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After the longest podcast break I've ever taken, I'm finally back! In this episode, I'm sharing where I've been, why I disappeared for over six months, and what God has been teaching me through a long season of transition, rebuilding, and learning to love a quieter life offline.

I'm talking about our family's move, settling into a new home and community, healing after a hard year, stepping back from social media, getting a "dumb phone," rebuilding routines, and rediscovering the joy of creating from a place of life and overflow instead of hurry and burnout.

This episode kicks off a new mini series on transitioning into new seasons: how we walk faithfully through change, how we rebuild our homes and habits, and how we glorify God in the everyday, even when life looks different than it used to.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Machine Washable Rugs, Made Better. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off + free shipping at tumbleliving.com/HOME #Tumble #ad

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In Part 1 of this series, I asked the question: Can you really raise a large family well? Welcome to part 2.

I'm the oldest of four kids, which, in my mind growing up, did not feel like a large family. But apparently… it was and is especially now!

People used to ask my mom if we were all from the same dad (which was always baffling because we all look like clones). And now, looking back, I realize: okay, yes, even four kids is considered "a lot" these days.

But my husband Jason? He's the oldest of seven. And now here we are with eight kids of our own…ages 13 down to 1.

Our next door neighbors and good friends from church are pregnant with their eighth child, and our collective 15 children run back and forth between our backyards literally all day long. At our current church and our previous church, 15-passenger vans are the norm in the parking lot, and no one bats an eye at 5, 6, 7+ kids sitting in the pew.

This isn't some rare, theoretical thing for us. This is just our life.

In my last article, we asked a big question:

Can you really raise a large family well?

Not just survive it: but do it with joy, connection, and intention?

That question matters, because most of us don't have many real-life examples to look to anymore. We hear opinions and we see hot takes online. But we don't often get to step inside a large family and see what it actually produces over time. When we are not used to seeing even 4-child families out in society, how on earth are we supposed to learn how to have more than the normal 1.6 kids?

And here's what I've come to see very clearly:

Large families come with their own set of challenges. There are hurdles you just don't face with one or two kids.

But—

There are also unique, abundant blessings that you simply don't get any other way.

It's one thing to debate this idea online of having more than 1.6 kids, it's another thing entirely to learn from families actually doing it!

So on a podcast episode, Jason and I chatted about this idea. I asked him, "Did you actually like growing up in a large family?"

He didn't hesitate to say, "Yeah. I really did. And wouldn't change it for anything." (Online critics like to say that the eldest child in a large family never wants a large family of their own. It's simply not true! And his oldest sister currently has 5 kids. In fact, all 6 of his siblings say they want at least 4 kids and several of them are already there!)

"I Never Felt Overlooked" Let's just go straight for the biggest fear. Because I know it's the one everyone is thinking.

There's no way all those kids get enough attention.

Right?

Like… someone has to be overlooked. Someone has to feel lost in the mix. And I'm not saying there wasn't a season where one kid felt like they didn't get as much attention, etc. But I'll be straight with you: I was one of only four kids (FOUR, a completely normal number of children throughout all of human history) and I had so many times of feeling overlooked, whether I really was or was just navel-gazing too much is a therapy session for another day.

I met Jason when I was 16 and he was 18. His younger brother is my exact same age (minus 27 days) and it was so interesting watching this homeschool family with 7 kids function. I loved seeing how they were such a close-knit family and welcomed me wholeheartedly into the crew over the next 3 years. Boots on the ground I actually watched his mom raise Jason's younger 3 siblings. When I met Jason, his mom was just 2 weeks away from having baby #7. And let me tell you one thing: The way his mom poured her heart and love into those kids, sure she didn't always get it right or always say the exact right thing to the angsty teenager, but her kids had all of her. When so many kids from much much smaller families had so much less of their moms.

Now, before we get all starry-eyed, his family was not perfect. We have to make sure we don't idealize something to the point of not recognizing faults. There are of course certain pitfalls that large families can get into it. And it behooves us to recognize those and address them within our own families, but more on that in the next large family article.

Now here's the kicker—they're still close. All seven of them. That doesn't just happen and it doesn't happen by accident either.

The Sibling Thing (It's Kind of a Big Deal) If you've never been around a large family, I think this is the part that's hard to picture.

The sibling relationships are everything. You're not just giving your kids a brother or sister. You're giving them: built-in friends, constant companions, people to do life with… forever. Even when there have been arguments or hiccups, we know that our siblings would be there for us no matter what (and I know that many families out there can't say the same thing). And the older you get, the more important that becomes.

And here's something Jason said that I don't think we think about enough:

Your siblings are your longest relationships in life.

Longer than your parents. Longer than your spouse. Longer than your kids.

That's wild.

And now that we have eight of our own, I'm starting to see this play out right in front of me.

Our 13-year-olds? They are obsessed with playing with the one year old. They love being the one to wake him up from his nap because he's always so cuddly at first!

My 9-year-old daughter is constantly dragging the 5 year old into whatever she's doing like, "Come on, you're helping me now." (And he loves it!)

And the toddler? He's thrilled. Living his best life. The center of the Universe (insert eye roll here).

There is always someone to play with. Always someone to follow. Always someone to annoy. (Let's be honest.)

And it creates this environment that you just… can't manufacture any other way.

The sweetest part to me: Family Culture This one surprised me. Because I assumed we would be the ones creating the family culture. And yes - we do set the tone - and work hard to make a God-honoring family culture.

But there's something else that happens in a large family: The kids start creating culture all on their own.

There's the inside jokes (that even I don't get). The made-up games. And all these little traditions that don't involve us at all.

Jason was talking about this, how in his family, so many things just developed naturally between the siblings. The amount of inside jokes they all still have is astounding!

And we're seeing the same thing now. I'll walk into a room and they're all playing some game I've never seen before, with rules I definitely didn't teach them. Or joking with made up lingo that I have no clue what it means. And it's just… theirs. It's messy and loud and kind of chaotic, but it's also really, really special.

"Wait… They Actually Become Helpful?" Okay, let's talk about something very practical. Because if you're in the little years right now, you are probably thinking: "This sounds lovely but I am drowning."

I get it. When all your kids are little, you are doing everything. For everyone. All of the time.

You are buckling every seatbelt - Our oldest 5 were all in 5-point harness carseats at the same time and not a single one of them could unbuckle their own carseat when baby #5 was born. It was wild! You are pouring every cup. Breaking up every fight. Filling every single physical and emotional need. It's a lot in those little years, even with just two kids!

But then, you pass this turning point. I remember when baby #6 was born and my oldest twins were 7, it started feeling like a different world. All of a sudden they could get me a glass of water or fetch a diaper. It wasn't ALL on me, all of the time. They started to have autonomy and the game started changing.

They grow up. And suddenly: They can make food, they can help clean, they can do laundry, they can contribute.

Not in a "child labor" kind of way 😅 But in a we all live here, we all help kind of way. And also, you're going to be an adult one day and need to know these important life skills kind of way.

And it really changes the dynamic of the household. We do quick whole-house cleanups together. Just ten minutes, everyone has a job and it's done!

What would take me two hours alone gets knocked out in minutes because everyone is pitching in. And honestly? They like being capable. They like knowing how to do things. They take pride in it (even if they occasionally act like it's the worst thing that's ever happened to them).

It's Loud. It's Busy. It's… a Lot. I'm not going to pretend it's peaceful and quiet over here. It's not. We have seven boys. Let's just start there.

There is always: noise, movement, someone talking (yelling really, I think our family has only one volume), someone wrestling, and someone hungry.

Even when everyone is behaving well, it still looks like chaos from the outside. Because there are just… a lot of people. I finally realized that when we all go out to dinner, our kids could be perfect angels the entire time and it still would just feel a little chaotic because of so many little people.

But here's the thing: You stop trying to make it quiet all the time. And you start realizing…This is what a full house sounds like. It's life. It's energy. It's a whole lot of people living together, not just coexisting.

Your Life Doesn't End (I Promise) I think a lot of people assume: "If I have a big family, my life is over."

Like you'll never: go anywhere, travel, do anything fun ever again, or just be a woman any longer and not just a mom.

Meanwhile…we took eight kids and traveled the country full time for two years 😅

Was it always smooth? Absolutely not. Did we have moments where we were like, "Why did we think this was a good idea?" Yes, many.

But here's what we learned: You get better. You learn how to: plan better, train your kids, adjust expectations.

And over time, things that used to feel impossible, get easier and just feel more normal.

I used to feel completely overwhelmed taking two toddlers to the grocery store. I remember thinking: this is it, it's impossible. I'm only shopping on Saturdays when Jason is home and can watch the twins!

Now? If I only have two kids with me, it feels like a vacation. The other day I took the three youngest with me (ages 5, 3, and 1) to do some thrift store shopping and it was no big deal. It's funny how that happens.

God Grows Your Capacity This might be my biggest takeaway from all of it.

Because every single time we added another baby, I had the same thought: "I cannot possibly handle more."

And then… somehow… we did. And somehow it's the perfect addition we didn't know we needed.

Jason said it perfectly:

"You always feel maxed out. And then you add another, and somehow they fit."

That has been our experience over and over again. Not because we're amazing. But because God is faithful to grow you as your family grows. Even if that growth is painful sometimes. If you find yourself unexpectedly adding a new member to the family, rest knowing that God has had this planned. He knows this new sweet little babe is perfectly planned and will bring joy to your whole family! Trust that he will grow you when the time is right, and not before!

So… Can You Raise a Large Family Well? I think the answer is yes. We've witnessed it in our own life with Jason's family and many times with friends who have grown adult children. Sometimes you read these anti-big family articles online and it's easy to wonder if it's even possible because there are some who didn't raise their large family well (just as there are those who didn't raise their two kids well). Yes, it's absolutely possible, worth it, and so much fun!!

Look, none of us are perfect. Jason's parents weren't perfect and Jason and I certainly aren't. I hate to even address this topic because I feel woefully imperfect. And yet, I think it's something that modern Christian women need to read: Yes, it's quite possible to raise more than the normal 1.6 children and for it to be a blessing to your life and your children's lives.

When you look at a family that's done it well…You don't see deprivation. You see: connection, capability, deep relationships, a whole lot of life and this elusive village that everyone's talking about online today.

And honestly? It's pretty beautiful.

Next in this series…we're going to talk about the other side of this:

The pitfalls.

Because yes, there are things to watch out for. And if we're going to do this well, we need to talk about those too.

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I originally wrote this article in April and I'm finally getting around to publishing it. I'm about to place 5th Azure order and it indeed has already made a huge difference in our budget (see the bottom of the article)!

Over the years, I've developed quite a system for storing and cooking out of a bulk pantry. I routinely buy 25-50lb bags of dried goods and cook almost everything from scratch. Now, 10+ years into this journey, I take for granted how easy this system is to maintain. But when I first started out, it was anything but.

I remember googling "How to store 25lbs of spelt" and getting lost in debates about using oxygen absorbers or storing everything in mylar bags inside 5-gallon buckets. Man, I even remember a good 17 years ago when I got my first bag of dried beans and felt really intimidated about how to cook it since I'd only ever bought canned beans.

At the height of my bulk pantry, I had a good 17-20 5-gallon buckets that stored everything from various kinds of grains, to multiple types of rice, lentils, beans, pasta, and so much more. I was working my way to a 3-month steady supply of everything, hoping to eventually get that to a 6-month supply (while actively eating out of that pantry). This working pantry is just practical and the everyday foods we actually eat. There's another segment of people who are preppers who are just stockpiling a doomsday pantry, but it's pretty useless if you don't actually eat that food or know what to do with it!

It's never a bad thing to be prepared. With a bulk pantry, you can so much more easily weather financial storms or actual storms. We all realized through 2020 that our food system is not nearly as stable as we might have imagined. But even more than that, a bulk pantry just makes sense. It is by far the cheapest way to run your kitchen, will save you oodles on your grocery budget, and is such a healthy, non-processed way to run your kitchen. Plus, once you get your bulk pantry set up and you get beyond those initial questions, it's the easiest way to run your kitchen! No more running to the store because you forgot an ingredient. You can whip up tortillas, or make a batch of beans, or throw together a Mexican feast with everything you have on hand! It's incredibly simplifying (and satisfying).

But why I'm writing here today is to give you a peek at how to start a bulk pantry like this for the first time. It can feel overwhelming to get started, and it can feel like it costs too much money to do. You look at these bags of grain for $35 and calculate that times 20 bags and think "I can't fit that in my grocery budget!" but the entire goal is to slowly replace grocery money you would normally spend on smaller items, like 2-3 cans of beans or a single loaf of bread. Your bulk pantry can start out quite modest, but with time, it snowballs into something significant!

I am restarting my bulk pantry, almost from zero. I do have all my 5-gallon buckets and glass jars, thankfully, but I am taking these steps myself to rebuild my bulk pantry food. I am hoping that in about 6 months, my bulk pantry will once again be rock solid!

At the height of my bulk pantry, all I had to do was look at my pantry each month and place my bulk food order with Azure Standard. Because my pantry was so stocked, I wasn't ordering little amounts of every item our family would eat that month; I was able to just buy a large 25-50lb bags of the items I needed to stock up on. At that point, I was spending about 60-80% of our grocery budget on bulk foods and our quality of food had risen so dramatically. Plus my pantry was amazing!

However, we were called to clean out our little house, downsize everything into a storage unit and leave Oklahoma behind for a move to North Carolina. It was not a move we had expected, but we are so thankful for where God has led us. But it meant a move into an RV for a year and a half while we relocated and figured out where we would land. Now, here we are, finally settled in our new house and ready to rebuild!

But when I look at my meager grocery budget and the goal of wanting to rebuild my bulk pantry (right now!!), I'm left with the same feelings that my readers have said to me "But it just costs to much to get started and I feel like I can only do a little bit!" And that's true! Because I don't have anything extra to aid this rebuilding (If I had an extra $300-1000 that I could throw into getting started, this could go a lot faster), I am just going to do it slow and steady. I've decided to pull $100 a month from my grocery budget for this purpose. I figure I can save just $25 a week from my normal grocery shopping to divert to this cause. And the goal is that, with each passing month, this will free up more money to put towards the bulk purchases since it really does save a lot of money in the long run!

The beauty of a bulk pantry is that once you get going, the snowball effect does indeed take over. Before you know it, you will have a fully stocked pantry and all you'll have to do is restock it from there. We are a family of 10, with 8 of those being boys. So we go through a lot more food too than the average family. When we were a smaller family, it wasn't nearly as hard to stock up the bulk pantry. So the length of time you'll get out of each bag will likely be longer than ours!

Here's what I ordered in my March Azure order:

• Raw honey, 12lbs - $37.46
• Spelt, 25lbs - $36.30
• Whole oat groats, 25lbs - $16.12 (We flake them into rolled oats)
• Seed potatoes for the garden - $15

Here's what I ordered in my April Azure Order:

• Black beans, 25lbs - $33.96
• Sugar, 25lbs - $35.88
• Brown sugar, 5lbs - $11.46
• Azure dish soap - $6.90
• Popcorn, 25lbs - $30.70

A small but mighty order that will go a long way. For the next 2-3 months, here are some items I will consider getting next:

• Unbleached all-purpose flour - $26.35
• Pinto beans, 25lbs - $44.19
• Green lentils, 25lbs - $38.51
• Brown basmati rice, 25lbs - $32.53
• Maple syrup, 1 gallon - $62.41
• Coconut oil, 1 gallon - $26.08

I will also layer in smaller items as well that are 1-10lbs usually like: yeast, baking powder, salt, millet, cocoa powder, pearled barley, spices, and items from Azure's cleaning line. I am excited to document this process this year. I am getting my second Azure order this week and already the snowball effect is starting to make a difference. I predict that over the next 3-4 months, it's going to make a significant impact on my grocery budget and buying trends!

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If you've been feeling stressed, weighed down, worried, or just quietly unsettled lately… this is for you.

I've walked through cycles of this myself over the past few years. Since 2020 especially, it has felt like a constant hum beneath everything, an undercurrent of tension that never quite goes away, especially when one is chronically online. And somewhere along the way, I realized I didn't want to live like that anymore.

So I stepped off the hamster wheel.

I've been largely off social media since early January. I still check in occasionally as needed, messages, customer needs, anything urgent. I try to keep it under five minutes. But even in those few minutes, the pattern is unmistakable.

My feed fills with women, thoughtful, intelligent, faithful women, carrying visible stress. Concern about the world, politics, health, toxins, culture, the future. Some of it is valid. Much of it is important. These are not trivial things.

And yet… the weight of it all is constant.

Then I open Substack, my one remaining online space, and I find it there too. In essays, reflections, and commentary. Even among voices I deeply respect, the same thread runs through: concern, urgency, pressure. Although not nearly at the rate and intensity on other social media.

I don't say this to dismiss any of it. There is much in our world worth wrestling with and thinking through. But I've started to notice something else.

By almost every historical measure, our lives are easier than they have ever been. Running a household, let alone a business, has never been more accessible. We have tools, conveniences, and resources that previous generations could not have imagined.

And yet, for all that ease, we are carrying unprecedented levels of stress. Not because we are under constant physical threat, but because we are under constant informational pressure. We are exposed to everything. All the time.

A disaster across the world reaches us instantly. A new study contradicts what we believed yesterday. A food we carefully researched is suddenly labeled harmful. A conversation spirals online, and we feel pulled into it—emotionally, mentally, even spiritually.

Our bodies don't distinguish between proximity and distance. Between real danger and perceived urgency. So we live in a near-constant stress response. And it's exhausting.

We were not made to carry the weight of the entire world every single day. And yet, that's exactly what modern life quietly asks of us.

So if you're feeling overwhelmed… it might not be because you're doing something wrong. It might be because you're taking in far more than you were ever meant to hold.

So what do we do?

How do we step out of this cycle and return to something steadier, more grounded, more human? These are the things I've been practicing over the past six months (and really the past few years) that make such a difference.

Get off social media Yes. I said it.

I know it's not popular. I know it makes people upset (the few times I've even mentioned my own personal desire to step back from social media on IG have been met with some very offended responses). There's a real resistance when we start talking about stepping away from the constant stream of input.

But it's worth asking: what is that resistance revealing? For years, I believed social media had a meaningful place in my life, and for a time, I think it did. It connected me to others. It allowed me to share, to learn, to build something good. It was a huge vehicle in our online business and I'll be forever grateful for the connections made.

I'm grateful for that season and for the high point of social media. But seasons change. And I also personally think we are past the peak of usefulness of social media.

What once offered connection now often delivers noise. What once inspired now frequently overwhelms. You go looking for something helpful - and instead find yourself sifting through celebrity gossip, unrealistic expectations, endless products, and a steady drip of comparison and fear...amidst trash world.

And the reels: the endless, fast, fragmented reels, are shaping us more than we realize. Training our minds to expect constant stimulation. Shortening our attention. Flattening our ability to think deeply.

I've come to believe this is not neutral. It is forming us.

So if you are feeling stressed, anxious, out of sorts, and listless. Get off social media. Delete it for a week and see how you feel. Jump off the doomscrolling and realize you don't need input every second of every day. It's been almost five months since I've been completely off of social media and guess what? I'm not actually missing out on anything at all!

I want to meditate on the good, the true, and the beautiful. Instagram might have once helped facilitate that, but I feel like it no longer does.

Take a break. It'll be good for your brain.

Read real things again One of the downfalls of the past 10 years is that almost no one has an attention span longer than 7 seconds. Now, congrats! You are one of the exceptions since you are reading my admittedly long-winded article right now. You've stuck the course, you've banked on this long-winded article actually having a payoff at the end, or at least a little something to pull out along the way!

Partly why I took so long to exit social media (and no, I'm not 100% completely gone from it as I'll hopefully share soon), is that there can be some redeeming qualities to it. I've met fellow bloggers, podcasters, and authors online who I've then come to meet in person, attend conferences with, share hotel rooms and meals, and even eat dinner in their homes. I've formed beautiful, lovely, God-honoring connections and friendships.

I've gained valuable knowledge. I've picked up fantastic tips and saved more than one stellar recipe. I've learned, laughed, and grown.

But social media has now moved beyond the tipping point of usefulness for me, and I've found myself drawn back to what I call "the old school blogging days". As a bit of a dinosaur in the blogging world (my first blog, Young Wife's Guide, was born in 2009), I've found myself longing for those simple days.

Reading long articles, coming across tutorials I can actually follow, save, and come back to, friendships formed out of words and loveliness not fake Instagram set-ups and dancing reels.

So this year marks my entrance back into blogging. And a mighty surprise: I found the one place I actually do want to spend 20-30 minutes a day online: Substack. But that's also a convo for another day.

If you're stepping away from social media but still crave connection, learning, or inspiration: seek out voices that invite you to slow down. Sit with a cup of coffee. Read something that requires your attention. Let your mind stretch again.

Fill your mind with what is good Stress rarely arrives all at once. It begins quietly, a thought, a concern, a question, and then grows.

Left unchecked, it expands until it fills the entire space. And much of what we consume online accelerates that process.

So we have to be intentional about what we replace it with. Not just removing the noise, but actively choosing something better to fill our minds with.

Take a walk with your kids outside and focus on laughing and enjoying one another.

Take a 20-minute break, without your phone in hand, and sit in the warm spring sunshine and soak it up (Vitamin D works wonders for anxiety).

Start your day with your Bible open. Make it an absolute anchor point in your day. Coffee in hand, Bible on my lap and praying through the Psalms is how I start every single morning, and it's life-changing. God and His Word is the #1 way to combat stress and anxiety.

Start a book club and work your way through the classics. I'm part of a monthly book club with women at church, and it has quickly become one of my very favorite things! I've trained my affections so that I now spend my time reading good, beautiful, and highly engaging books instead of scrolling. There is no way around it: Reading for 20 minutes a day is way better for your brain, heart, and soul than 20 minutes of scrolling. I choose mental health over 20 more minutes of quick dopamine. You CAN retrain your habits and thought processes.

Do something tangible.

Habits can be retrained. Attention can be rebuilt. But it takes intention.

Do something real with your hands There is something deeply stabilizing about physical, tangible work. Something our modern lives often lack and our bodies surely miss.

We say we're overwhelmed by managing a home, but in many cases, it's not because life is physically harder.

It's because we've lost familiarity with the work itself. We've drifted away from the skills that once grounded daily life.

So start small.

Learn to cook from scratch. Plant something. Fix something. Build something. Engage your body, not just your mind.

There's a reason kneading dough feels calming. Why working in the garden quiets anxious thoughts. It roots you in something real. Something immediate. Something within your control.

It's hard to remain in a spiral of anxiety when your hands are busy creating something good.

Learn something for the joy of it Not everything needs to be productive. Some things can simply be… beautiful.

But get creative! We need to bring back the so called "Grandma hobbies" because staying busy with our hands, creating something good and beautiful, is one of the more surefire ways to combat anxiety.

Learn to knit, sew crochet, watercolor, quilt, punch needle, or any number of fun hobbies. You can tell what things excite me, can't you?

Put the phone down.

Step away from the constant input.

And begin building a life that feels full: not because of what you're consuming, but because of what you're creating.

Final Thought We don't need more information. We need more formation.

A return to what is steady, grounded, and true.

A life shaped not by urgency, but a life shaped by intention.

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Rediscovering God's design for family in a world that sees children as a burden

I have mostly been off of social media entirely since early January when I got my new "dumb-ish" phone for my birthday. But even so, news reached me that Hannah Neeleman from Ballarina Farms had her 9th baby. And that the internet has imploded over it.

I'm honestly not sure what is so shocking about a Mormon mom, who's had 8 previous babies, presumably every 1/5 - 2 years for over a decade, now having one more child. Like, don't you expect it by now? But nevertheless, baby #9 is here, and the interwebs have strong feelings about it.

Not being a Mormon myself, or particularly interested in what Instagram influencers are up to, I am not here to defend Hannah's family or enter into any debate about their life, their finances, or how they live their life (or portray it online). What I am particularly interested in, however, is this backlash against the simple fact that she would dare to have 9 children. "Hannah, don't you know that you are not supposed to have more than 1.6 children? Anything more is outrageous and clearly immoral!"

The outrageous thing is that the United States has fallen to a birthrate of just 1.6 children per woman(1), which is now tragically below the replacement rate, and is a record low. We are seeing this same trend over most of the developed world, including Canada (1.4), virtually all of Europe (with a combined birth rate of 1.4), Japan (1.3), South Korea (0.8), Australia & New Zealand (1.6 each), among others. If you are someone who believes the world is overpopulated and that this change is good because immigrants will come in and do all the jobs needed, or that technology and AI will replace all of the jobs needed, we can still be friends, but we will not agree on this issue. You might want to go on your merry way to a different article.

Our two sets of twin boys, back to back!

Because of the birth rates that have been falling for decades, when you go outside your home with two cheery, or two cranky, toddlers, you will hear over and over again "Wow, you've got your hands full!" or if anyone is having a tough time being out past naptime or just being a toddler, you will get nasty comments and looks. (This is a topic for another day, but I do think two things are happening here: on the one hand, no one disciplines anymore, and children are allowed to run wild in public spaces and can genuinely be a nuisance. We are tired of parents not teaching and training their children, and so any outburst, noise, or even laughter from someone under 5 feet tall is looked at with a side eye or outright sneering. We, as a society, have forgotten what it's like to have children around. We've forgotten that they are entitled to live and take up space as much as any adult. We've forgotten that children are precious and that they are learning how to be adults and members of society, and such training needs to happen in the real world. It's as if our tiredness of permissive parenting has convinced an entire society of adults that 100% of all children are ill-behaved and a nuisance. But I digress...)

Our society can no longer fathom how someone could have 5-9 children, and that it must be impossible. What we forget is that until about 3.5 seconds ago, this was the norm. And don't come at me with "Well, rates of infant mortality were higher." Yes, and families still had a lot of kids who grew to adulthood. You can disagree on the reasons why they had so many children, but the fact remains that generations upon generations of women raised more than 4 children and did it successfully.

So, back to Hannah.

A viral tweet when the news broke relays the sentiments of a large portion of my generation: "You cannot give nine children adequate time, attention, and connection." This sparked articles and comments arguing that large families bordered on child abuse, that large families are oppressive or ignorant, and that mothers (and children) in large families are miserable. As someone with a whole lot of experience in this area, I've been mulling this all over for days.

But I haven't been mulling it over when it comes to Hannah. I've been mulling it over because moms in this generation need to know that there is another way to have a family than the 1.6 children they see in society. Families need to be encouraged that you can have a large family and that it can be a joy and a blessing. I love looking back through old literature or hearing stories of great-great-grandmas raising their brood, but it's hard for us to connect with these stories on a personal level.

We read about Ma Ingalls raising her larger-than-normal family (by today's standards, anyway) in a dugout without electricity, running water, or an urgent care to run to when the cough turns deep in the chest. We are inspired by the rugged courage it took to be a mom back then, and we might even pick up a tip or two. But by and large, we don't know how to connect the lessons we see from Ma Ingalls or Marmee with those of our very modern world, juggling soccer practice, grocery pick-up, social media, dating, lack of community, and so much more. In so many ways we see, we have it so much easier than "back then," and yet in others, it seems impossibly harder.

18 months later, we welcomed our 1 precious girl!

If we are firm in the fact that children are a blessing from the Lord, then we also know there IS a way to raise 3-4 children, 5-6 children, or even more in a good, godly, and wonderful way. For the past year or so, it's often been on my mind that American (and Western) women need a better blueprint for raising children. We are now a couple of generations out from larger families being even somewhat common. We don't need to be learning from the Hannah Neeleman's of the world or the latest Instagrammer (I am thankful for some of the good and godly voices there sharing the positive (and the hard) sides of raising kids like Abbie Halberstadt - M.is.for.Mama and Elisha and Katie Voetberg of Now That We're A Family), but rather from the mother sitting a church pew away from you, wrangling her five children, 7 and under. Or the mom fielding college applications and nursing a baby at the same time. Or the experience of the older mom welcoming grandchildren into the family.

I launched a project last spring that I think I'm finally ready to pick back up. I am the oldest of 4 siblings (along with a half-sister I sadly did not get to grow up with). Even at the time, I didn't consider myself from a large family, but my mom constantly got comments asking if we were all from the same dad (even though we share such a strong family resemblance) and remarking on what a large family we were! My husband, however, is the oldest of 7 kids, very much a large family by today's standards.

I always said I wanted a large family, and 6 was my ideal number of the largest family I could fathom. My husband said he wanted more like 4. So we compromised and said 5 was the perfect number. All young couples are idealistic when they have these conversations because, of course, they have no idea how many children they will indeed one day want, nor indeed the number of children they will actually be able to have!

But 5 children came and went, and we realized that the "ideal" number for us kept moving up. Now, we have 8 beautiful children, ages 13 down to 1. So, not quite the 9 that Hannah now has, but I think I'm close enough to speak on this topic. Plus, we have the benefit of Jason having grown up in a large family with all 7 adult children still loving and walking with the Lord - Praise be to God!

At the beginning of last year, I read the terrific book, Hannah's Children (totally unrelated to the Hannah mentioned above), and it got my wheels spinning. Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth explores why some women in modern Western culture (it might just be centered on the US, I can't remember now) choose large families despite declining birth rates, highlighting their values, motivations, and sense of purpose. The book argues that their choices challenge mainstream assumptions about fulfillment, success, and family life.

Overall, great book, and I highly recommend it. However, it interviews any woman with 5 or more children, regardless of faith. And it really only gets into their motivation for having a large family. I would like to go about 5 steps beyond that. I am focusing on Christian women because our faith highly impacts how we raise our children. And I'm not only interested in what motivates Christian women to have 5 or more children, but what common principles we can draw from the families who have raised a large family well.

And since then we've added 3 more sons to the mix, making us a family of 10!

It's no secret that it takes a lot to raise a large family. There are so many schedules to juggle, education to oversee, finances to count, food to cook, and love and attention to go around. So, as Christian women, how do we do this well? How do we practically and spiritually raise a brood of kids who love the Lord and develop a strong family connection? How do mothers of many do this with health, vitality, and vigor? There are so many flavors of good family cultures, different personalities, and different family sizes (a family with 4 kids will function a bit differently than a family with 12) that I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all answer. But I do think there are so many wise women who are quietly living this out. And until our congregations and neighborhoods are full of larger families again, it's a good thing to be able to learn from those around the country or the globe.

How do we steward a large family well?

I have collected email addresses from over 100 Christian women (not Mormon, not another faith) with 6 or more children who are going to participate in a study that I'm putting together. We have mothers who are deep in the trenches with 6 kids, 8 and under. We have mothers sandwiched in the middle who are bouncing a baby on their knees and teaching their teens to drive. And most importantly, we have mothers who have raised their 6+ children, and all of those children are still walking with the Lord. I am particularly interested in this segment to see if we can pick up some common threads that contributed to this (I think quality talking time will be a recurring theme, but we'll see)!

I have plans of turning this study into a book, and I would love the prayers along the way. This will not be a quick turnaround, but I do think it has the potential to be a very significant project. I will, Lord willing, provide updates as we go into it. This week, I will be formulating the study questions and getting initial information out to study participants (Let me know if you have any burning questions you want me to ask)!

So, in the spirit of the Hannah Neeleman controversy and getting inspired for my new study, I'll be doing a series of articles on the topic. Here's what I'll tentatively be covering:

• The blessings of a large family
• The pitfalls of a large family
• You actually get better at this (addressing the concern that one person can't mother this many)
• Addressing the no-time-for-one-on-one myth
• Parentification of the kids
• Mom's health and vitality
• The question of birth control
• Educating a brood
• Finances and what is "the good life?"

I am inviting you to join me in this series, not because I have all the answers (far from it), but because I think we need to be asking the questions.

(1) https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/is-the-us-birth-rate-decliningaud

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For the first time in a couple of years, I've really been enjoying my reading list! I've set a goal of reading 104 books this year, at a clipped pace of 2 books per week. Here at the end of February, I've managed to stay on track with this goal and hope to see it through this year.

Part of my renewed vigor with reading is that it has now been 4+ years since I've gone this long without being pregnant. In fact, 2026 might be the first year that I will not have a nursing baby or be pregnant since 2019 (7 years, wow)! In fact, I've only had two years (2013 and 2018) since 2011 that I have not been pregnant or had a baby under 1. Holy moly, when you put it that way, I need to give myself a lot more grace for my failing routines. I say that partially in jest and partially in truth.

Only the Lord knows what is ahead but my focus this year is building back up my body, my strength, and hopefully some braincells while I'm at it! It feels like a year wide open for good routines and nurturing parts of my health that have gotten neglected as of late.

I know you landed on this post to read my 40 before 40 list of classics I'm attempting to tackle over the next 4 years, but for me, the context matters. I think I'm finally ready to tackle some of these more daunting reads. And more than that, I'm excited to!

Jason and I have each taken on a big reading goal. We will turn 40 and 42 just 3 weeks apart from each other. So I made my 40 list and he made a 42 list. We have a lot of overlap but many changes too (books either of us has already read and he replaced the homemaking books on my list with others). This gives us just under 4 years to complete this list. So at a pace of 10 books per year, I think we can do it!

Now technically, my list is actually 44 books long. I counted C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy in one spot an then ended up adding two more books to the end of the list. I'm on a big classics binge right now and I want to read those anyway, so might as well add them to my list!

My reading list is based on working through the entire Western Canon. Also refer to this article for a crash course in the classics or for starting your own 40 before 40 list. I'm already looking forward to my 50 before 50 list.

Jami's 40 Before 40 Reading List: Classic Literature & Story:

1. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontë

2. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

3. East of Eden – John Steinbeck

4. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

5. Middlemarch – George Eliot

6. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

7. Bleak House – Charles Dickens

8. Wuthering Heights – Emily Brontë

9. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet

10. The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton

11. Gone with the Wind – Margaret Mitchell

12. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier

13. Gullivers Travels - Jonathan Swift

14. Silas Marner – George Eliot

Epic & Philosophical Literature:

1. The Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri

2. The Aeneid – Virgil

3. The Odyssey – Homer

4. Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky

5. The Brothers Karamazov – Fyodor Dostoevsky

6. The Faerie Queene – Edmund Spenser

21.L es Misérables – Victor Hugo

1. Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes

Christian Faith, Family, & Home:

1. The Hidden Art of Homemaking – Edith Schaeffer

2. What Is a Family? – Edith Schaeffer

3. A Chance to Die – Elisabeth Elliot

4. Orthodoxy – G.K. Chesterton

5. Pilgrim's Progress – John Bunyan

6. The Space Trilogy – C.S. Lewis

7. Life Under Compulsion – Anthony Esolen

8. How Should We Then Live? – Francis Schaeffer

9. On the Incarnation – Athanasius

History, Philosophy & Formation:

1. Meditations – Marcus Aurelius

2. Pensées – Blaise Pascal

3. Plutarch's Lives – Plutarch

4. Church History – Eusebius

5. Foxe's Book of Martyrs – John Foxe

6. In Defense of Tradition – Richard Weaver

7. The Gulag Archipelago – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

8. Lonesome Dove – Larry McMurtry

9. Kristin Lavransdatter - Sigrid Undset

10. Paradise Lost - John Milton 42. Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer

Another goal that I will slowly be working through (without a timeline) is reading all of the works of a few particular authors including:

• George McDonald
• C.S. Lewis
• J.R.R. Tolkien
• Jane Austen
• Charles Dickens
• Edith Schaeffer
• Franics Schaeffer
• G. K. Chesterton
• John Steinbeck

Jason and I both just got our lists finalized and I'm off to a good start! I just finished Pride & Prejuide and then dove into Emma. Emma isn't on my list but I am working on reading all of Austen. I took a break from Emma though because my book club is reading Cranford, another book not on my list but well worth a read! I will be diving into What is a Family by Edith Shaeffer next. I started this years ago and never finished it.

I'll add some 40 before 40 reading updates for you throughout the year! Have you created a similar reading list? I'd love to know what you think I need to start adding to my 50 before 50 list!

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When I first got married, I was behind.

Admittedly, I was only nineteen. That alone explains part of it. But if I am completely honest, I do not think that five more years would have made much difference. Even if I had finished college as a single woman instead of a married one, even if I had waited until twenty-four or twenty-five, I do not believe I would have been significantly more prepared to run a home.

Like many women of my generation, I had spent my teenage and young adult years focused on school, grades, college applications, part-time jobs, and preparing for a future career. I learned how to write essays and take exams. I learned how to meet deadlines and navigate academic systems. What I did not learn was how to manage a household.

No one had intentionally taught me how to plan meals, build cleaning rhythms, grocery shop on a budget, manage my time within the context of a family, or establish spiritual habits inside a home. I stepped into marriage with good intentions, but very few practical skills.

Over the years, I have realized that my experience is far from unique. I regularly hear from women in their twenties, thirties, and even forties who are just now coming to the quiet realization that they do not actually know how to run a home well. They feel overwhelmed, scattered, and constantly behind, but they cannot quite identify why.

I believe this is one of the great unspoken struggles for modern women.

It is not because life is harder than it used to be. (It most ways, it's not! We have ovens, washing machines, dishwashers, grocery delivery, and hot running water.)

Nor is it simply because we lack a "village," though community certainly matters. Ma Ingalls managed an entire homestead, often snowed in for months at a time, without seeing another soul. There were seasons when there truly was no village. Community is a blessing, but it is not the sole explanation for why we struggle.

The deeper issue is this: many of us were never taught the skills.

Some of us were not shown. Some of us were not interested at the time. Many of us were swept up in a culture that prioritized academic achievement, career preparation, and constant outward productivity. Practical domestic skills were often treated as secondary, optional, or often outdated.

As I teach my own children now, I see this gap more clearly than ever. My older children, between the ages of nine and thirteen, already possess more hands-on, practical life skills than I did when I was newly married. They can cook simple meals, manage basic chores independently, and understand the rhythms of our home. Watching them grow in competence has made me realize just how much harder it is to build a stable home when those skills are missing at the beginning.

Yet here is the hopeful part of the story.

Not having the skills at nineteen did not determine the trajectory of my life. Over time, I chose to learn. I embraced the domestic arts gradually and imperfectly. I learned how to meal plan without panic. I learned how to cook three meals a day. I learned how to garden, preserve food, and ferment kefir and kombucha. I learned how to build systems that keep a household of ten functioning with relative order. It is not flawless—far from it—but it is steady and intentional.

And I did not learn these things as a child sitting at my grandmother's elbow (I wish!). I learned them as an adult.

Which means this: if you feel behind, your story is not over. You are not disqualified. You are simply at the beginning of your learning curve.

And that is a very hopeful place to be.

How to Grow as a Homemaker (Without Feeling Behind) There is a quiet pressure that many women carry in their homemaking. It rarely gets spoken aloud, but it often sounds something like this: I should be further along by now. Why does everyone else seem so organized? Why can't I keep up? Why does this feel harder than it looks online?

If you have ever felt behind in your homemaking, I want to begin by gently reframing that thought. You are not necessarily behind. More often than not, you are simply growing.

Growth in homemaking does not happen overnight. It unfolds slowly, intentionally, and often quietly. It is built through faithfulness in ordinary days. Understanding this changes everything.

Let's look at what growth in homemaking actually requires.

1. Recognize That Homemaking Is Learned Very few of us were handed a complete blueprint for running a home. Most of us picked up scattered pieces along the way — perhaps from our mothers, perhaps from observation, perhaps through trial and error. We burned dinners. We tried elaborate systems that failed. We quit, adjusted, and tried again.

Homemaking is not instinctive perfection. It is a learned skill set.

Cooking is learned. Budgeting is learned. Meal planning is learned. Time management is learned. Even establishing spiritual rhythms in a household is learned.

When you understand this, something in your brain shifts. Instead of concluding, "I am bad at this," you can more accurately say, "I am still learning." And indeed, "I CAN learn this!"

And learning, by definition, takes time (and a little elbow grease).

1. Move from Motivation to Discipline One of the most significant turning points in my own growth as a homemaker came when I realized that motivation is unreliable, but discipline builds homes.

There were countless days when I did not feel inspired to cook from scratch, reset the kitchen yet again, plan the week ahead, or wake early to read my Bible. If I had waited for inspiration, very little would have been accomplished.

Growth does not come from waiting until we feel ready. It comes from small, repeated acts of obedience.

Discipline may sound rigid, but in practice it is deeply freeing. When you build consistent rhythms, you are no longer forced to decide from scratch each day what needs to be done. You stop reinventing your week. You move out of constant reaction and into intentionally using your time well.

Discipline creates stability and stability fosters peace.

1. Build Rhythms Instead of Relying on Crisis Much of the feeling of being "behind" comes from randomness. We clean only when the house reaches a breaking point. We plan meals only when the refrigerator is empty. We pray only when we are desperate. We organize only when the clutter becomes unbearable.

This cycle creates constant stress.

Growth begins when you replace randomness with gentle, repeatable rhythms. This looks like a weekly meal planning time or a simple daily reset habit. It might include a consistent morning routine and a weekly planning session.

You do not need dozens of complicated systems. In fact, too many systems can create more overwhelm. What you need are a few faithful rhythms that anchor your home (and most importantly, that your brain can turn on autopilot)! If you've ever felt the mental load of trying to juggle everything, often the overwhelm comes from not knowing how to do any of it well and feeling that constant stress of keeping all these new things in your brain at once!

Small consistency over time produces steady progress.

1. Remove What Is Quietly Distracting You One of the more uncomfortable truths I have had to face is this: often it was not that I lacked time, it was that I allowed distractions to consume it.

Endless scrolling, constant background noise, comparison. An endless stream of advice and opinions. A sense that I should be doing more, achieving more, or keeping up with someone else's standard.

If you regularly feel behind, it is worth asking what is quietly pulling your attention away from what matters most. And pulling your attention away from your own home.

Growth in homemaking often begins with subtraction before addition. Less noise, fewer voices, and clearer priorities.

When distraction decreases, clarity increases.

1. Define Success Biblically, Not Culturally Modern culture defines success in ways that are often exhausting. A beautiful home must be spotless. A good mother must do everything flawlessly. Productivity determines worth. Busyness signals importance.

But scripture paints a different picture.

A faithful homemaker loves her family, serves diligently, builds with wisdom, and fears the Lord. Her faithfulness may be unseen by the world, but it is deeply significant in God's kingdom.

Growth in homemaking is not about achieving a Pinterest-perfect aesthetic or being an instagram influencer. It is about cultivating faithfulness, in the everyday.

And faithfulness is rarely dramatic. It is repetitive, it is ordinary, and it is steady. Yet it is powerful beyond measure.

1. Focus on One Area at a Time Another reason many women feel perpetually behind is that they attempt to fix everything at once. They try to overhaul their cleaning routines, health habits, meal planning, spiritual life, and organization systems simultaneously.

This approach almost always leads to discouragement.

Instead, choose one focus for a season. Perhaps you decide that this month you will learn consistent meal planning. Perhaps this quarter you will establish a workable cleaning rhythm. Perhaps this year you will strengthen your spiritual disciplines.

Growth compounds. When you master one skill well, it strengthens every other area of your home.

1. Remember That You Are Building a Legacy Homemaking is not primarily about completing today's to-do list. It is about shaping the atmosphere and direction of your home over decades. When you have the big picture in mind, it's easier to be faitfhful with today's small load, even if that means trying to learn one new recipe.

Your children are unlikely to remember the messy Tuesday or the burnt casserole. They will remember warmth, stability, laughter, and the quiet faithfulness that marked your days.

You are not behind. You are building something lasting.

If You Want to Grow More Intentionally For over twelve years, I have created courses, conferences, planning systems, and digital tools to help women grow in these exact areas — building rhythms, creating home management systems, meal planning consistently, strengthening spiritual disciplines, setting purposeful goals, simplifying health, and reducing overwhelm.

For the first time in two years, our full legacy digital library, the courses, conferences, eBooks, and printable systems that were previously sold individually, is available inside our Vault for lifetime access.

Everything is priced at $5 or $10. Or you can purchase the complete Vault bundle for $99.

These are the same systems that helped me grow from overwhelmed and inexperienced to steady and intentional. They are not magic solutions, but they are practical tools for real progress.

Whether you choose to explore those resources or simply begin where you are today, remember this:

Growth is slow. Faithfulness matters. And you are not behind.

You are growing.

Blessings, Jami 💛

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I am deep in the part of my gardening year where I am SUPER excited… and also starting to wonder if maybe I did too much.

If you garden, you know this feeling.

January and February are all hope and seed packets and plans. Everything feels possible. And then suddenly your dining room table is covered in milk cartons and seed trays and you're counting how many varieties of peppers you started and thinking, "Oh dear."

But here's something I've learned in my still-limited gardening experience: I would rather feel like I did too much than look back in July and wish I had done more.

Because once the moment passes for the year, it's often too late to go back and start over. You have a small window to restart your pepper plants if they didn't germinate — but not much time. If you miss it, you miss it. There's no rewinding the growing season.

So this year I'm operating off one big question: What do I want my harvest to look like come mid-summer?

Not what feels easy in February. Not what feels manageable in the moment. But what will bless our family in July, August, and September.

Right now, it feels like a lot to take on and juggle. But I also know that 2027 Jami is going to GREATLY thank me for the work I'm putting in today as I establish a brand new garden at our new house.

What We've Started So Far This year I'm leaning hard into what we already have and what costs the least.

In milk cartons (because they're free and we go through 4–6 gallons of milk per week 😅): * Utah Celery * Chives * Peppermint * Peppers: Anaheim chili, small red chili, cayenne, early jalapeño, and sweet pickle * Rosemary

Are milk cartons glamorous? No.

Are they free and surprisingly effective? Yes.

And when you're growing this much, free matters.

In my cell trays, I just started yesterday: * Pink Chinese celery * White Creole onions * Wild bergamot * Bee balm (Spielarten mix) * Stevia * Agastache * Echinacea * Garden huckleberries * Blackberry huckleberries * Tresca strawberries * Tomatoes: San Marzano, Caribe, and Chadwick cherry * Yarrow * Cauliflower

Every time I look at the trays I feel that little spark of excitement. Tiny green starts are such a picture of hope. It's wild to think that in just a few months these fragile little seedlings could be towering tomato plants and baskets of strawberries.

This week I still need to:

• Direct sow cilantro
• Direct sow broccoli

At our new house, we have one raised bed that's ready to go, so I can at least start there while we get the rest of the garden prepped.

And that brings me to the big project…

The Lasagna Garden (a.k.a. The Cardboard Situation) This year, because of cost and because of how large I want this garden to be, we decided not to do raised beds.

