mostly it makes me laugh.⠀
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So I guess that's my life in a nutshell: just a mom with a two-year-old and a baby girl walking around Target dreaming big dreams and learning the little things. ⠀
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What have your kids done recently to make you laugh?
  • "It was my third year in college, and I willingly walked through the doors of Student Health not because I was sick, but because I wanted a shot at participating in the university’s lucrative 'cold study.' ... Ultimately, participants would be compensated $750 for their time, which included blood work, the hotel stay, and follow-up visits. After having a preliminary blood draw, however, I learned my body was immune to the particular strand in the study, and I was deemed ineligible.⠀
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I shake my head at this younger version of myself, so eager and willing to become infected with the common cold just for some quick cash. Before I know it, though, I’m Googling “cold study” and learn they still accept participants for this research. I pause and genuinely consider it. ⠀
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It’s not the money that entices me this time; it’s the solitude. I wonder if the hotel offer is still part of the deal, and while my three little boys sleep soundly upstairs, I contact the Principal Investigator, nonchalantly asking if he is still accepting candidates for the cold study. He is.⠀
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I can’t believe I’m even considering this. Who have I become?"⠀
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Mamas, have you ever been so desperate for a little alone time, that you'd go to great lengths to get it? ⠀
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That's the story guest writer Ashley Bartley (@tendingwild) is sharing with us today.⠀
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Read the rest by following the link in our profile. 💜⠀
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  • "We have a lot of summer birthdays in our family–July 12, August 8, and August 26–and waiting for November through all those other birthdays was like torture for poor Leo. We might as well have been moving in slow motion, as far as he was concerned. And so, when Ian announced on that morning that November had finally–finally–arrived, Leo could not contain his excitement.⠀
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'My November, my November, my November,' he chanted, bouncing up and down in his seat and sending Cheerios flying.⠀
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'Today is my birthday, Mom?' he asked. Oh boy."⠀
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From "The Spiritual Discipline of Anticipation" by @lindseycornett, up on our web site now!⠀
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  • Hi friends! Lindsey here. (@lindseycornett)⠀
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In yesterday's essay (up on the blog now), I shared that a surprising discipline has become really helpful for me. It's the discipline of anticipation--an intentional effort in every new season to make a note all the things I have to look forward to.⠀
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In some kind of paradox, I realized that looking ahead just a little bit helped me find a little more enjoyment in each day. ⠀
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So, I'd love to know: What are you looking forward to these days?⠀
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Here are a few things on my list:⠀
1. swapping babysitting with my neighbor this weekend so we all get Valentine's Dates⠀
2. an upcoming girls' trip with my mom and sisters⠀
3. trying out some new recipes in my pressure cooker⠀
4. the book fair at my son's school⠀
5. my book club meeting next month⠀
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Care to share what you're looking forward to in the comments?⠀
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And if you are feeling a little down in the dumps, or winter is dragging on too long for your taste, or if your days don't look like you wish they would, can I encourage you to give it a try? Grab a sheet of paper, write down your list, and put it up on the fridge or the bathroom mirror. It might help. 💜⠀
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  • It was one of those days that makes you question your sanity. ⠀
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At 3pm, I bounced around the kitchen with my squalling newborn and gritted my teeth at the screeching two-year-old down the hallway who was protesting her nap. I held back my own tears and glanced at the phone, waiting for those four precious words from my husband: “On my way home.”⠀
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I hadn’t changed out of yesterday’s pajamas. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d clipped on a bra. And I felt my hairs matting together after days without a good brushing.⠀
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In moments like this, I wonder if I’ve lost myself beneath all this mothering.⠀
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But then I saw my husband walk through the door with his own burdens. It had been a rough day at his office, too. Seeing him reminded me that I would still experience tough days even if I had a day job and no needy babies depending on me.⠀
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Motherhood is work - 24/7, blood, sweat and tears kind of work. And just like any other job, there are days when I want to quit. The difference is I can’t hand my kids a letter of resignation.⠀
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Remembering everyone is called to work in some way, helped me breathe and know it was just a rough day. And the joys tomorrow will bring far outweigh what I’m feeling temporarily today. --Alex Davies (@alexdaviesliving)⠀

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