For the first time, we're trying a lasagna garden.

We started by laying down cardboard to smother the grass and build up from there. I thought we had plenty of cardboard.

We did not.

Not even close.

We didn't even have half of what we need. So now we're collecting more cardboard, asking friends, saving every box, and picking up soil this weekend to start building the rows.

Right now?

It looks like a mess.

Truly. It looks like we just dumped recycling all over the yard. But I'm trusting the process. I'm reminding myself that most worthwhile things look unimpressive at the beginning.

I'm hoping that in a few weeks it starts to actually resemble a garden.

My Tasks for Next Week in the Garden Because February energy is high and if I don't write this down, I will absolutely forget something 😅

Here's what's on the agenda for next week:

• Start my next round of seeds
• Direct sow everything I need to in my one raised bed outside
• Finish laying down the cardboard
• Have Jason pick up a soil/compost mix on Saturday with his truck
• Lay down the soil and start forming the rows
• Hope we get a truckload of wood chips from ChipDrop.com soon

If not… I'll probably add the $20 tip and see if that helps move us up the list.

Once the soil is down and the wood chips (hopefully!) arrive, the beds should finally start looking like an actual garden instead of a recycling center. And I think that will make everything feel more manageable. There's something about structure and visible progress that calms the overwhelm.

At that point, we'll be in such a good place: beds prepped, seeds started, direct sowing underway. That's when it really begins to feel real.

A Little Deck Garden, Too I also have this little side mission: I want to create a small container garden on our deck.

I've been hunting for large containers that are cheap or repurposable. I refuse to pay full price for giant planters if I can help it. So I'm scanning Facebook Marketplace, keeping an eye out at thrift stores, and mentally cataloging anything that could hold soil.

Half the fun of gardening on a budget is the creativity.

Can it hold dirt? Does it drain? Will it survive the summer heat?

Then it's probably usable.

I love the idea of stepping out onto the deck and snipping herbs or grabbing a handful of flowers outside the kitchen door. It feels practical and beautiful at the same time.

February feels ambitious.

But it also feels hopeful.

And I'd much rather stand in the middle of "maybe I did too much" than sit in July wishing I had tried harder when the window was open.

We plant in faith. We prepare in faith. And we trust that the small work of today will bless our family in the months (and even years) ahead.

Here's to cardboard chaos, milk cartons, and big garden dreams. 🌱

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The kids and I had the opportunity to go visit my family in Pennsylvania this past week, and I'm so incredibly glad we did.

We've been trying to schedule a trip up there for ages, and it just never seemed to work out. There was always something — a launch, a deadline, a busy season, a reason to push it off. Finally, we picked a time that worked… except Jason was just too busy to take off work.

So the kids and I went anyway.

And I'm so, so glad we did.

With the older boys getting so much older, it was actually such a fun and easy trip. An 8–9 hour drive used to feel monumental, but for us seasoned travelers, it felt like no big deal. We packed snacks, queued up audiobooks, and just went.

We stayed at my aunt's house and spent sweet time with cousins and my grandfather, who lives with them. We haven't been back to Pennsylvania since my grandmother passed away two years ago this month, so being there felt tender in a way I didn't fully expect.

There was so much snow, the kind we just don't get here in North Carolina, and the kids probably spent a dozen hours outside sledding. It was pure joy. Rosy cheeks, soaked mittens, frozen fingers, and so much fun!

We made our obligatory stop at Hershey and did the free Chocolate World tour (a must if you're ever in town), swam in their indoor pool while it snowed outside, and watched the Olympics together in the evenings. It was simple, cozy, memory-making kind of days.

And because we live on the East Coast now, this isn't a once-every-few-years kind of trip anymore. We're already talking about a summer visit!

It was exactly the kind of time away that makes you grateful… and then oddly excited to come home and settle back into your routines. It was exactly what I needed as I turn my attention to the Spring and big work and home projects.

The Blogging Goal I Didn't Hit At the beginning of this year, I set a goal to blog at least three times per week.

I love blogging. I love long-form writing. I love the space to think clearly and share deeply.

And then the past two weeks? I didn't blog at all.

Not once.

Part of that is simply because of this trip. But the bigger reason is that we've been working on a massive system overhaul for our business. We've been moving every single one of our old products into a new system so that customers can access them easily and beautifully. It has been such a good project — the kind that blesses people long-term — but it has taken nearly all of my available work time in January and February.

Evenings. Weekends. Every spare hour. And I wasn't expecting it to be quite so large of a task.

I'm thrilled about it being finished. (And keep an eye out — we'll have a special sale this week connected to it.) But in the middle of it all, something deeper has been stirring in my heart.

What Is My Time For? I have been praying a lot lately about my time.

My work hours are limited. I am first a wife. First a mother. My home and children and marriage are not side projects, they are my primary calling.

And yet our business matters too. It supports our family. It serves thousands of women. It is not frivolous.

But where does blogging fit? Where does social media fit? Where does marketing fit? Where does being "consistent" fit?

I've increasingly felt like social media is destroying our society.

Yes, there is good to be argued for. Yes, it connects people. Yes, it can be used for truth and encouragement. But it is also fracturing our attention, shortening our focus, amplifying outrage, and shaping our thinking in ways we don't even realize.

I don't want to feel fractured.

I don't want outside voices constantly shaping the tone of our home.

I don't want my brain trained to live in 30-second bursts of noise.

And yet… I also know how hard it is when the good voices disappear. I know how lonely it can feel when encouragement dries up.

So I find myself in this tension.

If I'm honest, I would delete social media tomorrow and never look back — except that our family relies on it. It's part of how we reach women. It's part of how we sustain the business God has entrusted to us.

So I am prayerfully evaluating.

Not in a dramatic way. Not in a "big announcement" way. But in a quiet, steady, Lord-what-would-You-have-me-do kind of way.

What is essential? What is noise? What builds fruit that lasts? What simply feeds the machine?

If You Feel Behind… Maybe you set goals this year too.

Maybe you were going to be more consistent. More disciplined. More productive. More organized.

And maybe the past two weeks (or two months) didn't look how you imagined.

I want you to know something: falling behind on a goal is not the same thing as failing in your calling.

Sometimes faithfulness looks like sledding in the snow with your children. Sometimes it looks like sitting with your grandfather. Sometimes it looks like moving systems quietly behind the scenes. Sometimes it looks like not posting. And also sometimes, it's recognizing that God is calling you to be self-disciplined in an area you don't want to be. (Hi, that's me!)

God is not impressed by our output. He is concerned with our obedience.

For me, right now, that means evaluating where my limited work time goes. It means asking whether my energy is being poured into what will matter five years from now, but also for the short term when there are bills to be paid and a business to be run.

I don't have all the answers yet.

But I do know this: I want my days to glorify God. I want my home to feel peaceful. I want my children to remember warmth and presence. And I want whatever work I do to flow from those priorities — not compete with them.

So this is just a little life update. A little peek behind the curtain. A gentle reset.

I'm excited to be home. Excited to be back in routines. Excited to keep building good things. And prayerfully considering what that building should look like moving forward.

Thank you for being here. Truly.

We'll see what the Lord does next.

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In a world full of Pinterest-perfect homes and constant comparison, it's easy to feel like our homemaking is never "enough." In this short and encouraging episode, Jami offers a much-needed reminder: homemaking isn't about perfection, it's about faithfulness.

She shares why social media can quietly distort our expectations, how God calls us to stewardship instead of performance, and why the quiet, repetitive work of home is deeply meaningful to Him. From folding laundry and stretching a tight budget to caring for sick kids in the middle of the night, faithfulness often looks ordinary and unseen.

If you're feeling weary, overwhelmed, or discouraged in your homemaking, this episode will gently refocus your heart on what truly matters.

🎧 Listen in and be reminded: the small, faithful work you do every day is holy work, and it matters to God.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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There are seasons when the world feels too loud. Too heavy. Too much. And often, that weight doesn't stay "out there." It follows us home. It shows up in tired bodies, overflowing sinks, loud kitchens, and hearts that feel stretched thin. In moments like that, it's easy to wonder if the quiet, repetitive work we do every day really matters.

This season, I've been thinking a lot about what it truly means to be a homemaker. Not just in the way we often picture it, but in the deeper, truer sense. Homemaking isn't limited to a job title or a particular life stage. If you are a woman, you are a homemaker. Whether you live in a dorm room, a small apartment, a house full of children, or a quiet home with just yourself, you are cultivating a space. You are shaping an atmosphere. And there are skills, habits, and a mindset worth cultivating in every season.

I remember our very first home after getting married at nineteen. It was a tiny one-bedroom apartment built sometime in the seventies, complete with mismatched wood paneling and a giant wall of floor-to-ceiling glass that made absolutely no sense for what was now considered entry-level housing. It wasn't fancy. It wasn't beautiful by design standards. But it was our first home. I was so excited to learn how to care for it, to figure out what diligence looked like in that small space, and to take ownership of the work in front of me.

That excitement has been tested many times over the years. Because the work of homemaking, especially in a full and busy household, is deeply cyclical. The dishes are never truly finished. The laundry basket never stays empty for long. Floors that were swept this morning somehow need it again by lunchtime. There are days when it feels like everything you do is immediately undone, and the question sneaks in: is this even worthwhile?

Colossians 3:23–24 has become an anchor for me in those moments. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." That word "whatever" leaves very little room for exceptions. Dishes count. Diapers count. School lessons, late-night talks, scrubbing toilets, and calming big emotions all count. The work may feel small or unseen, but it is not insignificant when it is done unto the Lord.

Right now, our days are full of very ordinary things. A lot of food. A lot of dishes. A lot of schooling. A lot of cleaning on repeat. And while I know I'll one day miss the noise and closeness of having everyone under one roof, there is no denying the weight of the mundane in this season. Much of what I do will never be photographed, praised, or noticed outside these walls. And that's okay. I'm not doing it for applause. I'm doing it to love the people God has placed in my care and to create a home where peace, rest, and joy are easier to find.

When I remember that I am ultimately serving Christ, something shifts. The work doesn't magically disappear, but my posture toward it changes. I can approach it with purpose rather than resentment. With gratitude rather than defeat. Even when it's hard, I can trust that God sees every small act of faithfulness.

There are also moments when homemaking becomes ministry in very visible ways. Recently, we had one of those days where disappointment seemed to pile on all at once. After a difficult season already filled with medical expenses and uncertainty, our truck broke down unexpectedly. It felt overwhelming in that moment, like one more thing added to an already heavy load. I didn't pretend it wasn't hard, and I didn't hide my disappointment from the kids. Instead, we talked through it together. We made a plan to encourage their dad when he got home from having the truck towed. And they watched me work through discouragement with honesty and faith.

Those moments matter. Our children don't need perfection, but they do need to see what it looks like to trust the Lord in real life. They need to see repentance when we fail, humility when we fall short, and faith that is lived out, not just talked about. The home becomes a place where grace is practiced, forgiveness is modeled, and the gospel is made visible in everyday decisions.

Homemaking really is so much more than chores. The physical work matters, and we shouldn't dismiss it as unimportant. Those small, repetitive tasks make up our days and, over time, our lives. But beyond that, homemaking is a ministry. When we view our work through the lens of Christ's death and resurrection, even the most ordinary moments take on eternal weight. Washing dishes becomes an act of service. Reading bedtime stories becomes a chance to shepherd hearts. Late-night conversations with teens become sacred ground.

Still, there will always be more to do. More dust. More laundry. More reminders that we cannot keep everything perfectly in order. And the gospel meets us there too. Our worth is not found in how much we accomplish. It is not measured by the state of our homes or the length of our to-do lists. Our value is found in Christ alone.

This truth frees us. It frees us from striving for perfection and allows us to serve with joy. Christ has already done the greatest work on our behalf. Because of that, we can work diligently and rest deeply at the same time. Cooking dinner becomes an act of worship as we thank God for provision. Cleaning the bathroom can become a quiet prayer. Rocking a child in the night can remind us of the tender care God shows His own children.

Some days will still feel long. Some seasons will feel exhausting. Joy may feel distant at times. But Scripture calls us to lift our eyes and remember who we are serving. We are not just keeping house. We are serving Christ. And the gospel is not a one-time truth tucked away in the past. It is daily hope for the present. When discouragement creeps in and the work feels unseen, we can trust that our labor in the Lord is never in vain.

So when homemaking feels heavy, pause and remember the greater story you are part of. You are building more than a clean home. You are shaping a gospel legacy. The grace you extend, the prayers you whisper, and the meals you prepare all point your family toward Christ. That is kingdom work.

Keep going. Ask the Lord for strength and wisdom. Ask Him to clarify your priorities and give you peace to let go of what doesn't matter. Work diligently, rest faithfully, and trust that God is using every seed you plant. Your work is not wasted. It is seen. It is holy. And it matters.

Lord, help us to see our homes as places of ministry. Teach us to treasure the gospel in the middle of ordinary tasks and remind us that our work is not wasted when it is done for You. Give us joy in the small things and grace to serve our families with love. Amen.

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I have finally — and I mean finally — been really diving into my reading goals and actually enjoying them again.

For the last few years, my reading has been a little lackluster. I've been reading far below my goals (which in and of itself is totally fine), but I was also lacking excitement and joy in my reading. I read a lot of fiction in '24–'25, but most of it was throwaway fiction that, once I finished it, I never thought about again. It didn't linger. It didn't shape me. It didn't spark anything.

When I made my reading goal for 2026 and started pulling out the book stack I wanted to read, I was honestly shocked to find books I got for last Christmas that I hadn't read yet. This is unheard of for me, because I usually devour my new Christmas books immediately. In fact, I don't think I finished a single book from last Christmas. That alone told me something needed to shift.

My goal for 2026 is to read 104 books for the year, which breaks down to two books a week. That's actually a very doable goal for me, since I've spent well over a decade cultivating the habit of reading. If you're just starting out, though, I highly recommend aiming for one book a week — or even one book every two weeks. Consistency matters far more than speed.

So for January 2026, that breaks down to ten books for the month, and I'm happy to report that I'm right on track! For me, the goal isn't really about hitting the exact number as much as it is about inspiring me to read more, put down screens, and pick up actual books again.

I'm also developing a "40 before 40" list of classics I want to read by the time I turn forty (four years from now), and I'll be sharing that list soon!

Here are a few things that have made a big difference for me this year.

First — my health is doing so much better. I've spent the past two years (but really closer to four) with lackluster health and energy. It all came to a head this last year when I had multiple rounds of kidney stones, multiple kidney infections, and the lowest energy I've ever experienced. I could barely function. I would start cleaning a room and literally have to sit down after twenty minutes to rest. Eventually, I discovered my body was literally starving for oxygen due to extremely low ferritin (iron) levels. It's been a long nine-plus months of working on this, and for the first time in years I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. I still have a ways to go, but the increased energy has been such a gift. I can read again in the evenings and find little pockets of time throughout the day — and what a joy and blessing that has been.

Second — I'm genuinely excited about my current book stack. This is absolutely essential for me. If I'm excited about what I'm picking up next, it keeps me moving forward. It also allows me to juggle dryer, heavier books because I've got something fun waiting in the wings. The last couple of years I tried to force too much reading that simply wasn't exciting me, and it made reading feel like work instead of delight. I need a good balance.

Here's what I've read in January so far.

The Family Garden Plan. I'm planning a massive garden this year and needed a refresher. I first read this book four years ago, and it was really fun to revisit it now that I have more gardening experience under my belt. It was the perfect first book for the year and got me excited all over again for this season's plans. Five stars.

Making Vegetables, Book 1. I've owned this book for over a decade and this was the first time I actually read it cover to cover. While it's not groundbreaking, I did pick up some helpful tips. Four stars.

Gut Renovation. I've been studying gut health extensively for the past two years, so I was excited about this newer release. While there were a few interesting tidbits, overall it wasn't especially helpful for where I'm at in my learning. Three stars.

Gardening for Everyone. Can you sense a theme in my reading so far? There's nothing I love more than picking a new practical subject and reading everything I can get my hands on. When I was learning to quilt, I checked out every single quilting book from the library and promptly read all of them. When I take something on, I like to do it properly — or obsessively, if you will. This is an excellent book for the home gardener. Four stars.

Harry Potter Dramatized Versions, Books 1–3. Audible is currently releasing each Harry Potter book as a full-cast audio drama. It took me a little while to get into the first one, but by the third I was fully engrossed and now I cannot wait for book four coming out in February.

Wisdom on Her Tongue. I originally had high hopes for this book, but a friend told me it was very basic and very short, so I went in with very low expectations. I think because of that, I ended up liking it more than I expected. While it is short, there were some wonderful reminders throughout, and I'll definitely read it again. Four stars.

Pride and Prejudice. Okay, don't kill me — but I have to admit I've never read a single Jane Austen book and I've never seen any of the movies. I've just never been drawn to what I assumed was a silly period romance. I do adore studying history, though, and enough people have told me I'm ridiculous that I finally gave in. I'm reading this as part of my 40 before 40 list, and while it's not my favorite book by any means, I'm enjoying it far more than I expected. Once I finish it, Jason and I are going to watch the movie (which one?!) since he read it last year. As a rule, we never watch the movie or show first if it's based on a book.

The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis. I've somehow never read this very short Lewis book before, but my book club is reading it this month. I'm only at the very beginning so far, so no real notes yet — but I'm looking forward to digging into it.

So tell me — what did you read in January? I've got my February reading mostly planned out, but not much beyond that yet, so give me some recommendations!

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It's been two long years since I've been able to grow a garden.

Life shifted in big ways during that season. We relocated to North Carolina, and for a while I didn't even have a yard, just a moving target and a lot of transition. Gardening simply wasn't possible. And while that season held good things, I missed the soil deeply.

Now, though, everything has changed.

We're on three-quarters of an acre. It's flat. It's usable. And my backyard is absolutely begging for a garden. Every time I look out the window, I can practically see the rows already forming in my imagination.

I am all in on my garden plans this year. I'm excited… and also, if I'm honest, just a little nervous. Big dreams tend to do that to me.

My Big Hairy Audacious Gardening Goal This dream didn't start this year. It began about five years ago, when a quiet idea started taking root in my heart: what if I could grow a garden big enough to truly feed my family throughout the year?

Around that time, I was getting deeper into canning and food preservation. I started dreaming about walking into my backyard and harvesting dinner instead of running to the store. I began to see the value of homegrown potatoes and carrots that could last through the winter. And slowly, that dream took shape into what I now lovingly call my Big Hairy Audacious Goal:

I wanted to grow a garden large enough to supply roughly 90% of the fruits and vegetables my family eats in a year.

For context, our family is ten people strong… and eight of those are boys, teens, and a mnn. This is not a small-appetite household.

It sounded inspiring. It sounded noble. It also sounded completely ridiculous.

Because here was the small inconvenience: at that point in my life, I had successfully gardened approximately twice.

Once was in our tiny one-bedroom apartment twelve years ago, when I managed a modest collection of container plants. The second time was in California, when I planted a garden from transplants and promptly watched every single plant die in a drought. I had also tried starting seeds once.

They all died too.

So naturally, with this glowing résumé of gardening success, I did what I always do and decided this massive goal was absolutely achievable and that I was claiming it as my own.

When Wisdom Finally Spoke Up As I've grown and matured (and learned a few things the hard way), wisdom gently tapped me on the shoulder and whispered something important:

"Make sure this goal is actually doable. Don't jump in with too much, all at once."

So I reframed the dream.

Instead of wanting to accomplish this immediately, I gave myself a realistic runway:

In ten years, I want to grow a garden large enough to produce about 90% of the produce my family eats in a year.

Now that felt ambitious but attainable. Still bold. Still stretching. But grounded in patience and learning.

I set that goal four years ago. And I'm happy to report that while I'm nowhere near the final destination, I am absolutely closer than I was when I started. Six more years still feels like a tight timeline for something this big—but steady progress counts for a lot.

Learning One Skill at a Time I knew from the beginning that if this dream was going to become reality, it would have to grow slowly and intentionally.

My first year, I went all in on learning how to start seeds. Buying plant starts would never be financially sustainable for the scale I eventually wanted, so this felt like the logical foundation.

That year, I didn't worry about pests, harvesting, or even whether the garden would truly thrive. My only goal was to learn everything I possibly could about seed starting—and to do it inexpensively.

And guess what? Today, seed starting feels second nature to me.

What once felt overwhelming and complicated now feels routine. I'm gearing up to start multiple rounds of seeds over the next eight weeks, and it feels easy. I even managed a decent harvest that first year and learned a hundred small lessons along the way. Not bad for someone who once killed every seed she touched.

The following year, I added a few new layers: expanding the garden, dedicating an entire bed to peppers (only mildly successful—note to self: start peppers much earlier), learning how to grow potatoes and onions, and experimenting with a small fall garden.

And that's when I discovered that I absolutely love fall gardening. It might actually be my favorite season to grow.

Then life happened. A cross-country move and baby number eight put gardening plans on pause for two full years. Not exactly part of the original timeline—but seasons have a way of doing that.

And now here I am again: in a new state, in a new home, with two containers full of seeds and a wide-open backyard waiting to become something beautiful.

What's New for 2026 This year brings a big first for us: we're creating an entirely new in-ground garden space measuring 20 by 25 feet.

Up until now, all of my gardening has been in raised beds. I'm excited to expand more affordably into a larger footprint and experiment with a no-till gardening approach. We'll be laying down cardboard this week to begin building the soil, and I'm genuinely excited to watch this space come to life.

I also have a handful of small "firsts" on my list this year: growing sweet potatoes, experimenting with luffa sponges, doing much more vertical gardening, and starting elderberry cuttings from a friend's bush—just to name a few.

Some of these will go well. Some probably won't. And that's part of the joy of learning.

Come Garden With Me If you've ever dreamed about growing more of your own food—or expanding what you're already doing—I'd love for you to join me this year.

I'll be blogging throughout the season, sharing what I'm learning, what's working, what's flopping, and what's surprising me along the way. I'm gardening in Zone 8a, but you certainly don't need to be in the same zone to follow along and grow together.

Whether you're looking for inspiration, encouragement to finally pick up a shovel, beginner-friendly guidance (I'm still far from an expert), or a place to share your own wisdom if you're a seasoned gardener—this space is for you.

Welcome to my garden journal and my gardening journey for 2026. I'm so glad you're here.

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Do you ever have one of those days?

The kind where you wake up already irritated, before anything has even happened. You're short on patience, easily overwhelmed, and it feels like joy is nowhere to be found. If I'm honest, when I was a young mom those days came more often than I care to admit, and I usually felt a little ashamed that my attitude could sour so quickly.

But motherhood has a way of pressing on every weak spot at once. The needs are constant. The to-do list never truly ends. The house doesn't stay clean for long, sleep is often interrupted, and a quiet moment to yourself can feel like an impossible luxury. Over time, those small pressures compound, and suddenly we find ourselves moving through the day with clenched teeth instead of open hands.

It's easy for the mundane rhythm of homemaking to drain the life out of us. And yet, those ordinary days don't have to rob us of joy.

Joy is not something you either have or you don't. It's something that can be cultivated, practiced, and recovered, sometimes in the smallest, simplest ways. Over the years I've found a handful of steady rhythms that help reset my heart when I'm weary, irritable, or tempted to drift into complaint. They don't magically remove hard circumstances, but they do help me return to a joyful, content posture in the work God has given me.

Joy often begins before the day begins How we start our morning doesn't determine everything, but it shapes more than we realize. When I wake up, I have a choice to make: I can let the mood I'm in dictate the atmosphere of the day, or I can intentionally anchor my heart before the demands start piling up.

That choice isn't always easy, especially after a rough night, an early wake-up, or the anticipation of a hard day. But using the early hours well has repeatedly transformed my heart.

Fill the house with worship One of the simplest habits that serves me well is turning on worship music early in the morning. It's almost automatic now: I step into the kitchen, keep the volume low so I don't wake everyone (if I'm lucky enough to be the first one up), and let truth fill the background.

I love a quiet house. But I've also learned that silence doesn't always produce peace. Sometimes silence gives my thoughts too much room to spiral. Gentle worship does something different: it recenters me. It softens the edge of a tired mood. It reminds me, before I even touch the dishes or check a schedule, that God is already present.

And truly, try humming a praise song while holding onto a grudge. It's surprisingly difficult.

Open the Bible (even if it's not "perfect") This may sound obvious, but it's obvious because it's foundational: there is nothing more steadying than opening God's Word before the day opens you.

If you're in the thick of little-kid years, your Bible time may not look like deep study with color-coded notes and uninterrupted quiet. Mine often doesn't. Some mornings I'm simply following a basic reading plan and reading a short devotional. Some mornings I get a few quiet minutes. Other mornings my Bible is open on my lap while little ones climb around my feet.

But lately, as my littlest one is 16 months old, I've been cultivating the quiet, steady rhythm of getting up before my kids, coffee in hand, and quietly reading my Bible and praying. This practice never returns void, even if I do get tired in the afternoon!

But the Lord uses imperfect, interrupted time.

If all you can manage today is a few verses, that is still enough to reset your mind and help you walk into the day with more clarity and hope than you had five minutes earlier.

Practice gratitude until your heart catches up Gratitude isn't a trendy idea, it's a spiritual discipline. It's one of the simplest ways to pull your focus off your frustration and place it back where it belongs: on the goodness of God.

In my morning prayer journal, I write down two specific things I'm thankful for every day. Two. Not ten. Not a beautifully worded paragraph. Just two gifts from the Lord, especially on mornings when I don't feel like doing it.

And here's what I've found: the moments it's hardest to name blessings are usually the moments I need to do it most.

I'm always surprised how quickly my mood begins to shift once I start. Two blessings often turn into five. And suddenly my heart feels lighter—not because the work disappeared, but because my perspective did.

Finding joy in the mundane work of homekeeping Let's be honest: cleaning is not thrilling. It just isn't, especially in an active home where messes multiply faster than you can catch up.

But "not fun" doesn't mean "not meaningful." Part of being a keeper of the home is doing ordinary work faithfully. The goal isn't to pretend those tasks are exciting; it's to learn how to do them with a better spirit and a bigger purpose.

Here are a few practices that have helped me keep a joyful heart while doing repetitive work.

Pray over your home while you care for it When was the last time you prayed over your home, not just in general, but specifically?

One of the most powerful shifts I've made is praying over the rooms of our house while I clean them. I'll pray for what happens there and for the people who live under our roof. This matters because I've noticed something about myself: when my hands are busy, my thoughts can get dark if I'm not intentional. Cleaning can become the time I replay frustrations, stew over annoyances, or spiral into negativity.

Prayer redirects that space.

If you're in the bathroom and potty training is testing your patience, pray for that child and for wisdom. If you're in the kitchen, pray over meals and conversations. If you're in the living room, pray that your home would be a place of peace and kindness.

Praying this way doesn't just change my heart. It often changes the atmosphere of the home itself.

Listen to something that strengthens you Just like worship music helps in the morning, encouragement helps in the middle of the day. I love listening to podcasts or sermons while I cook dinner or do chores, especially in the late afternoon when my energy is low and I'm tempted to coast in irritation.

There's something restoring about letting your mind take in truth and encouragement while your body does ordinary work. It "fills your cup" in a practical way. It reminds you that the work you're doing matters, and that you're not alone in it.

Make a simple plan for the day I love a good to-do list. It helps me feel grounded and purposeful. But I've also learned that the quickest way to discourage myself is to write a list that assumes I'm living in a silent, uninterrupted world.

In my busiest seasons, I can realistically complete about five meaningful tasks in a day, sometimes less. So I keep the plan simple: a short list and a flexible timeline. I often write it the night before, not because I'm trying to be rigid, but because there is freedom in waking up with direction.

When I don't make a plan, I'm much more likely to drift into chaos. I'll find myself slumped on the couch mid-morning while the kids are unraveling, and then I feel defeated before the day is even half over. But when I have a gentle plan, everything seems to run a little smoother, even when interruptions come.

Joy also requires room for delight Sometimes we lose joy at home not because there's too much work, but because there's too little fun.

When was the last time you got down on the floor with your kids and played? When was the last time you laughed, really laughed, in the middle of an ordinary day?

There will always be more work to do. But if we never stop to enjoy the people we are caring for, we will slowly begin to resent the work itself. A home is not meant to be managed like a machine; it's meant to be lived in with love.

This is where your plan can either serve you or enslave you. A plan is a blessing, but it shouldn't become the mountain you're willing to die on. Racing through your to-do list while ignoring your family is not the measure of success.

Sometimes the most faithful choice is setting the list down to pull out Play-Doh, read a book, sit close, listen, and laugh. Those moments are not "wasted time." They are part of building a joyful home.

And don't forget your husband in this, either. Homemaking isn't only about managing tasks, it's about nurturing relationships. Make room for fun with him too, whether that's an at-home date night, a walk together, or time out of the house. Joy grows where connection is protected.

Ordinary days are where joy is formed Most homemaking is not made up of highlight moments. It's made up of ordinary ones: meals, messes, interruptions, and the steady, faithful work of loving people.

And by God's grace, those ordinary days can become the very place where joy takes root.

Not because every day feels easy, but because joy isn't dependent on ease. It's cultivated by truth, gratitude, prayer, worship, wise planning, and intentional delight. One small practice at a time, God can reshape our attitude and restore our contentment, right in the middle of the work.

If today is one of "those days," you're not alone. Start small. Choose one way to re-center your heart. And ask the Lord to meet you in the ordinary.

He does.

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Homemaking Is Bigger Than a Job Title When most people hear the word homemaker, they picture one specific life: a stay-at-home mom, in an apron, with dinner simmering and a spotless house to match. And if that's your life right now, I hope you feel encouraged in it (this is my life, more or less with the spotless house). But if that's not your life, if you work outside the home, if you're a student, if you live with your parents, if you're single, if you're caring for aging family members, if your season feels anything but neat and tidy—I want you to stay with me.

Because homemaking is not a modern job description. It's a calling of stewardship, love, and spiritual formation that looks different in different seasons. And the sooner we stop treating homemaking like a narrow label, the sooner we can actually live it with freedom, clarity, and joy.

I didn't grow up training for home I got married at nineteen, which still makes me laugh because I truly didn't see that coming. I wasn't raised in a culture that was telling me to marry young. I was the typical public school kid: college plans, big ideas, and a quiet assumption that "real life" would begin after a degree.

But then God wrote a different story. I met Jason when I was sixteen, we started dating when I was seventeen, and I was married before I ever felt remotely "prepared."

And to be honest? I had almost no homemaking skills. Okay no, actually zero homemaking skills.

I didn't know how to cook. I didn't know how to manage a home. I barely knew how to do my own laundry, and I certainly wasn't walking into marriage with some kind of mental framework for how a household runs. There wasn't a built-in "curriculum" for real life skills where I grew up, and I know I'm not alone in that. A lot of millennials were well-trained to take tests, write papers, get into college… and then suddenly found themselves staring at adulthood thinking, Wait—how do I feed people every day? How do I budget? How do I keep a home from slowly falling apart?

So those early years of my blog (back when it was The Young Wife's Guide) and the earliest days of the podcast were really me working this out in real time. I was trying to answer basic but weighty questions: What does it mean to care for a family? What is a wife responsible for? What does a biblical vision of home even look like when both spouses are working and in school full-time, as we were? How do you build a life that honors God when you don't feel naturally gifted at managing the practical side of a household?

I didn't have this figured out when I started. I was learning while I lived it.

Homemaking is a calling for women in every season Here's my "controversial" take, and I'll say it plainly: if you are a woman, you are a homemaker.

Not because every woman is called to the exact same routine, or because every woman's life will look like mine, or because your worth is somehow tied to whether you are home full-time. But because God has designed women with a particular bent toward nurture, care, and cultivation and He places us, in every season, in spheres where that calling is meant to show up.

For some women, home right now is a house filled with children. For others, it's a small apartment. For others, it's a dorm room. For some, it's their parents' home. For some, it's a home shared with roommates. For some, it's a season of caring for grandparents or aging parents. For some, it's juggling several of these and being in a place you really don't want to be but God is calling you to be faithful in none-the-less.

But in every one of those scenarios, God has given you a "home base" and a set of relationships, whether that's family, roommates, church community, neighbors, coworkers, or friends, that you have the privilege of loving well. Homemaking, at its heart, is using what God has entrusted to you to cultivate a place where people are cared for, where peace is pursued, where love is practiced, and where Christ is honored.

That's why Scripture's call in Titus 2 isn't framed as a lifestyle aesthetic. It's about character and love: loving family, being self-controlled, being kind, and being a keeper of the home. That doesn't box women into one rigid shape; it gives women a direction.

We have to stop shrinking homemaking down to chores One of the biggest misunderstandings about homemaking is that it's mainly about tasks: dishes, dusting, laundry, meals, organization. And yes, those things matter. A home can't function well if it's chronically chaotic. It's hard to feel peace when your environment is stressful and neglected.

But homemaking is not defined by whether your counters are clear at 7:00 p.m.

It's also not defined by how crafty you are, how beautiful your meals look, whether you make sourdough, whether your home resembles a magazine spread, or whether your systems are color-coded and Pinterest-perfect (or Instagram-perfect, since that's the modern version).

A home is not a performance.

Homemaking is about building a place of peace for your family and cultivating Christlikeness in the middle of a loud, chaotic world. And right now, the world is loud. Many of us feel that heaviness: news cycles, cultural confusion, fear about the future, the sense that everything is fragile and uncertain.

You cannot control all of that. But you can shape the atmosphere of your home.

You can turn whatever "four walls" God has given you into a haven: imperfect, lived-in, sometimes noisy, often messy, but oriented toward what is good and true. You can build a home where people walk in and feel warmth. Not because everything is spotless, but because love lives there.

The goal isn't perfection: The goal is a home that nurtures hearts I want to be careful here, because whenever we talk about peaceful homes, it can sound like I'm describing a quiet, angelic household where children never argue and moms never lose patience. That's not real life.

I have eight kids. We homeschool. We are together a lot. My home is not peaceful all the time. We have days where I think, It is disgusting in here, and we have days where we have to stop and address attitudes, kindness, tone, how we speak to one another. There are big feelings, real conflicts, and regular opportunities for sanctification.

So when I say homemaking is about creating peace, I don't mean creating a fake version of peace. I mean pursuing the kind of peace that is rooted in Christ: order where we can, gentleness where we should, repentance when we fail, and grace in the middle of it all.

And that's why I don't think a good homemaker can be measured by a checklist. Because faithfulness to the Lord has never been a simple checklist, either.

Still, when I boil it down, I come back to three markers that matter far more than aesthetics:

1. A good homemaker keeps her eyes fixed on Christ daily.
2. She intentionally sets priorities that honor God.
3. And she builds a home that nurtures her family's hearts, not just their stomachs.

That last part is where things get practical in a way we don't always expect. Sometimes nurturing hearts means you leave the dishes for later and take a walk with your kids. Sometimes it means you do the opposite, saying no to distractions because your home needs attention and your family needs the stability of order. Wisdom is knowing which one matters today.

There is a tension we all have to learn to navigate. Some of us grew up under pressure to keep a perfect house, so we swing hard in the other direction and tell ourselves mess doesn't matter at all. But God doesn't call us to either extreme. He calls us to stewardship and love, with discernment.

There's a line I've repeated for years because it helps me recalibrate: the home needs to be clean enough to serve the family, but not so clean that the family is serving the house.

That's the balance. And it looks different in every household.

Proverbs 31 isn't a checklist, it's a portrait Whenever homemaking comes up, Proverbs 31 comes up too, and I think it's important to read it the right way. That passage isn't meant to crush you under an impossible standard where every woman needs to buy a field, wake before dawn, sew clothing, and run multiple businesses while making organic bread from scratch.

It's not a checklist; it's a portrait.

It shows the heart of a woman who serves her household with joy, wisdom, and strength rooted in the Lord. Her work is meaningful because it's anchored in fear of the Lord, not in human applause. And yes, her situation included resources that many of us don't have. But what stands out is not that she had help, it's that she was diligent, intentional, and joyful in serving the good of her household.

If your circumstances were different, your Proverbs 31 would look different too. The particulars change. The heart does not.

Choosing joy is not denial, it's discipleship One of the most honest parts of homemaking is admitting that the work is often repetitive, sometimes exhausting, and occasionally overwhelming. Even when you love your family deeply, there are weeks where you feel like you're dragging yourself through the basics.

Recently I had a week like that. We were dealing with sickness, patience was thin, and everything felt harder than it needed to. And I realized something simple but important: I needed to choose joy on purpose.

Not the fake joy of pretending things are fine. Not the shallow joy of ignoring real problems. But the rooted joy of saying, Lord, today might be hard, but help me be faithful in it. Help me serve with gladness. Help me love the people in front of me.

I sat my kids down and told them plainly that I'd been struggling. And then I told them what we were going to do about it: we were going to choose joy, tackle our work with diligence, and move forward with a different spirit.

That's homemaking, too.

Not just the meals and the laundry, but the spiritual tone in your home. The willingness to repent when you've been short-tempered. The choice to pursue peace and kindness when the easiest option would be to keep snapping and survive the day.

Homemaking is discipleship. It's formation. It's worship in work clothes.

You're not failing, you're learning If you hear all of this and think, Okay, but I still feel behind, let me encourage you: you are not expected to be perfect at this.

I tell my kids this all the time with school—especially math. You're not supposed to walk into seventh grade and already know how to do everything. You're learning. That's the point.

And it's the same with homemaking.

You are learning how to steward what God has given you. You are learning how to love people well. You are learning how to manage a household in your particular season. You are learning how to be joyful, how to be diligent, how to be peaceful, and how to be patient.

It's not about perfection. It's about progress.

There are practical skills that make homemaking easier: learning to cook, building simple cleaning rhythms, creating routines that support your days instead of fighting them. But even beneath the practical, there are deeper skills too: learning contentment, learning self-control, learning how to set priorities without guilt, and learning how to return to Christ again and again when you feel depleted.

So wherever you are right now—whether you're in a full house, a quiet apartment, a dorm room, or a season you didn't expect—ask the Lord the question that changes everything: What does it look like to serve You diligently today? What does it look like to love the people You've placed in my care? What does faithfulness look like in this season?

And then take one small step forward. That's how homes are built. That's how hearts are nurtured. That's how joy grows—one ordinary day at a time.

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We've started a new system in our home the last couple of years and it's been one of those changes that quietly ends up touching everything.

It's not flashy. It's not complicated. But it's steady, practical, and surprisingly life-giving.

Each of our kids is now trained on one special food that they're fully responsible for making each week.

They are not helping me make it. They are not reminding me to get around to it. They make it.

Here's what that looks like in our house right now:

• Malachi (13) makes 2 gallons of kombucha each week Micah (13) makes a huge batch of crockpot granola Remington (10) makes 1–2 gallons of yogurt each week Ryder (10) makes 1–2 sandwich loaves in the breadmaker Magnolia (almost 9) keeps us stocked with muffins, brownies, cookies, and other healthy treats that supplement meals Mom (36) makes ½ gallon of kefir daily and is slowly working toward a full gallon

It's become this beautiful rhythm where food is coming from many hands instead of just one and everyone feels invested in what they're making.

But this didn't start as some grand household system or perfectly thought-out plan.

It started with kombucha.

The Lightbulb Moment Malachi kept begging me every week to make a fresh batch of kombucha.

The problem was… kombucha can easily sit and ferment away, and with everything else going on in our house, I was usually only getting to it every couple of weeks. He loved it so much and honestly, it's so good for you that I wanted the whole family drinking it more consistently.

One day it finally clicked.

This kid was highly motivated to drink it. He had already helped me make it plenty of times. He understood the process.

So I turned to him and said, "What if I train you how to make it completely by yourself? Then you can just make it every week and it doesn't depend on me."

His face lit up. He thought that was a brilliant idea. So we trained together. I slowly stepped back. And before long, he owned it.

The very next day, Micah wandered in asking when we were going to make more granola.

And I had another lightbulb moment.

BOOM. Now he has a weekly task too and he's thrilled because granola magically appears whenever he wants it. Once that door opened, it just kept unfolding naturally.

Why This System Has Worked So Well for Our Family 1. Motivation is built in.

Each child is responsible for something they genuinely love to eat.

They're not being assigned random chores that feel disconnected from their life (although they are assigned plenty of those as well)! They're contributing in a way that directly blesses them and the whole family.

Ownership changes everything.

When kids care about the outcome, they're willing to practice, troubleshoot, and keep improving.

1. Training once saves energy forever.

Yes — training takes time upfront.

There are messes. There are mistakes. There are moments where it would absolutely be faster to just do it yourself.

But once the skill is learned, it multiplies.

Instead of me personally making all of these foods week after week for years, the responsibility now lives in the household.

That's not just helpful today. That's shaping capable adults.

1. It supports how we actually eat.

We eat a lot of simple, from-scratch foods. My daily focus is often on getting beans cooking, managing dinner in the Instant Pot, and keeping the core meals moving forward.

We love having things like granola, yogurt, bread, kombucha, and baked treats, but realistically, I couldn't keep up with making all of it myself every single week.

This system allows everyone to enjoy the foods they love without piling more work onto one person.

It's truly a win-win-win:

• The kids get ownership and pride in their work.
• Our home stays well-fed with nourishing food.

• My mental and physical workload is lighter.

• Skills compound faster than you expect.

Once kids learn how to measure, follow steps, manage time, clean up after themselves, and problem-solve when something doesn't turn out quite right, everything else becomes easier to teach. And in turn, the siblings can then teach eachother!

Cooking stops feeling intimidating and starts feeling familiar.

Confidence grows quietly, one batch at a time.

What Training Actually Looks Like in Real Life Training isn't formal lessons or rigid systems in our house.

It looks like:

• Cooking alongside them at first
• Talking through each step
• Explaining why we do things a certain way
• Letting them try
• Letting them mess up
• Slowly stepping back

At first I'm very hands-on. Then I'm coaching from the side. Eventually, I'm just nearby if questions pop up. And then one day you realize… they've got it.

If This Feels Intimidating — You're Not Alone If the idea of teaching your kids to cook feels overwhelming, I understand that deeply.

Many of us didn't grow up learning these skills ourselves. We're figuring it out as we go. Sometimes the kitchen already feels like survival mode.

So start small. It might be just one food, one child, one new skill! Let confidence build naturally. You don't need perfection, you need consistency and patience.

Why This Matters Beyond Food This isn't really about kombucha or bread or muffins.

It's about:

• Raising capable kids
• Sharing responsibility inside the home
• Teaching stewardship
• Building rhythms that support family life instead of draining it
• Giving children meaningful ways to contribute

These small systems shape a household culture over time.

If you've ever wished your kids could help more in the kitchen, this is your invitation to start.

Small steps. Real skills. Big payoff over time.

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I grew up in the 90s with divorced parents who both worked full time and did their best to provide in two separate households.

My mom was a rockstar. Our house was always clean, and she never failed to have dinner on the table, even when it was simple. But in the 90s and early 2000s, it just wasn't on anyone's radar, at least not ours, that kids should be learning homemaking skills along the way. I was busy with high school, working, and getting into a good college on scholarship. It honestly never crossed my mind that there were important home skills I was missing.

Fast forward to getting married… and I had zero cooking or kitchen management skills.

I didn't know how to grocery shop well. I didn't know how to plan meals. I didn't know how to cook anything. It was a steep uphill learning curve.

Over the years, though, something shifted. I absolutely fell in love with cooking. And now, somehow, I've written five cookbooks (something newlywed Jami never could have dreamed of).

But here's the thing: I want something different for my kids.

I don't want food to feel like a constant uphill battle when they become adults. I want them to be confident in the kitchen. I want them to know how to feed themselves and others well. And honestly? The kids have a TON of fun doing it.

If you're ever looking for ways to keep kids busy without screens, teach them how to cook and let them whip up treats whenever they like. It's one of the best investments you can make.

Why Kids Have Always Been in My Kitchen Inviting my children into the kitchen has always felt very natural to me.

I love being in the kitchen experimenting, baking, and creating. So what do you do when you've got a 1-year-old, a 3-year-old, and a 5-year-old who just want to be wherever you are?

You hand them a spatula, a spoon, a few chocolate chips and let them "cook" right alongside you.

You invite them into the good work set before you.

Whenever I post about cooking with my kids or them learning new kitchen skills, I get asked, without fail, "How do you actually do this?" What's age-appropriate? How do you manage the mess? Is it safe?

So let me share what this has looked like in our home, age by age.

👶 Toddlers (1–3 years old) At this age, the goal is simple: invite them into the work.

Yes, it's messier. Yes, it takes longer. No, I don't say yes every single time.

But whenever possible, I invite them into the kitchen with me.

I'll hand them a measuring cup and gently guide their hands as they dump flour into the bowl. They throw berries into batter. They hold the salt until it's time to pour. They stir and sample far more than they help. 😉

And here's my secret trick for the days when you really just need dinner done:

Set them up next to you with their own little station. A small bowl. A spoon. A little flour. A few chocolate chips. Let them mix up their own delightful creation while you get the real cooking done.

Everyone feels included — and you still get dinner on the table.

[caption id="attachment_24076" align="alignnone" width="700"] I looked away for a moment too long and this guy poured flour all over himself. Oh well![/caption]

🧒 Preschool / Early Elementary (4–7 years old) This is where the real fun begins.

When you invite toddlers into the kitchen consistently, they pick up far more than you realize. By ages 4–5, kids are genuinely capable helpers.

They can:

Run to the fridge to grab eggs Measure out oil or water Mix ingredients Help pour Roll out dough

They will still make messes, probably a lot of them, but little by little the spills decrease and their confidence grows.

My son Maverick (age 5) has been helping me in the kitchen since he was about one. Just this past week, I started teaching him how to make his own eggs on the stove. He did about 95% of it himself while I instructed. The second time, I stayed nearby while he led the steps. In another week or so, he'll likely be able to make his own eggs start to finish.

This age is perfect for learning how to crack eggs, measure, pour, stir, and roll out dough. They won't be making full meals on their own yet — but you are laying the groundwork for lifelong skills.

And as a homeschool mom, I'll just say this: one of the best ways to learn fractions is by measuring ingredients.

👦 Older Elementary (8–11 years old) This is when kids can start taking ownership of full recipes.

My daughter (almost 9) makes a recipe completely on her own at least 3–4 times a week. Yesterday she made snickerdoodles. Today she made brownies.

When she was 6–7, she cooked alongside me. I explained why we did certain steps. Slowly, I let her start reading recipes, gathering ingredients, and thinking through the process. Over time, she needed less and less help.

Now she mostly comes to me only if she has questions or needs clarification, but she's capable of making a lot on her own.

Her older brothers (10–13) can also make quite a bit independently. Their training now focuses on more advanced skills like cheesecake, apple pie, soup stock, and all the bread.

This isn't formal "lessons." It's simply teaching as we cook together.

If you have kids over 8–9 years old — start teaching them full recipes. They truly can do it.

🧑‍🍳 Teens My next step with our older boys will be teaching them how to:

Plan full menus Build grocery lists Manage multiple dishes at once Think through timing and budgeting

They'll take the foundation they've built and begin managing the full process of feeding a household. This is real life preparation.

🔥 Safety (Because Everyone Asks) Kids absolutely need to learn how to handle real kitchen tools, appropriately and gradually.

My toddlers are watched constantly and never near knives or hot stoves.

But my 5-year-old is learning basic knife skills and how to cook eggs on a skillet with supervision.

Could he nick a finger or get a small burn? Possibly. We minimize risk as much as we reasonably can — but learning always involves some risk, just like riding bikes or rollerblading.

A small mistake often teaches caution faster than a lecture ever could.

Use wisdom. Supervise closely. Build skills slowly. Trust your instincts.

Why This Matters So Much to Me I didn't grow up learning these skills. I had to learn them as an adult, the hard way.

I want my kids to step into adulthood confident, capable, and joyful in the kitchen. I want them to bless their future families and communities through hospitality and practical skill.

And honestly? I just love watching their confidence grow.

Mess fades. Skills remain. Memories multiply.

If You're Nervous to Start Start small.

Let them stir. Let them pour. Let them crack eggs. Let them "cook" beside you.

It will be slower at first. It will be messier at first. It will be imperfect at first.

But it will be worth it.

You're not just making food — you're forming capable humans.

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Homemaking Isn't Cute. It's Holy.

I woke up to wicked laughter coming from the living room.

Not the sweet kind of laughter. The suspicious kind.

The kind that makes your eyes fly open and your stomach immediately drop.

The two-year-old twins had clearly escaped their beds and were up to something.

I groaned and dragged my very pregnant body out of bed. I was 38 weeks along with our second set of twin boys, my feet already swollen before the day had even begun, contractions rolling in and out like background noise. I knew before my feet even hit the floor that this was going to be a long day.

I rounded the corner into the living room and just stood there.

Flour. Everywhere.

The boys were deliriously happy, covered head to toe in white powder. The dining room was coated. The kitchen counters were coated. The floor looked like it had snowed indoors overnight.

I snapped a picture to send to Jason and laughed — and then promptly cried.

It was barely 6am. How could the day already be this off the rails?

You don't need to have twins back-to-back while nine months pregnant to understand this part: making a home is hard sometimes. It's exhausting. It's discouraging. It's often thankless. There are days where it feels like everything you just cleaned gets undone in five minutes flat and no one even notices the effort.

And yet… when I look back on that day now, I feel something very different.

The labor pains are long gone. The swollen feet are back to normal. The boys wipe their own bottoms now. (I truly never thought I'd miss those early years… but here we are.)

I wouldn't necessarily want to relive that exact morning again 😅 but with a little perspective, I can see the joy in it. The life in it. The sweetness hidden inside the mess and exhaustion.

That day wasn't wasted. It was building something.

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The World Says This Work Is Small

The world has a lot of opinions about homemaking.

It tells us it's outdated. That it's small. That it's soft. That it's a fallback plan instead of a calling.

We're told the real heroes are the ones climbing ladders, collecting titles, stacking promotions, building something that can be measured and applauded and posted online.

If you stay home, don't you know that's risky? Don't you know you should protect yourself more? Don't you know you could be doing something "bigger"?

What we rarely talk about is the sacrifice it takes to care deeply for a home. The emotional energy. The physical labor. The constant decision-making. The invisible leadership. The way your heart is constantly poured out in tiny, daily ways.

And we almost never talk about the joy and quiet accomplishment that lives here too.

We've stopped seeing the glory in the ordinary.

The beat-up minivan. The hand-me-down clothes. The frugal meals. The sticky counters. The tired evenings. The repetitive rhythms.

But there is something sacred happening inside all of it.

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This Isn't Soft Work

Homemaking isn't cute. It isn't always aesthetic. It isn't slow mornings and perfect sourdough and filtered sunlight, at least, not always!

Sometimes it's sanctifying. Sometimes it takes grit. Sometimes it takes a lot of grace on repeat.

Every time you choose patience instead of snapping.

Every time you choose prayer instead of panic.

Every time you choose faithfulness when no one is clapping.

Every time you clean the same mess again and still choose joy.

Every time you train a heart instead of just managing behavior.

You are pushing back darkness.

You are shaping souls. You are guarding the tone of your home. You are cultivating peace and order and truth in a world that desperately lacks it.

That is not small work.

That is Kingdom work.

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Sword in One Hand, Spatula in the Other

There's this beautiful picture in Scripture of builders working with a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other: building while staying alert, grounded, and ready.

I think about that often in homemaking.

We're wiping counters while praying for hearts. We're folding laundry while teaching obedience and gratitude. We're breaking up sibling fights while modeling forgiveness. We're feeding bodies while nurturing souls.

It looks ordinary on the outside.

But spiritually? It's deeply significant.

You are not "just" a mom. You are not "just" a homemaker. You are guarding the gates of your home.

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Rooted, Not Perfect

You don't need to be Pinterest-perfect.

You don't need the cleanest house, the prettiest meals, or the most impressive routines.

You need to be rooted in Christ.

That's what makes your work powerful. That's what steadies you when the work feels unseen. That's what anchors you when the days blur together. That's what keeps your joy from being dependent on circumstances.

When the enemy whispers, "This doesn't matter," you get to whisper back:

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

⸻

So Sister, Keep Building

If you're tired today…

If you feel unseen…

If the work feels repetitive or overwhelming…

If you're wondering whether it's really making a difference…

Let me remind you:

You are doing holy work. Don't quit. Don't shrink back.

Pick up your sword — and your spatula — and keep building.

The fruit of faithful homemaking often grows quietly.

But it grows deep.

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Last week, Jason and I sat down for our annual planning and goal-setting meeting. This has become a long-standing tradition for us, and it has made such a difference in keeping us on the same page and making sure our top priorities truly stay our top priorities.

If you'd like to peek behind the scenes, you can read about how we do our annual planning session here — and how we do a year-end review (which is honestly one of the most important steps in the whole process).

Today, though, I wanted to share a few encouragements for those of you who are newer to planning or goal setting and then I'll share our family's goals for 2026.

Start Small (Really Small) If you're just getting started, I highly recommend choosing only a couple of small goals. When we try to pile on too much at once, it quickly becomes overwhelming, and overwhelm almost always leads to quitting.

Big change rarely happens all at once. It happens through small, steady habits built over time.

For example, rebuilding my reading habit has been more than a decade in the making. I was always a big reader as a kid, but something about college knocked reading right out of my everyday rhythms. Years later, Jason and I decided to intentionally pick it back up again, and I was thrilled when I managed to read 20 books that first year.

Eventually, that became 45 books… then 60… and now my slightly insane goal of 104 books (which breaks down to two books a week). That goal feels challenging but realistic for me now, because the habit has been built slowly over many years. And just to keep things honest: in 2025, I absolutely did not hit that goal. And that's okay.

But exercise? That's a completely different story for me.

That's a habit I'm still actively trying to cultivate. I'm working on rebuilding strength, finding workouts I actually enjoy, protecting my body from injury, and strengthening my pelvic floor again. Some days it feels like a victory just to fit in a short walk or stretch. This is not the season for me to sign up for a marathon. This is the season for small, steady consistency.

And that's exactly how goal setting should work.

There's No One "Right" Way to Set Goals If you're a goal-setting olympian who loves mapping out big dreams across lots of areas, have fun and go for it.

If you're brand new to planning, maybe start with just one or two small goals this month and gently build from there as the year allows.

There truly is no one right way to do this. In fact, one of my friends, Crystal (who is an absolute mega-planner), isn't setting any formal goals at all this year. Her season simply calls for margin and flexibility instead of targets and benchmarks. And that's wise.

Honor the Season You're In The most important thing is this: do what is right for your family in the season you're currently in.

Some seasons are for building and stretching. Some seasons are for healing and stabilizing. Some seasons are for dreaming big. Some seasons are for simplifying and catching your breath.

All of them are valuable. Planning isn't about pressure or performance, it's about stewardship, clarity, and making small intentional choices that support the life God has placed in front of you. Start where you are. Take the next small step. And trust that steady faithfulness adds up more than you realize.

Our Family Goals for 2026: READING:

• Jason and Jami both set the goal of reading 104 books this year
• J&J both set an additional goal of reading 35,000 pages overall
• Jami wants to read both The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as The Wheel of Time series this year
• Jason has set a goal of reading 50% fiction and 50% non-fiction this year

BIBLE READING:

• Jason is doing the Bible in a Year via the Bible App
• Jason has timers set throughout his day that remind him to stop and pray for various things
• Jami is reading the Bible in a Year by reading through the ESV Reader's Bible. A special version of the Bible that contains no chapter or verse titles or references. So it looks and reads like a regular book.
• Jami does her devotional time after Bible reading by praying through the Psalms and writing in her prayer journal.
• For family worship, Jason's goal is 5 nights a week. He reads a chapter of his current devotional book, reads a Proverb per day, practices catechisms, and sings a hymn.

HEALTH:

• Jami's goal is to lose 30lbs
• Jami will be starting off the year following the Trim Healthy Mama diet and will reevaluate as needed
• Jami's exercise plan is to do the Nourish Move Love 30 Day Beginner Workout plan in January. Then to repeat it in February with heavier weights.
• Jami's goal is to start weight lifting at some point this year.
• Jason's health goals include losing weight, eating Carnivore diet, and weight lifting at the gym 3 times per week.
• Jami's goal is for the whole family to eat 3-5 probitoic rich foods a day like yogurt, kefir, kombucha, fermented veggies, etc.

FAMILY GOALS:

• Restart monthly date nights with individual kids
• Weekly family worship
• Better schedules for kids bedtimes
• No sugar January to reset after sickness

MORNING ROUTINES:

• Jami's goal is up by 6am during weekdays: coffee, Bible reading & prayer, workout, shower and dress
• Jason's goal is out the door by 5am, 3 times per week to do the gym. Otherwise out the door by 6:15am
• Kids up by 7:30am, school starts by 8:10am!

JAMI'S PERSONAL GOALS:

• Start a garden at their new house
• Grow 3 new things
• Start beekeeping by catching a wild swarm
• Start meat rabbits
• Finish setting up her office/craft room
• Finish the punch needle stockings
• Make a rug for the little kids room

If this list feels inspiring — wonderful. If it feels overwhelming — please hear this with grace: these are our goals for our season, not a template for anyone else to copy.

Your season, your capacity, your family rhythms, and your energy levels may look completely different, and that's exactly as it should be.

The point of sharing this isn't comparison. It's simply to show what intentionality can look like when two people sit down, dream together, and commit to small faithful steps over time.

You don't need a perfect plan or a packed goal list to move forward. You just need one small step in the right direction.

So maybe today that looks like jotting down one thing you'd love to grow in this year. Maybe it's having a simple conversation with your spouse over coffee. Maybe it's choosing one tiny habit to practice consistently for the next month.

Start where you are. Stay faithful in the small things. And trust that God will multiply your steady obedience in ways you can't yet see.

Want more hands-on help planning this year? If you'd like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I'm hosting live trainings January 12–16 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course.

Each day we'll meet live, I'll teach you how to:

• set realistic goals
• break them into action steps
• plan in a way that works with your life (not against it)

You'll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action.

If you've struggled to make goals that stick—and you want 2026 to be different—join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We'll do it together.

Sign up here!

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There's something about a fresh notebook, a warm cup of coffee, and a quiet conversation with your husband that makes you believe anything is possible.

Once a year, Jason and I carve out intentional time to sit down together and talk through our family — what worked, what didn't, what God might be inviting us into next, and what needs to gently be laid down. It's not fancy. There's no color-coded planner system or perfect spreadsheet. Just two tired parents, a lot of dreaming, and a deep desire to steward our family well.

Every time I share a glimpse of these planning days online, I get flooded with messages asking how we actually do it. So today, I'm pulling back the curtain and sharing exactly how Jason and I plan our family goals and why this rhythm has become one of the most grounding practices in our home.

1. Jason was not always a big planner. For years, I did this planning mostly on my own. I would ask for his input or run ideas by him, but he just wasn't a natural planner in the same way I was.

I hear this often from wives who wish their husbands were into planning like Jason is now. But don't push it. Everyone's personalities are different, and some people naturally find more value in planning than others. Eventually your husband may come around and get on board, but invite him into it gently, and don't be upset if he doesn't want to jump in right away. You can absolutly plan and goal set by yourself!

1. The timing doesn't matter. We do a big meeting every New Year, but we also do "big picture" check-ins throughout the year as needed. Don't fret if this doesn't happen on January 1st, or even February 1st. It is never a bad time to pause, plan, and be intentional with your time and your family.

2. Grab a notebook, a pen, and some coffee. Your planning session doesn't need to be fancy or follow any sort of curriculum. We've slowly developed a system that works well for us simply through trial and error.

We sit down together and just start chatting about our year. We take turns sharing what worked really well in the previous year that we want to carry forward and what didn't work so well and needs a new solution (like eating out less, getting more consistent with school rhythms, etc.).

At this stage, we're not looking for all the answers yet. We're simply opening the conversation and getting ideas flowing. It can sometimes take us a while to hit our groove with planning.

1. Review last year's goals. From there, Jason pulls up our goals from the previous year on his phone, and we go through them one by one.

This year, there were several goals I never even started. 2025 ended up looking very different than we anticipated, and some of those goals just didn't fit anymore and that's okay. Release those goals and move on… or carry them into the new year if they still feel worth pursuing.

We break our goals down into categories, so we review them category by category and decide what we want to adjust or set fresh. For example, we always set reading goals. So we talk through how we did last year, which books we loved, what didn't work, and what we want to change moving forward. As we talk, we write down the new goals for the year.

1. Every goal and idea gets written down. You think you'll remember everything you talked about… but you won't. Write it all down so your goals are actually usable and not just floating around in your head.

We keep our goals in shared notes so we can easily pull them up throughout the year and review them together. It's actually really fun to look back and see several years of goals listed out — you can see growth, patterns, answered prayers, and seasons of change.

Why Planning Has Become a Must for Our Family As we enter 2026, life feels full and busy in the very real sense of the word. We have eight kids ranging from 13 down to 1. We're juggling doctor's appointments, more surgeries for Radley, eye appointments, everyday life, and school. We also run our business together, which tends to fill any spare moments we thought we had. And oh yeah — we also want to prioritize our marriage, exercise, eating well…you get it.

Life moves at a breakneck speed. And those of us who are parents know how quickly the years fly by. There's no room to drift through life unintentionally.

A few years ago, we realized we were saying yes to almost everything, opportunities, commitments, projects, and quietly wondering why we felt so exhausted and disconnected. When we finally slowed down and really talked through our priorities, it became clear that some good things were crowding out the best things. That one planning conversation reshaped our entire year.

Slowing down to plan together helps us stay on the same page, which is huge for our marriage and our family. It also helps us clearly see what we need to say yes to…and what we need to lovingly say no to. In a full schedule, there are so many good things that simply don't fit the season we're in. Planning helps us recognize that with clarity and peace.

Ultimately, our planning isn't about productivity. It's about stewardship. These years with our children are precious and fleeting, and we want to walk through them awake, grateful, and aligned, trusting God to guide our steps even when the plan changes.

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing what our family goals are for 2026 as well as my personal goals for the year.

Want to Try This With Your Family? If you've never done a planning conversation with your spouse before, start simple.

• Pick a quiet evening or weekend morning.
• Make coffee or tea.
• Grab a notebook and pen.

• Ask each other:

  • What worked well this past year?
  • What felt heavy or stressful?
  • What rhythms do we want to protect?
  • What is one area we want to grow in as a family?
  • What new skill do you want to learn this year?
  • What are you currently excited about for the year ahead?

You don't need a perfect system. You just need a willingness to start the conversation.

Want more hands-on help planning this year? If you'd like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I'm hosting live trainings January 12–16 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course.

Each day we'll meet live, I'll teach you how to:

• set realistic goals
• break them into action steps
• plan in a way that works with your life (not against it)

You'll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action.

If you've struggled to make goals that stick—and you want 2026 to be different—join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We'll do it together.

Sign up at: FindingJoyinYourHome.com/Planning

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If you've been following along in this goal-setting series, you already know I'm not interested in hype-y, pressure-filled planning that burns you out by week two. I want plans that actually fit your real life and help you grow in faithfulness, peace, and purpose.

And that starts with something most of us skip.

Before we make new goals… before we build new routines… before we write a single list for the year ahead… we need to do the very first (and honestly, most clarifying) step:

Look back on last year with an accurate view.

Not through the lens of guilt. Not through the lens of "I should've done more." But with honesty, gratitude, and wisdom, so we can see what really worked, what quietly wasn't working, and what God may be inviting us into next.

Because you don't need a perfect fresh start date to move forward. You need clarity. And clarity almost always begins by looking back.

Why a Year-End Review Matters (Before You Set Goals) Most of us skip straight to the "new year plan." New routines! New schedules! New systems! New goals!

But if you don't pause to look back first, you'll almost always do one of two things:

1. Repeat the same patterns (because you never identified what actually wasn't working), or
2. Make an unrealistic plan that looks great on paper and falls apart by week two (ME! I do this!!)

A year-end review helps you slow down and ask:

• What actually helped our home feel peaceful?
• What consistently made things feel chaotic?
• Where did my priorities drift?
• What's one small change that would make life noticeably better?

That's where real planning begins.

Step 1: Start With Gratitude (This Matters More Than You Think) Before you evaluate what needs to change, start with what's good.

Not because everything was easy, but because gratitude reorients your heart. It helps you see that God was present, even in a hard year.

Try writing down:

• A few things you're thankful for from this past year
• A handful of answered prayers (big or small)
• Small joys you don't want to forget

And if you have the energy? Keep going. Some of the sweetest year-end reviews happen when you turn the paper over and just keep writing.

Gratitude doesn't erase the hard things. But it keeps your review from becoming grumbling, complaining, or self-condemnation.

Step 2: Ask Your Family What They Remember This part surprises people every time. Because we tend to assume we know what mattered most, what made the year "good" or "hard", but your husband and kids might remember something completely different.

Ask them:

• "What was your favorite memory this year?"
• "What are you thankful for from this year?"
• "What did you love doing as a family?"

And don't be surprised if their answer is something simple. Not the big trip or the elaborate holiday moment.

Sometimes it's: "Remember when you played Legos with me?" And you're like… Really? That's the moment you held onto?

Yes. And that's such a sweet reminder of what actually lands in your kids' hearts.

Step 3: Name the Hardest Thing (Without Over-Explaining It) A year-end review isn't complete without honesty.

Write down the hardest thing about the year: just a sentence or two.

• Was it a hard season emotionally?
• Health issues?
• A new baby?
• A move?
• A stressful schedule?
• A lack of routine that slowly turned into chaos?

You don't have to process your whole life on one sheet of paper. The goal is simply to acknowledge reality. Because naming the hard thing helps you stop carrying it like a fog you can't explain.

Step 4: Evaluate Your Life in the Right Order This is where year-end review becomes deeply grounding.

Instead of starting with "my home" (which is where many of us start), evaluate in this order:

1. My relationship with God
2. My marriage and parenting
3. My home and homemaking

Because you can have the most perfectly clean house in the world… and if your heart is dry and your relationships are hurting, a sparkling kitchen doesn't fix that.

So ask three simple questions in each category:

1) My relationship with God * What worked? * What didn't work? * What needs to shift?

This doesn't have to be dramatic. It might be:

• What worked: "I found a Bible reading plan I actually liked."
• What didn't work: "I didn't make time for it consistently."

Even that insight is valuable, because now you're not stuck in vague guilt, you're seeing a clear next step.

2) My marriage and parenting * What strengthened connection this year? * What consistently caused tension? * What rhythms do we need more of?

Sometimes the issue isn't that you need a better routine. Sometimes you need more margin, more communication, or more intentional time together.

3) My home and homemaking This is where you can finally get practical:

• What routines brought peace?
• What areas spiraled into overwhelm?
• What one or two "pain points" made everything feel harder?

For many women, the big culprits are:

• Laundry
• Meal planning / kitchen rhythm
• Bedtime / sleep habits
• Morning routine (which is often tied to evening routine)

And here's what I've found: often there are one or two small changes that would make your whole home feel lighter. But you can't see them when you're overwhelmed and thinking, "Everything is awful." A year-end review helps you pinpoint what's actually happening.

Step 5: Look for Patterns (Not Perfection) You're not doing this review to judge yourself. You're doing it to notice patterns.

For example:

• If you're always stressed in the morning, check your evening routine.
• If your home feels chaotic, look for one "keystone habit" (like laundry or dishes) that affects everything else.
• If you keep falling off routines when life gets hard, your next plan needs more flexibility, not more intensity.

This is where a lot of women have a breakthrough: They don't need a bigger plan. They need a smaller plan they can actually stick to.

Step 6: Choose "Small and Sustainable" for the New Year This is the part that changes everything. Because many of us want to set a 30-point checklist… or a 130-point checklist… and overhaul our whole life in one week. And it doesn't work. (Ask me how I know.)

Instead, as you plan your next year, ask:

• What's one priority God is putting on my heart right now?
• What's one routine that would serve my family well in this season?
• What's one tiny habit that would make the biggest difference?

Small changes feel insignificant in the moment, but over time they build a completely different home.

A Gentle Reminder If You Feel Behind If you read this and realize, "Wow, I really didn't do the planning I wanted to do," let me remind you: It's not too late. Not even a little bit. Today is a new day. God's mercies are new every morning.

So don't beat yourself up. Don't wallow in guilt. Don't throw in the towel because you missed an "ideal" start date.

Just take the next faithful step.

Your Simple Year-End Review Prompts: If you want a quick place to start, here you go:

• What am I thankful for from this past year?
• What are my 5 favorite memories?
• What was the hardest thing about this year?
• What worked in my relationship with God? What didn't?
• What worked in my marriage/parenting? What didn't?
• What worked in my home/homemaking? What didn't?
• What is one small change that would make the next season feel more peaceful?

Then pray:

"Lord, give me clarity and wisdom. Show me what matters most. Help me take action with humility and joy."

Want to Do This Together? If you'd like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I'm hosting live trainings January 12–16 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course.

Each day we'll meet live, I'll teach you how to:

• set realistic goals
• break them into action steps
• plan in a way that works with your life (not against it)

You'll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action.

If you've struggled to make goals that stick—and you want 2026 to be different—join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We'll do it together.

Sign Up Here! If you've been following along in this goal-setting series, you already know I'm not interested in hype-y, pressure-filled planning that burns you out by week two. I want plans that actually fit your real life and help you grow in faithfulness, peace, and purpose.

And that starts with something most of us skip.

Before we make new goals… before we build new routines… before we write a single list for the year ahead… we need to do the very first (and honestly, most clarifying) step:

Look back on last year with an accurate view.

Not through the lens of guilt. Not through the lens of "I should've done more." But with honesty, gratitude, and wisdom, so we can see what really worked, what quietly wasn't working, and what God may be inviting us into next.

Because you don't need a perfect fresh start date to move forward. You need clarity. And clarity almost always begins by looking back.

Why a Year-End Review Matters (Before You Set Goals) Most of us skip straight to the "new year plan." New routines! New schedules! New systems! New goals!

But if you don't pause to look back first, you'll almost always do one of two things:

1. Repeat the same patterns (because you never identified what actually wasn't working), or
2. Make an unrealistic plan that looks great on paper and falls apart by week two (ME! I do this!!)

A year-end review helps you slow down and ask:

• What actually helped our home feel peaceful?
• What consistently made things feel chaotic?
• Where did my priorities drift?
• What's one small change that would make life noticeably better?

That's where real planning begins.

Step 1: Start With Gratitude (This Matters More Than You Think) Before you evaluate what needs to change, start with what's good.

Not because everything was easy, but because gratitude reorients your heart. It helps you see that God was present, even in a hard year.

Try writing down:

• A few things you're thankful for from this past year
• A handful of answered prayers (big or small)
• Small joys you don't want to forget

And if you have the energy? Keep going. Some of the sweetest year-end reviews happen when you turn the paper over and just keep writing.

Gratitude doesn't erase the hard things. But it keeps your review from becoming grumbling, complaining, or self-condemnation.

Step 2: Ask Your Family What They Remember This part surprises people every time. Because we tend to assume we know what mattered most, what made the year "good" or "hard", but your husband and kids might remember something completely different.

Ask them:

• "What was your favorite memory this year?"
• "What are you thankful for from this year?"
• "What did you love doing as a family?"

And don't be surprised if their answer is something simple. Not the big trip or the elaborate holiday moment.

Sometimes it's: "Remember when you played Legos with me?" And you're like… Really? That's the moment you held onto?

Yes. And that's such a sweet reminder of what actually lands in your kids' hearts.

Step 3: Name the Hardest Thing (Without Over-Explaining It) A year-end review isn't complete without honesty.

Write down the hardest thing about the year: just a sentence or two.

• Was it a hard season emotionally?
• Health issues?
• A new baby?
• A move?
• A stressful schedule?
• A lack of routine that slowly turned into chaos?

You don't have to process your whole life on one sheet of paper. The goal is simply to acknowledge reality. Because naming the hard thing helps you stop carrying it like a fog you can't explain.

Step 4: Evaluate Your Life in the Right Order This is where year-end review becomes deeply grounding.

Instead of starting with "my home" (which is where many of us start), evaluate in this order:

1. My relationship with God
2. My marriage and parenting
3. My home and homemaking

Because you can have the most perfectly clean house in the world… and if your heart is dry and your relationships are hurting, a sparkling kitchen doesn't fix that.

So ask three simple questions in each category:

1) My relationship with God * What worked? * What didn't work? * What needs to shift?

This doesn't have to be dramatic. It might be:

• What worked: "I found a Bible reading plan I actually liked."
• What didn't work: "I didn't make time for it consistently."

Even that insight is valuable, because now you're not stuck in vague guilt, you're seeing a clear next step.

2) My marriage and parenting * What strengthened connection this year? * What consistently caused tension? * What rhythms do we need more of?

Sometimes the issue isn't that you need a better routine. Sometimes you need more margin, more communication, or more intentional time together.

3) My home and homemaking This is where you can finally get practical:

• What routines brought peace?
• What areas spiraled into overwhelm?
• What one or two "pain points" made everything feel harder?

For many women, the big culprits are:

• Laundry
• Meal planning / kitchen rhythm
• Bedtime / sleep habits
• Morning routine (which is often tied to evening routine)

And here's what I've found: often there are one or two small changes that would make your whole home feel lighter. But you can't see them when you're overwhelmed and thinking, "Everything is awful." A year-end review helps you pinpoint what's actually happening.

Step 5: Look for Patterns (Not Perfection) You're not doing this review to judge yourself. You're doing it to notice patterns.

For example:

• If you're always stressed in the morning, check your evening routine.
• If your home feels chaotic, look for one "keystone habit" (like laundry or dishes) that affects everything else.
• If you keep falling off routines when life gets hard, your next plan needs more flexibility, not more intensity.

This is where a lot of women have a breakthrough: They don't need a bigger plan. They need a smaller plan they can actually stick to.

Step 6: Choose "Small and Sustainable" for the New Year This is the part that changes everything. Because many of us want to set a 30-point checklist… or a 130-point checklist… and overhaul our whole life in one week. And it doesn't work. (Ask me how I know.)

Instead, as you plan your next year, ask:

• What's one priority God is putting on my heart right now?
• What's one routine that would serve my family well in this season?
• What's one tiny habit that would make the biggest difference?

Small changes feel insignificant in the moment, but over time they build a completely different home.

A Gentle Reminder If You Feel Behind If you read this and realize, "Wow, I really didn't do the planning I wanted to do," let me remind you: It's not too late. Not even a little bit. Today is a new day. God's mercies are new every morning.

So don't beat yourself up. Don't wallow in guilt. Don't throw in the towel because you missed an "ideal" start date.

Just take the next faithful step.

Your Simple Year-End Review Prompts: If you want a quick place to start, here you go:

• What am I thankful for from this past year?
• What are my 5 favorite memories?
• What was the hardest thing about this year?
• What worked in my relationship with God? What didn't?
• What worked in my marriage/parenting? What didn't?
• What worked in my home/homemaking? What didn't?
• What is one small change that would make the next season feel more peaceful?

Then pray:

"Lord, give me clarity and wisdom. Show me what matters most. Help me take action with humility and joy."

Want to Do This Together? If you'd like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I'm hosting live trainings January 12–16 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course.

Each day we'll meet live, I'll teach you how to:

• set realistic goals
• break them into action steps
• plan in a way that works with your life (not against it)

You'll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action.

If you've struggled to make goals that stick—and you want 2026 to be different—join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We'll do it together.

sign up here: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/planning

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Boom. It's January.

The month where we all set wildly impossible New Year's resolutions… burn out by January 3rd… and then spend the rest of the year feeling vaguely guilty about it.

Obviously, that's not the way we're meant to approach change.

But what I've noticed this year is something interesting. After years of failed resolutions, a lot of people have swung hard in the opposite direction. They're done trying. Done planning. Done setting goals altogether.

"No resolutions." "No goals." "No pressure."

And while I understand the exhaustion behind that response, I don't actually think it's the answer either.

You don't have to set New Year goals, but I do think thoughtful planning and goal setting is a very good and very healthy practice. The key isn't whether you plan. It's how.

The "Magic" of January 1st (And Why It's Not Actually Magical) When people talk about New Year's resolutions, there's usually an assumption that January 1st is somehow magical. Like you wake up as a brand-new person who suddenly has more discipline, motivation, and willpower than you did on December 31st.

That's obviously ridiculous. So instead of trying and failing again, many of us swear off making changes altogether. But here's the thing: the New Year is a natural time to reassess, not because it's magical, but because of what comes right before it.

We're coming off Christmas. A season of feasting, celebrating, late nights, disrupted routines, and full calendars. By the time January rolls around, most of us are craving rhythm again. Simplicity. Structure. Normal bedtimes. Regular meals. It's completely natural, after a season of celebration, to want to reestablish healthy routines.

That's often when we start thinking about things like:

• eating better
• moving our bodies
• getting up earlier
• having more energy
• being more intentional with our time
• diving back into Bible reading
• cleaning routines and household management and more

That desire isn't shallow. It's human. The problem isn't wanting change. The problem is how we've been taught to pursue it.

Why I Don't Do Resolutions (But Do Set Goals) I've never set a New Year's resolution in my life.

Why?

Because resolutions feel like wishes you throw into the universe and hope will somehow happen on their own.

"I want to lose weight." "I want to get fit." "I want to be healthier."

Those aren't bad desires, but they're not plans.

Let's say someone makes a resolution to "lose weight." By December, they're often frustrated, discouraged, and sometimes heavier than when they started. Not because they're lazy, but because there was never a clear target or a path forward.

A goal, on the other hand, changes everything.

Is it semantics? Maybe. But it's semantics that matter.

A Real Example From My Life One of my personal goals for 2026 is to lose 30 pounds.

The number itself is somewhat arbitrary. What I really want is to:

• fit into my pre–baby #8 clothes again
• have less pain and stiffness
• regain my energy
• rebuild my strength

If that happens at 25 pounds or 35 pounds, that's fine. But having a concrete number gives me something to aim for. More importantly, making this a goal instead of a resolution allows me to create action steps—and that's where real change happens.

My end goal is simple:

Be down 30 pounds by December 31, 2026.

That tells me two important things:

1. This isn't going to happen overnight.
2. I don't need to rush or punish my body to get there.

So instead of demanding instant results, I ask a better question: "What small, realistic steps can I take consistently over time?"

How I'm Breaking This Goal Down Here's what that looks like for me right now:

Step #1: Diet I had good success with Trim Healthy Mama in 2025 (and in years past), so I'm starting there again. This feels doable because it's familiar. If it weren't, I'd make only diet my focus for January and add other steps later as I got this into an easy to manage habit.

Step #2: Strength training I'm doing Nourish Move Love's 30-day beginner workout. And yes, it's humbling. I'm using 2.5lb weights (don't laugh!) and taking it slow. After baby #8, my core and pelvic floor need rebuilding. My goal for February is to repeat the program with 5lb weights. Eventually, I want to get into weight lifting this year, but not at the expense of healing.

Step #3: Walking I'm walking the two-mile loop at our local lake two to three times per week, weather permitting. Nothing fancy. Just movement and getting outside with the kids!

Step #4: Gut health I'm back to daily kefir (December took me off track) and plan to slowly reintroduce cultured vegetables in February and beyond. This is a key piece for me right now. But I'll take this one slowly with all my other goals I have.

That's it. Four steps. No perfection required.

Why This Works (And Resolutions Don't) As I move through January, February, and March, I'll reassess.

Do I need to adjust my eating? Increase strength training? Pull back and rebuild basics? Check iron levels again? (Getting my iron up helped me lose 10 pounds at the end of 2025.)

I would have loved to lose all 40 pounds in 2025. That didn't happen. And instead of spiraling, I learned something important: my body needed support first. Now I feel poised to make real progress in 2026, not because I'm forcing change, but because I'm working with my season, not against it.

This Week on the Blog: A Mini Goal-Setting Series Throughout this week, I'm sharing a short series on planning and goal setting. Here's what's coming:

• How to evaluate last year without guilt or discouragement
• How Jason and I plan family goals
• A breakdown of our family goals and my personal for 2026
• My word for 2026 and a prayer for the future

If there's an area of goal planning you're struggling with, or a goal you don't know how to break down, tell me. I'd love to address it in this series.

Want to Do This Together? If you'd like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I'm hosting live trainings January 12–16 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course.

Each day we'll meet live, I'll teach you how to:

• set realistic goals
• break them into action steps
• plan in a way that works with your life (not against it)

You'll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action.

If you've struggled to make goals that stick—and you want 2026 to be different—join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We'll do it together.

Sign U Here: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/planning

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You can read the article here: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/i-dont-want-to-forget-this-year-what-god-taught-me-in-a-hard-season/

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You can read this blog post here: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/still-learning-recultivating-the-habit-of-reading-in-a-full-season-of-life/

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Read the article here: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/this-is-me-starting-again-returning-to-the-work-of-home-faith-and-everyday-faithfulness/

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Big changes are happening — a new home, new routines, and a whole new season of life! In this honest and encouraging episode, Jami shares how she's rethinking her homemaking rhythms and routines as her family transitions into a new home (and a new chapter).

Whether you're moving, welcoming a baby, starting a new schedule, or simply realizing your old routines aren't working anymore, this episode will help you refocus and find peace in the middle of change. Jami walks through nine practical and faith-filled steps — from praying over your priorities to simplifying systems, involving your kids, and holding your plans with open hands.

If you've been craving a fresh start or just need gentle encouragement for your current season, this is the perfect episode to listen to while folding laundry or brewing your morning coffee.

🎧 Listen in and be reminded: change doesn't have to steal your peace — it can be the perfect opportunity to invite God into your home's rhythm.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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Ever find yourself exhausted in the very life you prayed for? In this week's episode, Jami opens her heart about seasons of weariness and how to trust God when joy seems out of reach. Drawing from a listener's heartfelt question, she offers both spiritual encouragement and practical wisdom for tired moms—especially those in the thick of little years and endless noise.

You'll hear Jami's own stories of fatigue, faith, and God's sustaining grace through motherhood, plus encouragement to check your physical and spiritual health, invite your husband into your struggles, and find joy in everyday faithfulness.

✨ Topics covered:

• Finding purpose when motherhood feels heavy
• The difference between physical and spiritual exhaustion
• Encouragement for moms with multiple young children
• Training kids in chores (without losing your mind!)
• Why God's strength meets us right where we're worn out

Listen in for fresh encouragement and truth: your work in the Lord is never in vain.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

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Do you ever feel like your days at home are stuck on repeat? They're mundane, overwhelming, or just plain boring? You’re not alone! In this episode of our Back to the Basics Homemaking series, Jami shares honest struggles from her own journey (including the diaper years with back-to-back twins!) and offers four practical, faith-filled steps to help you recover joy in your home. From memorizing Scripture and filling your house with worship to seeing homemaking as a ministry and caring for your body, you’ll find encouragement to approach everyday tasks with renewed purpose and delight.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

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Do you ever feel like Bible study keeps slipping through the cracks in your busy days? In this episode, I’m sharing the simple Bible study routine that’s been transforming my quiet time over the past nine months. We’ll talk about overcoming guilt in hard seasons, finding rhythms that actually work with little ones underfoot, and practical tools like the ESV Spiral Bible, praying through the Psalms, and journaling Scripture. Whether you’ve got five minutes or thirty, you’ll walk away with fresh encouragement and ideas to help you grow in God’s Word right where you are.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

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In this episode, we explore what it really means to view homemaking through the lens of the gospel. From endless dishes and laundry to the unexpected trials of daily life, it can be easy to wonder if the work of the home truly matters. But Scripture reminds us that every small act, each meal prepared, story read, or diaper changed, can be an offering of worship when done for the Lord. Join me as I share personal stories, encouragement from Colossians 3, and a reminder that homemaking is more than chores—it is kingdom work.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

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In this episode, we explore what it really means to view homemaking through the lens of the gospel. From endless dishes and laundry to the unexpected trials of daily life, it can be easy to wonder if the work of the home truly matters. But Scripture reminds us that every small act, each meal prepared, story read, or diaper changed, can be an offering of worship when done for the Lord. Join me as I share personal stories, encouragement from Colossians 3, and a reminder that homemaking is more than chores—it is kingdom work.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

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We’re back for Season 5 of the Finding Joy in Your Home podcast! 🎉 In this kickoff episode, I’m diving into one of the most-requested and foundational topics: what does it truly mean to be a homemaker?

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom, a working woman, a student, or somewhere in between, homemaking is something every woman is called to in unique ways. I’ll share my own journey of starting marriage with zero homemaking skills, how God shaped my perspective over the years, and why being a homemaker is less about spotless dishes and more about creating a Christ-centered haven.

We’ll talk about:

• Why homemaking looks different in every season
• How to define your family’s culture and priorities
• The balance between routines and joy
• Building a home that nurtures hearts, not just chores

If you’ve ever wrestled with what biblical homemaking should look like, or if you’re ready for a fresh encouragement in your daily rhythms, this episode is for you.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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What does it really mean to have a rightly ordered home? In this episode, I’m diving into a topic that’s been heavy on my heart: how we as Christian women can faithfully order our homes according to God’s design while recognizing that every family looks a little different.

I share some of my own story of working from home, balancing homeschooling, business, and motherhood, and what it’s looked like for Jason and me to wrestle through these questions together. We’ll talk about biblical principles for family life, the beauty of unique family cultures, and the importance of being faithful in the exact season God has given us.

If you’ve ever wrestled with questions about priorities, work, comparison, or what “ordering your home” should practically look like, this episode is for you.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Sponsor: For a limited time, you can try OneSkin with 15% off using code HOME at oneskin.co.

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After a few years in a reading slump, I’m finally excited about books again, and this episode is a joyful deep dive into what’s been fueling that spark! I’m sharing my current reading stats (57 books and counting!), how I track my progress, and the quirky way I rotate between fiction and nonfiction to stay motivated.

You’ll hear about the nerdy rabbit trail I’ve been down with fermented and cultured foods (hello, nine cookbooks in a row), the new Hunger Games prequels I couldn’t put down, and the Trim Healthy Mama book that might just be my favorite read of the year. Plus: a sneak peek at my next cookbook project and our upcoming fantasy novel Hearthstead—coming to the app this fall!

If you love books, need a little reading inspiration, or just want to peek at what I’m geeking out over right now, grab your cup of tea (or kefir 😉) and enjoy this cozy, bookish episode.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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After months of chaos, with hospital stays, a move, and postpartum recovery, meal planning completely fell off my radar. But now, I’m picking it back up with fresh eyes and a much simpler, grace-filled approach. In this episode, I’m sharing how I’m easing back into meal planning after survival mode, the strategies that are working right now (including planning just 3–4 dinners a week), and why I’m prioritizing flexibility over perfection.

I also talk about how I’m using my own meal planning app to stay on track, how to meal plan even when your life is unpredictable, and the mindset shift that’s making cooking joyful again instead of stressful. If you’re in a messy season or just want a fresh start in the kitchen, this one’s for you.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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After a hard season of stress, burnout, and survival mode, I’m finally focusing on rebuilding my health—slowly and intentionally. In this episode, I share the three simple (but powerful!) changes I’m making right now to support healing: focusing on whole foods, prioritizing daily movement, and supporting my hormones naturally.

I also talk about why I’m not chasing perfection, what I’m learning about adrenal health, and how I’m weaving these shifts into full days with eight kids. If you’re craving a fresh start with your health—without guilt or overwhelm—this conversation is for you.

💛 Let’s talk about doing what we can, with what we have, right where we are.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Check out Function Health at findingjoyinyourhome.com/function

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In this eye-opening episode, Jami dives into the topic of women’s hormones and the internal “clocks” that shape our energy, mood, and productivity. While men tend to operate on a 24-hour hormonal cycle, women’s bodies follow a 28-day rhythm that impacts far more than just our periods. Jami explains how understanding the four phases of your cycle—menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal—can bring clarity and grace into your daily life.

Learn how to sync your schedule, workouts, and expectations with your body’s natural rhythms, why it’s okay to feel tired some weeks and energized the next, and how God beautifully designed our bodies with intentional cycles of rest and renewal.

This conversation is practical, faith-rooted, and encouraging, perfect for any woman who wants to work with her hormones instead of fighting them.

Want to go deeper? Grab Jami’s new book Cycles & Seasons at findingjoybookstore.com before the summer sale ends this week!

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Check out Function Health at findingjoyinyourhome.com/function * Our Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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Summer is here—and whether your days are relaxed or full of activities, it’s never too late to think intentionally about how you’ll spend the season. In this episode, I share what our summer looks like as a homeschooling family of ten: from low-budget camping trips and local state park adventures to reading challenges and kid-led passion projects.

You’ll hear how we’re managing screen time, why we’re embracing a slower pace this year, and what kinds of creative learning (and fun!) our kids are diving into—like gardening, cookbook creation, and even a homemade audio drama! This episode is packed with ideas and encouragement to help you craft a summer rhythm that works for your unique family and season.

Whether your summer is bustling or quiet, I hope this gives you inspiration and freedom to make the most of it without pressure.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Check out Function Health at findingjoyinyourhome.com/function * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME. #honeylovepod

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This past homeschool year was anything but smooth—between hospital stays, moving twice, and navigating postpartum exhaustion, our plans got turned upside down more than once. In this candid episode, I reflect on the highs and lows of our chaotic school year, how we adapted on the fly (including a big shift to online learning), and what lessons we’re taking into the next season.

Plus, I share our full curriculum lineup for the upcoming school year—from language arts and science to our big plunge into Omnibus with our oldest boys. If you’re curious about Master Books, Monarch Online, CTC Math, or how we approach homeschool with eight kids (including two toddlers), this episode is packed with practical insights, encouragement, and a peek into our real-life homeschool decisions.

Whether you're wrapping up your year or just planning ahead, I hope this gives you ideas and freedom for your own journey.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Check out Function Health at findingjoyinyourhome.com/function * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor: Check out PrepDish and get a 2-week free trial at prepdish.com/homemaking * Our Sponsor: Check out the amazing journal from Tea and Ink Society and use coupon code FINDINGJOY to get $3 off at findingjoyinyourhome.com/readingjournal

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After a whirlwind season—hospital stays, a move, and recovering from trauma—I’m finally starting to dig into some persistent health struggles I’ve been feeling for a while. In this episode, I share the very beginning of my journey to better health: why I decided to get comprehensive blood testing, what surprising results I discovered (hint: it wasn't my hormones), and how I’m creating a long-term plan to rebuild from the inside out.

I also share my honest experience with Function Health, the affordable testing option I used, and give a peek at what I’m working on—like low ferritin, omega-3 deficiency, and gut health. If you're navigating fatigue or wondering how to get to the root of your own health issues, this episode is for you.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Check out Function Health at findingjoyinyourhome.com/function * Our Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor: Head to shopbeam.com/FINDJOY and save UP TO 40% for a limited time when you use code FINDJOY at checkout.

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In this deeply personal episode, I share the story of our 7-month-old son Radley’s accident—how a spilled cup of hot tea led to second- and third-degree burns, an ambulance ride, and an 8-day stay in the pediatric burn unit. It was one of the hardest weeks of our lives, and yet in the midst of the pain and exhaustion, God met us in powerful ways.

I open up about what those long hospital days taught me—not only about suffering and surrender—but also about the incredible opportunity we have to minister to others in similar places. Whether you’ve walked through your own medical emergency, want to be more equipped to serve hurting families, or are simply curious what it’s really like to live in a hospital room for over a week with a baby, I hope this episode encourages you and gives you a renewed heart for showing up when it matters most.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Save 20% Off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode of At The Hearth: Family Chats, Jami and Jason sit down to talk honestly about one of the biggest modern parenting challenges—technology. With eight kids ranging from 12 years old to a baby, homeschooling, and working from home, they’ve had to be intentional about how screens and devices fit into their everyday life.

They share their family’s philosophy on tech use, practical boundaries they’ve set (for both kids and adults), and how they’ve handled screen time during busy seasons—like two years living in an RV! From social media limits to tech-free moments and everything in between, this episode offers encouragement, grace, and real-life ideas for stewarding technology well in your home.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Check out Prepdish by going to Prepdish.com/homemaking * Our Sponsor: Get a FREE 7-day trail to the Joyful Home App! Just go to findingjoyinyourhome.com/app

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In this episode of At The Hearth: Family Chats, Jami is joined by Jason to tackle a challenge every busy family faces—finding margin and rest. They share practical ways they build rhythms of rest into their daily lives, set boundaries to protect their time, and simplify their schedules to avoid burnout. Whether you're managing a big family or just feeling overwhelmed by the pace of life, this conversation will help you create more space for peace and joy in your home. Tune in for real-life insights and encouragement!

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree to get started with FREE Salads for two months plus 50% off your first box. * Our Sponsor: Go to FindingJoyInYourHome.com/readingjournal and use code FINDINGJOY for $3 off one of these AMAZING reading journals!

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In this episode of At The Hearth: Family Chats, Jami is joined by her husband, Jason, to dive into the challenges that come with raising a big family. From managing the constant demands of parenting eight kids to keeping up with household chaos, finances, and making time for marriage, they share an honest look at the struggles—along with practical ways to navigate them. Whether you’re in the trenches of a large household or just curious about what it’s like, this episode offers real talk, laughter, and encouragement for the journey!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Start with 50% off your first box with code homemaking50 at EVERY PLATE.com/podcast. EveryPlate offer valid with auto-renewing subscription.

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In this episode of At The Hearth: Family Chats, Jami is joined by her husband, Jason, to share the incredible joys of raising a big family. With eight kids, a homeschool lifestyle, and years of adventure—including two years living in a renovated RV—they’ve experienced firsthand the laughter, deep sibling bonds, and lifelong lessons that come with a full house. Join them as they celebrate the beauty of big family life, from built-in friendships to unforgettable memories, and why they wouldn’t have it any other way!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get started at FACTOR MEALS.com/FACTORPODCAST and use code FACTORPODCAST to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping. * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off with code HOME at oneskin.co. * Our Sponsor: Check out Prepdish by going to Prepdish.com/homemaking

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In this episode, Jami interviews Jason about his experience growing up as a second-generation homeschooler. They dive into how his mom homeschooled him and his siblings, the lessons he learned along the way, and how it shaped his perspective on education and family life. Whether you’re a homeschool parent, considering homeschooling, or just curious about what it’s like from a graduate’s point of view, this conversation offers encouragement and insight into the beauty of a well-done homeschool experience.

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Start the new year off right with Honeylove. Get 20% OFF by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod * Our Sponsor: Check out Prepdish by going to Prepdish.com/homemaking

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In this episode, Jami is joined by her husband, Jason, to talk about the importance of staying connected in marriage—especially in the midst of busy seasons. They’ll share personal experiences, practical ways to prioritize your relationship, and biblical wisdom on building a strong, Christ-centered marriage. Whether you’re looking for simple ways to reconnect or long-term habits for a thriving marriage, this conversation will encourage and equip you. Grab a cup of coffee and join them by the hearth!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get up to 10 FREE meals and a free high protein item for life at HelloFresh.com.hellofreshpodcast. One item per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. * Our Sponsor: Transform your home with The Joyful Home App—your all-in-one guide to cultivating a peaceful, productive, and Christ-centered household. Start your 7-day free trial today and discover biblical encouragement, homemaking resources, and practical tools to bring more joy into your daily life! 👉findingjoyinyourhome.com/app

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Welcome to the first episode of At The Hearth: Family Chats! In this episode, Jami is joined by her husband, Jason, as they dive into what it truly means to have a productive Christian household. Is productivity just about getting more done, or is there a deeper, biblical perspective? Together, they explore how faith, stewardship, and intentional living shape a home that honors God. They’ll discuss practical ways to balance work and rest, cultivate Christ-centered priorities, and avoid the trap of busyness. Join them for a thoughtful, encouraging conversation about building a home that thrives in faith and purpose!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Thrive all year with clean, easy meals from Green Chef. Go to Green Chef DOT com slash homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree to get started with FREE Salads for two months plus 50% off your first box. * Our Sponsor: OneSkin is redefining the aging process with their proprietary OS-01 peptide, the first ingredient proven to help skin look, feel, and behave like its younger self. Get 15% off with code [HOME] at oneskin.co. After you purchase, they’ll ask you where you heard about them. PLEASE support our show and tell them we sent you. Invest in the health and longevity of your skin with OneSkin—your future self will thank you.

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In this episode, Jami shares her process for breaking down healthy living goals and making them into easy bite-size pieces. She shares how to take an overwhelming goal and break it down into 12 monthly easy goals for sustained progress! Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get an additional 20% OFF the @honeylove Holiday sale by going to honeylove.com/HOME ! #honeylovepod * Our Sponsor: Get started at FACTOR MEALS.com/home50off and use code home50off to get 50% off your first box plus free shipping.

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In this episode, Jami shares a recent story of God’s faithfulness in their family and the 5 things she’s focusing on to have more joy in this chaotic season. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Try Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder and get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to shopbeam.com slash HOME and use code HOME at checkout! * Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout. * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off with code HOME at oneskin.co.

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In this episode, Jami shares her story of getting into healthy living. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code HOME to get UP TO $300 off today! * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree to get started with FREE salads for two months plus 50% off your first box!

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In this episode, Jason joins Jami to discuss how their reading went last year, and their new goals for 2025. Listen in!

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Books Mentioned: * Measures of the Mission * Shepherds for Sale * Life in the Negative World * The Anxious Generation * Bad Therapy * Irreversible Damage * Common Arts Education * Habits for a Sacred Home * Sacred Seasons * Practicing Thankfulness * Fellowship of the Ring * Child Training Tips * A Love Letter to Suburbia * Summa Domestica * Theology of Home * The Natural Family * Children and Communion * No Apologies * Lord of the Feast * Standing on the Promises * Children at the Lord’s Table? * Pride and Prejudice

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get up to 10 FREE meals and a free high protein item for life at HelloFresh.com/homemaking10fm. One item per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box, new subscribers only, varies by plan. That’s up to 10 free HelloFresh meals – just go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking10fm. * Our Sponsor: The ultimate sleep refresh for the new year: Try Beam’s best-selling Dream Powder and get up to 40% off for a limited time when you go to shopbeam.com slash HOME and use code HOME at checkout.

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In this episode, Jason and Jami share about their goals for 2025, how they are making their goals different than any previous year, and what they are working on first. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Start the new year off right with Honeylove. Get 20%OFFbygoing to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami shares her practical guide for planning your year with purpose and intention. From starting with prayer to setting specific, realistic goals, Jami walks you through how to reflect on the past year and prepare for the year ahead with a heart centered on serving God. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout. Our Sponsor: Get 15% off with code HOME at oneskin.co.

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In this episode, Jami reviews her 2024 goals and evaluates how the year went. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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In this episode, Jami talks about The upcoming holidays & time management. How do we juggle all the good things coming up, while making memories for our family, and doing it with joy? Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Our Sponsor: Get an additional 20% OFF the @honeylove Holiday sale by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod Our Sponsor: Headtomoshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack.

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This year, we will be following the liturgical Christian calendar for Advent and the 12 days of Christmas. We are excited about the changes this will bring to our celebrations. Here’s what we will be changing this year! Listen to the Podcast: Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Check out our Christmas shop at FindingJoyBookstore.com And get 30% off our Joyful Home App with coupon code: BLACKFRIDAY. Check it out at FindingJoyinYourHome.com/app Our Sponsor: Get 15% off One skin at OneSkin.co with coupon code: HOME Our Sponsor: Get 20% off your AquaTru water purifier with coupon code: HOME at Aquatru.com

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Gratitude and thankfulness are wonderful qualities to cultivate in our lives. But it can sometimes be hard to know where to start and almost always difficult to sustain when life gets hard. In this wonderful interview with Mary K. Mohler (Albert Mohler's wife) we discuss how we can grow in Gratitude and what that has to do with our relationship with Christ. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast: Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ Growing in Gratitude by Mary Mohler We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Get 15% off Branch Basics with the code HOME at https://branchbasics.com/HOME #branchbasicspod Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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In this episode, Jami focuses on how to design cheap but healthy meal plans, how to stretch meat to make more food, simple healthy swaps that are low cost, and more. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Get Up to 50% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami shares 3 ways to make Thanksgiving special and create special memories with your family. Listen in!

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Links and Resources:* Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!

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In this episode, Jami shares her top 7 tips for creating life-long readers out of your children. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack. That’s 20% off PLUS free shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack at moshlife.com/HOME.

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In this episode, Jami shares the unique season she is currently in and what it’s teaching her about time management. She shares the 5 things that have been working well for her lately. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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We made a new goal of spending 1000 hours outside through the fall and winter! We are just jumping in but we’ve already learned a lot. Listen in as Jami shares their 1000 hours journey!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami answers a common listener question about how she goes about simplifying and minimizing practically with a large family. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the Best sellers Trial Pack. * Our Sponsor:* If you’ve been thinking about picking up an instrument, or just want to add some fun and fulfillment to your life, head over to Trala.com and start your musical journey today. Use code HOME for 25% off your first month of lessons!

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In this episode, Jami answers a common listener question all about her family’s future homestead goals and dreams. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor:* For 20% off, visit findingjoyinyourhome.com/app!

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In this episode, Jami gives a mid-year update on her 2024 goals. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: For FREE breakfast for life go to HelloFresh.com/freehomemaking. One free breakfast item per box while subscription is active. * Our Sponsor:* For 20% off, visit findingjoyinyourhome.com/app!

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In this episode, Jami shares her favorite beginner tips for healthy living. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! * Our Sponsor:*Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami shares her best tips for having babies that she’s learned over the course of having 8 babies herself. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingkids to unlock this exclusive offer. One free kids’ meal per box for two months while subscription is active. * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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In this episode, Jami chats all over the place about homeschooling, her current rhythms, and particularly how to have success in unusual times or circumstances. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant Based Trial Pack.

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I was shocked to find out recently how many people don’t own a slow cooker or really utilize the one they have. In today’s episode, I am going to share my tips for making the most of your slow cooker and my favorite ways to use it to save time, money, and make healthy food. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor:* For a limited time, kids eat FREE! Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingkids to unlock this exclusive offer. One free kids’ meal per box for two months while subscription is active.

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In this episode, join Jami in her healthy eating miniseries to discuss fermented foods, their benefits, and how to easily get started. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best bras and shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/HOME. Use our exclusive link to get 20% off! After you purchase, they’ll ask you where you heard about them. PLEASE support our show and tell them we sent you. * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO* $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! Lock this special offer by going to A-I-R-D-O-C-T-O-R-P-R-O dot com and use promo code HOME.

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In this episode, Jami talks about whether bread and flour will kill your health or are actually hidden super foods. Then she shares some secrets for how to make bread healthier in an easy way! Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor:* Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami discusses the importance of living healthy while balancing it with the fact that God is in control of all things. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Get 20% off your first order of Duncan and Stone with promo code JOY20. And did we mention that they offer free shipping on any order over $49? You know we’re a sucker for free shipping. Head to www.duncanandstone.com to start your memory making journey today!

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In this episode, Jami shares her schedule and rhythms for working from home as a homeschooling mom of 7. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Recommended books: + Superfans by Pat Flynn + Will it fly? Pat Flynn + Living Forward Michael Hyatt + Your Best Year Ever Michel Hyatt + Atomic Habits James Clear + Crushing It! Gary Vaynerchuk + Jab, jab, jab, right hook by Gary Vaynerchuk + Expert Secrets Russel Brunson + Traffic Secrets Russel Brunson + DotCom Secrets Russel Brunson * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant Based Trial Pack.

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In this episode, Jami gives some of her best tips and tricks to get out of a kitchen rut and breathe life back into your cooking. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami chats with Brian Dixon from Hopewriters all about how to get started writing a book and the best methods for publication. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * See more from Brian on Instagram * Here is his website. * Hopewriters website. * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant Based Trial Pack!

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In this episode, Jason & Jami share their reading update for the year, what they want to change moving forward, and some recent favorite books. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Books mentioned: + Becoming Homeschoolers + Irreversible Damage + Managers of Their Chores + Common Arts Education + Bad Therapy + The Anxious Generation + Really Very Crunchy + The Fulfillment of the Promises of God + The Chronicles of Narnia + Harry Potter + Man of the House + Measures of the Mission + Anne of Green Gables + Confessing the Faith * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout! * Our Sponsor:* Right now, my listeners can receive forty percent off Earth Breeze just by going to EARTHBREEZE.com/home!

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In this episode, Jami gives an update on their busy month of moving, gives some moving tips, and encouragement for any busy or overwhelming season. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Go to greenchef.com/homemaking50 and use code homemaking50 to get 50% off, plus 20% off your next two months. * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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In this episode, Jami chats with Erin, author of the brand new The Opt-Out Family, all about technology use in the home and the concept of opting out. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * See more on Erin’s website: https://www.optoutfamily.com/ * Check out her awesome new book here: https://www.amazon.com/Opt-Out-Family-Give-Your-Technology/dp/0310345693? * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to FACTORMEALS.com/home50 and use code home50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next month! * Our Sponsor:* Treat yourself to the best bras on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/HOME. Use our exclusive link to get 20% offhoneylove.com/HOME to find your perfect fit!

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In this episode, Jami chats with Monica, author of the brand new Becoming Homeschoolers, all about homeschooling various ages and giving encouragement for all. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * Follow Monica on Instagram. * See more on her website. * Check out her awesome new book here. * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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In this episode, Jami chats with Julie, author of Julie’s Eats and Treats, all about prepping food ahead of time and making food your entire family will love. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * Follow Julie on Instagram. * See more on her blog. * Check out her awesome new cookbook here. * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant Based Trial Pack. That’s 20% off PLUS free shipping on either the Best Sellers or Plant Based Trial Pack! * Our Sponsor:* Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout.

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In this episode, Jami discusses the practical parts of RV living! Listen in.

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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In this episode, Jami interviews Jocelyn Jennings of The Farm Family Table all about homesteading. They chat about how starting to homestead can lead to a more simple, natural life! Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod * Our Sponsor:* Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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Jami, Jason, and their crew are headed back to RV life after living in a house for 2 years. As they prepare for this next adventure, Jami shares the pros, cons, and what it takes to live in an RV as a family of (almost) 10. This episode is for anyone interested RV life or just generally curious about it all! Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Go to greenchef.com/homemaking50 and use code homemaking50 to get 50% off, plus 20% off your next two months. * Our Sponsor:* Treat yourself to the best bras on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/HOME.

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In this episode, Jami shares her strategy for keeping kids occupied doing more worthwhile things during time off from school, such as summer break or open afternoons. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! * Our Sponsor:* Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant Based Trial Pack.

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In this episode, In this episode, Jami talks about what to do when you lack patience. She gives some practical tips as well as plenty of biblical encouragement. Listen in!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout. * Our Sponsor:* Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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In this episode, In this episode, Jami interviews Jenny Gomes on how pressure canning can help with busy meal planning. Check it out to learn how to get started!

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Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best bras on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/HOME. * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

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In this episode, Jami shares a bunch of questions she got asked about homeschooling. She chats about juggling individual subjects, housework and cooking, keeping littles busy, and more! Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! * Our Sponsor:* Head to FACTORMEALS.com/home50 and use code home50 to get 50% off your first box plus 20% off your next box.

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In this episode, Jami takes a look at what curriculum she used for homeschool this year and shares what she is planning to use this next year! Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3 year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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It’s that time of year again! It’s time to start thinking through next year’s homeschool curriculum. In this episode, Jami walks you through her 6 step process for evaluating curriculum needs, dissecting the current year, and planning ahead for next year! Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on either the Best Sellers Trial Pack or the new Plant Based Trial Pack! * Our Sponsor:* Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout.

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Phew! 2024 has majorly changed in just about every area that we were not expecting even come January. We are having a baby this year (we found out on New Year’s Day we were expecting), we are now moving and we are relaunching the biggest project we’ve ever done that is changing our business in big ways.

We’ve got so many things going on and I’m getting bombarded with questions daily, so I thought we would do a big fun announcement podcast to share the news of all the things we have going on. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/ * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: For a limited time, you can get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com just use the code home at checkout. * Our Sponsor:* Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/home! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami gets real and shares her method for moving forward even when stuck in a time when you feel burned out. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod * Our Sponsor:* For a limited time, you can get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com! Just use the code “home” at checkout.

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In this episode, Jami talks about your best first step to cut your grocery budget. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: For a limited time, you can get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com! Just use the code “home” at checkout. * Our Sponsor:* Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! You will also receive a free 3-year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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In this episode, Jami chats with Jenn Lormand of Tighten Your Tinkler all about pelvic floor issues and how to correct them. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * For more from Jenn, go to www.tightenyourtinkler.com and use code HOME for $50 off their program! * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor: Go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout for 20% off! * Our Sponsor:* Treat yourself to the best bras on the market and save 20% off at honeylove.com/HOME.

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In this episode, Jami some of her best tips on the topic of freezer cooking. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube * We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! * Our Sponsor:* Go to magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME!

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In this episode, Jami talks about how she (attempts) to manage the chaos in her life. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Go to magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME! Our Sponsor: Set your kids up for success and get started today at gohenry.com/home. (T&Cs apply. Renews from $4.99 per month unless canceled)

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In this episode, Jami chats with Jamerrill Stewart about gardening, homesteading, and more. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3-year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value! Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree for FREE breakfast for life!

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In this episode, Jami talks about slow food in a fast food world. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree for FREE breakfast for life! Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout! Our Sponsor: Go to prepdish.com/findingjoy to get a 2-week free trial and a BONUS protein guide!

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In this episode, Jami shares encouragement for the mom who feels trapped by all the expensive things. We also chat about aging with grace and body changes from having babies. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree for FREE breakfast for life! Our Sponsor: Go to https://www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME! Our Sponsor: Go to prepdish.com/findingjoy to get a 2-week free trial and a BONUS protein guide!

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In this episode, Jami shares her average daily routines, battling morning sickness, and how to get everything done. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! Our Sponsor: Go to https://www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME! Our Sponsor: Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on your first 6-count Trial Pack.

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In this episode, Jami chats with her husband Jason about their plans and goals for their reading for 2024. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Books mentioned in the episode: Headcovering Throughout Christian History A Cover for Glory The Reformation: A History Hand Made The Made-from-Scratch Life The American Puritans The Convivial Homeschool Masculine Christianity Durable Trades The Case for the Christian Family The Grapes of Wrath East of Eden Of Mice and Men A History of the World in 6 Glasses Discontinuity to Continuity Conception Control A Different Shade of Green Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age Band of Brothers The Last Kingdom Horatio Hornblower Ancestors A Mighty Fortress From Bread to Wine Home Comforts Home Management: Plain and Simple What Are People For? Sex, Economy, Freedom, & Community Common Sense Christian Living Bringing It to the Table: On Farming and Food Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson The God of the Garden by Andrew Peterson I Will Build My Church Home Making by J.R. Miller Farm: A Year in the Life of an American Farmer Sourdough Culture The Art of the Commonplace Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War Six Thousand Years of Bread When Fathers Ruled: Family Life in Reformation Europe The American Way Third Ways The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Everything Worth PreservingLinks and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! We will be doing a 1-day workshop for setting goals, establishing routines, and making lasting changes the first week of January. Details are coming in the next few days, sign up to get notified: Findingjoyinyourhome.com/newsletter Our Sponsor: Go to greenchef.com/60homemaking and use code 60homemaking to get 60% off, plus 20% off your next two months! Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Exclusive to podcast customers, you will also receive a free 3-year warranty on any unit, which is an additional $84 value!

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In this episode, Jami chats with her husband Jason about their theme for 2024 and their new goals. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! We will be doing a 1-day workshop for setting goals, establishing routines, and making lasting changes the first week of January. Details are coming in the next few days, sign up to get notified: Findingjoyinyourhome.com/newsletter Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree for FREE breakfast for life! Our Sponsor: Go to www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME!

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In this episode, Jami talks about how to set goals in your homes as we transition into a new year. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! We will be doing a 1-day workshop for setting goals, establishing routines, and making lasting changes the first week of January. Details are coming in the next few days, sign up to get notified: Findingjoyinyourhome.com/newsletter Our Sponsor: Go to www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME! Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout!

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In this episode, Jami talks about how to choose a theme for your year, how it can help, and how it's not the same thing as new year resolutions. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.I find resolutions to be mostly useless. We set these grand resolutions: This year I will draw closer to the Lord, this year I will eat less sugar, this year I will be a better mom.There’s nothing wrong with those ideas, but they don’t actually help us much in establishing real change. Why? A year is a long time. It’s hard to stay focused on 1 thing when the next 12 months could change drastically and we don’t really know what the year will hold anyway. These resolutions are not specific. What does it mean to be a better mom? Is this just a vague feeling or are there specific, actionable steps you can take? A single resolution doesn’t usually bring us any closer to our goals or things we want to achieve.So what do we do? Jason and I, for many years now, have set themes or words for our year. We think about, pray about, and talk to each other about how our year this year went (listen to the last episode) and then we discuss at length what our hopes and plans are for next year.So we break down: What didn’t go well this year that we need to change? What worked well this year that we want to bring into the New Year? What are you currently feeling frustrated with? What has been living giving recently? What big goals do you have? (Write a book, plant a garden, etc).After talking more vaguely about our goals or ideas, we then set a theme for the year. This helps in a few ways: A theme or word for the year allows you to easily keep it in mind all year (even when you have many goals in the woks) It allows you to easily filter new opportunities throughout the year to see if it aligns with your theme for the year. For example, one year my theme was rest. I needed to find more rest and margin in my life and routines. It was a year of scaling back, pulling in, and saying no to a lot of things. After that excellent year, my next year’s theme was community. After pulling back in and creating that margin, I was ready to add things back in, expand my community, dive back into hospitality, while keeping those margin lessons at hand. I have a much easier time setting goals in our 4 areas when I’ve got the theme to guide me. (Personal goals, business goals, family goals, and homeschool goals).Picking a theme: You can pick a word, like rest or community, or you can a theme which is often a sentence or so. The Year of Community, The Year of Rest, The Year of Trying New Things, The Year of Good Routines, The Year of Building Skills, etc.In the next episode, Jason and I will be doing this in real-time with you. For the first time ever, I think we are going to have a joint theme for our year. Our homeschool and family goals are the same and we build those together. Our business goals are usually 2-3 the same and we each then have 2-3 that are our own. And personal goals are our own. We will be breaking this down for you in the next episode.Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter: Findingjoyinyourhome.com/newsletterLinks and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch in January sometime - big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned! We will be doing a 1-day workshop for setting goals, establishing routines, and making lasting changes the first week of January. Details are coming in the next few days, sign up to get notified: Findingjoyinyourhome.com/newsletter Our Sponsor: Check out homemakersfriend.

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In this episode, Jami reviews her year and gives lots of good advice and encouragement. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I am in planning mode. Okay, I’m actually in thinking mode. I haven’t put anything down to paper yet but my brain has been going. The New Year is the perfect time to jump into new habits and new routines, but not just because it’s the start of a brand new year. It’s a perfect time because November and December seem to FLY! I am excited about the fall starting, new school routines, pumpkin everything, and BAM! It’s January 5th. January has historically still been a very busy month for us with our business and jumping back into good school routines. But it’s also a great time for fresh starts, new habits, and more margin. So as I start to think through my goals, which I have not solidified yet, I thought it would be helpful to walk you through my beginning steps in brainstorming these goals. Today you are going to get to do my year-end review with me.  Look back over the goals you set last year: I had a lot of household goals.  Gardening: Figure out planting onions and potatoes. And do a Fall and real winter garden. 2022 goal: Learn how to grow my garden from seeds. 2024: I need to plan something to add.  Preserving more food this year. In 2022 I did a ton of stuff. I had wanted to do more preserving.  Making more homemade household use items: Laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, etc.  Getting household routines more smooth! Cleaning routines, better chore routines for kids, smoother routines overall.  Conquer whole-grain sourdough What went well this year?  We have grown tremendously in trusting the Lord. This year largely didn’t shape up the way we thought and yet, God is so good and my trust in him has deepened 10-fold this year.  Our health: Jason and I have been smashing it when it comes to taking care of our health. We are building REAL exercise routines that are becoming HABIT.  Our school routines since August have been the best we’ve ever had. What didn’t go well:  our life, household, work, and school routines were so hard and so off the first half of this year. Part of that was me trying to find my rythym again after having a baby and part of it was just living through survival mode the first 6 months of the year. What did I do well in serving and loving my people this year?  We had a lot of good, food centered gatherings and get togethers. I did well in making those things happen even when time was short. what can I improve on in serving and loving my people this year?  I need to continue working on my patience. When 1000 balls are in the air, I need to continue choosing patience, kindness and love, even when I’m tired, stressed, or having a hard day. Other questions to ask: What changes did you navigate well this year? What limitations or circumstances did you have to work through?What is an ah-ha moment you had? What new skills or knowledge did you aquire this year? What were 3 highlights from this year? What did you accomplish this year that you’re most proud of?What (and/or who) are you most thankful for this year?I encourage you to think over these things the next 2 weeks. When you're wrapping presents, stuck in traffic, think through these questions. Just let your mind ruminate over them. You don’t need full answers yet. But if you start thinking through these, you’ll start to form ideas so that when you sit down to write out your goals, you’ll be a step ahead! I also think this an important step, because 12 months is a long time. There are things we forget, things we accomplished, that we are not thinking of so many months later. it’s easy to focus on our present hardships that need to change and we forget all the growth we did over the year.

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In this episode, Jami talks about The upcoming holidays & time management. How do we juggle all the good things coming up, while making memories for our family, and doing it with joy? Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50! Our Sponsor: Go to greenchef.com/60homemaking and use code 60homemaking to get 60% off, plus 20% off your next two months!

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In this episode, Jami talks about budgeting for groceries and everything that is involved with that. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Our Christmas shop opening is now through Dec. 8th. Check it out at: https://findingjoybookstore.com/ Our Sponsor:  Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Our Sponsor:  Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code HOME at lumedeodorant.com!

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In this episode, Jami chats with Jason about planning and productivity for the end of the year. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Our Christmas shop opening is now through Dec. 1st. Check it out at: https://findingjoybookstore.com/ Our Sponsor: Get a 2-week free trial at PrepDish.com/homemaking!!! Our Sponsor: Check out all the organizing encouragement you need at Organize365.com!

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In this episode, Jami chats with Jason all about how to navigate through changing theological beliefs with your spouse. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.As promised, here are a few resources Jason recommends to start with on the topic of covenant theology vs. dispensationalism: Article: Comparing Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology Article: The Covenantal Hermeneutic Book: Discontinuity to Continuity: A Survey of Dispensational and Covenantal Theologies Book: Dispensationalism: Rightly Dividing the People of God Book: Has the Church Replaced Israel? Book: The Christ of the CovenantsLinks and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Get your Homemaker's Friend Daily Planner at: https://homemakersfriend.com/ and use coupon code: PLANNING to get $3 off!! Our Christmas shop opening is now through Dec. 1st. Check it out at: https://findingjoybookstore.com/ Our Sponsor: Today my listeners receive a massive 25% OFF any AquaTru water purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME25” at checkout. Our Sponsor: Get Up to 60% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME!

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In this episode, Jami gives her top tips, tricks, and encouragement for holidays and hospitality. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.1) REMEMBER the real reason for extending hospitality this holiday season. It's easy to get wrapped up in the to-do lists, the decorations, etc. But the real reason we extend hospitality is to love others by serving. Our focus should be on serving our friends, family, and those in our community. When we can have a heart shift towards service, it makes all the difference!“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” ~ Romans 12:13“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” ~ Hebrews 13:2“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” ~ 1 Peter 4:9“Hospitality from a Biblical perspective is to recognize that God is more interested in caring relationships than the mold behind the shower curtain…It need not matter if we live in a single-room apartment or a split-level ranch, the only real requirement is allowing God to use our lives and our possessions…Our homes and our lives are indeed the most powerful combination of ministry to our world.” ~ Hospitality with Confidence, Pg 92) In the hustle and bustle of this season, my primary focus right now, is my own immediate family. We all have different seasons. I've had seasons where my focus wasn't as much for my own immediate home, but how I could serve others. I once hosted Thanksgiving for my entire extended family and I cooked 100% of everything and took care of all the details. It was the right thing for that season and my heart was one of service.That would not be the right call for this Thanksgiving. If someone asked me to do a big giant thing of service next week, I would have to graciously decline. and to be okay with that!3) Some tools that make hospitality a little easier: REAL sturdy paper plates and bowls. Or start to invest in real bowls and dishes.Coffee percolator.Cold drink container - 5-gallon one at Walmart for $14.99!Crockpot with a locking lid4) The real key and secret to hospitality: Is that often, the fancier, more expensive, nicer-looking option is less practical. I don't think hospitality is just about being practical. I think there can be immense beauty in hospitality and I love baking bread from scratch for having people over. But we can also get so hung up on how nice or fancy it is, that we make it less ideal.when you have a group of 50 people over, function takes precedence because otherwise, it just doesn't work out as well.5) If you are overwhelmed, work on your food. I find this to be the #1 place where people get overwhelmed. Yes, the cleaning can feel overwhelming. But it's the food that really makes people get stuck.Come up with a list of 2-3 different meals that are your go-to hospitality. One of mine is homemade rolls and soup. I can whip this together in no time and is always a crowd pleaser.Homemade cinnamon rolls and homemade chocolate cake have become a specialty of mine that I've perfected over the years.If you don't have any menus in mind, start trying some ideas out for your family. Practice these meals a couple of times and suddenly, the food feels like no big deal!Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Join Lisa's Holiday Blitz here: https://organize365.com/holidayblitz/ Get your Homemaker's Friend Daily Planner at: https://homemakersfriend.com/ and use coupon code: PLANNING to get $3 off!! Our Christmas shop opening is now through Dec. 1st. Check it out at: https://findingjoybookstore.com/ Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemakingfree and use code homemakingfree for FREE bre...

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In this episode, Jami is interviewing Lisa from Organize 365 about how to plan will for the holidays. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Join Lisa's Holiday Blitz here: https://organize365.com/holidayblitz/ Get your Homemaker's Friend Daily Planner at: https://homemakersfriend.com/ and use coupon code: PLANNING to get $3 off!! Our Christmas shop opening is coming Nov. 15 - Dec. 1st. Check it out at: https://findingjoybookstore.com/ Our Sponsor: For Green Chef’s best deal of the year, get $250 off with code homemaking250 at Green Chef.com/homemaking250! Our Sponsor:  For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50!

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In this episode, Jami is interviewing Mindy from Advent Prep Club all about preparing for the advent season with joy and peace!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Join the Advent Prep Club and get 15% off the membership fee when you use code JOY2023 at checkout! Our Christmas shop opening is coming THIS MONTH!! Stay tuned for several new releases as well as Cookbook Volume #3 releasing!! Join our Build Your Natural Medicine Cabinet Bootcamp. We kick off Nov. 6th but join us any time! https://findingjoyshop.mykajabi.com/Build-Your-Natural-Medicine-Cabinet-Bootcamp Our Sponsor: Get 15% off OneSkin with the code HOME at https://www.oneskin.co/ Our Sponsor: Head to moshlife.com/HOME to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on your first 6-count Trial Pack.

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In this episode, Jami talks about building your own home library for you and your kids to enjoy. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.First: WHY do we want to focus on this? We’ve become very reliant on the internet for our resources which might not always be so accessible. Plus, blogs get taken down, moved, and you can no longer find or access those resources. Having a library out and accessible gets ALL of us off of screens more. How many times have you reached for your phone to look up a recipe and got side tracked and ended up down the Pinterest rabbit hole or Instagram? As Charlotte Mason says, we should lay out a feast for our kids with good books and resources and let them nibble on different kinds. We should be doing in this addition to our kids!Building our kids libraries:This is something Jason and I have been focusing a lot on this year. Our kids are really starting to devour books and we want a lot of books laid out for them to choose from. Our favorites are classics and series. I’ve started a master resource list and included my favorite books for kids. You can find it here: https://findingjoyshop.mykajabi.com/jami-s-favorite-resourcesI am all for utilizing the library and swapping books with friends! But I also think you can slowly build up a library in a very sustainable way by shopping sales and thrift stores.Favorite places to buy books: Thrift Books: Sign up with a free account, sign up for their free Reading Rewards program, and do a $30 order and you'll get a FREE BOOK!! Half Priced Books Costco has good book sets Thrift stores & consignment sales AbeBooks.com: Another great place for used books. Thrift Books is my go to but I always check Abe as well. eBay is a terrific source for finding whole series or individual books. There's a book seller on eBay (Second Sale) who offers Buy 3 books under $5 and get 1 free. I've gotten soooo many books from their shop. You can find all their book deals here.I keep a running list on my phone of ALL the books in our library in order in series. I find books all the time in thrift stores and at consignment stores. Having a running list on my phone allows me to buy random books in series for super cheap without forgetting which books we have and which we need!Building a resource library: Practical & hands on books: Books on building, building a natural medicine cabinet, herbs, gardening, etc. This is for us adults but also for the kids to go through. Cookbooks: Do you have actual cookbooks? Or printed recipes? I love building up my cookbook library. For everyday recipes yes, but also unusual things like: Making kombucha, cheese, I’ve got a book on my wishlist for making my own tea blends, canning, dehydrating, etc. I love checking out these kinds of books from the library whenever I can. It’s a great way to test out if you love the book or if it’s just alright. And I’ve photo copied a page or two out of library books when there’s something so good I want to keep it. You can do the same thing with Pinterest tutorials, recipes, etc. Print out amazing ones and start to build your own DIY medicine cabinet cookbook or canning recipe book. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to start thinking through building up a good solid library for yourself. Christian books and theology books: this is a huge part of our library that we’ve been building for years. We want solid, terrific Christian resources that we we can read, our kids can start reading and that we can let others barrow.For Jason and I, we are thinking through building up our home library, not just for us, today. But also for future generations. With libraries becoming less reliable, with books being cancelled and banned, and with less good literature being produced, and so much more being moved online and digital,

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In this episode, Jami gives some of her top tips for reading as well as her favorite reads so far this year. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Books discussed today: Conception Control: https://amzn.to/3May9v7 The Time Saving Mom: https://amzn.to/45G9ipQ The Core: https://amzn.to/45DgjYn All Creatures Great and Small: https://amzn.to/492Hj6p Standing on the Promises: https://amzn.to/494mibu The Hormone Reset Diet: https://amzn.to/46Gn39o Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age: https://amzn.to/3S632V0 Art for God's Sake: https://amzn.to/3QqdFRl Teatime Discipleship: https://amzn.to/3Q0U9cV A History of the World in 6 Glasses: https://amzn.to/3QoY4k3 The Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals: https://amzn.to/3tHx0Vv The Backyard Homestead Kitchen Know-How: https://amzn.to/3QoP0fVLinks and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 10 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off!

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In this episode, Jami chats with Felicia from Grains and Grit all about grinding your own grains and making delicious, healthy bread. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our next 14 Day Meal Planning Bootcamp round will kick off next week. Grab your spot here: https://findingjoyshop.mykajabi.com/2023-14-day-meal-plan-bootcamp Check out more from Felicia at grainsandgrit.com. Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 10 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get $5 off your Starter Pack (that’s over 40% off) with promo code HOME at lumepodcast.com! #lumepod Our Sponsor: Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to https://www.honeylove.com/HOME! #honeylovepod

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In this episode, Jami gives her top 5 tricks for upgrading your food and saving money at the same time. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.Some things to keep in mind:  The Lord is in control. We do the best we can, with what we have, and trust the Lord with the rest. Teach your kids how to cook. Look at the things you already eat and see how you can make them yourself.My 5 things:  Baking bread - It costs me $7.23 per 1 giant sandwich loaves to make 100% organic, fresh, clean bread. This could be cheaper too! Stop by processed snacks and start making them. We regularly make some really simple snacks of muffins and granola bars. Learn how to buy in bulk. Let's look at dried beans. Very little work is involved compared to buying cans of beans, A little effort but you can start to really save. READ pages 10-11. Figuring out what meats your family likes that stretch further. Our staples are ground beef, whole chicken, and ground sausage because I can do so much with those! Pick one "larger' thing you'd like to learn how to make that can save you big! We do homemade pizza night every Saturday night and it's become no big deal. I've gotten it down to a science and while it costs more than takeout pizza, it also saves us SO much money and we are making very healthy, delicious pizza. My kids are disappointed when we get take-out pizza versus homemade!Fall Collection Shop Opening!! This week only, we've got our bookstore open for orders. You can order through 10/9 with many items shipping out this week! We've got my cookbooks, our ice cream cookbook, Jason's Sterling Spectacles children's book series, TWO NEW fall dresses and so much more!Check it out here.Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 9 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor:  Go to HelloFresh.com/50homemaking and use code 50homemaking for 50% off plus15% off the next 2 months! Our Sponsor: Go to PrepDish.com/homemaking and use code HOMEMAKING to get your 2-week free trial!

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In this episode, Jami chats with Lyndsey Mimnagh of Treehouse Schoolhouse all about finding and managing the balance between homeschooling and homemaking. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.✨Announcements in this episode ✨1️⃣ Our fall shop opening will be October 2nd-8th, one week only! It will feature TWO new fall dresses and all our books in print.2️⃣ Our next 14 Day Meal Planning Bootcamp round will kick off Oct 2nd. Grab your spot here: https://findingjoyshop.mykajabi.com/2023-14-day-meal-plan-bootcamp 3️⃣ We are kicking off a Get Dresses challenge over on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamibalmet/ and in my community: http://findingjoycommunity.com/ Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 8 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Check out more from Lyndsey at treehouseschoolhouse.com Go to her website to get 15% off your total order by using code FINDINGJOYINYOURHOME15 Our Sponsor:  Go to HelloFresh.com/50homemaking and use code 50homemaking for 50% off plus15% off the next 2 months! Our Sponsor: Go to PrepDish.com/homemaking and use code HOMEMAKING to get your 2-week free trial!

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In this episode, Jami chats about her list of top 10 books that have impacted her as a homemaker. Listen in!Listen to the Podcast:Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Say Goodbye to Survival Mode Interview with Crystal Paine here The Read Aloud Family Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in Your Home The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith Through Feasting, One Meal at a Time My interview with Sally: Cultivating a lifegiving family https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/cultivating-lifegiving-family-sally-clarkson/ Eve in Exile and the Restoration of Femininity Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands Embracing a Grace Paced life interview with Shonna Murray The Time Saving Mom by Crystal Paine Adorned: Living out the Beauty of the Gospel Together Biblical Discipleship and mentoring interview with Many Demoss Wolgemuth Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor by Donna Otto Comparison Girl: Lessons from Jesus on Me-Free Living in a Measure-Up World✨Announcements in this episode ✨1️⃣ Our fall shop opening will be October 2nd-8th, one week only! It will feature TWO new fall dresses and all our books in print.2️⃣ Our next round of the 14 Day Meal Planning Bootcamp will kick off Oct 2nd. Grab your spot here: https://findingjoyshop.mykajabi.com/2023-14-day-meal-plan-bootcamp 3️⃣ We are kicking off a Get Dresses challenge over on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jamibalmet/ and in my community: http://findingjoycommunity.com/ Links and Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 7 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor:  Get 20% OFF @honeylove by going to honeylove.com/HOME  Our Sponsor: Head to acorns.com/home to download Acorns to start saving and investing for your future today!

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In this episode, Jami interviews the lovely Phylicia Masonheimer about anxiety and how to battle it biblically. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources:

Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Check out more from Phylicia here: phyliciamasonheimer.com Keep an eye out for episode 7 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/50homemaking and use code 50homemaking for 50% off plus 15% off the next 2 months!

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In this episode, Jami shares her own battle with anxiety and her journey through it. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I am so thankful to be able to sit here today and share that: anxiety does not dominate my life. I no longer struggle with panic attacks and while I absolutely can become anxious and have to battle against it often, anxiety is no longer the dominating force it once was.

Anxiety is something that we need to be talking about today because it’s something that so many of us struggle with and we have come to think is normal.

I had panic attacks as a teen and struggled greatly with anxiety, even though I didn’t know was it was. As a newly married 20-year-old, I ended up at the doctor with shooting pain in my chest, thinking I was having a heart attack. I went through rounds of tests and wearing heart monitors and stress tests, all to find out that I was having anxiety issues.

God taught me so much through that season. And I know he was bringing me through those trials at the time he did because he was equipping me for what was right around the corner: Having twins and then losing my mom suddenly when they were 10 months old, only to have a second set of twins 1 year later (so 4 babies, 2 and under), and so much physical stress and strain on my body.

Anxiety is a whole-bodied issue that goes far beyond “don’t stress as much”. Anxiety can be caused by so many issues and made worse by others. And so when we approach this topic of anxiety, we need to approach it from a holistic standpoint, meaning we need to look at our whole bodies and our whole lives.

Christians can tend to fall into one of two ditches: Either they ignore anxiety completely and don’t give good resources OR they go to the ultra-therapy side and leave God completely out of the discussion of dealing with anxiety. Thankfully, I see that trend changing and there are so many good holistic approaches to anxiety and our health today.

We well and truly can trust God 

This is honestly where so much of my stress came from. I was not trusting the Lord with my life, not really.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust he was sovereign, I did. But I trusted it so much that I was afraid it meant that Jason would be taken from me tomorrow. I had a warped view of God’s sovereignty and I didn’t realize it.

Until I read Jerry Bridge's book, Trusting God. In it, he so beautifully laid out what it means to trust God and that as our Heavenly Father, God does want our good. He will act according to his will, but he will also do this with our good in mind. We don’t need to fear what his sovereign hand will do. He does allow things to happen that are hard and painful, but we can trust Him in the process.

“That which should distinguish the suffering of believers from unbelievers is the confidence that our suffering is under the control of an all-powerful and all-loving God. Our suffering has meaning and purpose in God's eternal plan, and He brings or allows to come into our lives only that which is for His glory and our good.” 

“In the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God—truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are:

God is completely sovereign. God is infinite in wisdom. God is perfect in love.

Someone has expressed these three truths as they relate to us in this way: “God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom, He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty, He has the power to bring it about.”

It’s okay to not understand every little thing ““God’s plan and His ways of working out His plan are frequently beyond our ability to fathom and understand. We must learn to trust when we don’t understand.” 

We need to learn to trust that we don’t nor will know everything 

“God's guidance is almost always step-by-step; He does not show us our life's plan all at once....

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In this episode, Jami skirts around the controversial topic of parenting, particularly comparing older versus newer ways of doing it. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. There’s a reel going around, the 80's parent versus Millennial parent, and I think we need to address a few things.

In the comments, OVER and OVER again it was moms saying “I wish I could be the 80s mom!”

And now, this isn’t really about being an 80s mom versus being a millennial mom. 80s moms did things wrong too. There’s good info we do have access to today, there are times to be aware of what our children are doing.

But, I think this viral reel hits at the core of what a lot of us moms struggle with today. Access to too much information is not always a blessing. You google literally anything today and it’s going to eventually tell you to head to the ER because you are dying.

I am so thankful for the internet today, I am so thankful for access to good and useful information, but without a high level of discernment, the level of information we have access to can turn from being a blessing into a curse. Having SO many opinions and voices all screaming at us can crowd out our God-given discernment. We need to be careful that we are not letting other people’s opinions take over and crowd out what God is calling us to. When that anxiety and that overwhelm hits, are we off to see what our favorite IG influencer has to say or what Dr. Google recommends before and above praying and asking God for discernment in the situation? We can come to despise the older generations' advice, and this is a dangerous situation. Older moms, older generations, are where we should be getting our motherhood advice from. And when we end up in an echo chamber of just our own generation, on the internet, in often harmful chat rooms, we are not learning from older and wiser generations.

NOW, this can be actually quite tricky right now. I am fully acknowledging that. We are a generation right now that is changing things. In many ways, we are the generation that is turning the tide back to how our great-grandmothers lived and raised their children and we are having to figure out what that looks like in our modern world. This is not easy and there is no clear way to do this. It takes a high degree of discernment which comes through prayer and wisdom.

Just because we have access to more answers than our grandmother’s day, doesn’t actually mean we know more. Our children do not actually belong to us, they belong to the Lord. We need to trust that ultimately HE is the one in control, NOT us Ladies, we have a very false sense of security and control in our modern world. Thank the Lord, we don’t see high mortality rates in our babies. We don’t have to give birth to 15 children to just have 4 of them survive to adulthood. We have access to clean water, good food, doctors, medicine, and more.

A lot of this can lead us to think WE are in control. Yes, God asks us to be wise and to be self-disciplined. We have to work very hard to care for our children and take care of our households.

But this all needs to be done with the clear idea in mind that God is sovereign over our every breath. That he is the one that knows the exact minutes we will be on this earth and he cares so deeply for our children, that we can trust Him. Even when we don’t understand the big picture, we can trust AND we can recognize that we are not in control anyway. And that having anxiety about every morsel of food our kids eat, is mistrusting the Lord and doesn’t lead to a better outcome ANYWAY or more peace in our homes.

In the next two episodes, we are going to be dealing with the topic of fear and anxiety. So many of us can struggle, just like we talked about today, with anxiety over our kids and our everyday actions and decisions. But we can also have so much fear over the world and what’s happening.

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In this episode, Jami with the fantastic Alex from Sweet Siestas all about helping to solve children's sleep issues. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links and Resources:

Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com You can find Alex and her excellent sleep training at sweetsiestasllc.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 4 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor: Use our exclusive link to get 20% off - honeylove.com/HOME

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In this episode, Jami continues the planning discussion from episode 1 and digs into all the ways she's planning for the upcoming Fall season. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. In episode one of this season, we discussed 5 ways that we waste time as homemakers, and what we can do about it. Today we are taking this lesson one step further and discussing how we can actively plan for the next busy season.

I’m building out new schedules for the fall right now, let’s discuss how I’m doing it!

Brainstorm and dream On the way home from our recent road trip, Jason and I took some extended time to really talk through our plans and hopes for the fall. We both have some areas we want to work on and incorporate into our schedules. But we are trying to make sure that we are being realistic with these plans and not trying to jam-pack way too much into our schedule! So we started out just really talking about ideas, kind of like a brain dump. We both talked about health goals we both want to work on, things we’d love to add to homeschool, etc. It helped to have a time where we just kind of brain-dumped all the things! Go category by category through our plans After we had that more general brainstorming session, I then took my Kindle Scribe and went category by category into our plans through the rest of the year. Here’s what we discussed: 1. Our health goals 2. Homeschool objectives and we developed a schedule 3. Big work projects and WHEN they will happen. 4. We discussed the Christmas budget and what our ideas are for the kids this year. I now have my Christmas list done and I’m on the hunt! 5. Then personally, I have my own goals and plans to work on: my cleaning routine and meal planning around the house, etc. Make sure to look back over the last season to see what worked well and what didn’t.

It’s not just about productivity, it’s about designing a schedule that works well for our family

Be really clear on what your priorities truly are.

Remember, these priorities can change every few months.

Links and Resources:

Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for episode 3 of Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor: Go to magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME. Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/50homemaking and use code 50homemaking for 50% off plus free shipping!

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In this episode, Jami chats with the wonderful Melissa K. Norris all about food preservation. Listen in!

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Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Melissa's excellent book on food preservation: Everything Worth Preserving: The Complete Guide for Food Preservation at Home Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube Keep an eye out for Baking School with Jami coming this week: Baking School with Jami Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50! Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking50 and use code homemaking50 to get 50% off plus free shipping!

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In this first episode of Season 3, we're chatting about time wasters, and how to stop it. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Hello friends! Welcome back to my podcast, Finding Joy in Your Home. We are here for season 3 with some fun new changes. I’m going to give you a few announcements and then we will jump into today’s topic of wasting time as a homemaker, and what we can do about it.

Some of you right now are watching me over on YouTube as you listen to this podcast! As of this episode, my podcast is now also a video podcast over on YT. If you listen to the audio and you just want it to stay that way, that’s totally fine!

But as of this week, we are officially relaunching my YT channel in a big way! Each week we will be publishing my video podcast (if you want to watch on video or keep listening to audio). AND I have a brand new weekly show starting on YouTube called Baking School with Jami! Each week we will learn something new about baking and then make a new recipe together!

I’m convinced that the best way to learn to bake is by trying out just one new recipe a week and learning it as you go! And we are going to do this together during Baking School with Jami. For this show, you will need to hop over to YouTube to watch. Just go to BakingSchoolwithJami.com to find the link and to sign up to get the printables and recipes each week!

Now let’s get to today’s episode: 

It can so often feel like we are just spinning our wheels when it comes to getting things done. I have felt many times in my motherhood journey that I have been busy, busy, busy without actually getting much done.

How is it that we can feel pulled in so many directions but not actually making traction in the few areas that actually matter? As we kick off season 3, I think this is an important place to start.

I don’t know about you, but Fall always feels like such a busy time. School is kicking off again and with that comes new co-op opportunities, sports and activities, Bible studies, and the looming holidays.

I know that I’m going to blink and it will be January and we will be kicking off a New Year. So as I stare fall in the face and try to get my new schedules and routines together, I think this is a really important topic: How can we stop wasting time?

I think it’s so important, every new season, to reevaluate what’s working well and what isn’t. And a big thing for me, with so many modern distractions, is making sure I’m using my time well and not wasting my days away, which unfortunately is all too easy to do.

Do you need to be getting up earlier? And/or using your evenings better?

This is one I struggle with. I am GOOD at getting work done at night, but I struggle in establishing better morning routines. Some of you definitely don’t struggle with this and that’s awesome!

I’ve found the opposite to be true though too: If you are excellent at getting up early, then often that same person really struggles as they head into dinner time and the evening. So maybe you need to focus on ways to be more intentional with your time as the evening hits.

Take a really honest assessment of your day, what is it that you need to focus on when it comes to wasting time? We thrive so much better when I’m up before the kids, have done my devotional, had my coffee, and can really hit the ground running with our full homeschool day kicking into action at 8 am. It’s better for all of us, I just have to really work at this sometimes!

Get dressed for the day. 

This is huge for those of us who are home all day. As a younger stay-at-home mom, I was in my PJs most of the day. It was more comfortable to just stay comfy. But I’ve realized over the years, this greatly hampers my productivity. When I get up and am dressed by 8am, our day just starts. It’s like this terrific signal that it’s time to get busy and be productive.

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In this final episode of Season 2, we're going to talk about learning to cook, bake, and make all sorts of things. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. When @jasonbalmet and I got married 14 years ago, I had ZERO cooking skills. No, seriously. My skill set included top ramen (which we use to eat uncooked with the seasoning sprinkled on top as kids. 😂 Anyone else do that??)and microwaving frozen burritos. I didn’t know how to cook anything, meal plan, meal prep, grocery shop, compare prices…you get the idea. But when we got married, my domesticity snapped into place and I knew I needed to figure out how to cook and manage my kitchen. I knew that the time we had before kids was the most free time we would likely ever have again (and did I mention we were both working full time and finishing college full time). I’m not sure how I had that wisdom back then, but I’m so glad God gave me that mission to take it seriously to learn how to cook. But it was a sloooow process. For the past 14 years, I feel like I’ve had a crash course in cooking, but in tiny weekly baby steps. For about the first 3 years of marriage, Friday night was my night to experiment with cooking. For years, I consistently picked one new recipe a week to cook. Many recipes failed. Some burned. Some were inedible. Some were fine. And some were surprisingly good. But persist I did. And the failures became less and less and the winners became more and more. I still have a looooong list of things I’d like to learn. And really, that list now more just stuff I want to get into a regular habit of making since my skills in the kitchen have grown so much (Praise God)! I’m a very simple cook. I cook a lot of just real foods. I’m not fancy but I’ve learned how to feed my family 🙌😍I want to encourage you: if you feel a huge desire to take control of your kitchen, there is hope! Start with one small task at a time. Pick one new recipe and go from there. What I’m going to be tackling next: I’m finally ready to jump back into sourdough. But this time, I’ll be tackling sourdough from freshly ground whole grains. It’s a whole new challenge 😅 But I’m ready for it 💪 So on Instagram, I asked what items you guys wanted to learn how to make/bake/cook and today I’m going to share the responses with some advice from me on how to get started. I asked them to fill in a box that said “I want to learn to cook/bake/make _____”  Just using my pressure canner: This is such a fun goal! Pressure canning is really fun but can also feel totally overwhelming. My go to cookbook for pressure canning is The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning: https://amzn.to/3YbSVis  For anyone who really wants to learn how to can but you are a total newbie, I highly recommend learning first how to water bath can. It’s like low stakes canning. All you need is a big pot (as opposed to an actual pressure canner)! But it will help you learn the basics of sanitizing the jars, canning the food, checking the food, checking that it seals, etc. Then when you venture into pressure canning, it’s a lot easier!  And I have a new book that is one my wish list currently! I got to interview Melissa K Norris recently, her interview will be here on the podcast in a few weeks. Her new book looks so good Everything Worth Preserving: https://amzn.to/43PmSWK  Kombucha:  Kombucha is so fun!! It’s scary at first. But give yourself time to get the hang of it and then it’s so simple to keep it going weekly.  Last year we did a fun experiment and brewed Kombucha and Jun tea at the same time to test out all the flavors. My favorite resource: The Big Book of Kombucha: https://amzn.to/3OxHheK And I binged watched this YouTube channel when I was first starting out and watched all her episodes: https://www.youtube.com/@YouBrewKombucha  Farmhouse teas is where we get all of our kombucha flavorings and tea for making kombucha!!

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What is tea, and the difference between types of tea? What are the nutritional values of tea and how are the nutrients found in true tea good for you? Jami interviews tea expert Marla in today's episode to answer all those questions and more. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Let's take a look at herbal teas (tisanes) and how you can create your own types of herbal teas. What are some simple tips/tricks to look for when deciding what herbs to use to create your teas? A couple of easy herbal tea blends you can make, using herbs you may have in your own herb garden.

Marla is the woman behind the MaraBette & Co, Tea and Hospitality, LLC, a wife, daughter, friend. She is an unconventional, God- loving tea & hospitality enthusiast with a no-nonsense approach to helping people discover the joy of hospitality and serving, through the time-honored art of taking tea and having afternoon tea. Through her company, MaraBette & Co, Marla has established a unique line of artisan teas reflecting the love of family, home, friendship, & hospitality, bringing to many a new sense of wonder through her many tea blends. Links and Resources:

Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Book Recommendation: Growing Your Own Tea Garden; The Guide To Growing & Harvesting FlavorfulTeas In Your Backyard-By Jodi Helmer Book Recommendation: Homegrown Tea; An Illustrated Guide To Planting, harvesting, & blending teas & tisanes-By Cassie Liversidge Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/home. Our Sponsor: Go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout for 20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier.

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For many years, I’ve functioned well with a loose meal planning system. I needed my days to be extremely flexible and it’s worked well for the most part. This past year or so I’ve felt the need to take my meal planning to a new level but getting things more planned out and a bit more rigid, but still with the flexibility I need. Today I’m discussing the new rotating seasonal meal plan I’ve been talking about. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I am excited to say that my first of 4 meal plans, my summer plan is almost done. Today I’m going to give you a run down of how this is working and what I’ve been learning about meal planning along the way.  As the manager of my home, the kitchen is such a large area of responsibility that can either run like a well oiled machine or feel like complete and utter chaos. The past 6 months has seen more chaos than I’d like. So I’m going back to the drawing board and asking “What does my meal planning need in this new busy season?”  I’ve come up with my plan: Rotating seasonal meal plans. My goals are a few: 1) To make more food from scratch in order to save money 2) Increase the health of my families food so that we all have vitality and energy to tackle the things that God has called us to and 3) Free up brain space and put more of my meal planning on autopilot for smoother routines. 

The most important thing to me for finally getting to this more advanced level of meal planning, is having family favorite recipes down. If you are in a stage of need to meal plan for the first time, I suggest you come up with a loose plan that allows you to try out new recipes and hone those recipes that your family loves. Don’t just drift through life and meal planning, come up with a plan to figure out those recipes and save them.  Decide on a meal plan and then stick to it. Honestly a huge part of meal planning is literally just having the discipline to stick to it.  With that said, start with the simplest version of meal planning that you can and build from there (the MVP idea).  Stick with it and develop it as you go so that it makes sense for your family! 

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Our Sponsor:Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping! Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. Check out our bookstore opening through 7/21 at FindingJoyBookstore.com And join our meal planning bootcamp at FindingJoyShop.com

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In today’s episode, Jami chats with Jason all about their mid year reading goal statuses. They also discuss their plans to read more classics, as well as introduce them to their kids, as well as how they are raising their kids to love reading as much as they do. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor:Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking50 and use code homemaking50 to get 50% off plus free shipping. Our Sponsor: Go to magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME.

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In today’s episode, Jami interviews Jill Winger of The Prairie Homestead all about growing community and her upcoming book, Old-Fashioned on Purpose. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Jill can be found over at her amazing website www.theprairiehomestead.com and on instagram @jill.winger Her excellent podcast can be found at podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/old-fashioned-on-purpose/id1475835329 Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and, depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 40% off.

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In today’s episode, Jami interviews Brettnay Brazzell of No Higher Calling all about hymns and the value of teaching them to your children. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Brettnay can be found over on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nohighercalling Her excellent podcast can be found at https://nohighercalling.org/no-higher-calling-podcast/ Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% Off! Use our exclusive link to get 20% off - honeylove.com/HOME. Our Sponsor: Get 20% OFF any AquaTru water purifier when you go to AquaTru.com and use code “HOME”.

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In today’s episode, Jami answers lots of your questions about meal planning. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: Go to https://www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME! Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for 16 free meals plus free shipping!

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In today’s episode, Jami is going to share her fun plan for making a year's worth of meal plans and how to do it simply! She shares 5 steps she's using to create these plans. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My Goal: I am really excited about this. Over the next month and a half, my goal is to make a year’s worth of meal plans so that I can put my meal planning on autopilot. But I’m not actually making 52 weeks of meal plans.  I am going to make rotating, seasonal meal plans. I will take each season, broken down into 3 months and create one 4-week meal plan for that season. So summer will have the summer meal plan which consists of 4 weeks of meals, without a ton of repetition in meals. So June, I’ll pull out my summer meal plan and go. July hits and the 4 weeks start over and then again in August.  Once September hits, it’s time to pull out the Fall meal plan. I’m planning on adding in some easy changes for when your week gets off built right into the meal plan, but in this simple way, I’m going to not only be able to develop a year’s worth of meal plans very easily, but also do it seasonally.  How I’m going to do it: 

Figure out some seasonal guidelines. Things like: more ice cream recipes and fresh produce in the summer, pumpkin, gourds, and squashes in the Fall, soups and comfort food in the winter, and so forth I also want to plan around things like: There’s more time for baking in the fall & winter and lots of fun holidays to do so, I don’t want to heat the summer up as much from the oven, so more easy crockpot, bbq, and simple recipes.  Pantry  Put together my first 4-week meal plan, and then spend 2 months adjusting it. This is where I think the simple part of this will come in. I can spend the time up front to make my first meal plan and then spend a month or two tweaking it. As I pull it out again for the next month, I’ll be able to adjust it and take notes!  Put together an individual binder per season. I will have the full meal plan, a calendar view, all the recipes, prep ahead instructions, and grocery list in each binder. This will also allow me to stick other seasonal recipes I come across or want to try into the binder that’s easy to pull out when we need it.  I’m going to aim for a simple version first. As I play with it, I can perfect it and even add to it if I want. What I don’t want to happen is that I make this incredible meal plan that there is no way I can follow. 

I’m doing the pre-work right now in June. I’m gathering recipes, starting to think through season changes, and getting the printables all created and ready to go. July 5th is when I’m starting. I’m committing to 20-30 minutes per day to get my first meal plan totally created and in progress. I don’t have hours a day to commit to this right now. So I’m going to just steal a few minutes each day to work on it and I hope you join us!! 

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Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to get 60% off plus free shipping.

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In today’s episode, Jami is sharing 3 seasons of waiting that her family has walked through, and what God has taught them along the way. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. When my mom died, it took 6 months to get her toxicology reports back. In this season of grief and not understanding, I had to turn to the Lord again and again in my grief, in my anger, and in my utter inability to fix any of it.  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7) When we tried to sell our house, the market was raging hot, it crashed the week we listed our house and took 12 months to sell. In a season of financial struggle, we learned a lot about trusting the Lord and thanking him for every single dollar that comes in.  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?[g] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” - Matthew 6:25-33 When we desired another baby and it took 12 months to conceive, we had to come really to grips with the fact that we are NOT in control of our fertility in any way, shape, or manner and that we can choose peace and contentment no matter what.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6) Now, we find ourselves in a season of waiting once again. We are ready and excited for the next step of building our homestead. We feel a certain amount of excitement and impatience since it feels like our kids are growing so old, so fast.  But God has said not yet. He is asking us to be patient and to trust him. And so once again, we find ourselves in this season of waiting on the Lord, trusting in Him.  And these seasons of waiting have taught me many things: 

To plan well, to be a wise steward of what God has given us, and then sit back and be totally content with how God leads. When he opens a door you will know, when he closes a door, you can praise Him.  When everything feels impossible to line up, if it’s God’s will, it will line up. We well and truly can trust in all of the Bible verses urging us to trust in the Lord.  It’s often in the waiting that God is refining us, molding us, and shaping us. Before we had kids, before I had lost my mom, and before I had really encountered very many hard things as an adult, I struggled greatly with anxiety. Now, I can hardly fathom why I struggled with it so much since what I was dealing with and facing then feels so minor to the things I have walked through since. But it was an intense season of anxiety none the less. And through that season, God was teaching me.

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In today’s episode, Jami answers your questions on all things homeschooling. Listen in!

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Questions Answered in the Episode:

Q: Teaching how to read: https://amzn.to/3N1QOKn

‘DASHIN UINTO LEARNING READERS

TGATB READERS

Q: Reassurance that when we find a curriculum that continues to work it’s okay to stick with it. Sometimes I feel like my kids will miss out on all the other amazing options out there.

I get it! With so many terrific options out there, it can really feel overwhelming and hard to choose. What I like to do is add in a lot of quality reading, this way, I know we are still hitting all kinds of amazing things!

Q: Curriculum Recommendations for Age 5?

MasterBooks, The Good and the Beautiful, And Gather Round.

Q: My son ins’t in the correct grade level – is that normal? Finishing 1st, going into 3rd.

One of the most beautiful things about homeschooling is the ability to tailor the education to your child. Who says that every single subject needs to be taught and mastered at the exact same age? Do adults function like that? Or do we all learn different things at different paces. I use grades as a general guideline to help me moving forward, but only you know your child well enough to know what they need!

Q: General Words of wisdom? Starting K this year

You’ve got this! I know it feels so hard and overwhelming. But K-3rd is a LOT of play and reading. Stick to that and you are golden. Also, read some homeschooling books to get a good idea of homeschooling trips and tricks.

Q: How homeschool daily routine looks like schooling multiple kids?

We try and bunch together subjects as much as possible. The only thing each kid does on their own at their grade level is math, everything else is done as a group.

Gather Round or unit studies is a great way to do this. Especially for K-5th, it’s easy for everyone to study the same thing at a time. Once 5th and beyond, the kids can much more easily study subjects on their own.

8am: daily worksheets & handwriting during breakfast.

9am: Morning basket time & Biblio Plan & current GR unit, & then math.

Done with regular school by noon.

Lunch break

Afternoon we do other fun, hands on things. We do art lessons twice a week and a music lessons twice a week. This is also free play art time, play outside, work on coding, quilting, or knitting a hat. No electronic, tv time, or playing until 4pm.

4pm until dinner they can then play.

Fridays are project Fridays!

Q: Do you use a curriculum or make your own?

Well now, sorta both since we are creating homesteading units! But mostly, I don’t make my own.

Q: Do you bind your books that you print off?

Yes! I have a binding machine that is amazing. It’s saved us thousands of dollars. This year we are trying a new method though in 3 ring notebooks.

Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout to get 20% off! * Our Sponsor:* Go to MagicMind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME.

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In today’s episode, Jami invites Jason on to the show to discuss all things tech. They each share what they’re currently doing to control tech in their lives, and they also go into details on how they handle tech with their kids. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for 16 free meals
plus free shipping! * Our Sponsor:* Get 15% Off at dockatot.com with the code HOME.

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In today’s episode, Jami fills you in on allllllllll her homeschool plans for the next school year. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * For Math this year: We are going back to using The Good and the Beautiful. We will be doing Math 5, Math 4, and Math 2. https://www.goodandbeautiful.com/pre-k-8-curriculum/math/ * We will be starting BiblioPlan: Ancient History in about 2 weeks: https://www.biblioplan.net/ * We will do a few Gather Round Science Units spread throughout the year: Rocks & Minerals, Human Body, and Dinosaurs to start * In the Fall we will be starting IEW for language arts for the 4 older boys: https://iew.com/taxonomy/term/7/?f%5B0%5D=im_field_grade_level%3A7 We will be doing their Grade 3-5th. And Magnolia will do TGATB Level 2 Language Arts since it’s free to print off. If we end up not wanting to finish it, I may switch her to MasterBooks language arts, we will see how the year goes. * Mid year: We will add in a typing course for 4 older boys around January. * We do Art Lessons twice a week. We look up Bob Ross painting videos, watch Kids Art Hub, and find other drawing, painting and art classes online for free. One of my sons really wants to take a full illustrating course, so I will find a good one for him to take. * We do music lessons 3 times per week. We take online classes from https://prodigies.com/ * We use Project Friday to explore additional hands on skills and training. Most of our Project Friday’s lately have been coming from our own new homesteading curriculum: https://findingjoybookstore.com/collections/sterling-spectacles-homeschool * The Talk by Luke and Trisha Gilkerson: https://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/store/product/the-talk/ Jason went through book 1 with the older boys last year, he’s doing book 1 with the middle twins right now, and will start book 2 sometime this year with the older boys. We highly recommend the series! * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and, depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 40% off! * Our Sponsor:* For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50.

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In today’s episode, Jami welcomes Jason on and together they discuss their secrets, superpowers, and kryptonite when it comes to productivity. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to get 60% off plus free shipping! * Our Sponsor:* Go to magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME!

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In today’s episode, Jami gives a good peek into her planning process and thoughts for the coming months. Listen in!

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Planning:

• Revamping my mornings: 6-7am: Bible, coffee, get ready time. 7-8am: 30 min instagram, 30 min current project
• Planning time in realistic chunks.
• Tighter homeschool plans.
• Putting fun things on the calendar: We want to go swimming at least 2x a month, make a list of Oklahoma state parks to visit.
• Canning & Gardening: Making lists & plans and doing them
• Taking time to develop my new meal plans

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In today’s episode, Jami goes into detail on her top 5 ways she’s planning to cut costs this year. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * A healthy bread with most meals: + I’ve gotten into really good routines now with making my own bread products and other flour products. And I’ve found, that with a growing family, adding in as many bread products as I can, helps not only with cost but in keeping those bellies full without sacrificing health. + IDEAS: - English muffins, butter, and eggs for breakfast - Ezekiel Waffles for breakfast - Bean, egg, and cheese breakfast burritos for breakfast - Making 4 sandwich loaves a week: * PB&J * Grilled Cheese * Toast on the side with raw butter - Dinners: * Easy artisan loaves with dinners * Homemade tortillas * Herb & Cheese muffins with dinner, etc. * Getting back to making my own pantry staples. * Homemade cleaning items again. + I’ve started first with laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. * Growing & Preserving more of my own food. This might be limited a bit this year, but working on it none the less * Much more consistent meal plans. I’d like to develop four weeks of rotating meal plans for each season! I think this will start in the summer. We’ll see how it goes, and I’ll share what I learn as I go. * Our Sponsor: You will receive 20% OFF any AquaTru purifier! Just go to AquaTru.com and enter code “HOME” at checkout. * Our Sponsor:* Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking50 and use code homemaking50 for 50% off, plus your first box ships free!

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In today’s episode, Jami shares the Balmet family’s tips and encouragement for traveling and adventuring with kids, whether on a big road trip or just a simple day out. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Head to airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME and, depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 40% off. You are saving UP TO 40% off! * Our Sponsor:* Go to magicmind.co/home to get up to 56% off your first subscription in the next 10 days and 20% off your one time purchase with HOME.

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Are you feeling frazzled right now? Maybe overwhelmed as you look to the end of the year and a start of a new one? I’ve been feeling that a lot this year so I had to remind myself: There is important Kingdom work for me to do each day. I just need to refocus enough to see it. We are going to talk about the right priorities today:

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 * Our Sponsor:* Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to get 60% off plus
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In today’s episode, Jami answers listener questions about homeschooling, housekeeping, attending conferences with kids, sleep training, and more. Listen in!

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HOME. * Supplements for Jason and Jami’s Pond Water Drink:* + Thorne Magnesium Bisglycinate + Trace Mineral Drops + ChlorOxygen

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In today’s episode, Jami talks all about what homeschooling has looked like for the Balmet family lately, and she also shares some of things she’s changing up for the upcoming school year. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 for 60% off plus free
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In today’s episode, Jami interviews Jason about family worship and how he handles it. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Join our new meal planning challenge, kicked off 3/8!! Join here. * Our Sponsor: Go to https://www.magicmind.co/home and get up to 56% off your subscription for the next 10 days with my code HOME. * Our Sponsor:Get 20% OFF @honeylove with promo code HOME at https://www.honeylove.com/HOME! * For Bible Reading Ideas: + Family Worship Bible Guide - Has comments and notes for every single chapter in the bible. - You can just use it alongside your bible, and read it to help the kids understand the scripture you are reading. + Beginning: Family Worship in Genesis - It has you read a passage of scripture, explains what was read, and then asks some questions to see what the kids are retaining. - It also comes with an excellent list of bible verses to memorize. + The Biggest Story Bible Storybook - Bible stories illustrated + The Child’s Story Bible - The entire bible written for children to understand. * For Book Reading Ideas: + Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-Week Family Worship Plan + The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden + The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior + The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New + WonderFull: Ancient Psalms Ever New + I Am: 40 Bible Stories, Devotions, and Prayers About the Names of God + Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans (Prayers of the Church) + Valley of Vision + Be Thou My Vision: A Liturgy for Daily Worship + The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross + The Lightlings + The Prince’s Poison Cup + The Donkey Who Carried a King + The Priest with Dirty Clothes * For learning more about Family Worship: + Family Worship (Family Guidance Series) - Joel Beeke + Family Driven Faith: Doing What It Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God - Voddie Baucham + Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead Their Homes - Voddie Baucham + Family Discipleship: Leading Your Home through Time, Moments, and Milestones - Matt Chandler + Family Worship: : In the Bible, In History, and In Your Home - Donald Whitney + Bringing the Gospel to Covenant Children - Joel Beeke * Catechism Memorization + Westminster Shorter Catechism - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43RFL2mE46Ou0H45pNvjHw * Singing Suggestions:* + All I Have is Christ + When We See Your Face + And Can It Be? + I Love to Tell the Story + It is Well with My Soul + Blessed Assurance + His Mercy is More + The Solid Rock

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In today’s episode, Jami introduces her new series here on the podcast and answers a handful of listener questions. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Join our new meal planning challenge, kicked off 3/8!! Join here. * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to get 60% off plus
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In today’s episode, Jason and Jami are chatting about their 2023 reading challenge, where they are at, their favorite books of the year, and their reading themes for the rest of 2023. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Join our new meal planning challenge, kicks off 3/8!! Join here. * Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com/home with the code
HOME. Use code HOME at honeylove.com/HOME. * Our Sponsor:* Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free
shipping!

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One of the primary things that God has tasked us with is managing our homes well. But managing our homes is actually quite a large task. How do we do this well? What do we do in overwhelming seasons? How can be pivot and make changes on the ground when needed? We will dive into all of this and more! Listen in.

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Find our new homestead unit studies here: Sterling Spectacles Homeschool Kickstarter * Our Sponsor: For sustained, healthy energy check out MagicMind.co/HOME and use coupon code: HOME for 56% off subscriptions and 20% off one time orders. * Our Sponsor:* Check out Organize365.com for all your organization needs!

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One of our family goals is so learn real life, hands-on skills. We want to learn together as a family and teach our kids who can pass this on to the next generation. In today’s episode, we are going to chat about the WHY behind this and some practical ways to incorporate it into daily life. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Find our new homestead unit studies here: Sterling Spectacles Homeschool Kickstarter * Download by Soft Pretzels recipe here * Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping! * Our Sponsor: Head to Airdoctorpro.com and use promo code HOME* and, depending on the model, you’ll receive UP TO 40% off.

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I’ve got some big household/family goals for this year. They revolve around food preservation, routines, and even some gardening. Listen in as I discuss my 5 household goals for this next year.

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60* to get 60% off plus free shipping.

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If you feel like your schedule is out of control and you are doing too much, but you don’t know how to simplify, then this episode is for you. I got the chance to sit down with Alyssa from Your Unbusy Life and she shared how she plans 2 weeks at a time, her meal planning secrets, how to declutter and simplify when you have 5 kids, and more! Listen in.

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Links & Resources:* Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Spring cookbook orders end on 2/6 for my cookbook!! Find out about it here * Check out Alyssa Your Unbusy Life * Alyssa’s printable pack * The Unbusy Mom Podcast

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In the last few years, I’ve been working on building up a bulk pantry. I’ve been working on learning how to cook more from scratch and bulk buy raw ingredients to make it more affordable! Today we are discussing WHY building a bulk pantry can be amazing for your house. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking21 and use code homemaking21 for 21 free meals plus free shipping! * Our Sponsor: Get 2 full meal plans for FREE from PrepDish.com/homemaking* * Spring cookbook orders on 1/30 for my cookbook!! Find out about it here

So why are we all here talking about building up a bulk pantry?1. God calls us to be wise stewards

We’ve been FAR too disconnected from our current supply chain.

“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also seven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.” – Genesis 41:25-36

2. Are we headed into supply chain issues?

One of my goals is to decrease how far my food is coming from. So if I can first try to buy a lot more from within my own country and then second, within my own local county!

3. What about food shortages?

Again, we could be heading for some food shortages. Certainly in some areas of food.

Being able to build up a bulk pantry helps you to weather these storms really well. If something your family depended on weekly or daily was gone for 6 months, would you be okay? Building up a wise bulk pantry ensures that you will be!

4. Beating back against rising food prices

And this is the real winner. I know food costs are rising. I know with gas increasing and inflation setting it, it can feel scary!

Building up a bulk pantry helps you guard against all of this. You can buy things at their lowest and never have to buy at the highest. It helps insulate you from shortages and other things. And it helps you weather an unexpected job loss or financial crises a lot better.

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Welcome to our annual life and ministry update! Jason is joining me on this episode. Today we are debriefing about all our travels and business projects from 2022 and settling in Oklahoma. Then looking ahead to all that we are planning for 2023 – and beyond.. Join us for a fun and exciting chat!

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Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: For a limited time get 15% Off at dockatot.com with the code HOME. * Our Sponsor: Treat yourself to the best shapewear on the market and save 20% Off at honeylove.com with the code HOME*.

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Woohoo! I am so excited to be finally sharing our 2023 Christian Reading Challenge with you. In today’s podcast episode, we are looking back over our 2022 reading challenge, discussing our favorite books we read, and sharing our new goals for 2023! Listen in.

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Jason & Jami’s 2022 Reading Goal:We both set big goals for this year, and neither of us are hitting it! But that’s okay because I feel like we both had great reading years. And that’s really all that matters.

Jason read: 80 books for the year (out of 104 goal)

Jami read: 65 books for the year (out of 104 goal)

Our goals are 104 books again for 2023. But this year we both have some additional reading that we are setting as goals. Listen to the episode to hear.

Jason and Jami’s Top Books Read in 2022:* Bread of Life: Savoring the All-Satisfying Goodness of Jesus through the Art of Bread Making – https://amzn.to/3ZBtpn7 * I Will Build My Church – https://amzn.to/3WfEmYO * The Time-Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most – https://amzn.to/3XAZgTo * Ruler of Kings: Toward a Christian Vision of Government – https://amzn.to/3H98kth * Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home – https://amzn.to/3w5JDHH * Little House on the Prairie – https://amzn.to/3kldcCi * Anne of Green Gables – https://amzn.to/3QPzrfZ * The Christ of the Covenants – https://amzn.to/3w8VWTM * Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones – https://amzn.to/3XB2RR1 * The Space Trilogy – https://amzn.to/3XzErYo * The Faithful and the Fallen – https://amzn.to/3XA40bA * The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again – https://amzn.to/3XjLvIP

Books in 2023 we want to read:* Lord of the Rings – https://amzn.to/3XjLPY3 * The Silmarillion – https://amzn.to/3izzIXW * The Fall of Númenor: And Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth – https://amzn.to/3kkawoL * The Fall Of Gondolin – https://amzn.to/3kknTFq * Beren And Lúthien – https://amzn.to/3INMkFt * The Reformation: A History – https://amzn.to/3ZCStu4

Choose your own 2023 reading goal: We are doing our reading challenge for you guys a bit differently this year. If you want to use last year’s format, you can head over and print it out here. This year we are giving you lots of categories and book suggestions and encouraging you to pick your own goal.

My personal favorite goal to do if you are just starting out is 24 books for the year. This is roughly 2 books per month. And if you look at the typical non-fiction Christian book, it will have about 12 chapters. Read about 1 chapter per day and you can easily read 2 books per month! But it does take focus to hit that.

Book Recommendations Per Category:Church History Books* Church History in Plain Language – Bruce Shelley – https://amzn.to/3bM2mhN * 2000 Years of Christ’s Power – Nick Needham – https://amzn.to/3bRva8C * Introduction to the History of Christianity – Tim Dowley – https://amzn.to/3yJQbMr * The Unquenchable Flame – Michael Reeves – https://amzn.to/3fDizqC * The Reformation – Stephen Nichols – https://amzn.to/3i3AsBZ * Meet the Puritans – Joel Beeke & Randall Pederson – https://amzn.to/34ao4I6 * For Us and For Our Salvation – Stephen Nichols – https://amzn.to/34eZ2HS * Evangelicalism Divided – Iain Murray – https://amzn.to/3uhND4z * A Scottish Christian Heritage – Iain Murray – https://amzn.to/3wsPIvW * Epic: An Around-The-World Journey Through Christian History – Tim Challies – https://amzn.to/2SpO5AB * Church History 101 – Sinclair Ferguson – https://amzn.to/3vnO92g * In the Year of Our Lord – Sinclair Ferguson – https://amzn.to/2SpOfYJ

Womanhood Books* Enough about Me: Find Lasting Joy in the Age of Self – Jen Oshman – https://amzn.to/3fhdmWv * Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul-Deep Strength in a Skin-Deep World – Phylicia Masonheimer – https://amzn.to/3ur1fe1 * You’re Not Enough (And That’s Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love – Allie Beth Stuckey – https://amzn.to/2Rzp0TL * Glimpses of Grace: Treasuring the Gospel in Your Home – Gloria Furman – https://amzn.to/2QSUm7u * Women’s Ministry in the Local Church – J. Ligon Duncan & Susan Hunt – https://amzn.to/3i3x1ez * Helper By Design – Elyse Fitzpatrick – https://amzn.to/3ur1ENz * Twelve Extraordinary Women – John MacArthur – https://amzn.to/3wvrgdj * Running on Empty – Barbara Bancroft – https://amzn.to/3oKpyCl * Attitudes of a Transformed Heart – Martha Peace – https://amzn.to/2T6Y1z4 * Women Living Well – Courtney Joseph – https://amzn.to/3uhJy0f * Spiritual Mothering – Susan Hunt – https://amzn.to/3ul0oLA * Radical Womanhood – Carolyn McCulley – https://amzn.to/3oO6fIs * The Measure of Success – Carolyn McCulley – https://amzn.to/2TfWsPz * True Feelings – Carolyn Mahaney – https://amzn.to/3yASfpP * Girl’s Club – Sally Clarkson – https://amzn.to/2RHvW13 * The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood – Susan Hunt – https://amzn.to/34aZhUl * Flourish – Lydia Brownback – https://amzn.to/3hQDeKz * Eve in Exile – Rebekah Merkle – https://amzn.to/34eeSCu

Theology Books* Everyone’s a Theologian – RC Sproul – https://amzn.to/2T2l7qz * The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship – Robert Letham – https://amzn.to/3ve6kqZ * Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals – Gavin Ortlund – https://amzn.to/3oIAsbx * Redemption Accomplished and Applied – John Murray – https://amzn.to/34dgXi5 * Visual Theology – Tim Challies – https://amzn.to/2REYZlS * Concise Theology – J.I. Packer – https://amzn.to/3498BI7 * Fundamentals of the Faith – John MacArthur – https://amzn.to/34cTAoG * Expository Apologetics – Voddie Baucham Jr. – https://amzn.to/3oMxvqv * Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine – Wayne Grudem – https://amzn.to/3wyANR7 * What We Believe – R.C. Sproul – https://amzn.to/3hNObwk * The Doctrines of Grace – James Montgomery Boice – https://amzn.to/3oJaSDB * Practical Religion – J. C. Ryle – https://amzn.to/347g3Ua * Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief – John Frame – https://amzn.to/3oFSV8T * Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof – https://amzn.to/3bKpFbx * Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth – John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue – https://amzn.to/34bx3J8 * The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way – Michael Horton – https://amzn.to/3umZpuF * Reformed Dogmatics (Single Volume Edition): A System of Christian Theology – Geerhardus Vos – https://amzn.to/2SeF90J * A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life – Joel Beeke – https://amzn.to/34b2YcE * Reformation Theology: A Systematic Summary – Matthew Barrett – https://amzn.to/3fDmXG4 * What Is Reformed Theology?: Understanding the Basics – RC Sproul – https://amzn.to/3bNEpXq * Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine – Gregg Allison – https://amzn.to/3fE28KP * Systematic Theology – Robert Letham – https://amzn.to/3un4fYR

Manhood Books* God’s Design for Man and Woman – Andreas & Margaret Kostenberger – https://amzn.to/3fICdBo * The Masculine Mandate – Richard D. Phillips – https://amzn.to/3ucomIX * Disciplines of a Godly Man – R. Kent Hughes – https://amzn.to/34aMSzG * A Guide to Biblical Manhood – Randy Stinson – https://amzn.to/2ShpI80 * Biblical Manhood – Stuart Scott – https://amzn.to/3viegHK * We Became Men: The Journey into Manhood – Shawn Brower – https://amzn.to/3oOUP75 * Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole – Eric Mason – https://amzn.to/2QJPsJL * What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him – Byron Forrest Yawn – https://amzn.to/347q43K * No More Excuses – Tony Evans – https://amzn.to/3fdHUbO * Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer – J. Oswald Chambers – https://amzn.to/3yw9atF * The Conviction to Lead – Albert Mohler – https://amzn.to/3hO832G * The Book on Leadership – John MacArthur – https://amzn.to/3oIIkKi

Marriage Books* 100 Ways to Love Your Wife – Matt Jacobson – https://amzn.to/3vf8JSs * 100 Ways to Love Your Husband – Lisa Jacobson – https://amzn.to/3fKTBpw * The Five Love Languages – Gary Chapman – https://amzn.to/3yxxJGq * 52 Things Wives Need From Their Husbands – Jay Payleitner – https://amzn.to/3vikGGX * 52 Things Husbands Need From Their Wives – Jay Payleitner – https://amzn.to/2QJPNMF * The Exemplary Husband – Stuart Scott – https://amzn.to/3fbdbMs * The Excellent Wife – Martha Peace – https://amzn.to/2SiB9MT * What Did You Expect? – Paul David Tripp – https://amzn.to/3oIY2VV * Living in a Godly Marriage – Joel Beeke – https://amzn.to/3fah3x4 * Sweethearts for a Lifetime – Wayne and Carol Mack – https://amzn.to/3wssExj * Marriage Matters – Winston Smith – https://amzn.to/3u8tBJP * You and Me Forever – Francis Chan – https://amzn.to/3veuD8m * The Meaning of Marriage – Timothy Keller – https://amzn.to/3fdt98F * When Sinners Say “I Do” – Dave Harvey – https://amzn.to/3oJrs5W * This Momentary Marriage – John Piper – https://amzn.to/2QHlV3m * Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God – CJ Mahaney – https://amzn.to/3wtTsNE * Feminine Appeal – Carolyn Mahaney – https://amzn.to/2T7FsuB * Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make – Paul David Tripp – https://amzn.to/348f8Tk * Love That Lasts – Gary and Betsy Ricucci – https://amzn.to/3vimO1p * Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be – Christopher Ash – https://amzn.to/3yAxbj2 * The Intimate Marriage – RC Sproul – https://amzn.to/3vits82 * Strengthening Your Marriage – Wayne Mack – https://amzn.to/3bNX5pI * Helper by Design – Elyse Fitzpatrick – https://amzn.to/3vibaU8 * Tying the Knot Tighter – Martha Peace and John Crotts – https://amzn.to/3fd5Hsn

Biography:

• The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert – Rosario Butterfield
• Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon
• Becoming Elisabeth Elliot – Ellen Vaughn
• The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther – Steven J. Lawson
• The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon – Steve J. Lawson
• The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards – Steven J. Lawson
• The Passionate Preaching of Martyn Lloyd-Jones – Steven J. Lawson
• Owen on the Christian Life by Matthew Barrett
• Edwards on the Christian Life by Dane Ortlund
• Heroes by Iain Murray
• Devoted by Tim Challies
• The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon by Steve J. Lawson
• The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven J. Lawson

Money & Finances:

• You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham
• The Complete Financial Guide for Young Couples by Larry Burkett
• Money, Posessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn
• Managing God’s Money by Randy Alcorn
• The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Christian Classics:

• A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin
• Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian in Community by Bonhoeffer
• Heretics – G. K. Chesterton
• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
• The Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis
• The Apostolic Fathers
• The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders
• All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon (hint hint: You can listen through this book for free here)

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How do we build our homes as Christian women? How do we juggle the housework and taking care of our families WHILE actively building our homes and future generations? How can we be legacy minded with routines and schedules? Let’s dive in!

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Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking60 and use code homemaking60 to 60% off plus free shipping * Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50*

First, we need to see what Scripture says about the household. Our faith is very practical.

“But as for you, teach what accords with sound[a] doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” – Titus 2: 1-8

Our faith is meant to be passed down

Duet: 6:4-9: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[b] 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

What this means: the way we live and run our households matters greatly. From the dusting, to the diaper changes. From the cooking to the cuddling up and reading a book, both the actual work and the tone in our home matters.

We have a tendency in the Western Church to over emphasize the Spiritual. We focus so much on the fact that this world is not our home, that we severely neglect our physical homes in the here and now.

We are so focused on the Lord coming back at any moment, that we forget the very real possibility of our great-great-great grand children growing up to know the Lord.

And we know that God blesses generations of Christians. We need to think a lot more about how we are getting the faith down to our grand children, than what vacation we are taking next or the next netflix show we want to binge.

So when we think about legacy, and everyday routines, and big picture, and nitty gritty, we need to focus on a few things:

1. Our own behavior and attitude is of utmost importance.

It’s better to live on the corner of your roof top than with a contentious wife.

It’s better to serve walmart pizza on paper plates and have a joyful attitude than to make a 4 course meal but to be a terrible grouch throughout it.

2. The training we do in our homes, is for eternity.

In our society, it seems like since we can outsource most of the essential tasks of the home: cooking food, doing laundry, educating our kids, cleaning the house…can all be outsourced to someone else now.

so we lose the perspective that how we run and manage our homes matters greatly. There are two entire generations – millenials and Gen Z who have come or are coming into adulthood not knowing how to function as adults.

Do you know what they missed? Essential home skills like laundry, meal planning, and keeping a budget.

How can we do better? We can learn these skills oursevkes if we find ourselves lacking and we can pass them on to the next generation.

We can teach our kids how to be steadfast in the Lord while we do the 5th load of laundry today as a stomach bug sweeps the house. We can teach our kids how to have a joyful attitude while we serve and love everyone a huge Thanksgiving dinner.

We can model self discipline and the importance of a personal prayer life before our watching kids. These every day little things do matter.

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It’s that time of year: goal setting, planning, and starting fresh in the New Year! Last week we discussed my first step in goal planning: brainstorming! Today Jason is joining me to discuss 2022. We chat about what we thought this year would look like (and how it really ended up) and our takeaways (both the good and the bad) that we can use to shape our 2023 goals. Listen in!

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Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking18 and use code homemaking18 for 18 free meals
plus free shipping! * Our Sponsor:* Get a 2 week free trial of the most amazing meal planning & prepping website here: PrepDish.com/Homemaking

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The New Year is just around the corner and we are kicking off a new mini series all about planning. We are going to start off today in the brainstorming phase. Jason will join me next to discuss how we take our individual brainstorming into business and family meetings for our goals. And then we will share how to take those big goals and break them down into actionable, daily tasks! Let’s dive in.

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Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here * Grab my brand new cookbook in print or digital here!! * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking599 and use code homemaking599* to get $5.99 per meal on your 1st box—and your 1st box ships free!

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Today I’m sharing our more treasured Balmet family Christmas traditions AND the new traditions we are starting this year. Our traditions are a work in progress and I’m also sharing a good perspective to have during the hard or overwhelming years. Listen in!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources: Sign up for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here * Grab my brand new cookbook in print or digital here!! * Join our private community to chat about this podcast episode: FindingJoyCommunity.com * Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50. * Our Sponsor:* Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking18 and use code homemaking18 for 18 free meals
plus free shipping!

Christmas Movie List:

• Muppet Christmas Carol
• The Santa Clause #1-3
• New show: The Clauses
• Klaus
• Charlie Brown Christmas
• Christmas with the Kranks
• Elf
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• The Grinch
• Home Alone #1-3
• Arthur Christmas
• Noelle

Christmas Devotionals:

• The Dawn of Redeeming Grace – Sinclair Ferguson
• Love Came Down at Christmas – Sinclair Ferguson
• Behold Your King – Grant and Ericha Van Brimmer
• Apologia Studios Christmas Devotional – YouTube

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It’s the absolute best time of year to be thinking about how to use our time intentionally. We can finish December strong and head into the new year strong. But it all starts with some intentionality and some planning. Join Kayse and I in this interview today as we discuss how we can use time blocking and intentional habits to get more done that we want to do. Listen in!

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources: Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com * My brand new cookbook is here. Preorder your copy here! * Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking70 and use code homemaking70 for 70% off
plus free shipping! * Our sponsor:* Get 2 weeks of free meal plans from PrepDish.com/Homemaking

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Cooking with kids can be hard. It can also be so rewarding. And something I try to do more and more with my own kids. This episode is tips from a mom of 7 who is in the trenches, trying to bring her kids into the kitchen more, and the tips she has learned along the way. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com My brand new cookbook is here. Preorder your copy here! Our sponsor: Get your baby sleep essentials for 15% off with coupon code: HOME at DockaTot.com

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Today we are tying our mini series, In the Kitchen, to all the upcoming holidays! How can we build a strong family culture in our homes, around food? That's what we are diving into and Jami is going to share 7 practical ways they implement this in our home. The point isn't to do everything so that it looks like Pinterest, but rather, to just intentionally build those traditions and culture with food as an anchor (however that food looks for your family)! Let's dive in!

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com My cookbook is launching TODAY!! It will launch sometime before midnight hopefully lol! So sign up to be notified here when I get it on sale! Our sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking599 and use code homemaking599 to get $5.99 per meal on your 1 st box—and your 1 st box ships free! Our sponsor: Get a 2 week free trial to the best healthy meal plan company around: PrepDish.com/homemaking

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We are taking a one episode break in our kitchen series, to talk about something very important: The upcoming holidays & time management. How do we juggle all the good things coming up, while making memories for our family, and doing it with joy? Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Sign up to be notified of when my cookbook launches Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping!

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In our episode last week, we talked about what your goal(s) for your kitchen is. This is an important first step in figuring out what to work on and when! This week, we are breaking down some of those goals into baby steps and addressing some starting points and where to jump to when you lack motivation. My goal this week is to help you have some fun in your kitchen again (or for the first time)! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Sign up to be notified of when my cookbook launches Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Get a two week free trial at PrepDish.com/Homemaking Our sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 Gingerbug company I mentioned: Sandpointsodacompany.com

Q: Right now, the goal of my kitchen is to make really delicious, healthy, meals from scratch but this has been so hard on a budget lately. I also am struggling to source healthy meat and dairy that’s within my budget. For us, I try to throw in as many good non-meat meals as I can throughout the week. Pizza, minestrone soup, tomato soup with grilled cheese, etc. So that I can buy smaller amounts of higher quality meat. I prioritize what I can find on sale and cook around that (rather than making my meal plan first and buying what meat I want). I love cooking meals where I can stretch the meat as far as possible. So stir fry and things where I only use 1-2 lbs of ground beef for my entire family for a dinner and leftovers. I buy what I can of higher quality stuff and make my meal plan fit around that! I have also looked for ways I can save money (buying 50lbs of dried beans for example and making my own bread) so that even little extra bits can help out!

Q: I want to change a ton of things in my kitchen: I work full time outside the home and struggle to get meals on the table, I love canning and preserving food from my garden, I want to find a cow that we can buy but struggling to find the farm, etc. So many things but not enough time.

Prioritize, make a list, and start. Some of the goals will be years out, and thats okay!

Q: I'm in a breakfast rut - do you have any relatively healthy, kid friendly breakfast meals you could pass on?

Anything I can make ahead is a huge win for me. Ideas: Ezekiel waffles, egg bake, overnight oatmeal, protein loaded muffins, and pancake bake.

Q: Taking the mystery out of eating healthy

Our goal is just to eat real food. Without chemicals added, without refined white sugar added to everything, without nasty or harmful oils. just real food, cooked in delicious ways. And so what I always recommend, is to find something that sounds really exciting to you to learn how to make first. Maybe that's BREAD! Make healthy, nourishing and filling bread that is exciting. It might be your gateway to healthier eating. Or start with healthy desserts, that's always a fun one. Does your family LOVE soda? Try brewing kombucha or better yet, a Ginger bug! (Sandpointsodacompany.com)

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We are kicking off a new section in our series here in season 2 of The Productive Household. We are turning to different areas of our home. And the first we will be diving into is really thinking thoroughly about our kitchen. This new mini series will be a little bit theoretical big picture and a little bit every day practical! Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Have you ever thought through the goal of your kitchen? What is it you want in your kitchen? What do you want your kitchen to produce? And are those goals aligned with the stage and season of life you are in?

With rising food prices, rising gas prices, and everything else rising, it's a very important time to think through: what the goal of your kitchen is?

My goal:

As much as I am able, with the food budget I currently have and the time I have, to eat an unprocessed traditional diet. My goal is to continually increase the quality of our food we make from scratch and move more and more of that food production to our own household. Within the next year, we want to be totally independent of grocery stores and be sourcing additional foods that we need on a monthly and weekly basis from local farms (i.e. soap from my friend who makes soap, raw milk from the farm, and eggs from another friend who keeps chickens).

What this goal looked like at the very beginning: I started reading food labels. And I started just trying to cut out processed foods where I could. So back at the beginning, it just meant usually choosing a slightly healthier option at the grocery store. Looking for things that didn't have addd sugar, bad oils, or white flour. And slowly, that evolved into learning what ingredients are healthy and what aren't. It meant learning how to take real ingredients and learn to cook with them. It meant being able to read recipes that called for white sugar and vegetable oil and knowing that I could substitute extra virgin olive oil and raw honey instead.

And slowly, it's meant a total transformation of my kitchen. What I want you to think through this week is: What are your goal(s) in your kitchen?  Links & Resources:

Another terrific podcast to listen to: Bright Hearth Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping.

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We've started a new habit in our weekly schedule this year called Project Fridays and it's change the way we get to household projects AND fun projects we want to do. This episode is for all homeschoolers especially, but really for anyone who wants to get to "extra" projects but just never finds the time to do so. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I've got a few goals this year in running a productive household. I've got some household projects going on like decluttering and organizing kids clothes, putting the garden to bed for the fall in a good way, and organizing the garage. We've also got a whole list of fun things we want to tackle: learning how to knit, making sourdough, the kids want to do homemade play-dough again and the list goes on.

As we sink back into normal life routines after having a baby and revamping our homeschool routines for the year, I accidentally started something new that we call Project Fridays. And we've loved it!

Our goal with Project Fridays: Learn and explore a fun new skill or craft AND get a home project done!

Here's how we do it: First thing we start our home project and get it done quick. Everyone is motivated and excited to get it done. And then we move into our hands on project!

So far we've done: Water color class, Making necklaces and bracelets, making chocolates and lollipops.

What we've got on our schedule for this year:

Making clay beads Christmas cookies Homemade play dough Learning how to sew Learning how to crochet Candies from scratch Charcoal sketching Carving soapstone Making soap Making clay stop motion characters + background making Turning this into movies Learn how to make basic video games Learning to code Cake decorating Woodworking

How to make it affordable:

Thrift stores - check in often for craft supplies (create a list so you know what to look for!) Hobby Lobby (and Michael's + Joannes) clearance sections Dollar Tree

Links & Resources:

Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: For a limited time only you can get Honeylove’s best deal they offer! Get 20% Off your entire order with the code HOME at honeylove.com

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In this series of the new season, we are chatting about having productive households. One key component of a productive household, is stewarding our health (and our mental health) in a way that we can be productive in the season God has called us to. Today we are focusing on this topic from a very practical view point. Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking65 and use code homemaking65 for 65% off plus free shipping!

For when you lack energy:

1) Take an honest evaluation: why are you lacking energy?

Are you struggling to find meaning in your day?

Are you feeling bored? Listen to last episode

Are you feeling depressed?

Do you need to evaluate your health and hormones?

As women, we often put ourselves last. this can be a GOOD thing sometimes. It can also be a bad thing when we do it to the detriment of your health.

It brings glory to God when we care for our physical bodies in a way that allows us to care for our families.

Some ways to help energy: 

1. Minerals! Mt. Capra minerals are what I use right now. Also: real sea salt are an excellent source of minerals.

2. Getting real sleep

3. Figuring out your hormones & thyroid health (check out Dr. Axe as an important starting point)

4. Focusing on healthy carbs and fats

5. Vitamin D - get out in the sun 15-20 minutes a day

6. Vitamin B complex (I love Dr. Axe's)

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In this episode of our new series, The Productive Household, we are tackling the issues of boredom. I'm going to challenge your mindset when it comes to feelings of boredom, fulfillment, and a good days work within our homes. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Join our free community and join the discussion here: FindingJoyCommunity.com Our sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code HOME50 Our sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking135 and use code homemaking135 to get $135 off across five boxes—and your first box ships free! Book recommendation: Eve in Exile Documentary based on the book Eve in Exile

Throughout college as I was writing papers on Ancient Near Eastern History and learning how to read the Bible in the original Hebrew (yeah – I was a double major – History and Biblical Studies and loved every minute of it), it was easy to feel like I was spending my time on extremely worthwhile things.

After college, I worked full time and had dreams of getting my masters degree (I still do for that matter) and it was easy to feel like I was contributing to my family by bringing in an income when we really needed it.

Now? My days are spent changing poopy diapers, teaching math (often in with lots of tears), the endless cycle of meal prep, breaking up fights, teaching kindness, cleaning dishes, putting up a new load of laundry, folding that laundry, putting it away and starting all these processes over and over again.

When my first 5 kids were little, I hit a wall at some point. I started feeling defeated and a bit overwhelmed by all the physical needs in my home and it was easy to NOT look forward to the next day of repeating it all over again. Somewhere along the line, I forgot the importance of what I do.

And I gotta say, some days are just boring. So whether you find yourself battling tough and mundane days or boredom, I feel yeah. It’s easy to feel that way in our homes.

Especially in a culture that doesn’t value what we do at home. We tend to boil our home tasks down to just: cleaning and meaningless cooking. But what if we changed the way we looked at our homes? And the work we do within In?

I think a lot of us struggle with these feelings from time to time. But we don’t want to voice them because then maybe it will look like we are not “good” mothers or “good” homemakers or we are not grateful for all that God gives.

I want to challenge your mindset.  Often, women will express that they want to go back to work because they don’t feel challenged at home. They want to do something worthwhile with their talents and their time and they feel like that isn’t happening at home.

They want to do something with all their creativity and feel like the work they are doing is valuable.

As I shared at the beginning of this new series, I think a big part of this is that we’ve moved all modes of productivity out of the home. Homes have becomes places that we primarily consume. And for all of humans history, until the past 70 years or so, homes have been the places in which we create and produce.

Maybe the problem isn’t our homes, maybe it’s that things are too easy. So we feel bored. We are not challenge.

Listen, women. We are creative. We are smart. We are fiercely smart. We are able to multitask and juggle hard things. But our modern homes don’t engage large parts of our brains. We balk at the dishes and cleaning toilets because we don’t feel challenged or fulfilled.

One important caveat: Not everything in life is exciting or exhilarating. Often, God is asking us to find joy and be stratified in HIM through the boring and the mundane.

But I also think we can look at our homes in a different light. The amazing book, Eve in Exile,

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In the last episode we chatted about having a good work ethic and really working unto the Lord. God calls us to hard, fulfilling work. But that's all balanced out with true, Biblical rest.

Our discussion today is going to start to dig into what this means and what it looks like! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. To the world, a successful life might look like a rich person who never has to work another day in their life. Someone who is waited on hand and foot and has endless leisure time at their disposal. But we know from God's Word, that even the wealthiest among us have a responsibility to use that wealth and honor and serve the Lord and work had at that! We are all called to good, hard, fulfilling work.

In fact, as our world chases endless leisure and pointless entertainment, we know that ultimately that leads to a very hallow and shallow life. We find true fulfillment in the Lord and that pretty much always looks like a hard, fulfilling day of work for the Lord!

But the key to this entire discussion is that our hard work is buffeted by true, Biblical rest. Resting well in the Lord! And while the world doesn't have a good view of work, they also mess up their approach to rest. In fact, most of us don't know what true rest is or how to balance out hard work.

So instead of working hard for the Lord, resting well in the Lord, and finding fulfillment in the rhythms...we do busy frantic work all the time, with intermittent moments of trying to rest but actually just feeling exhausted and busy all the time. You want me to view my work as a blessing and do it joyfully? Well the key piece you might be missing is the REST.

TRUSTING the Lord with your time & energy So here we come to the very important lesson of trusting God with our time and energy. When I talk to other moms, a very common struggle for many of us is learning how to rest and rest well. We struggle to take time off and refuel.

So first: How are you resting?

If you are a busy mom, you may have lost touch with what those things are in your life. So I encourage you to play and experiment and really pay attention to what you find truly restful and what ends up being a waste of time. I will almost always regret scrolling social media aimlessly for an hour. I have almost never regretted reading for an hour (unless I was ignoring the pile of dishes in the sink and then I might regret it in the morning ;))

Another key piece of learning how to balance hard work with good rest, is giving yourself permission to rest. We struggle so much letting ourselves actually take time off and rest. And for me at least, it has boiled down a lot to not trusting the Lord. I sometimes struggle with a massive to do list that I feel like I have to keep going, I have to run myself into the ground, I have to do it all. But what I'm missing in that moment is trusting the Lord.

I've come a LONG way (and still have to constantly remind myself) to trust the Lord with the work put in front of me that day. So if a houseful of sick kids derails my productive schedule for a week, I remind myself that this is the work that God has put in front of me today and I can trust Him with my time. When finances or work stress overwhelms me and threatens to take over every second of my life, I trust the Lord that I can take time off and rest because he expects us to rest and so I can trust him in that. Example: The sabbath and farmers.

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Welcome back to the second episode in season 2! We are kicking off a mini series here on the podcast called The Productive Household. This series is going hand in hand with our new 12 month home economics program we are doing in My Homemaking Mentor (my online training academy for Christian women).

Last week we kicked off this discussion in the first episode about what is a productive household? And today we are back talking about an important topic: How can we strive for excellence in our homes and work hard for His Glory...while at the same time, resting in Him and finding that balance that we all need between hard work and good rest? 

Let's dive into today's episode to find out! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I think I might ruffle a few feathers in today's discussion. Because in our world, we are often told we are doing too much, that it's totally fine if we are a "hot mess mama" and we tend to ridicule or look down on those who seem to have it all together. In fact, I think we tend to look at women who do seem to have things more together and assume they have a big hairy unscrubbed toilet secret that makes her not actually that good.

But what we want to chat about today, is the fact that God does call us to work hard. Work diligently. Be creative with that work. And throw ourselves into the task at hand. But like we talked about in the last episode, this is done not out of hustle and has to be done with our priorities in the right place.

Basing our work ethic off of God's Word and not the world We don't have to look very long in Scripture to find verse after verse about working hard for the Lord. We were not created to just sit cross legged on the floor praying all day every day. We were created to pray and to worship the Lord and a terrific way to do that is through, hard God honoring work. "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossians 3:23-24   "Warning Against Idleness

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.[d]" - 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-12 We also see the flip side in Scripture, that laziness is a sin and that we should not be slothful.

Deep down, I think we all know that working hard is honoring to God of course. But I think the disconnect happens when we don't connect that to scrubbing toilets, meal planning, singing Scripture songs with toddlers, and acting like a chauffer between errands and music lessons. We forget that there is good hard work in front of us everyday, even if it doesn't look like being a CEO of a large company or a missionary in Africa.

God has given us a lot of work. Right here, right now, right in front of us. And it might be very hard work, but it might also be very mundane boring work that we have a hard time seeing the significance in. Either way, we can throw our selves into the task at hand work unto the Lord!

Recognizing YOUR personality and how to deal wi...

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Welcome back to season #2 of the podcast. We are back with a practical and exciting new series on the podcast all about The Productive Household. Listen in to hear how we can recapture joy and meaning within our homes. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Find out and join our new 12 month course at myhomemakingmentor.com Check out the shownotes and join me email list at FindingJoyinYourHome.com For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for 16 free meals across 7 boxes AND 3 free gifts!

Announcements: 

Tickets are going on sale for our 2023 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference in early November We have something fun coming up in October for those interested in non-toxic home products and how to make your own!  My cookbook is slated to come out in the Christmas shop as well as Sterling Spectacles #5 and #6! My Homemaking Mentor is kicking off a 12 month program called The Productive Household starting Sep 15th

What is a Productive Household?  Jason and I have been listening to a podcast we loved called Bright Hearth. In it, the shows hosts Brian and Lexi go through each room of their house and share how we can bring glory to God within those different rooms and realms of raising a family.  They use this phrase a lot: A Productive Household. I love this term because I think it encompasses so much of what we talk about and share here at Finding Joy.  So what is a Productive Household?  When we look to God’s Word, we see that we are created for work. Good, hard work is deeply satisfying and we see that man was tasked with work before the fall, not as a result of the fall.  Throughout Scripture we see men and women working hard and diligently. We see all throughout the call to cast aside laziness and to work hard unto the Lord.  Colossians 3:23-24“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:58 - “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”   Proverbs 12:11 - “Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.” 

We are encouraged to be lazy in our culture  We live in a hustle culture. We are far too busy and far too distracted. I agree with that. We pack our lives too full and take on too much and hustle to make it all work.  So many well intentioned voices out there push back against this hustle culture by shouting that we must rest and have balance. I totally get that those voices (at least the ones in my inbox) are coming from a good place. They don’t want to see another mom get burnt out or overwhelmed. I get the sentiment.  However, I also think that an over reaction to the hustle, busy culture has sent us in the opposite direction. That we see work as bad. That when things get tough or overwhelming, that we must be doing something wrong. That a full schedule and a full life is automatically wrong.  What I want to argue for today is this: That God created us for hard work. That we are designed to work hard throughout the week and that God has built in very strategic good moments for rest. And that what we really need to react against are the wrong priorities.  If you think of every civilization throughout history, except for the ultra rich and nobility, people worked far harder than most of us do everyday. Hard, back breaking work. Working from sun up to sun set, working hard for the Lord. 

The kids and I have been studying the pioneers this past semester in school and we are reading the little house on the prairi...

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Are you struggling to find Sunday's restful? Do you desire to make Sunday about Church and fellowship but end up just feeling burnt out and even more tired? Do you sometimes wonder what the purpose in our rest is? In this practical episode, Jami tackles the important question "What if I don't find Sunday's restful?" Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I got a question in our group this week about Sunday’s and it being a day of rest. Her question resonated with me because it’s something I’ve had to give a lot of thought to and I’ve heard repeated a lot.

Her question goes along the lines of: "I wasn’t raised in a Christian household and Sunday’s were a slower catch up day for us. With church and other activities, it can feel more draining than it is relaxing. Where is the "recharge" on Sunday? Help!" In today's episode we cover a few Spiritual + Practical applications for this discussions.

Finding a new church IS exhausting. Before we dive into any practical take aways, we need to first ask the extremely important question “What is the Sabbath? What IS Sunday for?”

Bible verses referenced: Dt. 5:12-15, Isaiah 58:13–14.  What are our goals for the sabbath day?

“The distinction in Isaiah 58 is between doing what is pleasing to God and doing what is pleasing to ourselves in opposition to what is pleasing to God. Presumably, what is in view in the prophetic critique is God’s judgment against the Israelites for violating the Mosaic law with respect to the Sabbath day, particularly regarding involvement in commerce. There were Israelites who wanted to be able to buy and sell seven days a week, not simply six days a week. Therefore, they violated the Sabbath commandment by seeking their own pleasure, which was to do business on the Sabbath rather than to do that which was pleasing to God.” - Ligonier.org article: https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/defining-debate

Practical Help for Sunday:

If we are viewing Sunday as a catch up day, then adding in Church + activities will be seen as a burden. Plan ahead Friday + Saturday so that Sunday isn’t your catch up day. Life as a mom who serves, is just a little different - but that doesn't mean bad

Links & Resources:

Great follow up episode: Moms (and dads) get those little ones to Church – Hf #310 How the Gospel Shapes Our Everyday Responses – Hf #306 Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts! --> Join our FREE COMMUNITY: Finding Joy Community <--

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We got such a great question in our Finding Joy Community this week. The discussion that ensued was so rich that I figured it was a great one to share here on the podcast. We dive into some hot topics within healthy living: taking care of our families for God's Glory, making an idol out of healthy living, what's the point to it all, and so much more. Join us! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Join our FREE community: Finding Joy Community MEGA Mother's Day Sale through May 11th: My Homemaking Mentor Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50 Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking130 and use code homemaking130 to get $130 off, plus free shipping!

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Welcome back to the next episode in our practical homemaking series. We haven't had an episode on marriage in a while, so today is a fun one (and maybe a much needed discussion)! We are chatting about how to keep (or reestablish) fun in your marriage. I'm also sharing a couple of fun announcements. Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

INCREDIBLE things coming for My Homemaking Mentor, our online training academy for Christian Women...you are going to want to be part of this! Join our FREE community to follow along with the podcast and more: Finding Joy Community. As a reminder, we will be taking a Summer hiatus as of June 1st until September. You can still find up to date content and more in the community all summer!

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We are not expert movers yet, but we have had our fair share of moving, downsizing, deciding what to keep, and unpacking into new homes. Today I am going to share my 6 tips for moving! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

My tips we discuss today:

Invest in tubs + buy a label maker Downsize EVERYTHING. ONLY invest in pieces for your new house that are 100% favorites. A place for everything - even if that means getting creative. Unpack immediately. Don't wait 6 months. Make the place YOUR HOME, even if it's temporary or a rental.

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We are diving head long into our new mini series here on the podcast: A Practical Homemaking Deep Dive! We've got some fun & practical episodes coming up to help all of us in the practical parts of running and managing a home, but of course, all for God's Glory! We are going to dive into cleaning routines, time management, hospitality, morning & evening routines, and so so much more. I'm also hoping to have some fabulous guests for you too coming up soon :D Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Practical Homemaking Q&A: As we dive into this series, many of the episodes will be a deep dive into specific questions and topics. But today, I put together a list of questions that we are all shorter that we can dive into. In today's episode we discuss:

Bringing your children into "big Church" - and ideas for training toddlers! Our new laundry routine (and how it's going) Ideas for what to do with toddlers while homeschooling olders Balancing between kids and chores Starting a garden - where do I begin? How I do it ALL?

Our sponsor today: For 50% off your first Care/of order of $40 or more, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50.

I’d love for you to come over and join our free community. There we can discuss this episode, what series you would love to see in the future, and more!! Join our free community here!

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Looking for ways to cut costs has been on all of our minds this year. Rising gas prices, rising food prices, and a supply chain that feels unstable as led many of us to ask, "what else could we be doing?" In today's episode, I'm sharing some FUN life updates for the Balmet family as well as sharing 5 things I'm actively doing this year to cut costs, but not quality in my home (especially when it comes to food)! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

1. Focusing on building my bulk pantry  Examples: Real salt prices, bulk beans, and bulk spices.

10oz shaker of salt is: $6.35 26oz refill pouch I usually pay: $8 ($0.31 an ounce) 25lb bag for $99.99 (I got on sale for $85 + free shipping). $0.21 per ounce ($0.10 per ounce savings!) 25lbs = 400 ounces. Which comes out to a $40 savings!!

PLUS, now I have bulk salt on hand and don't need to worry about any kind of supply chain issues, prices going up for a while, etc. If I can, I'd like to order a second bag early when this bag gets to be about half full. Then when that first bag runs out entirely, I'll order another bag. This way I've always got a full extra bag on hand. But I'm not sure how fast we will work through this bag or what my other bulk needs will be, so we'll see how it goes this year.

Another example is bulk spices: Another area I'll slowly be working on adding to again is bulk spices. When you cook entirely from scratch, and you want flavorful food, you end up going through a LOT of spices. Since RV living, I've pretty much just been buying single use containers of spices which get so expensive at $3-9 a bottle. I'll be adding a few different spices at a time to my monthly Azure order while I slowly build this up. For example, I can get an Italian seasoning mix from Azure for $8.89 for a pound! A pound of dried herbs is a lot. Now I can just refill my seasonings as needed. The trick to this, is really keeping track of what bulk spices you have on hand, because you can easily forget and lost track.

1. Building my at home Emergency and first aid kits 

Example: Slings, butterfly bandages, bleed stop, and over the counter things to help so we don't have to go to urgent care. I want to brush up on my skills so I have the knowledge to help in a situation.

1. Growing a garden

I'm starting with SEEDS this year, instead of going the easier route of plant starts. And I'm not getting fancy. I'll be focusing on the produce my family actually uses: tomatoes, potatoes, onions, squash, watermelons, all manner of herbs, etc. When I look at the seed catalogs, there are so many fun and fancy things I could grow. But I'm trying this summer to just focus on the needs that will really help my family! I just need to get on the planning part of it all now! ;)

1. Cutting out the grocery store

Example: We will be purchasing a whole cow sometime this year to put in the freezer, I'd like to do a couple of pigs as well. We don't have the ability right now to do chickens or eggs, so we will do what we can!

Another example: We finally are able to find raw milk from a local farm again. We just picked up our first 3 gallons today! With the ability to get raw milk, I can make so many things from home that I either can't buy in stores, or that is ridiculously expensive. I love making cultured butter, maple syrup sweetened whip cream, a gallon whole yogurt, kefir, and so much more. This eliminates the need to buy hardly any diary products from the store and they are way healthier and higher quality than I could get elsewhere. Also cuts out the need from buying expensive and processed nut milks or alternatives.

Here's what my ideal pantry will look like over the coming year: Bulk grains + dried goods from Azure each month (while building up a pantry so I'm not buying 3-5lbs a month of each thing but rather 25-50l...

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We are continuing our Family & Culture series today with an important chat about finding (and creating) peace in our home in unstable times. Instability can come in the form of emotional, every day instability and larger, world instability. How do we protect our homes in the midst of instability? Join me to discuss 5 ways we can begin. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Learn how to manage your own attitude Do what you can to preserve peace in instability (in wisdom) Trust what you can't do, or what's not in your control, to the Lord Find the tension between being aware and the need for prayer, and neglecting your own duties in your home Build your home in JOY.

I'd love for you to come over and join our free community. There we can discuss this episode, what series you would love to see in the future, and more!! Join our free community here!

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Do you ever feel like you open your mouth and out comes complaints? Do you feel like you too often dwell on the negative and want to focus more on the positive? Today Jami will dive into 6 ways we can turn from being a complainer into a praiser! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Talk often comes out of what is already in our hearts. —> What is our internal monolog doing? We often get stuck in a rut of complaining (even when it’s not out loud). Focus on GRATITUDE and THANKSGIVING

“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thess 5: 14-18

1. When in conversation, THINK about some things you can say beforehand, instead of letting complaints just come out. THINK through some things you can specifically say you are thankful for, share something interesting you hear this week, etc.

2. In a world that sometimes feel crazy, learn to meditate and talk about different subjects.

3. Learn how to LISTEN better in conversations.

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” - James 1:19

For further study on this topic, I have a few recommendations.

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges if your complaining comes out of fear and anxiety Learning Contentment by Nancy Wilson Comparison Girl by Shannon Popkin

Past podcast episodes:

Are you feeling discontent? 3 questions to ask yourself… – Hf #198 The Key to Finding True & Lasting JOY – Hf #315 Hf #33: Anxiety, Worry, and the Biblical Response Hf #35: Practical Ways to Trust in the Lord More (and Deal With Anxiety) Hf #36: Finding Joy in All Aspects of My Life Hf #270: Facing anxiety and the unknown On battling anxiety with Phylicia Masonheimer – Hf #328 Hf #323: Cultivating a Serving Heart

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I've loved tackling some BIG issues in our family and culture series this year. Things like fear, anxiety, social media, a good perspective on the future...but today I want to turn a little more practical. I want to discuss some ways we can put our heads down and get to work. And I'll be kicking off the discussion by sharing 4 personal things I want to work on in our family this year. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 4 things we are working on:

Cutting our dependency on supply chains where we can Stocking a depression era pantry Growing a garden Increase family devotion time

As a reminder, we do not do any of these things out of fear. We don't become dooms day preppers or such. But there is wisdom in preparing solidly for the future. And for some many of us, we are concerned with inflation, rising food prices, rising gas prices, and possible disruptions to the global supply chain.

So in wisdom, many of us are looking for ways we can make that supply chain more local and how we can be wise with our finances and food in the future!

I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this topic and some goals your family has. PLEASE come over to our free community and share your thoughts on any of my 4 goals or other goals you have for yourself! Join our free community here!

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We need some real talk this week ladies. Who else is feeling overwhelmed with ALL the news going on? I've had a heavy heart the past 2 weeks and it can be a struggle to get online. SO we are having an honest chat today about where we draw the line with social media, when it's right to carry other's burdens, and when it's not actually our responsibility. Let's dive in (it's encouraging, I promise)! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Family & Culture Series Pt 1: The Joy & Duties of the Christian Household  Family & Culture Series Pt 2: Learning how to be BRAVE women Family & Culture Series P3: Learning how to be BRAVE families Jon our free community to discuss this episode (and more): Finding Joy Community  Our sponsor: Get an awesome intro deal from HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use promo code homemaking16

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This is a fun and (hopefully) inspiring episode. Whether you find yourself homeschooling or supporting your child's education while they attend another form of school, one thing is certain, moms play a vital role in their children's education. I want to inspire a love of learning in my kids that lasts a lifetime. So in this episode, we are going to talk about ways we can make their education fun AND exciting. Instead of chiding you to do more, I am going to encourage you to approach it all from a place of rest. Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. How to make school so much more fun and exciting 1. First thing to remember - you don't have to be a crafty Pinterest queen mom to accomplish this. 2. Ditch the Textbooks that aren't working

Education is so much more than a textbook think outside the box with things like math. (Simple Charlotte Mason offers a really cool 1 year math program that teaches math through the kid running a fictional pet shop! So cool!!) They offer a pet store edition, book store edition, and sports store edition. Grades 3-6 Ideas: Ditch the science textbook and drive four hours and spend time at the tide pools. Ideas: Buy the kids some kites ad spend time learning about real world gravity and how things fly. Ideas: Ditch the astronomy textbook, let the kids stay up late, make some popcorn, and lay out under the stars identifying constellations.

1. Let each kid choose an area of interest This year I have a kid who wants to learn all about wood working. And another child who wants to learn how to fly a plane.
2. Other good skills are educational too

Our cooking experiment A dad taking his kid along on his construction sites Our Christmas present to the 4 older boys this year: their own tool sets to build a playhouse with their dad

Links & Resources:

Our sponsor: Need help with your meal planning? Let PrepDish do it for you - they are giving you 2 weeks for FREE. That's 2 full meal plans for free. Sign up here. Our sponsor: Get $130 off plus free shipping at GreenChef.com/homemaking130 and use coupon code: homemaking130 at checkout! Join our FREE community here: FindingJoyCommunity.com

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THIS is an important topic for me right now as I'm 11 weeks pregnant and TIRED. I've done a version of this talk in the past, but each time I feel like it gets better as I go through more stretching and busy times. Does any else feel like each passing year just gets faster and faster? I've felt this from around the time I turned 20.

It's always so important to evaluate our use of time. Are we squandering it on social media? Are we feeling exhausted and burnt out? Are we using rest the way God intended it? Today we are going to dive into how we can make sure we are using our time for God's Glory! Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Our sponsor: Organize365.com/minicourse for a free 7 day course and check out their Sunday Basket Organization system!! Our sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking16 and use code homemaking16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts! Join our FREE amazing community at FindingJoyCommunity.com You can purchase access to our entire 2022 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference here

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Well the title of this episode kind of gives it away! We are expecting our 7th child in September 2022 and as I'm in the throws of the first trimester, I thought I would share a little bit of the journey with you. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Favorite Pregnancy Books:

Taking Charge of Your Fertility The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way Husband-Coached Childbirth Betsy Bosom’s Baby Book: A Girlfriends Guide to Using Essential Oils From Bellies to Babies Gentle Babies: Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants, and Young

Morning Sickness Remedies: 

Sea Bands – Motion sickness bands High amounts of vitamin b – my two favorite Vitamin B complexes are Dr. Axe’s Vitamin B complex & the one I use now is Super B by Young Living (it’s AMAZING!!) NEW in this pregnancy: A cell salts protocol from Her Homeopathy. Her website is a wealth of information!!!

Heartburn remedies: 

The only thing that has ever worked for me for heartburn is: Alkalime supplement by Young Living Genexa

Pregnancy tea:

Mama’s Red Raspberry brew – My favorite pregnancy blend!! Mama’s Milk tea – Great for lactation and milk production! Earthley also makes a great pregnancy tea

Pregnancy workout dvd:

Lindsey Brin’s pregnancy workout DVD set

Vitamins and supplements:

Take a good prenatal – I use Master Formula + Super B as my prenatal vitamin (both from Young Living). You can read about this combo here. Dr. Axe also has a great prenatal I recommend I also take a good probiotic. I switch between Young Living’s Life9 and some of Dr. Axe’s probiotics. It’s a good idea to switch up your probiotic from time to time to get different strains. Dr. Axe has a bunch of good ones but I recommend his Women’s once a day as well as his SBO probiotic. You will also want a good omega/fish oil supplement for pregnancy. No surprise here but I recommend one of Dr. Axe’s Omega’s but all four are currently sold out. The one I take now is Young Living’s OmegaGize. A good omega supplement is crucial during pregnancy, but a GOOD one from a good source is going to be expensive. Just keep that in mind. I usually take mine 3-4 times a week instead of every day just to lesson that expense a bit. I also take Magnesium and iron – see my favorites below

Other supplements I LOVE:

TriLight Health has an entire line of pregnancy herbal blends that are affordable and rock! Their ingredients are outstanding. I recommend getting their Pregnancy essentials kit for everything you need. Earthley is my next favorite store to recommend. It’s owned by a mom who has a passion for providing home remedies at an affordable price. Here are a few of my favorites from Earthley: Pregnancy tea -a Premade blend for pregnancy Fertili Boost herbal extract – Want help getting pregnant? This tincture might help. Post Partum balance – I am SO getting this tincture for this time around – helps balance things out after pregnancy Mama’s tummy relief – I wish I had seen this during my first-trimester sickness Nourish her naturally – Another possible option for a prenatal Magnesium Lotion – Another great one for pregnancy! I use this every night. Dr. Axe has a good supplement if you want a pill instead of a lotion. Iron supplement  – I LOVE Earthley’s iron supplement. Make sure to look for an herbal iron supplement though if using a different brand.

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy: I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish.

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I love setting goals for the new year. It usually happens for me in December, but better late than never! If you haven't set goals for the year yet, don't despair, let's jump in together! Listen in to my 12 goals for 2022: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. For the first time ever, I've picked a theme for my year instead of a word. My theme this year is: The Year of Transition.

It's shaping my intentionality as I approach some new projects and things this year. You can listen to my podcast episode on the topic above, but my goals for this year are coming out of this theme for the year.

I've got 3 main areas that I'm setting goals in this year:

Transition in my Personal goals Transition in our family goals Transition in our business & ministry

Transition in my Personal Goals: I love setting personal goals for myself. I know for some people it stresses them out, but for me, it helps motivate me. My biggest part of my personal theme this year, is working on transitioning into more solid routines. In 2021, we survived working in the margins of a busy year. This year, I'm working on making more solid routines all around for more transitions to come.

Read 104 books this year (I transitioned this down from 130 books) Establish a solid morning routine that becomes easy to stick to Read the Bible twice this year (A big part of better morning routines) As a result of better routines, take nights and weekends off

Transition in our Family Goals:

Teach the older boys 20 recipes they can cook entirely on their own (cook 20 recipes with the middle 3 kids) Play more board games (together and as a family) Read more fiction series with the kids (better routines to find the time for this) Take the children out on one on one dates monthly

Transition in Business & Ministry: THIS is the area, that if we can really solidify, will help us in the other areas of goals. We are so thankful for a small business that we run with just an internet connection, but it's also easy to take over all corners and margins. I want to transition from a soloprenuer idea to a small business owner over seeing a team. It's a BIG transition for us. I'm both nervous and excited about it.

Hire 3-4 people over the course of the year Find a shipper for our store launches Relaunch My Homemaking Mentor all brand new! Create solid weekly content routines

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Welcome to our kind of annual life and ministry update! Jason is joining me on this episode. Today we are debriefing about all our travels and business projects from 2021. And looking ahead to all that we are planning for 2022. Join us for a fun and exciting chat! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Purchase the recordings from the 2022 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference from last week Join our free community: FindingJoyCommunity.com Check out our new sponsor: Organize365.com and check out their amazing Sunday Basket system! (AND try their 7 day free mini course!!)

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We have a tradition around here. Each year when our annual online homemaking conference launches, I always share the first session for free here on the podcast. I always pour my heart and soul into that first talk and I love being able to share it with everyone here on the podcast.

Well, today launches our 8th online homemaking conference so today's talk is the opening session titled: Homemaking in Light of Eternity - how do we make Christian households that point to Christ? Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What we are going to talk about today:

WHY this entire topic is so important What does Scripture say about the household? What wisdom from Proverbs do we see for our households?

It has never been more important to critically think through: The purpose of the household, our duties as Christian women, how we sold use our time, how we can glorify God in mundane moments, how we persevere through hard times, and what our joyful Gospel purpose should be n the days ahead. It’s not acceptable, before the Lord, to carry on normal life, accepting the world’s standards as our own.

Thinking through our priorities: The world tells us to seek our own pleasure eat all costs. --> Christ tells us to deny ourselves and live a godly upright live in these present days (Titus 2:12 says, “training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age) The world tells us to leave our husbands the moment our needs are not being met (or even, never to get married at al because you’ll be oppressed). --> Christ tells us to love our husband and our children and to lay down our lives for others. The world tells us that the things worth pursuing are bigger houses, nicer cars, a magazine worthy $50,000 kitchen or you are doing something wrong and all the strappings of a successful life. --> Christ tells us that a successful life is to take up His cross daily and follow Him. For those in Europe, Australia, and other places around the world, you’ve been living in a anti-Christian culture for a good 10 years or more. Here in the U.s. and Canada, its finally coming as well.

We no longer are part of the dominant culture. We now have sesame street having a transgender story house. We have phedophelic shows on Netflix, being applauded by the critics. We have governing officials saying that parents shouldn’t be in control of, nor even being aware of, what their children are being taught in schools, medical procedures, or even hormone therapies and sex changes for children as young as 7 or 8. We live in a culture that is hostile to Christ. And instead of this making us fearful and fretful of the future, instead of making us anxious about the world our kids are growing up in... It should be an exciting time to live. We finally get to take all of these lessons from Scripture and really put them into action. There’s nothing like a little adversity to wake us up to how friendly with this world we’ve become and the immense joy we can have from serving the Lord, even under persecution. It’s a time where living set apart for the Lord can truly shine.

It’s a time that instead of hiding in insane fear, we can proudly display the hope we have in God and be ready to share that hope we have. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.” James 1:2-5 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work,

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For the past several years, I've picked word for my year. This word kind of revolves around all of my goals for the year and helps to give me some direction. But this year, I've chosen a theme for my year instead of just a single word. Listen in to find out what my theme is, how to pick your own, and some ideas for incorporating it into your year! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 8 years of themes:

2012: Intentional 2016: Joy 2017: Create 2018: Refresh 2019: Faithfulness 2020: Cultivate 2021: Kingdom

And now, my 2022 theme for the year: The Year of Transition. 

What has gone into choosing this theme: We've got a LOT of transition going on around here. 2021 was a FULL year, but mostly a stable one. Lots of travel as we looped the country 1.5 times. We went to the southernmost part of the lower 48, we visited the hottest place in the USA, and spent time in the highest capital city in the USA - among a million other things. It was a wonderful, full, and busy year.

But as I started thinking to 2022, I realized that this is going to be a pretty major transition year for our family - and our ministry here - in many ways.

And while "transition" isn't the most fun work to pick, I thought it worked well as more of a theme. The year of Transition.

I feel like this is an important distention, because transition can be hard. I'm already a tad exhausted thinking about the decisions coming up for us this year and the possibilities. It's truly a year of transition in many ways, and that could be bad. But instead, we know that God has great things in store for His Kingdom and His People.

So for me, it's a positive. I'm walking into 2022, knowing it's going to be chocked full of transition. I'm expecting it and therefore excited to see what God does.

For me, The Year of Transition theme has a few helpful distinctives:

With many of our very necessary upcoming changes, we don't totally know what the end step will be. We have some vague ideas or even plans, but only God knows truly what will come from this year. So The Year of Transition helps me to remember, that as we walk into the unknown, God is making a path ahead for us. And we don't need to see every step of the way. Transition can be hard, daunting, and even scary. As someone who actually likes change, I already feel a bit overwhelmed at all this year is going to pack in. I feel overwhelmed with research and decisions. And so, The Year of Transition reminds me that it IS a transition year. And in transition, I can find great joy.

So as I look forward to 2022, The Year of Transition reminds to me 1) Trust in God's sovereignty in all things 2) let go of the need to control all decisions and 3) walk in Joy - even when it's an uncomfortable season.

A few verses I’ve been looking at as I pray through my to do list has been:

A Time for Everything 3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

"He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding" - Daniel 2:21

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and ...

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It's finally that time of year again: We are here today to announce the 2022 reading challenge and chat about this year's reading. We will discuss our goals, making new goals, and some exciting changes to the 2022 reading challenge (it's going to be so much fun)!! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

What’s New This Year In an effort to inspire more reading, and to do it as a community, we are introducing a community aspect for the first time ever!

We've always wanted to do this, but now is our year!! The community group will kick off on January 1st. You can join our community in the meantime here ---> FindingJoyCommunity.com

In the community, we will all be able to update on our progress, share new favorite books and ask for book recommendations in categories. Jason and I will also be publishing detailed book lists throughout the year and posting our book reviews of our books we read throughout the year!!

Next exciting change: You will determine your goal for the year and then compete against yourself for some fun little prizes. If you hit your quarterly goal, we'll have stickers, magnets, and bookmarks you can win for free and add to your next store order!!

It's going to be super fun. I'll be unveiling quarter one's prize soon!

BONUS: I'll have a reading planner PDF to download for FREE as part of the challenge. I'm almost done with it and will release it into the community as soon as it's done!! It has places for book summaries, tracking your reading goals, favorite quotes, and more. Jason & Jami's 2021 Reading Goal: We both set big goals for this year, and neither of us are hitting it! But that's okay because I feel like we both had great reading years. And that's really all that matters.

Jason's read (so far): 93 books for the year

Jami's read (so far): 97 books for the year

2022 Christian Reading Challenge Here’s how it works: 

You will find the reading challenge below. You’ll see that we’ve given you two tracks – 13 books or 26! This is either reading one book every four weeks or one book every two weeks. If you want to do 52 books (one a week) you can easily adjust for that as well. A note about fiction: This year we’ve included fiction categories per your request! I think fiction is hard because all of us are going to have different tastes in what fiction we prefer. You can find some of our favorite Christian Fiction books here. But feel free to substitute any fiction books or series that you enjoy. Pick Your Level:

I know each of us has different reading levels and time for reading, so I created two different tracks you can follow.

13 Books a Year – This works out to 1 book every 4 weeks. If you have no habit of reading right now or have no idea you will fit reading time into your busy schedule, then this is a great level to begin with. Pick one book every 4 weeks and commit to getting it down within that time.

26 Books a Year – If you want to tackle a bigger challenge, then this level will get you reading 1 book every two weeks throughout the year. It’s still a very doable reading track but will challenge you to stay on track! If you want to follow this plan, read one book from each list every month. So in January, read book #1 and book #14! This way everyone can read through and follow along with books #1-13 together.

Here are the categories: 

Christian Living

Marriage

Parenting/Family Life

Theology

Fiction

Biography/History

Spiritual Disciplines 

Christian Classics

Church History

*If you are not a parent or are not married, then scroll down and fill in those spots with other fantastic book suggestions from the other categories.

Book Recommendations Per Category: Christian Living:

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Are you ready to get planning for 2022? Maybe you are like my guest today who has already done all her 2022 planning, or maybe you are like me and you've done zero planning yet 😅 Either way, you are going to love this interview with Elizabeth Santelmann from A Sunshine in My Nest. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Visit Elizabeth's blog Sunshine in my Nest Follow Elizabeth on Instagram Our Sponsor: Go to StoryWorth.com/homemaking and save $10 on your first purchase! Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking10 and use code homemaking10 to get 10 Free Meals including free shipping!

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Welcome back to the 3rd episode in our mini series: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. Last week we talked about how we can learn to be BRAVE women in our current age (And why it's so important to do so)! Today we are doing the second part of bravery: How we can take examples from Scripture to see how to be brave. Bravery is something that isn't built into our culture. For the most part, we haven't had to be brave in our lifetime and don't know how to prepare the next generation for what may be coming. So let's journey into Scripture to get bolstered up that we CAN be brave through the Holy Spirit - and how that impacts our households. Let's dive in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Our culture is becoming increasingly hostile to Christians. I think we've all seen this building in the past 10-20 years but many of us have been left shocked at how quickly it has ramped up in the past 2 years. I'm raising 6 young kids in this world and as I look into the future, I can be fearful for the world that they will be handed and what it will look like for them raising my grandkids.

I know so many have felt this fear that I've heard time and again from women questioning if they should even have any more kids or even from young couples wondering if they should have children at all.

But we are NOT living in unprecedented times It's been the thing to say the past 2 years that we are living through unprecedented times. Well no, we aren't. Plagues and pandemics are nothing new, in fact this is an extremely mild pandemic. Political strife and unrest is nothing new, in fact, it's been far worse at many times in our own countries history. Riots and looting are nothing new, in fact, our parents and grandparents have lived through many riots in their days.

Very generation thinks they are unique, but the truth is, what we've been going through will hardly be a blip in history. In fact, the only reason I think anyone will read about the past 2 years in the future is how egreasgously the whole thing has been handled. I don't downplay the loss and devestation that many have suffered the past 2 years. There has been real grief and heartache.

But because of social media especially, it can all feel a whole lot worse than it is. And is a constant presence every single second. In episode 19 we talked about how and when we should carry each other's burdens. And in that episode, we cover a good talk on social media and how it's caused a lot of problems for our generation.

And then in episode #15 we take a look at the Christian responses to the Black Plague, early Greco-Roman plagues, and Emperor Nero. It's a good one if you need a dose of perspective. And in episode #16 we take it further to see how we should be looking into the future. If you need some more encouragement after this episode, dive into those two! Now turning to Scripture SO, today we are going to look at some brave acts in Scripture. But the real hero we are going to see, isn't Daniel or Abraham, it's God. Too often, we focus so much on the Bible characters. We focus on their story instead of what their story tells us about God.  So let's see how acts of bravery are actually acts of our gracious God. When we can understand that, and walk boldly knowing that God is sovereign and is making a path ahead of us and that nothing will happen outside of His will, then we can be BRAVE women and build up BRAVE families.

Learning from Daniel  "Purpose of Writing: In 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon had conquered Judah and deported many of its inhabitants to Babylon – Daniel included. Daniel served in the royal court of Nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed Nebuchadnezzar. The Book of Daniel records the actions, prophecies, and visions of the Prophet Daniel."

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Welcome to the second part in our new series: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. Last week, we took a deep dive into the joys & duties of a Christian household and it was a good introduction to this topic. We've got some terrific topics coming up in this series.

But today we are tackling a really important lesson for all of us today: We need to be brave in faith before the Lord. We need  to lead and love our families with Bravery. We need to teach and train our kids to be brave. And it starts with us. Listen in today: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We need to learn how to be brave. We need to be brave women. We need to be brave mothers. We need to help inspire our men to be brave. And we need to instill bravery in our children as they grow. We need to be brave, in order to follow God's leading. Especially in an increasingly hostile culture. If we don't cultivate bravery, we may very well bow the knee to false gods and idols. Learning how to be brave in a hostile culture Something that the past 2 years has brought to a lot of our attention is how hostile our culture is against Christians. We've become so use to comfort and ease, that with the world getting a little shaking, we don't know how to respond.

We need to become braver. We need to become brave Christians. And THIS is going to heavily affect how we respond now and especially into the future.

We've seen this shift in the western world over the past 20 years. Those perhaps in the UK or Australia have been feeling this shift for a decade. And those of us here in the US are finally feeling it now as well. "This world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up Somewhere beyond the blue.

"In reality, for us in the English-speaking West this world has tended to feel very much like home and our treasures have been right before our eyes. But now we are finally facing the fact that this broken, sinful world in which we live is not actually our home - that what the Bible says concerning believers in this world is really true: That we really are aliens and that we really are strangers. The fact of the matter is that it has been true that we are strangers in and to this world. It has just been clouded, obscured by the size and influence and legal protection of the church in most of the Western world. But this world is not actually our home. We're not supposed to be treating this life the way other people treat it, as if this is the be-all and end-all of everything, or as if as Christians we can have a comfortable, respectable, prosperous life here and look forward to even more of those things in eternity.

"Secularism pushes back again and again against what the Bible says about sexual ethics, about salvation, about education, about the role and reach of the state, or about matters of public welfare. Public opinion has turned against Christians." - Brave by Faith We've become so comfortable in our world, that we are not ready or willing to make sacrifices. I can't even begin to count how many times those around me (and myself) have uttered the past 2 years "I just can't wait until things get back to normal."

But what if God is teaching us some profound truths through all of this. What if he is exposing the true Church, cutting the wheat from the chaff and teaching all of us in the Western world how to stand firm in the Lord once again.

But God is Sovereign.  He is in control. He is foreseeing all that is happening and He is working it all out to His Glory (and for our good to those of us in His Church).

We freak out at the slightest inconvenience. We fear for the future and what kind of society our kids will inherit. I'm not saying it's wrong to speculate about what's coming and it's certainly not wrong to be proactive in protecti...

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Welcome to my new series here on the podcast: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. We are at a time, as a society and as the Church, where we need to be thinking really critically about our families, our households, and the larger culture. We need to figure out how and when we are going to interact with the culture and what it means to share the Gospel and also protect our families.

This is a BIG and incredibly important topic, so today kicks off an entire series on this topic. In this series that will span into 2022, we will cover topics like: Equipping our family to be brave for the coming future, How to prepare your family to weather the storm in a hostile culture, how to prepare your home to nurture your family, The mother's role in developing a family culture, The father's role, The children's role and responsibility, defending our faith, and more! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. So today we are kicking off this discussion first by discussing the household. After all, that's what this podcast is for, Finding Joy in Your Home...all for God's Glory! So then, as we jump into these even greater topics, I want to first make sure we see how essential the household is.

In the past 50 years or so, Christianity in the West has become progressively more individualistic. We've wanted to shed any ideas of religion in favor or a "relationship". We want to emphasize our own personal walks with the Lord over corporate walks. We've lost how community oriented the Christian life is suppose to be and this has deeply affected our households and how we teach our children about Christ.

We need to fight for the households again. We need to fight hard for time as a family, time with our kids, time to slowly teach them about Christ. We've become a very individualistic society that goes a thousand separate ways. And in some ways, I think this has been made worse the past 2 years.

We need to start thinking to our great grand children. 

What are we building for future generations? How are we training up parents and grandparents. Over the course of the next couple of hundred of years, I cannot even begin to calculate how many descendants that Jason and I will have.

The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Ephesians 6:10-20 There are great joys in a Christian household. There is fellowship and intimacy. There is working through problems and conflicts as Christians. There is the deep love and support of a life lived for Christ. There are male and female,

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In between series here on the podcast, we are sneaking in a holiday episode. Are you READY and excited for the holidays? Or perhaps dreading the effort and the time coming up? Whether you feel excited or are dreading the upcoming holidays, we can all use a good dose of perspective for finding Joy in the Lord this year! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A call to be generous & servant hearted "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” - Acts 20:35 We can witness to unsaved family and friends this way and be a good model for our kids. "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:16 We are called to use the life and resources that God has given us to serve. "You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love." - Galatians 5:13

Examine our expectations  With this in mind, let's be ultra clear on what our expectations are for the holidays. Many of us go into the day with grand ideas and an agenda. We have a picture of how this family get together will be and what we will do. Plans don't always go our way. So plan for the day, expect God's glory to be shone, and let all the little things go.

If we have unrealistic expectations, the holidays will never be fun and we will probably be upset or angry. Let's remember to serve and glorify God with these days. Remember those who are hurting this holiday season  I never understood how hard the holidays could be until my mom passed away. My eyes were opened to the fact that the holidays can be incredible for so many and incredibly sad for so many others.

Look out for who you can serve. Who needs some encouragement or a hug this holiday season? Who doesn't have any family to spend the holidays with? Watch for ways that you and your family can serve.

Make the holidays about Christ  I love November and December. I adore putting up Christmas lights and walking down the oldest street in town, hot chocolate in hand, and ooing over all the lights and houses. I love Christmas carols and sitting by the fire. I love the ambiance and the time of year.

But above all of those things, we love Christ. And as in everyday life, we should seek to make the holidays firmly about Christ. Let's make sure to center our celebrations and our joy around HIM.

Christmas carols: https://uribrito.com/optimism-christmas-carols/

I have a few goals as I head into the holiday season:

Recognize that this is a busy season. This is not the time for mama to kick her feet up and have the perfect holiday. It's the time we can serve and love our families in the best possible way. Adjust your expectations accordingly. If you go into this season with the right perspective, it can change everything. I want to have a servants heart - and look for ways I can serve Bring my family together. More family time, not less, is my goal during the busy holiday season. For our young ages, this sometimes looks like saying no to friends things so we can just be home as a family of 8 together. Finally and most importantly: Bring glory to God. Make our mission about Christ in all we do. From thanksgiving praises, to working hard in the kitchen, from thinking ahead as to how we can be a blessing at relatives houses, to being the first to offer to clean up, from focusing on Scripture to singing joyful Christmas caroles together: We can aim to be bring glory to God in everything we do.

Cleaning House for the Holidays sermon series:

Gaining a clear consciences before God Finding relief from regrets

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Whew! We are here. Today we are wrapping up our 25 foundational episodes to kick off the relaunch of my podcast. These 25 episodes are to stand as the foundation of the idea of Finding Joy in Your Home. Go back and catch up on the ones you missed. Next week we are kicking off our NEXT 25 episodes. The theme for those? The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture. It's gonna be good 🔥 Today we are wrapping up our discussion on drawing closer to the Lord through spiritual disciplines and a Q&A. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We need to put in the work and the discipline and the time. So often we cry that we want a deeper spiritual life, but we don’t want to put in the work. We want one or two slides on Instagram to teach us how to do it. We don’t want to go through the work of listening to an entire podcast episode or reading a book. We want fast and quick results. But a life that becomes more and more like Christ…takes small daily steps. Every single day of your life. Small little steps that don’t seem like anything earth shattering until you look back after 5 years, 10 years, 50 years and you are suddenly a different person.

Questions we chat about today:

How to get into consistent Bible reading. It’s such a struggle for me. Why as moms we should read our bibles? How to read the Bible to young kids Thoughts on fasting —> READ THIS Family worship. —> Listen to episode #17 Scripture memorization? Favorite kids devotionals? see below

Favorite Kid's Devotionals:

The Ology - Marty Machowski Wonderfull: Ancient Psalms Ever New 30 Prophecies: One story

Links & Resources:

Book on the Puritans I'm reading that I mentioned: Thriving in Grace: Twelve Ways the Puritans Fuel Spiritual Growth Join our community!! Grab your ticket to the 2022 Finding Joy in Your Home Online Conference Make sure to return next week as we kick off our next 25 episodes. The theme is: The Family & Culture: How to bring glory to God within our households in a hostile culture

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As a newer Christian, I often struggled knowing how to have a deeper prayer life. Even a 3 or 4 minute prayer could get boring and I didn't know how to make it deeper or what a truly rich prayer life looked like. In this episode, we are going to discuss a few ways we can approach prayer, how we can have a deeper prayer life, and what that means to mature in our Spiritual walk with the Lord. This is a hands on and practical episode, so let's dive in!! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Book recommendation: Everyday Faitfhfulness – my current read Book recommendation: Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney My interview with Donald Whitney Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year’s theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity!  Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October Our book store is open November 8-15th! Grab any books and Christmas presents you want before our shop closes until March 2022

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In this episode, we are going to dive into some practical ways to be in God's Word more. But first, we are going to discuss WHY it's so important to be in His Word often. Let's dive into this practical episode! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Bible verses mentioned: 2 Timothy 2:15, Romans 15:4, Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16 Book recommendation: Everyday Faitfhfulness - my current read Book recommendation: Women of the Word - a great book on studying God's Word! My interview with Jen Wilkin on Women of the Word Podcast recommendation: The Verity Podcast with Phylicia Masonheimer (a podcast on theology!) Website recommendation: Katie Orr has some fabulous resources for deeper Bible study Podcast recommendation: Household Hermeneutics with Jason and Jami (our new podcast on deep theology - made fun and engaging!) Podcast episode: Going deeper when you have no time (episode 115) Podcast episode: A Bible Study Q&A (Episode 116) Podcast episode: Help, I can't find the time to read God's Word (episode 241) Our sponsor: Go to MoinkBox.com/HOME right now and listeners to this show get FREE bacon for a year!. Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year’s theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity!  Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October

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Being faithful in everyday life can be tough. Add in a busy or exhausting season and it can sometimes feel impossible. Today's episode is meant to give you encouragement in those busy seasons, while also directing you to getting into God's Word more! Listen in:

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I love this encouragement from the book, Everyday Faithfulness. She says, “As you press forward with regular faithfulness admit a mountain of laundry, a rotation of diaper changes and nighttime feedings, or basic acts of care for an aging parent, the Lord sees you. He knows you are weary, and he is working good from it. He has compassion on you when you struggle to pick up your Bible or sleep through prayer. Christ is your example, but he is also your helper as he intercedes for you to keep following him in faithfulness (rom. 8:34).

Links & Resources:

Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year’s theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity!  Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October Our sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking125 and use code: homemaking125 to get $125 off including free shipping! Our sponsor: To get 15% off your next gift, go to UNCOMMONGOODS.com/home

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Welcome back to the second part of our everyday faithfulness mini series. Last week we talked about becoming a student of God. Now we are chatting about finding joy in God's Word with our special guest, Brittany Ann from Equipping Godly Women. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

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Today we are kicking off a mini series on Spiritual Disciples & drawing closer to the Lord. We will dive later on to practical Bible study tips and a deeper prayer life. But today we are talking about what it means to practice everyday faithfulness. I might step on your toes a little bit in this episode, but listen in anyway! ;) Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Check out the 2022 homemaking online conference here!! This year's theme is: Homemaking in Light of Eternity!  Join our FREE Community!! All kinds of great things going on AND a Bible Study through James in October For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code: home50

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This is an encouraging episode, I promise! Something I've been wrestling with a lot in my own life, is how much input from social media, news, and other sources that I'm letting in. Today we are chatting about when it's Biblically appropriate to carry each other's burdens and when it's okay to not. This has been on my heart a lot lately, listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Tickets go on sale for our 2022 online homemaking conference at noon PST on Tuesday. October 5th. You can find out more here. Get $10 off StoryWorth.com/Homemaking

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Anyone else feeling like you need some encouragement in your parenting? Anyone else feeling like you are struggling with connecting with your kids or making sure you are meeting their needs? If you need some Biblical grace filled parenting encouragement, I want you to join me in this episode today with Crystal Paine from Money Saving Mom. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Crystal's book is one of my favorite books I've read in the past 2 years: Love-Centered Parenting. It was not at all what I was expecting in a parenting book, but in the best possible way. It challenged me and encouraged me. But not only in my parenting, also in my own personal heart and outlook. Crystal is incredible honest and open in this book and I highly recommend it.

Links & Resources:

Book recommendation: Love-Centered Parenting We have a new free Bible Study challenge through the book of James starting October 1st! Join our free community app for it. Also starting October 1st is a brand new theme for our Kitchen Collective: Crockpots and instanpots. Trainings, videos, and loooooots of recipes! Join (and get instant access to September's month (30 Minute Dinners) and October's month (breakfasts)! JOIN HERE Mark your calendar: October 5th!!! Tickets go on sale for the 2022 homemaking online conference. The theme this year is Homemaking in Light of Eternity. Our Sponsor:  Join the Moink Movement today! Go to MoinkBox.com/HOME and listeners to this show get FREE bacon for a Year (A pop up will come up with the offer.

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Family worship and family discipleship are two areas in our home that we've always wanted to be intentional about. But in the beginning of our marriage, we struggled knowing what this looks like. It's been a journey through the years developing this culture in our home. And while we have a long way to go still, in this episode, Jason and I are sharing what this looks like in our home right now (and what we are still learning): Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. In this episode, Jason and I share our brand new podcast we launched in August called Household Hermeneutics. It's been a passion project of ours in 2021 and we are so excited to share that you can listen to it for FREE wherever you listen to podcasts.

There has never been a more important time in history to make sure we know what we believe, why we believe it, and be able to defend our faith. And it’s vital that we teach these same things to our kids. Join Jason and Jami as they dive into Christian theology, starting with the basics in an easy to understand way. But they won’t stop at the basics or a high level overview. They will dive deep, right into the very heart of God’s Word and how we can know Him more and glorify Him with our whole lives…and pass this down to future generations.

This podcast is truly unique and our prayer is that it will help you facilitate family worship and growth in your household in the Lord. 

The podcast is released every other Thursday. On release day each week, we release two episodes back to back. Episode #1 is the full episode meant for adults and teens (the whole family can listen in, it’s just on a deeper level). Episode #2 for that week is the Family Discipleship portion that is usually around 10 minutes long. This is meant to be played for the whole family and contains: 1 5 minute lesson, Scripture memory verses, catechism, and singing hymns together.

You can listen to all the episodes here!

Visit our sponsor for today's episode: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking14 and use code homemaking14 for up to 14 free meals, including free shipping!

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I've gotten some really random questions lately that didn't build into an entire episode themselves and so I decided to turn them into a little stand alone episode. I love when Allie Beth Stuckey does this! So let's jump in. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. In this episode, we will go over a few fun and random topics:

What our plans are after travel life. Teaching our children to swim How do you know when God is calling you to something verses your wish or desire for something. How to become more like minded with your husband when it comes to planning and goal setting. Training your kids in chores (and an encouragement) How do you handle the fear of being out alone with your kids?

Our sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50.

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If you are needing some encouragement for where is our world headed? Then tune into this second part series of A Theology of Hope. You can listen to part 1 here. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. C.S. Lewis gives us some good encouragement for right now:

“How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

— C.S. Lewis, “On Living in an Atomic Age” (1948)

FIRST THING: God is good. All the time.

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" - Psalm 34:8

Second: He cares deeply for his children. "“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" - Matthew 6:25-34 Third: We can trust Him with our lives, our futures, and our kids. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7 ---> God will work all things out for his glory and our good. A look at eschatology I am not going to get into a huge eschatological debate here, but we do need to address something. By and large, the American or western church has become very complacent about the future.

With the dispensational premillenial view point of the end times being so prevalent in American Evangelism (think: left behind and sudden rapture), it has left so many of us feeling very apathetic and lazy about the future. I think we've adopted a very fatalistic viewpoint of the end times. The dis-premill position is that things will just keeping getting worse until bam, Christ's Church is raptured.

While it's not true for all churches, it does seem that when we look at the past year and a half, the church has become apathetic. We look around and see the world going down hill and kind of give up. We become apathetic.

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Anyone else feeling super stressed and overwhelmed with everything going on? I've seen countless posts this week about how heavy everything feels and all of the stress of this world. But how do we, as Christians, face this present age, and the future to come? Join me in this two part series on a Theology of Hope. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. The Problem of Being Hyper Aware Social media has become a plague to these current generations. We see and know all (or least we think so). And instead of taking comfort in God's sovereign plan, we stress and fret and fear.

In the episode, we take a little jump into picturing what it would have looked like to live in the first half of the 1900s with smart phones. And compare that to how it feels now.

Studying a Christian Response to:

Black Plague Early Greco-Roman Plagues Emperor Nero

Our Takeaways:

Don't be ignorant of what's happening in the world, but largely stay in your circle Develop a robust prayer life You don't have to know all the answers TRUST

In the next episode, we are going to get into the next part: The Theology of Hope for the Future Age Links & Resources:

Songfinch is offering an additional $20 dollars off ALL personalized songs at SongFinch.com with code: HOME Go to GreenChef.com/homemaking100 and use code: homemaking100 to get $100 off including free shipping!

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When I began looking into hospitality about 12 years ago, I felt totally overwhelmed. It felt like such a big thing to be, because I just didn't know what it looked like or how to practice it. So in today's last episode of our hospitality mini series, we are going to chat about how we can get practical with practicing hospitality. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Getting Practical 1) Make a list of 4-5 wonderful hospitality recipes to make

Don't try and reinvent the wheel each time. Create a few go-to staples you make and do those each time. The more you practice, the easier and more second nature it will become. Make sure to come up with at least one great gluten free meal and one great dairy free meal in the rotation.

2) Start inviting

Seriously, just do it. The first time you blurt out, "Would you like to come to our house for dinner?" might feel awkward! But keep doing it. It becomes easier.

3) If you don't have kids

Please invite the families over with kids. Go to the thrift store and have one small box of toys that you can pull out when kids come over. And don't be offended if the family with kids instead invite you over to their house.

4) Plan Ahead

I know the first few times we extended hospitality to people we didn’t know very well, it felt like it took a week to get ready. Things I don’t normally notice (such as cobwebs and dirty mirrors) were suddenly obvious to me! I felt overwhelmed and I was exhausted after the first few people came over. But as time went on, I became more comfortable with the routine. We started practicing hospitality so often that I was always planning ahead to the next get together. This way the house never got too out of hand. After one night of hospitality I knew I had better stay on top of the house and cleaning because a new family would be in our dining room the following week!

5) Think outside the box with hospitality, it doesn't have to cost a ton

Practicing hospitality doesn’t have to cost a lot of money! Many people feel that they don’t have room in their budget to have families over. But don’t stretch yourself. Start with a commitment of having a family over once a month and serve pizza! Everyone loves pizza; your meal doesn’t have to be complex or fancy. Many families will offer to bring something to dinner. LET THEM! If they ask, let them bring a dessert or side dish. Try out freezer cooking and make all your meals ahead, it can save a lot of money!

6) Learn from others

As you start extending hospitality, just wait and you will get invited over to other’s houses as well. Learn from what they do. When you get invited to other’s houses, make a mental note of what they do from the moment you walk in the house. Do they have music playing? What kinds of questions did they ask? Did they get a card game out or offer coffee after dinner? This is the best way to learn new tips and tricks. Offering coffee at the end of a meal is a great comfort to offer, but if you never drink coffee past 10am then you might not think about it. Glean from other’s experiences and wisdom.

7) And ASK

When practicing hospitality, ask, ask, ask. Many people that we have invited over to our house, we felt nervous about asking…will they want to come over? We barely know them…do they even know who we are? But everyone loves to be invited over. So just ask! Ask about food allergies or preferences. You don’t want to make a big meaty lasagna only to find out that one kid is allergic to tomatoes and Mom is a vegetarian! Ask other women for their hospitality tips. Many women like to share what they do to make their home welcoming, so ask those around you how they do it! Remember, it's not about your home, it's about your heart At the end of the day your candles don’t matter.

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We are doing a little mini series right now on hospitality. In the last episode, we took a look at hospitality in the Old Testament and why it was important to them. We have to start first with the Old Testament because their view of hostility greatly influenced those in the New Testament and the early church. In the next episode, we will dive into practical ideas for hospitality but first, let's do a little deep dive into the New Testament! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Any discussion of Biblical hospitality, must first naturally start with the Bible. Yesterday we dove into the Old Testament to find out what it has to say on hospitality and now today we will find out how the early Church in the New Testament practiced and modeled hospitality.

While Biblical hospitality is not a high priority for most modern western churches, it was vital to the growth, stability, and daily life of the early Church! “Hospitality is becoming an almost forgotten Christian virtue in our style of life today, particularly in big cities with their rampant crime on the streets, their locked-in apartments and all their affluent, urban and bourgeois devices which attempt to create privacy in our homes and our lives. In the New Testament, however, hospitality was a distinctive mark of Christians and Christian communities.” ~ Hospitality Commands, pg 6

Hospitality in the New Testament The Greek word for hospitality that is used in the New Testament is philoxenia which literally means “Love for Strangers“. Each time we are commanded to practice hospitality, God is literally commanding us to have and show love for others!

Love is a central theme of the Bible. We are to love God {Deuteronomy 10:12}, love our neighbors {Luke 10:27}, and kove strangers {Philippians 2:3-4}. And at the root of hospitality is love. By practicing hospitality we are showing love for those in God’s Church, love for strangers, neighbors, and unbelievers, and most of all, love for God by obeying his commands. “The Christian practice of hospitality was not viewed simply as a means of overcoming a practical problem. Theological statements by different authors in the New Testament show that it was frequently viewed as the concrete expression of Christian love.” ~ Hospitality Commands, pg 16 Serving those in the Church We have a clear call from Paul to serve those within our Church and practice hospitality. “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” ~ Romans 12:13 Practically, this serving and contributing to the needs of the saints can take on many different forms. It can mean bringing a meal to a family who just had a baby. It can mean inviting new people at Church to your home for dinner. It can mean donating money and time to the Church’s emergency fund. Later in this series we will get into practical ways we can serve through hospitality. Serving Unbelievers & Strangers While one component of hospitality is serving those in the Church, another aspect is serving unbelievers and strangers! As Abraham found out, you should never neglect to show hospitality because you never know who you are serving! Here is a clear command to practice hospitality to strangers “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” ~ Hebrews 13:2 Serve Without Complaining God surly knows our hearts! He wants us to serve Him with joy and humility. He is not merely concerned with our external actions but also the state of our hearts. He knows that we can tend to act selfishly or serve while complaining. So he issued this command: “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” ~ 1 Peter 4:9 We must be careful to not complain when extending hospitality when you think about the cost of food and extendi...

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In the last episode we discussed ways in which we can serve within our homes. Today we are going to kick off a little mini series on hospitality. When looking at practicing Biblical hospitality, lets begin at the beginning, in the Old Testament. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Hospitality in the Old Testament The Old Testament culture is very different from ours. As people traveled through the land {and often through very dry desert areas} there were no McDonald’s or Starbucks’ to stop at when they got tired or thirsty.

When their feet were caked with mud and dried dust, they had nowhere to turn expect to houses they passed. Travelers often relied on the kindness of strangers for survival and they took the call of serving strangers seriously! “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” ~ Leviticus 19:33–34 In no uncertain terms, God commanded the Israelites to care for and love the strangers and travelers among them! Maybe they didn’t understand why God would issue this strong calling but all they knew was that God commanded it…and they should obey! “For the people of God in the Old Testament the duty of hospitality came right from the center of who God was. I am the Lord your God who made a home for you and brought you there with all my might and all my soul. Therefore, you shall love the stranger as yourself. You shall be holy as I am holy (Leviticus 19:1). Your values shall mirror my values.” ~ Strategic Hospitality fromDesiring God Blog

Learning From the Father of Our Faith Abraham, the man called righteous because of his faith {James 2:23}, was a great example of hospitality that we can follow! Often the focus of this scene from Genesis 18:1-16 is that of Sarah who is promised to bear a son. While that is a profitable teaching from this passage, something else is illustrated as well: Abraham’s willing and eager heart to extend hospitality to these three men {who turn out to be angels & the Lord}.

Note: I recently heard a fantastic sermon on this scene that really describes Abraham’s willingness to serve. I highly recommend you listen to it as Pastor Phil Layton can describe it much more effectively than I can. You can hear the message HERE {and in fact, he is currently going through a fantastic series on Genesis right now}.

A few things to notice from this passage: Abraham Ran “When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth” ~ Genesis 18:2b This was an unusual thing for a middle eastern man of that time. He “girded his loins” and RAN to greet these strangers approaching their homestead. Abraham and Sarah were old by this point and in fact Sarah was past menopause. It’s would have been very unusual to see an old grey haired man pull up his robe and literally run to greet strangers on the road – but that is exactly what Abraham did! He was eager to share hospitality with these strangers! Abraham Called Them Lord Calling someone Lord was a sign of respect. Abraham was a wealthy man and yet he called himself a servant to these strangers and ran to wash their feet – a humbling act of service! To wash someone’s feet was to make yourself lower in status to that person {which is one reason it was so shocking that Jesus would wash the apostles feet {John 13:1-17}. “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree” ~ Genesis 18:3-4 Photo by paukrus Abraham’s Hospitality Was Generous “And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick!

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We spent the first 10 episodes of our 25 Foundational Episode series chatting about routines, habits, and how we can find joy in our homes all for God's Glory. The last part of what we want to focus on in our homes, is serving! Today we are going to talk about what it looks like to serve within our homes and then we will jump into a 2 part mini series on hospitality. After that, we will kick off a series on PLANNING out all of these habits and routines in our homes. Let's jump in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I did a deep dive into this topic in my new book, She Laughs Without Fear. So as I was planning out the notes for this episode, I started pulling stuff from that chapter but realized I basically just wanted to give you everything from that episode. So instead of reinventing the wheel, today's episode is just going to be the audiobook Chapter 7 of my new book! If you are loving this topic, you can hop over to FindingJoyShop.com to purchase the full eBook or Audiobook on the Proverbs 31 woman!

“She opens her hands to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.” - Proverbs 31:20

Often in seasons where we are home a lot (like being a stay at home mom and/or having lots of little kids), it can feel like our ability to serve within our homes isn't much. But in this episode, I hope to show that while God has us all in unique seasons, we are still called to serve. In fact, we can use our homes as a powerful form of ministry...it might just look different from season to season.

Some ways we can serve that we discuss in this episode:

Through hospitality Tithes & offerings And other forms of ministry Ministry to our own families

So I will leave you here on that note. What season does God have you in right now? What are some ways you can serve in the season you are in? Empty nesters, you might find yourself with more time on your hands and the ability to serve outside the home more, but lack the energy to do so. Pray that God would direct where you should serve and use the restrictions and freedom that God has given you in this season. Likewise, young moms, you might feel so squeezed for time, yet you are home a lot. Use what God has given you in this season to serve! Don’t discount the small ways you can serve the Lord right now. Take this lesson from the wise woman and plan and prepare for ways you can serve the Lord while serving your family.

Links & Resources:

Get my full book, She Laughs Without Fear here Get TWO full weeks of meal plans and learn how to prep ahead with PrepDish.com/Homemaking Join our new community to discuss this epiosde and so much more! --> FindingJoyCommunity.com

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We've been really working on routines around here. It's been one of those seasons where I need to tighten up our routines and habits for the whole family. In episode 9, we discussed a solid morning routine which will make your day go so much smoother. But the KEY to a solid morning routine is a very practical evening routine. That's what we are going to discuss today, let's dive in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A practical evening routine for my house: Helps me to close out today and prepare well for tomorrow. If I can successfully do my evening routine, it's so much more likely that tomorrow will start without a hitch.

It's kind of like a vicious circle in my household. When I stay up too late and am not intentional, my morning is rocky which throws off my whole day. Then we get to bedtime and I stay up too late again trying to either capture a little productivity or finally sneak in some rest time. Which of course, means TOMORROW is rocky or messed up. Thus the circle.

But in a positive way, if you can get on a rhythm of good routines: closing out your day well, getting a good nights sleep and getting up and getting productive: a very good circle can start. That's our aim with a practical evening routine. A Practical Evening Routine for Me Includes:

Shut down the house and my day: Create a routine that you step into each evening Set the coffee make to start Make sure kitchen is clear & I know what's for breakfast Review my dinner plan for tomorrow: does anything need to go in the crockpot or pull out of freezer Review my plans for tomorrow: school plans, doctors appointments, etc. The most important part: Get to bed on time

I have a brain that likes to never stop. I have the tendency to get into bed exhausted but my brain is wide awake. So in some stressful seasons, it's very important for me to intentionally wind down before bed.

If I try to go straight from working on a work project, watching tv with Jason, or scrolling IG on my phone to sleep, it just doesn't work. So I like to:

Take a detox bath: Epsom salt + essential oil Take Mary Ruth's nighttime multi mineral (magnesium) Read a book before bed to relax

Links & Resources:

Our Sponsor: MoinkBox.com/HOME for a FREE year of bacon!! Our Sponsor: HookedOnPhonics.comHOME, and receive your first month for just one dollar Join our amazing free online community app (you can access it from anywhere): FindingJoyCommunity.com Sign up for the Finding Joy in Your Kitchen Collective. Our first month we will be breaking down BREAKFAST! Come join us Titus 2 Minute Podcast Season 2 is LAUNCHING TODAY!! Go listen.

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For the past couple of months, I've been focusing on meal planning and getting my kitchen under control. And while there are so many fantastic practical things we can talk about when it comes to meal planning, the biggest thing I want to talk about is the spiritual aspect of meal planning. Dive into today's episode to find out what I'm talking about: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

The kitchen has gotten a bad rap the last 50 years or so. We want to be in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible. Then we find out all these processed foods and fast food are actually causing a lot of health issues so we try and cook a little healthier all while spending as little time as possible at it. We get frustrated and angry when we end up spending more time in the kitchen than we want to. 

But what if we instead looked at meal prepping and cooking for our family as a ministry? Now I’m not saying you need to start cooking everything from scratch or that your version of nourishing your family needs to look anything like what it does for my family.

But what if instead of viewing the kitchen merely as a place to build up the physical parts of our family, what if we viewed it with a ministry mindset and saw how we could use food to minister as well? 

In her book,Eve in Exile, Rebekah Merkle looks at what it means to work within the home. I love what she says about food: I read the quotes in the video but if you have the book she chats about it on pages 152-154.

What if we used this opportunity in the kitchen to get creative? To serve our family? To help heal bodies with food.

And used it as ministry? 

Food has been a central gathering place in every culture around the world. Good food and meals around the table should be celebrated. It can become the heart of the home. It can be used to ministry to our husbands and our kids. It can be greatly used to minister to others through hospitality or bringing them meals.

As we head into the rest of this series, and fight to make our kitchens run smoother, let’s remember this: That the kitchen can be used to greatly serve the Lord. so let’s be women that use this rather large area of our lives, after all we have to make 3 meals a day plus snacks day in and day out, to serve God’s Kingdom. To teach our children the art of cooking and to use what time we have well. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31 So today I want you to reflect on what your attitude has been about the kitchen? 

Do you complain often, either outlaid or to your kids, about having to make another meal? Da you whine and put off having to do the dishes? Da you anguish that this is a task that has fallen to you? Take a few minutes to really examine how you’ve maybe had a sinful heart in this area of your home and pray and ask God to change your heart and your attitude when it comes to this task. Join our brand new Kitchen Collective! If you are excited about this concept of using your kitchen as a ministry to your family, but you don't know how to actually make that happen, then I want to invite you to join our brand new Finding Joy in Your Kitchen Collective!

Each month we will tackle a different area of our kitchen so that in one year, you will master your kitchen! The first month we are tackling Breakfasts!! It's going to be incredible. Jump in today to join us: FindingJoyShop.com/kitchencollective

Links & Resources:

Our Sponsor: Get free shipping on your kids play kits at Lovevery.com/HOMEMAKING Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking14 and use code homemaking14 for up to 14 free meals plus free shipping!

Join our new Kitchen Collective!! <<

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I have become very passionate about establishing a solid morning routine in my day because it makes such a huge difference in the work I can get done in a day but also attitudes! Tune into this episode to hear about my morning routine and how I use it to really set the tone for my day. Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We've been talking a lot about priorities and a solid morning routine helps to make sure your 1-2 top priorities for each day happens. A good morning routine to me:

Start off with: Bible reading & prayer Then: Get Ready This helps with: Making sure my own attitude is prepared for the day Make sure to: Review dinner Also: Review days plans This all: Kicks off our work and school day well

In the next episode we are going to dive into a solid evening routine and how this is actually the key to a good morning routine and that is when things really start clicking! Links & Resources:

Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50

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In the past episode, we discussed redeeming our time for God's Glory. Next we are going to dive into developing good morning and evening routines. But before we do, I want to pause and take a little look at the Proverbs 31 woman and something she can teach us about using our time well. And don't worry, I'm not going to leave you with a massive to do list that includes learning how to make your own clothes or grow a giant vineyard. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We are celebrating this month because my brand new book: She Laughs Without Fear: Wise & Joyful Living with the Proverbs 31 Woman launches this week. Preorders for the physical copy of the book already closed, but keep an eye out for future bookstore openings when we may offer it for print again. In the mean time, you can get the eBook and Audiobook version in our digital store. You'll get access to both versions! eBook launches Wednesday and audiobook is coming Friday! Order here.

"What we are going to see throughout this book is a woman who is filled with joy. A woman who laughs, works hard unto the Lord, and personifies wisdom. All of this leads to a rich, full, and joyful life. And the heart of all of this is not how much she does, or what she accomplishes. It’s not about her worth, or her output, or her social media account where people can follow how beautiful and perfect her home is. The heart of it all is her relationship with God. We will see things we do want to emulate from the Proverbs 31 woman. We might be convicted and see places we can work harder. We might even start a little to do list of things to work on after reading this book. But all of it will be under the umbrella of knowing God more and serving Him with joy." - Introduction from my new book

There are two parts of Proverbs 31 that are very relevant to our discussion today. The question is, how do we use our time well? The heading to the Proverbs 31 passage is titled "The Woman Who Fears the Lord" and then the chapter is concluded with these final 2 verses: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." We also see up in verses 25,  "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come."

So how do we learn from this wise woman? In my book, we go into the concept of wisdom, what it is and how we can attain it. And then verse by verse we go through the final chapter of the book of Proverbs to see what the real lessons are there in it. But today I want to just look at these few verses.

We are on a journey with these 25 foundational episodes to discover how to use our time well in the pursuit of finding joy in our home. And so many of us are plagued by stress and anxiety in our homes. Not a lot of extra room for joy or peace when you are plagued by anxiety. But we see that the wise woman of Proverbs laughs without fear of the future. How could this possible be? How can she be so secure in the Lord that she takes delight in what is to come? This speaks of a woman who has found joy and purpose in her day.

Well we see the entire reason for it in verse 30, "but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." What does that fear of the Lord possible mean? The point of the book of Proverbs is to help us understand what God considers wise and righteous living. It helps us take the Law and apply it to daily life. Through the book of Proverbs, we see some powerful glimpses into the heart of God, and it helps us to learn His character more. One such powerful lesson is earlier in the book:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”  - Proverbs 9:10

he book of Proverbs is all about this concept - the wise person versus the fool.

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As we kick off our next mini series on productivity and routines, we first need to start with the concept of our time. How do we use our time to serve the Lord? How can we redeem our time all for His glory and in finding joy in our homes? Let's dive into this episode to find out! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all the links and notes for this episode below!

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Redeeming our time for God's Glory We can view the time we have as a gift - or we can grumble and complain that we don't have enough of it. Do we thank God for the time we have? Or do we constantly grumble and complain about what seemingly little time I have?

God gave us 24 hours in a day and of those hours, we are not meant to be productive 24 hours a day. In fact, we "waste" roughly 1/3 of those hours every single day in sleep!

God has given you the right amount of hours to accomplish all that he has for you. You won't get to the end of your life and God is like whoops! So with that in mind, are we scheduling in the big priorities that God has given me? Am I making sure that HIS priorities are #1 and that I'm not filling my time with my priorities.

We glorify busy and productive. And often, God's big priorities are not often the ones that we feel good sharing on social media or checking off a list.

Our big priorities in our life: 

God Marriage Kids Business

Other important things: homeschool, eating healthy, my own health, reading, etc.

What do you need to say not to right now in order to use your time well? I think for many of us, it's getting more wise with our technology use. Tim Challies  shares "They are questions I receive often: “Do you ever sleep? Do you work all the time? Do you ever stop?” There seems to be this impression among certain people that either I am an unrepentant workaholic or that I am remorselessly neglectful toward life’s other responsibilities. The truth is far less sordid: I have invested a lot of effort over many years in learning how to simplify life and how to maximize productivity. I love to make the best use of my time and energy, and I am constantly fine-tuning the systems that allow me to remain that way." His very helpful article: https://www.challies.com/articles/how-to-get-things-done/ Links & Resources:

Our sponsor: Get free shipping on the kid play sets at Lovevery.com/homemaking Our sponsor: Get 12 free meals and free shipping with HelloFresh.com/homemaking12 and coupon: homemaking12

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Ever year, I do a recap of our homeschool year to share what has been working well and sharing all the resources we used. Listen to to a fun homeschooling convo today. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. This year we had 2 2nd graders, 2 kindergartners, and a 4 year old who wanted to be in Kindergarten and do everything her big brothers were doing. So it was our first year really with 5 kids in school. Our biggest focus this year: READING. I had a big focus with all 5 kids on getting everyone to the next reading level. Which I am so glad because I feel like my 2nd graders are really walking into 3rd grade with good reading under their belt now. And the two kindergarteners are doing fantastic. They will be reading early readers on their own by 1st grade. The 4 year old in betweener will be there soon as well.

We spent a lot of time reading this year and the pay off has been so worth it! I've taught all 5 of my kids so far to read using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Best $14 investment for all 5 of my readers.

Our Main Curriculum this Year: The Good and the Beautiful Math We used their level 2 and level K this year. This is our 2nd year using TGATB for math and we love it. They are releasing an all new math program August 2nd and we are very excited about it. I'll update you when we start using it. Gather Round Homeschool for all other subjects We switched to Gather Round in July 2020 after 2 months of heavy research into it (I did NOT want to switch curriculum again lol). But I am so glad that I did!! You can read all about why we love Gather Round in this blog post.

Units we've done so far: 

Oceans Asia North American Birds Europe Space Africa Earth Science Artists - Year 2 Mini unit: Christmas mini unit: Government

We will finish up: Human Body & South America by September. Extras we added in:

Notgrass - Our 50 States Random lesson pages from TGATB language arts (they are free to print grades 1-5) Lots of books & art crafts

Some books we read this year:

Boxcar children Looots of magic tree house books Growly series I survived Series Star Wars Jedi Academy Wingfeather Saga

Next year I will have 2 3rd graders, 2 1st graders, and a Kindergartener. So it'll be a full year. I will share exactly what we are using and studying as we get closer to September and I've had a chance to actually plan and order all my stuff! ;)

Links & Resources:

Our Sponsor: Check out storyworth.com/homemaking for $10 off your first purchase. PERFECT gift for Father's Day! Our Sponsor: Get 50% off your first order of supplements and herbs! Go to TakeCareOf.com and use code home50 at checkout!

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In the last episode, we talked about the Biblical idea and encouragement behind Biblical REST. God wants us to rest and in fact, we need to rest in Him. Resting in Him will produce more rest in our life overall. What how do we go about cultivating true rest in our busy too full lives? That's what we are diving into today! Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Build better routines for your life. This might not happen overnight, in fact, it might be a long road to setting better habits in your life. We are so use to living at break neck speeds in our society, it can be SO hard to reframe our concepts of what a productive life looks like. Today we are going to chat about a few things: Getting more sleep, getting OFF social media, being intentional with your rest time, and MAKING the time for rest. Get MORE sleep. "One study highlighted that we are sleeping between one and two hours fewer per night than people did sixty years ago, and two and a half hours fewer than a hundred years ago. However, ultimately the practice of getting a good night's sleep is rooted in the outworking of our theology. We believe God has made sleep an integral part of our humanity (Ps. 127:2), but as with all good gifts from God, we have a sinful tendency to refuse or misuse it. While some may struggle with wanting too much sleep, many of us struggle with wanting to make do with too little. In our productivity-mad society, we idolize activity and minimize the need for sleep. We can even pride ourselves in how little sleep we seem to need. Stories of famous Christians throughout history who reported getting by on very little sleep fuel the idea that less sleep is more godly and an example of great faith. What is often forgotten is that many of these Christians also suffered terribly ill health, and others dies young. That's why I want to make the case that adequate sleep is a far better example of great faith." - Refreshed, page 52.

I have struggled deeply with this concept. I feel like I need to constantly worry about the next step and pushing myself harder. As Ive grown in my journey, I've learned that often, I need to just go to sleep and be wise with my time. God will meet our needs. "I believe God will look after my family, my work, or my studies. I refuse to believe the lie that everything depends on me. I believe in God's sovereignty and trust that he does not need me to overwork and under sleep to get all of the work done (Ps. 127:1-2).

I believe God created my humanity, and I need to follow his guide for maintaining it. I refuse to believe the lie that I'm unique. I'm no stronger than others and therefor equally in need of his gift of sleep (Ps 3:5, 4:8).

I believe my body and soul are so closely bound together that each impacts the other. I refuse to believe the lie that if I neglect my body, my soul and mind will still flourish.

I believe my sleep is one of the best illustrations of my rest in Christ. I refuse to believe the lie that I must be known for my sacrificial service to Christ rather than by my resting on him.

I believe in God alone and refuse to worship idols. I refuse to idolize work success and belittle sleep. I refuse to idolize late night entertainment and neglect sleep. I refuse to idolize service at the expense of sleep. I refuse to make impressing my boss more important than sleep. I refuse to idolize a perfect home at the cost of damaging the temple of my body. Our sleep patters reveal our idols." - Refreshed, pages 53-54. How do we get more sleep?

Discipline "We need God's help to translate this conviction into action. Ask him for the willpower to make the necessary schedule adjustments and lifestyles changes."

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Rest is a topic that Christian women are not talking enough about. In fact, we tend to glorify busy. We glorify perfection, and doing more, and sometimes we even glorify a too full messy life over a more restful life. Today we are going to dive into what rest means from a Biblical perspective and why it's so important for the Christian women today. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Physical Warning Signs of Lack of Rest "Just as running too fast round the track will eventually result in physical problems, so running the race of life at too fast a pace will have physical consequences. Over 70 percent of Americans experience stress-induced symptoms such as headaches, stomach cramps, sore joints, back pain, ulcers, breathlessness, bad skin, an irritable bowel, chest pain, and palpitations. I certainly had some of these symptoms, and I also remember many female patients who came to me with multiple and varied bodily pains for which no physical explantation could be found, no matter how many tests and scans they had. Their lives were simply too fast and full for their bodies and minds. It's called "burnout" for a reason: All the stress causes chronic inflammation, a sort of fire in our cells that burns all the hotter, further, and longer the more fuel we add to it with our hectic lifestyles. Feeling tired, exhausted, and lethargic all the time are early warning signs that should be heeded." - Refreshed, page 26

PUSHING ourselves too hard: "We are not only creatures; we are complicated creatures. We have not only incredibly complex bodies but also remarkably intricate souls. And when you put these together in one person, you have multiplied complications as each part interacts with the others. That was one of the key areas I forgot. I was pushing myself physically in many different ways. God has blessed me with a strong will, and when I decided to get something done, I just kept pushing until it was accomplished.

"Yes, at times I could tell that such determined pushing was taking a toll on my body but I ailed to see that it was also taking a toll on my mind and my soul. I seemed to think that I could push and exhaust the physical part of me, and the mental, emotional and spiritual parts would be unaffected. I was not seeing myself as God has made me - a limited creature and complex creature. I was not only underestimating my limitations but underestimating the impact of an exhausted body on my mind and my soul. And I'm not talking here about exceptional times in life when we have to push ourselves much harder, such as when facing exams, work deadlines, or nursing babies. I'm talking about this becoming the norm, the default, for extended periods of time. Verses such as Phil 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - do not override our basic need to eat, drink, and sleep." - Refreshed, page 39. I've found in my life, that knowing I need to rest more, isn't the same as truly believing it. And I've found that my inability to rest was very much tied up in feeling like I needed to do ALL THE THINGS all of the time. This is still something I can struggle with time to time, but by God's Grace I've come a long way.

Here are some truths to keep in mind when we are struggling with this Biblical concept of REST:

Stop striving  - your worth is in Christ

"A grace-paced life? What's this? It's a pace of life that's constantly refreshed by five different wells of divine grace. First, there's the motivating well of grace. We used to be driven by money, family perfection, beauty, careers, or earning God's favor. But instead of filling and fulfilling us, these motivations drained and dried us. Now though,

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We are on a quest here with this ministry...to find joy in the everyday. And that's no easy task. We've talked about. 1. The Ministry of Home 2. How the Gospel Impacts Our Homes. 3. Finding Glory in the Mundane Moments. And now, practical ways to find joy. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. This episode is based today on this article published in 2016. If you want to read along to everything we discussed, you can hop over and read it here.

In this episode we discuss:

Finding Joy in the Early Morning Hours Fill the House with Worship Music Open the Bible Count Your Blessings Keeping a Joyful Heart in the Mundane Tasks of Home Keeping Pray Over Your Home Listen to Something Inspirational Have a Plan Create Room for Fun

In the next episode we are going to jump into the importance of REST in our homes and lives.

Links & Resources:

2016 Article on Finding Joy My Spiritual Disciplines Notebook Set Hf #143: Cultivating Gratitude in Everyday Life Hf #141: Growing in Gratitude with Mary Mohler Hf #50: Choosing to be Thankful in Troubled Times Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking12 and use code: homemaking12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping! Our Sponsor: Get 20% off your smart subscription for shampoo and conditioner for Gemmist with code: HOME

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In episode #1 (of our new relaunch of the podcast) we talked about the ministry of home and #2 focused on how the Gospel impacts all we do. Today we are chatting about finding glory in the mundane moments.

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Most of us spend our days in the mundane. You see, I struggle sometimes with finding worth in the mundane. I struggle finding glory in the ordinary. I sometimes struggle knowing how the second load of dishes or sweeping the sidewalk is worth anything.

Do you ever struggle with this? Do you ever struggle knowing how our work in the home matters to God?

I feel like I’ve gone on a similar journey as the author has in Glory in the Ordinary. I love how she’s open about her struggle with this as well: “Like all major changes, my early days as a stay-at-home mom rocked me to the core. I had gone from days filled with fruitful conversations to days filled with crying and blank stares from two needy babies. Over time I began to see that being home had inherent value, but what I couldn’t immediately see was how the work at home had value as well. It was not merely about staying home to take care of the children (which made sense to my exhausted brain); I had to learn there was value in the laundry and cleaning too.” – Glory in the Ordinary page 25 This is the impactful part, she goes on to say: “What I’ve learned is that God is glorified in the mundane work as much as he is in the magnificent. In fact, it is in the mundane moments, the moments where we live each and every day, where we come to see the true greatness of God and his love for us.” – Glory in the Ordinary page 25 Life is lived out in these tiny moments. I may not always have the mental capacity to remember and realize that I am doing big, grand work, even when I’m scrubbing toilets, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Something that I love throughout her book is this concept of how our culture views work in the home versus how God does. Our culture views work as simply a means to an end. We work just enough to be able to afford leisure time. And we look down on those blue collar jobs or work that seem to have little worth, such as working McDonald’s.

We value big important jobs. We admire people who are in charge of large ministries who are making changes in the world. That’s not a bad thing to admire those people, but we tend to put all our value into these jobs or those people.

So we tend to think then, even if we don’t say it out loud, that our work doesn’t matter if we are not accomplishing something big.

And then we apply that to life in the home. When I’m caring for these five souls that God has entrusted to my care, it’s easier for me to see the worth. I can glimpse the Gospel-work that I am doing, even if I don’t always verbalize it or even remember it. But when I can take a step back, I can more easily see that the work I do with my kids, is big and important.

But scrubbing the toilets? Cleaning out the garbage can so it stops smelling? Pulling a red crayon out of the dryer which has now stained an entire load of laundry? How are these moments important when they don’t seem to accomplish anything big or important?

And Courtney makes an important point: we have to choose the middle of the road when it comes to the work in our home. Because on one hand we can completely devalue the work at home and on the other, we can make it an idol!

We don’t have the time to cover all of these in detail today, but I love that God so cares about the everyday details of our lives. Here are some ways we can think about the work in our home: 1) We are loving God and serving Him through serving others

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Last week we talked about our ministry at home. We need to have a focus on Christ that is all encompassing of our life. And this leads us to our 2nd foundational episode: The Gospel as our central focus within the home. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. As Christians, the thing that we need to stand upon, the thing that unites us, and the thing that our homemaking should be based upon - is the gospel. Starting with the Basics Having a Gospel-Centered home means purposefully and intentionally creating the goals, activities, and atmosphere in the home to be firmly centered on the Gospel.

So, What IS the Gospel? The Gospel is powerful: "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." Romans 1:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 1) First, Paul tells his readers that it is God to whom they are accountable. Romans 1:18 - For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men" 2) Second, Paul tells his readers that their problem is that they rebelled against God. Roman 3:10 - “None is righteous, no, not one."   Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."   Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 3) Third, Paul says that God's solution to humanity's sin is the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 - "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 4) Finally, Paul tells his readers how they themselves can be included in this salvation. Romans 10:9-10 - "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." So Gospel-Centered living first starts with a thorough understanding of the Gospel, daily reminding ourselves about the beauty and the truth of the Gospel, and finally, having a firm vision of eternity.

Bringing it all together 1) For our own sanctification

2) Relying on and needing God's GRACE

3) Winning our husband's to Christ - or encouraging his faith 1 peter 3:1-2 "Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct." 4) The Gospel in our Parenting Deuteronomy 6:6-9 - "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

5) Out into the world

Train up our children so THEY can present the Gospel

Spreading the Gospel through Hospitality

Next week we I'll turn to how this plays out in ordinary life. It's one thing to say that we want a focus on the Gospel...it's another to live it out in the mundane. So next week we are going to discuss: Glory in the Mundane and finding joy in that. Join our New Community App! The other very exciting news I have for you today is that our brand new community app has launched. You can come join our FREE app where you can join in on the discussion of THIS podcast episode and so much more. If you are looking for a safe and encouraging place...

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Welcome!! It's relaunch day of our podcast! For 330 episodes, we've been the Homemaking Foundations Podcast. But we are rebranding everything under our new name, including the podcast. So welcome to season 1, episode 1 of the Finding Joy in Your Home podcast. We are kicking off the new season with 25 foundational episodes.

Today we are talking about what the Ministry of Home is and more specifically: What is the purpose of life and how should we spend our time? So let's dive into our first official episode under our new name. And don't worry - ALL 330 episodes are still there! Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. As a society, we are all searching for meaning. We deeply want to use our lives (and our time) well. We want to have purpose and meaning in our days.

The big question we all want answered: What does it mean to have a successful life? And where should we spend our time?

As Christians, this has to first and foremost start with God. How does God define a successful life? How does he say we should spend our time? <-- This is where we are starting in this discussion. 

You see, as Christians, God's Word should be the back bone of how we spend our life and our days. But sadly, for many, being a Christian has become a secondary or even tertiary influence in our lives. Many Christians today focus on a worldly life and worldly pursuits and might fit God in when it's convienent.

So as Christians, what is our point in life? The Westminster Shorter Catechism says this: "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever." 

Well there you go. That's the entire mission behind our ministry and new name of: Finding Joy in Your Home.

How do we find that joy in our homes? When we seek to follow God and glorify Him.

How do we glorify God? By loving him and obeying his commands. "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."- Ecclesiastes 12:13   "Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" - Matthew 16:24-26

So we see, as soon as we dive into Scripture, that our primary purpose is to love and serve God. A big way of serving God is loving and serving others. "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” - Galatians 5:13-14 So what does this mean for us in the context of loving and raising our families? Our Ministry At Home A successful life is not marked by:

How much money we have in the bank How many degrees or titles after our names we amass How beautiful our homes are or how trendy we stay By juggling a giant career and being a mom Losing the baby weight so fast that no one even knows you are a mom ...or a myriad of other things we find out worth in.

Those things are not bad in and of themselves. But they become bad when we mark these as a successful life.

Rather, a successful life is marked by a life of service and a joy that can only come through the Lord.  "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,

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As we've embarked on full time travel this past year, we've learned so much! As of the day I'm recording this, we have been traveling full time for exactly 11 months. And while I feel like we are always refining the process, we've also gotten so much better at it!

This episode is inspired by the fact that I've gotten a handful of friends messaging me, asking for travel tips for this summer. Some are going camping for the weekend, one friend is taking an 8 week trip staying in cabins, another friend is embarking on a 3 month RV trip, and others are venturing out in their local areas for day trips.

So after thinking about it, here are my travel tips for families (especially those with little kids). Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Psst: This is our very last episode under the name of Homemaking Foundations. ALL of my episodes will still be here in the feed for you, but all 330 episodes will be set to episode 0. The next episode to come out will be episode 1, under season 1 of Finding Joy in Your Home. All the same amazing content...just under a new name to better capture what we do here!  1. Just do it. Go. Make it happen. It might sound overwhelming. It might be overwhelming as you pack and get ready. It might be a lot more work than just staying home...but go.

The memories and experiences are worth it. And you'll get better at it with time.

1. Plan as best you can, but go with the flow. For those of us planner types, we can get deep into the details of planning out summer plans. In fact, I actually LOVE planning out our trips. I get very geeky and excited about mapping out the perfect route, where we will stay, and what we will do. Whether you dread or love this step...you have to remember to take it all in stride. It's NOT going to be perfect, in fact, it's often in the imperfect that we remember things the most.

We've had RV plans fall through last minute, which ended up being huge blessings in the things we ended up doing. On moving days, we are always so exhausted after taking down camp, driving to a new location, and setting up again. But then the sun dawns the next day and we are ready for fresh exploring.

1. Stock up on activities for kids...and slowly release them. Don't give them all out at once. On long travel days, we usually let the kids just read or do their own thing for the first 2 hours or so. Usually until our first rest or gas stop. Then we will pull out a craft or activity and let them play with that for a while. A few hours later when we are starting to get tired, I'll pull out something else new!

The key, for when you are traveling a lot, is to find cheap stuff! The dollar tree is my favorite place to grab stuff and I've gotten creative with the things I'll get for the kids to do. Some ideas:

$1 crayon and picture packs $1 Felt pictures with markers $1 magic market packets. Or get the $5 from Walmart, they usually come with several pens and sheets of paper. I'll buy random stickers and scrapbooking stuff + packet of markets + $1 notebook for each kid and have them write their own book. $1 activity books Walmart as these cool glitter poster boards for $1 each. Give them stickers + pens and make a poster Print off mazes, activites, and pages from Pinterest and bind into a book for each one. Etch a sketches, Melissa and Doug Water wow books, etc.

It's not until usually the final hour or so that we break out the Kindle fires and let them watch a movie. I'm not against using screens on long card rides, but since we do it SO often, I like to save it until the very end so they are not asking from minute #1 of being in the car.

1. SNACKS

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Mother's Day is coming up in a few weeks. And while we may look forward to the day (or not), it can also be hard with expectations and a lot of emotions.

Maybe you will get a hand written card. Maybe you will get a half-hearted “Happy Mother’s Day” from your teen. Maybe your husband will do the dishes for you. Maybe it will be all you dreamed of and it will be amazing.

Maybe. Or maybe you will feel a little disappointed. Maybe you will feel hurt that your husband didn’t make a bigger deal out of the occasion. Maybe you resent the fact that you still had to do all the cooking and the cleaning over the weekend. Maybe you will wish that just for once, someone in your family would notice ALL that you do. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I get it. I think all of us have been there at one moment or another. “Don’t they see ALL that I do for this family day in and day out?” “Wow, I sure wish I could just throw my clothes all over the room and hope that someone else will deal with it later.” “I don’t ever stop working, I wish that just for one second that someone would notice that and recognize it!” 

I know it’s easy for these feelings to creep into our hearts. But at the end of the day, this is only going to lead us feeling frustration, overwhelmed, and with a lot less joy in our lives. These feelings and this line of thinking robs us of our contentment in the everyday. 

When mother’s day is over and we are feeling under-appreciated and overwhelmed, how do we being again to find joy? Finding our Joy in the Lord It can be so discouraging when we feel like we are not appreciated for all we do. We want to be recognized or even just given a small thank you every once in a while. But when we don’t get these, or it doesn’t look like how we think it should look…we are quickly robbed of our joy.

The problem is: We are placing our hope, our trust, and our joy in the things of this world. We are placing our joy – or our lack there of – in the hands of our toddlers who might wake up on the wrong side of the bed and scream all day or in the very angsty hands of our teenagers.

We are turning to our family to fulfill us and meet our needs. I did this a lot in the early days of our marriage. I looked to my husband to fulfill all of my needs. I looked to him for encouragement, for security, for complete and perfect love…and of course, when he would inevitably fail…my joy would go along with it.

I’ve learned through too many mistakes throughout the years that ultimately, my joy needs to be in the Lord. These sinful humans that we live with day in and day out WILL fail us at one point or another. Or everyday.

Yes, our children and our husband can bring us an immense amount of joy. But if our ultimate joy, peace, and life rests in how our family all responds to us then we have turned our family or our kids into an idol and at the end of the day, we will be sorely disappointed.

RELATED: Idols of the Heart and Keeping Our Eyes on Jesus – Hf #45 “Idols aren’t just stone statues. No, idols are the thoughts, desires, longings, and expectations that we worship in the place of the true God. Idols cause us to ignore the true God in search of what we think we need.” – Idols of the Heart, page 23 Instead of placing our trust and our hope in our family, we need to place that trust and that hope in Christ. We need to turn to him when life hurts, when we feel disappointed, when we are overwhelmed.

When we tie our identity, the worth of our motherhood, to the thanks or gratitude we get on Mother’s Day, or our birthday, or any old day of the year, we will be sorely disappointed. We will become bitter, resentful,

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Anxiety is no stranger to both Phylicia and myself. In this episode, my guest Phylicia Masonheimer, is going to share her journey with battling anxiety from a Biblical and practical stand point. It's a very encouraging chat. Let's dive in!

Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

This interview originally appeared in the 2021 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. If you would like access to the other 39+ conference sessions. Check it out here Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com/home50 and enter code: home50

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In our culture, we run from hard things. We tend to think that hard = bad or wrong. But today I'm going to give you some encouragement that hard doesn't necessarily mean bad. In fact, God often does His biggest work in Hard. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. We get asked a lot how we do certain things: run a business from home with 6 kids, travel full time, go out to eat with said kids, homeschool all of them without losing our minds, etc.

And honestly, most of what we do doesn't seem overly mystifying to us, but some of it is really hard.

A big theme in our life has become: hard doesn't mean bad.

Often in our culture, we equate hard with bad. We think that if things are hard, they must be wrong. Or that we are doing them wrong.

For example: Newborn days and entering motherhood can be HARD. That doesn't mean we are doing it wrong.

Some homeschool days are terrible. It doesn't mean the sacrifice isn't worth it.

Traveling all around the country with 6 young kids can be exhausting. It doesn't mean the education and exploration isn't worth every single second.

In our culture today, we've been trained to think that hard is bad.

We feel like life should be easy and good, not tough and hard. So we either assume we are doing something wrong or that the hard isn't worth pushing through. The thing is: most worthwhile things in life ARE hard. Getting a college degree is HARD. But it can be worth every single bit of work.

Pregnancy and labor is hard. But it produces new life.

Discipleship is hard, and exhausting, and frustrating at times...But it's God's work in our children's lives (and in our own lives).

God disciplines us and it's often so hard. But it produces the fruit of the Spirit. "God’s sovereignty is exercised primarily for His glory. But because you and I are in Christ Jesus, His glory and our good are linked together. Because we are united with Christ, whatever is for His glory is also for our good. And whatever is for our good is for His glory."

“God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to us. He does not delight in causing us to experience pain or heartache. He always has a purpose for the grief He brings or allows to come into our lives. Most often we do not know what that purpose is, but it is enough to know that His infinite wisdom and perfect love have determined that the particular sorrow is best for us. God never wastes pain. He always uses is to accomplish His purpose. And His purpose is for His glory and our good. Therefore, we can trust Him when our hearts are aching or our bodies are racked with pain.” ― Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts Links & Resources:

Book recommendation: Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking12 and use code homemaking12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping!

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We hear all the time that "you are enough" or "just believe in yourself." But what happens when you are NOT enough? When you can't just make it happen or work it all out? We run headlong into trouble in our life when we start relying on OUR strength instead of in God's strength. That's what we are discussing today. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Book recommendation: Enough About Me: Finding Lasting Joy in the Age of Self by Jen Oshman Our Sponsor: Try out StoryWorth, no shipping required, by going to StoryWorth.com/homemaking for $10 off  your first purchase.

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Mentoring is such an important topic in the Church today, but it's to still feel left wondering what it looks like. In today's episode we are going to discuss some different ways that mentoring can look in real life and a call to the importance of the local Church! Plus I'll share more resources for Biblical mentoring. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Mentoring in real life can look so many different ways! It can look like a formal Bible study time, or meeting one on one for coffee, by watching how others conduct their life, and just living real life with other women.

Links & Resources:

Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests Spiritual Mothering: The Titus 2 Model for Women Mentoring Women Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor: Sharing Our Lives as Women Adorned: Living Out the Beauty of the Gospel Together Our Sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com/home50 and enter code: home50

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My reading time has fluxuated greatly in the past year. And after only hitting 50% of my reading goal in 2020, I knew I wanted to really dive back into better reading habits this year. And so far, I'm smashing my reading goals and have formed some new habits. In this episode, I'm going to share some reviews for 10 of the books I've read so far this year (out of 33) and then share what has been helping me this year in reading more. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What's helping me this year compared to last:

Getting excited about reading again! I bought some new books to get excited and its helping me work through old ones Going back to reading 1 chapter of a non fiction book a day:  currently working through a beastly systematic theology doing this. Setting an easier goal so I feel excited when I break it instead of just feeling supppper behind. Making it habit to listen through audiobooks again in nooks and crannies.

My favorite books read so far this year: You can follow me over on Goodreads to keep up to date on what I'm reading. But here's some of our favs!

As a family we are currently reading through the Chronicles of Narnia. This is our first time reading the whole series with all the kids and we are going through it very slowly when we have travel days! We are also on book #1 of the Wingfeather Saga as a family and are really enjoying it.

Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley- 4 star Awaking Wonder by Sally Clarkson - 3 starts Why Children Matter by Douglas Wilson  - 4 star - I listened to this for free with the Canon Press app free trial. Hooked - 2 star The Common Rule: Habits for Purpose for an Age of Distraction - 3 star The Household and the War for the Cosmos - 4 star - I listened to this for free with the Canon Press app free trial. A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament - 3.5 stars Eve in Exile: and The Restoration of Femininity - 5 stars - I listened to this for free with the Canon Press app free trial. The Self Sufficient Backyard - 5 stars (I purchased it from their website) Before Jerusalem Fell - 5 stars Comparison Girl - 5 stars

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy: I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans.

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

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In this episode we are going to be discussing what it means to serve others with a heart of humility. We will focus on laying aside pride and putting on humility...in all areas of our lives! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Book recommendation: Comparison Girl: Lessons from Jesus on Me-Free Living in a Measure-Up World Our Sponsor: Go to HelloFresh.com/homemaking12 and use code: homemaking12 for 12 free meals, including free shipping!

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Here in our 5th and final part of our eschatology series, we are going a Q&A wrap up. Jason and I are sharing where we've landed on this whole debate (maybe), determining churches based off Eschatology (should we??), viewing current events, and where do we go from here? I hope to leave you at the end of this episode with a ton of encouragement! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A note on this series: In no way are Jason and I an expert in this topic. But we’ve greatly enjoyed diving into eschatology this year and are excited to share what we’ve learned. We are covering the 3 main views of the end times, but even within those 3, there are countless smaller viewpoints of those. So what we are attempting to do here is a broad overview of each point. Please forgive us if we over generalize any areas or if we make a mistake on any of these. Please come dialogue with us on Instagram if you want to share anything!

Links & Resources:

Check out the previous episodes in this series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Book Suggestion: Three Views on the Millennium Book Suggestion: Four Views on the Book of Revelation Video Suggestion: An Evening of Eschatology (We highly recommend this video!!) Our Sponsor: Visit BarberMom.com and use the promo code HOME for $10 off a Lifetime Membership. Our Sponsor: Go to GreenChef.com/90homemaking and use code 90homemaking to get $90 off including free shipping!

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Welcome to the fourth part of our Eschatology series: A look at the end times. In part 1, we covered WHY you should care about Eschatology and why it’s worth spending our time on. Then in part 2 we covered the Premillennial viewpoint and part 3 we covered the Amillennial viewpoint.  Now we are going to deep dive into the Postmillennial viewpoint. Then we will wrap up the series with a Q&A episode (and where do we go from here)?  Let’s dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A note on this series: In no way are Jason and I an expert in this topic. But we’ve greatly enjoyed diving into eschatology this year and are excited to share what we’ve learned. We are covering the 3 main views of the end times, but even within those 3, there are countless smaller viewpoints of those. So what we are attempting to do here is a broad overview of each point. Please forgive us if we over generalize any areas or if we make a mistake on any of these. Please come dialogue with us on Instagram if you want to share anything! Overview of the Postmillennial Viewpoint: This is the view that Christ will return after the Millennium here on earth (hence the post part). This is a partial preterest viewpoint which means that they view many of the events prophesied in the book of Revelation as already have happened (i.e. the great Tribulation, the Antichrist and so forth). Because of this (and Bible verses from both the Old and New Testament), they take the most optimistic view of human history.

They believe that the Gospel will flourish (from the times of the Apostles and the Early Church) now through until when the Millennium is ushered in here on earth. They think the world will get "better and better" because of the triumph and influence of the Gospel in the world.

They see the world becoming more and more Christian until even the nations bow to Christ. Once the Gospel has spread that far, the Millennium here on earth will be ushered in and Christ will return after that.

Graphs from The Blue Letter Bible

Proponents of Postmill: Rousas J. Rushdoony, Greg L. Bahnsen, Douglas Wilson. Jeff Durbin, James White, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., David Chilton, Gary North, Eusibius, Athanasius, Samuel Rutherford, John Owen, Isaac Watts, Jonathan Edwards, Richard Sibbes, John Cotton, BB Warfield, Loraine Boettner, Iain Murray, Ligon Duncan. Postmill resources:

The Puritan Hope by Murray, Iain H. Eschatology of Victory Kik, J. Marcellus He Shall Have Dominion: An Eschatology of Victory Gentry Jr., Kenneth L. Millennium Boettner, Loraine. Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope Mathison, Keith A. Before Jerusalem Fell Kenneth Gentry Allie Stuckey Relatable Episodes with Jeff Durbin (Part 1 and Part 2) Postmill documentary: On Earth as It Is in Heaven

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Welcome to the third part of our Eschatology series: A look at the end times. In part 1, we covered WHY you should care about Eschatology and why it's worth spending our time on. Then in part 2 we covered the Premillennial viewpoint. Now we are going to deep dive into the Amillennial viewpoint. The next episode will feature Postmillennialism. We will wrap up the series with a Q&A episode! Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A note on this series: In no way are Jason and I an expert in this topic. But we’ve greatly enjoyed diving into eschatology this year and are excited to share what we’ve learned. We are covering the 3 main views of the end times, but even within those 3, there are countless smaller viewpoints of those. So what we are attempting to do here is a broad overview of each point. Please forgive us if we over generalize any areas or if we make a mistake on any of these. Please come dialogue with us on Instagram if you want to share anything! Overview of the Amillennial Viewpoint: This is the view that there is no earthly millennium. Rather, the millennium is a Spiritual one that is currently taking place in Heaven. We have been in the millennium since Christ ascended into Heaven and will remain until He comes back again.

They believe the 1000 years is a figurative term to mean a really long time. Believers who have already died and die today will be in Heaven immediately experiencing the millennium. The Kingdom of God (proclaimed by Jesus and his apostles) is synonymous with the millennial kingdom of Revelation 20:4-6.

This is a very simple and straightforward look at our present age and Christ returning. They are partial preterists and interpret many of the prophecies in Revelation to have already happened in the first century (i.e. antichrist, great tribulation, etc).

Preterism - An eschatological viewpoint that places many of the eschatological events in the past, especially during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. - What Does the Bible Teach About the End Times? 

Graphs from The Blue Letter Bible Amill Resources:

What Does the Bible Teach About the End Times? The Bible and the Future by Hoekema, Anthony A case for Amillennialism – Kim Riddlebarger More Than Conquerors: An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation by Hendrikson, William Triumph of the Lamb by Dennis Johnson Sam Storms video The Preterist Approach to Revelation - Ligioner Ministries eCourse: The Last Days According to Jesus by R.C. Sproul

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Welcome to the second part of our Eschatology series: A look at the end times. In part 1, we covered WHY you should care about Eschatology and why it's worth spending our time on. Now we are going to deep dive into the first viewpoint: Premillennialism. The next episode will feature Amillennialism and the next part Postmillennialism. We will wrap up the series with a Q&A episode! Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A note on this series: In no way are Jason and I an expert in this topic. But we've greatly enjoyed diving into eschatology this year and are excited to share what we've learned. We are covering the 3 main views of the end times, but even within those 3, there are countless smaller viewpoints of those. So what we are attempting to do here is a broad overview of each point. Please forgive us if we over generalize any areas or if we make a mistake on any of these. Please come dialogue with us on Instagram if you want to share anything! Defining our Terms Before we jump into the Premill viewpoint, let's first define a few terms we will talk about when it comes to all three viewpoints.

Second Coming of Jesus: To conquer sin and death and Satan once and for all. Verses: 1 Thess 5, Titus 2:13, Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 19:11. When will the second coming happen? It will be like a thief in the night. No one knows when it’ll happen. Verses: 1 Thess 5:2, Matthew 24:44. Antrichrist: Man of lawlessness. Verses: 2 Thess 2:3-4, Revelation 13:5-8. The Rapture: Gathering up of all believers; the Church. Verse: 1 Thess 4:17 Millennium: the 1000 year reign of Christ (either figurative or literal 1000 years). Verse: Revelation: 20:2-3 Final Judgement: Where Jesus will judge the living and the dead. Verses: Revelation 20:11-15.

Overview of the Premillennial Viewpoint: This is the view that Christ's second coming will happen before the Millennial Kingdom which will be the 1000 year reign of Christ on Earth, The two most common views within premil are pre-trib and post-trib. Though there are arguments for mid-trib as well.

Premills have a futurist view of the book of Revelation. This means that they believe the events outlined in Revelation to be future events (to us). Revelation chapters 4-22 are yet to be fulfilled.

Premills argue that theirs is the most literal reading of Revelation. Those who disagree argue that premills take passages of Revelation as literal when in fact they should be read and interpreted symbolically or figuratively.

Pre-trib Premils believe that Christ will rapture the Church BEFORE the 7 years of tribulation. Post-trib premils believe that the Church will live through the 7 years of Tribulation before Christ comes again.

Dispensational Premill: 

The most popular view of the end times in America today is the dispensational premill view. This view first appeared in the 19th century which distinguished it from historic premill. This view argues for a secret rapture 7 years before Jesus returns. They also emphasize the fulfillment of the promises made to Jewish people during this Millenium.

Proponents of this view include: Wayne Grudem, John MacArthur, Erwin Lutzer, Charles L. Feinberg, John Walvoord, Charles Ryrie, and J. Dwight Pentecost, and it was popularized through Hal Lindsey’s 1970 bestseller, The Late, Great Planet Earth, and the Left Behind Series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

Graphs from The Blue Letter Bible

Historic Premill: 

As oppose to their dispensational brothers, historic premill believe that the Church will go through the great Tribulation and the rapture will happen at the end of those 7 years. They also see no radical difference between the Church and Israel.

Proponents of this view include: John Gill, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, Albert Mohler,

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Jason and I have done a deep dive study into eschatology this year. And what was once a very confusing theological idea has turned into a very rich and profitable theological point for both of us. We are kicking off this mini series (A Look at the End Times) with an episode all about why we should care about eschatology. Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. This is the first in our 5 part series on Eschatology. In this first introduction we are going to cover WHY we should care about eschatology and take this time to study it. Then over the course of 3 mini episodes that are all released at once, we are going to cover the 3 main view points: Premill (pretrib & historical), Amill, & Postmill. Then in the final episode in this series, we are going to go over more resources and questions!

We are excited to dig into this topic with you. And while we certainly don't have all the answers on this topic, we are excited to share the resources that have been helpful for us in studying it all. At the end, we hope this inspires you to dive into Scripture more! Links & Resources:

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Last week we talked about getting to the bottom of WORK, leisure, and what's the point? Today we are looking at the next logical topic: building out your schedule and the importance of taking care of yourself. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What does it mean to invest in yourself? This is a hot topic right now in Christian circles. Many people proclaim we need to be doing MORE to invest in ourselves and others say that this is an entirely selfish phrase or idea and we need to throw it out. Where do I stand? Right in the middle of this debate. 

I think that there is a huge movement in our culture to be selfish. Spend all your time and money on yourself. The good life consists of many shopping days, trips to the spa and making sure YOU are #1 priority in your life...to the exclusion of others. That is a wrong and sinful attitude. So on the flip side, I think Christians often overreact on the other end and we take the idea of denying ourselves so far to the extreme that we no longer have the capacity to serve well because we've neglected ourselves physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

Matthew 16:24 - Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

We see that we ARE to live a selfless life. We are to want to become more and more like Christ. We are to deny our own selfish wants and desires and follow HIM! So we shouldn't plunge all of our time, money, and energy into ourselves. We shouldn't be selfish to the detriment of those around us especially.

Caring for our health But we should also be concerned about caring for this body and mind that God has given us so that we can serve him with joy and vigor. If we run ourselves into the ground trying to be and do everything, we won't have the energy or creativity to joyfully serve our family and do all that God has called us to in this life with joy. God calls us to be wise with our time. To use it well. To serve him. And I think a very wise use of some of our time, is making sure that we are taking care of ourselves.

"Some godly people who exercise regularly and eat well drop dead at every age. And some sedentary overeaters live to be ninety. Our days are set by God, not us. You won’t live a day longer or shorter than God decides. But keep in mind that some people have survived the plunge over Niagara Falls. That doesn’t make it wise." - Physical Exercise by John Piper

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." - 1 Corinthians 15:58 John Piper explains why he puts time and energy into jogging: "Underneath most of my besetting sins is despondency. I am less prone to such melancholy when I hammer my body three times a week. The reason could be endorphins. Could be ego. Whichever, it’s cheaper than Prozac or psychotherapy. I’m simply happier. And I sleep better. I have more energy. Most of that energy goes into the Bible and preaching and people. And the fruit from that is, I hope, edification. Which means I exercise to be a more loving person and a better pastor." 

Caring for our bodies and our minds is being a WISE steward of what God has given us: "If you ask how the fruit of exercise relates to the fruit of the Spirit, my answer is this: the Holy Spirit produces his fruit both directly and indirectly. He can zap you in your worst moments and make you kind. But he often does it indirectly. For example, if you are impatient when you get little sleep, and if patience is a fruit of the Spirit (which it is, Galatians 5:22), very likely the Holy Spirit will not only remind you of the sufferings of Christ and the glory of God’s promises, but he will also give you the humility to stop being God and go to bed on time.

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If you want to get more productive in life, then a really important place to start is our view of work (and leisure). How we view the work we do (especially those mundane moments of our day) has a really big impact on how we craft our own habits and routines. In this episode, we are going to dive into what this looks like from a Biblical perspective. Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. The goal of this episode is to give you ENCOURAGEMENT. When we have the proper end goal in mind, it can transform our homes and the work we do!

God’s View of Work How do we spend our time? Where do we turn throughout the day? What does it mean to construct a life and schedule that brings glory to God? 

I think one important discussion that we must have around this all: Is what is the point of work? It's a question that we must grapple with especially in our modern society.

Past cultures didn't really have the luxury of pondering the point of work and leisure. They worked hard for their very survival. And they rested when they needed to to make that happen. They had natural habits built into their day: They went to bed with the sun and rose with the sun. They could do a few tasks well and that was it. In some ways, I envy them: They saw the direct fruit of their labor day in and day out. 

In our modern society, I think many of us can feel like we are "wasting" our day when we spend more time in the kitchen cooking or picking up around the house. We see it as somehow bad that we are spending more time preparing food. We are constantly looking for ways we can save time and cut down on things around the house because we want to do more "worthwhile" things.

We miss the point deeply that God created us for work.

Work is good and hard work can produce much fulfillment and fruitfulness in our lives. Instead of constant grumbling and complaining about the tasks that God set before us: What if we embraced them with vigor and joy? What if we took on 2021 and joyfully labored for the Lord in all that he has given us to do? What if we put our heads down and just got to work!? Keeping it all in perspective that we are laboring for the Lord...all for His Glory! How we view work: “Work is a major instrument of God’s providence; it is how he sustains the human world.”- Every Good Endeavor  When it comes to a proper view of our work, I think it's easy to fall into one of two camps: We are lazy and not working unto the Lord OR we create work to be an idol.

Making an idol out of our work:  “The idols of modern culture have had a profound influence on the shape of our work today. In traditional societies people found their meaning and sense of value by submitting their interests and sacrificing their desires to serve higher causes like God, family, and other people. In modern societies there is often no higher cause than individual interests and desires. This shift powerfully changed the role of work in people’s lives—it now became the way we defined ourselves. Traditional cultures tended to see people’s place on the social ladder as assigned by nature or convention, each family having its “proper place.” That view had put too little stock in the role of individual talent, ambition, and hard work for determining the outcome of one’s life. But modern society responded by putting too much stock in the autonomous person.” ― Timothy Keller, Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work Work Before the Fall

I think we often think of work as being a result of the Fall. But in fact, we see work as part of God's perfect plan. "And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistle...

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Are you finding yourself needing to fight for JOY this year? In this episode we are going straight to the Bible to see what our source of Joy is and how we can find steadfast joy and peace this year and beyond. Listen in for some deep encouragement today!

Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What is true JOY according to God’s Word? "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." - 1 Peter 1:8-9 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

"Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” - Nehemiah 8:10

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,"  - Romans 14:17

And so many others. But when you read through the entirety of scripture with this joy in mind, you will quickly see the Christian life is one of JOY.

To set the stage about what we will be talking about, I love this lengthy quote from R.c. Sproul's book Can I have Joy in My Life? (FREE on Kindle right now!) “THE WAY TO RECOVER JOY - Paul’s admonition to believers to be joyful presupposes that believers can do something if they find themselves lacking in joy. He is right, of course, and the New Testament is filled with teaching on how to be joyful. The most basic method is to focus our attention on the ground of our joy, the source of our joy. Paul gives one of the most practical of these teachings in Philippians: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (4:8). This is a call to meditate upon the things of the Lord, to turn our attention to the things of God. When we find ourselves depressed, down, irritated, annoyed, or otherwise unhappy, we need to return to the source of our joy, and then we will see those circumstances that are sapping our joy in perspective. The circumstances of this life will pale into insignificance when compared to that which we have received from God. Sometimes our joy is determined by the intensity of the latest blessing we experienced at the hands of God. We’re always looking for the mountaintop experience, for a spiritual high that will excite us and fill us with joy, but these intense feelings wear off. When I have things in perspective, I know that if I never experienced another blessing in my entire life other than the blessings I already have received from the hand of God, I would have no possible reason to be anything but overflowing with joy until the day I die. God has already given me so much to be thankful for, so much to provoke my soul to delight, gladness, and joy, that I should be able to live on the basis of that surplus of blessedness and remain joyful all of my days.”

How does joy differ from happiness? Happiness is a fleeting emotion. And usually a very unstable one. What makes us happy might differ from moment to moment. And what is true happiness anyway? Happiness is easy to get swept away with the troubles of this world.

Joy on the other hand, is a fruit of the Spirit.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" - Galatians 5:22-23: 

Why is this significant? 

"Paul mentions some of the fruits of the Spirit like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

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It's here! We are finally diving into our 2021 Christian Reading Challenge! If you've followed along with us, you know this is our 5th year in a row issuing a reading challenge (and taking one on ourselves). This year we've changed it up a little bit to make it easier to use.

You can check out our 2020 reading challenge to use as well if you want!

One of the major changes you'll notice this year is that we've combined both challenges. In previous years we've issued a men's challenge and a women's challenge. This year, anyone can use the challenge to fit their needs.

Listen to the Podcast:

Listen in to my podcast episode from this week to find out more about why we developed this reading challenge, tips for following along, and the reasoning behind the books and categories chosen. Or skip the podcast and head down below for all the info ?

And don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What's New This Year Change #1: Like I mentioned above, we are combining the men and women's challenge all into one. Choose which books most interest you!

Change #2: Instead of choosing actual books to put into the challenge, we are just adding in categories for you that you fill in with your books or find new ones!

Change #3: We are adding a bunch of new books to the category lists below but also carrying our book recommendations from previous years. All NEW book suggestions (that haven't been highlighted in past challenges) will be bold. 2021 Christian Reading Challenge Here’s how it works: 

You will find the reading challenge below. You'll see that we've given you two tracks - 13 books or 26! This is either reading one book every four weeks or one book every two weeks. If you want to do 52 books (one a week) you can easily adjust for that as well. A note about fiction: This year we've included fiction categories per your request! I think fiction is hard because all of us are going to have different tastes in what fiction we prefer. You can find some of our favorite Christian Fiction books here. But feel free to substitute any fiction books or series that you enjoy. Pick Your Level:

I know each of us has different reading levels and time for reading, so I created two different tracks you can follow.

13 Books a Year – This works out to 1 book every 4 weeks. If you have no habit of reading right now or have no idea you will fit reading time into your busy schedule, then this is a great level to begin with. Pick one book every 4 weeks and commit to getting it down within that time.

26 Books a Year – If you want to tackle a bigger challenge, then this level will get you reading 1 book every two weeks throughout the year. It’s still a very doable reading track but will challenge you to stay on track! If you want to follow this plan, read one book from each list every month. So in January, read book #1 and book #14! This way everyone can read through and follow along with books #1-13 together.

Here are the categories: 

Christian Living

Marriage

Parenting/Family Life

Theology

Fiction

Biography/History

Spiritual Disciplines 

Christian Classics

Church History

*If you are not a parent or are not married, then scroll down and fill in those spots with other fantastic book suggestions from the other categories.

Book Recommendations Per Category: Christian Living:

Everyday Faithfulness: The Beauty of Ordinary Perseverance in a Demanding World - Glenna Marshall  Growing Together: Taking Mentoring beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests - Melissa Kruger A Place to Belong: Learning to Love the Local Church - Megan Hill God Does His Best Work with Empty - Nancy Guthrie Piercing Heaven: Prayers of the Puritans - Robert Elmer Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers - Dane C. Ortlund

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Today I'm sharing my top 10 books that I read this last year. I love reflecting back over the books I've read and I've got some good ones to recommend to you today. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I read 78 books in 2020. It was far off from my original goal of 156, but considering what a busy year we had, I'm very happy with it! Of all the books I read this year, here are my top 10 favorites! My Top 10 Books of 2020

Suffering is Never For Nothing - Elizabeth Elliot Love Centered Parenting - Crystal Paine (Releases March 16th!) God's Battleplan for the Mind: A Puritan Practice of Biblical Meditation - David W. Saxton Adventuring Together: How to Create Connections and Make Lasting Memories with Your Kids - Greta Eskridge Loving Well - William P. Smith The Gospel Comes with a Housekey - Rosaria Butterfield The Call of the Wild and the Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education - Ainsley Arment Stop Calling Me Beautiful: Finding Soul-Deep Strength in a Skin-Deep World - Phylicia Masonheimer Start With Your People - Brian Dixon (My interview with Brian here) Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food - Bob Quinn

Links & Resources:

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I love setting goals for the new year! For 2021, my goals are based off of my word for this year and the focus I want to have. Listen in to my 12 goals I'll be working on this year! Listen to the Podcast:

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My word for 2021 took a little while to settle on. But in praying about it and really thinking through what Jason and I both want our household to capture this next year, I landed on: Kingdom.

It's shaping a lot about how I approach this next year in my thought process and practically through my goals. As I dig into what we will be working towards in 2021, I've broken my goals down into 3 categories:

The Kingdom and my personal goals The Kingdom and my family The Kingdom and my business/ministry

The Kingdom and My Personal Goals: I'm a big planner and goal setter. It helps to motivate me and I know that by setting personal goals for myself, I accomplish far more than if I didn't set any goals at all. I've got 4 goals for this category:

Read 130 books in 2021 Read the entire Bible cover to cover Keep a gratitude journal for 365 days Do 6 craft projects in the year

The Kingdom and My Family Goals: Jason and I have developed these goals together.

Memorize 40 Bible verses this year (I would like to shoot for 52, one a week, but I know 40 is more realistic). Play more board games (as a family and Jason and I) Invest in solidifying our homeschooling routines. We started a new curriculum 6 months ago that's working so well for us. The next step is really solidifying those routines and habits. Better family worship routine (5 times a week)

The Kingdom and My Business/Ministry Goals

Write a book Launch rebrand of Finding Joy in Your Home (from Young Wife's Guide) Hire 3-4 people over the course of the year Launch 4 new big products and 4 small products Secret goal: Work on a huge secret project we have set to launch quarter one 2022. We need to be working on this project each week but it's hard to stay on track with a project that huge when it's so far away!

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This is my 7th year picking a word for my year. Last year I expressed that I always love picking my word for the year but I had difficulty in picking one for 2020. Well that's true again this year. I thought and prayed about it a lot but I think I landed on the perfect word for my year.

So today I’m sharing my new word for the year as well as some tips for picking your own word for this year.

Here are my past words: 

2012: Intentional 2016: Joy 2017: Create 2018: Refresh 2019: Faithfulness 2020: Cultivate

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What has gone into choosing this word: When picking my word for 2020, I was looking ahead to what looked like an extremely full and weird year. We were looking ahead to selling our house, having baby #6, and buying an RV and starting to travel around the U.S. full time. And now we are almost 7 months into that travel journey.

But of course, we had no idea what else 2020 would have in store. So I've been praying a lot these past months on what 2021 will have in store for us. I know now more than ever that I can't control what the future holds. But I can hold fiercely to joy and peace this year for my own life and family.

More than ever, I need to make sure that MY priorities are crystal clear. I need to make sure that when things in the world get crazy and the days might be hard, that I am standing fiercely in the hope of God's Kingdom. I need to make sure that God's priorities are my true priorities. For my own personal goals, for my family, and for our business.

It's something that Jason and I have been discussing a LOT and praying about a LOT. And so all of this has led me to my word for 2021... Kingdom. I want more than anything for 2021 to be Kingdom focused. I want Kingdom focus in my personal goals, my parenting, my marriage, and my business. I want to make choices, pray about decisions, and walk boldly into 2021 with this Kingdom focus.

So what does this mean?

Got Questions explains that God's Kingdom is: "Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. Several passages of Scripture show that God is the undeniable Monarch of all creation: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19). And, as King Nebuchadnezzar declared, “His kingdom is an eternal kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). Every authority that exists has been established by God (Romans 13:1). So, in one sense, the kingdom of God incorporates everything that is.

More narrowly, the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are part of the kingdom of God. In this sense, the kingdom of God is spiritual—Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36), and He preached that repentance is necessary to be a part of the kingdom of God (Matthew 4:17). That the kingdom of God can be equated with the sphere of salvation is evident in John 3:5–7, where Jesus says the kingdom of God must be entered into by being born again. See also 1 Corinthians 6:9." So to me, what this brings to mind is twofold:

Christ is reigning over the cosmos. He is in control of all things. He is not afraid for what tomorrow will bring. He knows and he sees it. His Kingdom reigns over everything. From the small everyday concerns we deal with to the overarching global pandemic that seems to make the world crazy. Because Christ is reigning over the cosmos,

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Church with littles in tow can be tough. Worth it, but tough. In this episode we are going to chat about the importance of being in Church as a family and some tips for making it easier. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Ever since our first set of twins started making all those loud noises that babies do when they "talk", it's been hard.

I remember one Sunday, pulling into Church, already exhausted from the Sunday morning scramble. We had hurried around getting 3 year old twins dressed and fed, wrangled 14 month old twins into their outfits, and got my pregnant self semi-put together...and I glimpsed a mom of 6 with older kids...just walking into church.

She was holding her coffee and her Bible. And each kid was walking across the parking lot by themselves (NOT in constant danger of being run over). And I know she had her own struggles that day...

But man I was so overwhelmed at the moment that I couldn't imagine a day like that coming. I had spent SO many Sunday's feeling so defeated and wondering what the point was anyway.

I'm still in the tenches with 6 kids 7 and under, but not nearly as deep as a when we had 5 kids 4 and under ? But I've started seeing the pay off (STARTING to see ?).

Moms (and dads), it's worth it. Show up. Model the discipline it takes to get there. Lay out clothes the night before, put oatmeal on the crockpot to be ready, have a snack ready for in between services...make it easier!

But.show.up. Bring them to Church so they hear God's Word preached. Let them see believers of all ages worshipping together.

And don't sweat the small stuff (preaching to myself here). It'll get easier. It'll get sweeter.

But show up. God will take care of the rest ?

Training littles: 

Some days are awful. They just are. Some days are good. Don't let this discourage you. Make sure no one goes hungry. Start off with a calm morning (and make sure they got enough sleep) If you go to tow services, bring a snack in between! Set the expectation: Make it so they are not happy if they have to be taken out of service. (chocolate chips example) Bring things to occupy little hands. We have special coloring bags, they can draw, take notes, ect. Don't sweat the noise: You are training them. It's good work. Don't give up, even if it feels awkward and hard. And it's probably much louder to you than it is to others. Watch other moms: Many of them are awesome and know what they are doing!! Train outside of church: Go out to eat and talk about expectations. Do quiet reading time at home, ect.

And don't give up. It gets easier. I think sometimes we get this idea that if we don't perfectly train them at 2, then they will be hopeless cases by the time they are 8. It's not true. Keep training them. All kids are different and will respond differently. Now that the oldest are 8 and 5, it's so much easier to train them then when we had 4 and 2 year olds. Links: 

Follow me over on Instagram Our Sponsor: Get 2 weeks of FREE meal planning from PrepDish.com/Homemaking

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This week we are chatting about DATING your husband. Having more fun together as a couple and how to bring the laughter (and the fun!) back into your marriage. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. I love this advice from my friend Lisa over at Club 31 Women (you can listen to her full episode)

How to be best friends:

By spending time together By being nice to him By being interested in his stuff By having fun together By praying for him

What Jason and I love doing together:

READING Board games Video games Watching movies/tv shows OUR BUSINESS Date nights out: Coffee and reading date ? Bowling - our fav fun activity! Going to movies Dinner and shopping

What do you and your hubby do together for fun? (responses from Instagram!)

Beekeeping Going for drives looking for things to photograph Bike riding "I have an eBay store so we love driving around to thrift stores looking for things to resell." Air hockey Kettlebell workouts Going to antique stores "We plan and cook meals based on different world cuisines" 3D archery He is the soccer coach and me a soccer mom! Many outdoor things: hiking, kayaking, camping, and day trips to things like state park Dog training Watching funny and goofey youtube videos together "We enjoy a nightly routine of good conversations over coffee. When his schedule allows we enjoy sitting in our living room and just being with each other. It's one of my favorite times!" "You can find us on our back deck almost year round...heater for the cold nights! We love listening to a plethora of music genres while playing games or each doing our own activities...together! We cherish OUR TIME!'

Links & Resources:

100 Ways to Love Your Husband - Lisa Jacobson 100 Ways to Love Your Wife - Matt Jacobson Sweethearts for a Lifetime by Wayne Mack Phylicia Masonheimer also has a lot of stuff on marriage Our sponsor: Get $80 off plus free shipping at HelloFresh.com/Homemaking80 Our sponsor: Get 50% off your first month go to TakeCareOf.com/home50 and code Home50 at checkout

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This month we are going to be chatting a lot about reading, how to read more, and WHY we would want to read more. Today I'm giving some reasons for investing in reading and some tips for reading more...no matter what that means for YOU! Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Why I read and invest in reading:

As a Christian, I think it's important to be learning and growing. As a mother, I want to model to my kids what it means to be a life long learner. And reading is very relaxing to me. It fills up my cup so that I can in turn fill up the cups around me.

So when considering reading more, keep those in mind! But also keep in mind that we all derive different levels of enjoyment out of reading. For me, it's ALSO my entertainment and what Jason and I choose for leisure. You might not enjoy it that much, and that's okay! Reading will mean different things to each of us.

If you don't think you enjoy reading that much, I do encourage you to try some new types of books and see if you don't fall in love. Try new genres, try audiobooks, or different times of day for reading. When setting a goal can help:

It can help incentivize you to pick up books. It helps develop a routine. When we do 2 books a week, it naturally helps us pace those. It can help you choose things OVER television or social media. Which is almost always the right thing ;) It helps me FINISH books. Which has greatly paid off because some of my most impactful reading moments have been in the last chapter or so.

Links & Resources:

Follow me over on Instagram to follow along with everything in real time Follow me on Goodreads to see all my latest reads and challenge Our Sponsor: Visit HomeschookMagnet.com to find some better homeschooling support! Our Sponsor: Get the best custom Christmas gifts and cards at Vistaprint.com/HF

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My kitchen has changed dramatically over the past few years as I've gotten into good habits of batch booking. In this episode, I'll share how I use batch cooking in a busy schedule and some terrific resources for doing it in your kitchen as well. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Jamerrill Stewart's Large Family Table Prep Dish does the work for you - get 2 weeks FREE! Follow me over on Instagram where we've been chatting about all things kitchen! Our sponsor: Vistaprint.com/HF Our sponsor: Homeschoolmagnet.com

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In hard seasons, in mundane moments and everything in between, the Gospel needs to shape our responses, our attitude and our home.  Often we think of the Gospel as something that was important at that moment of salvation. Christ died for me, I'm forgiven...then the Christian life starts.

But the Christian life is the Gospel. It affects our work, our marriages, our parenthood, our attitudes, and responses to all that life throws at us. And that's exactly what we are discussing today. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.   

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What is the “goal” of the Christian life? “For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” – Philippians 1:19-23 Living in light of the Gospel:

“It is our obligation, as people created and owned by God, to give him the honor and glory that is due to him, to live and speak and act and think in a way that recognizes and acknowledges his authority over us. We are made by him, owned by him, dependent on him, and therefore accountable to him.” - What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert Finding Glory in the Mundane Moments You see, I struggle sometimes with finding worth in the mundane. I struggle finding glory in the ordinary. I sometimes struggle knowing how the second load of dishes or sweeping the sidewalk is worth anything. 

Do you ever struggle with this? Do you ever struggle knowing how our work in the home matters to God? Both of these books this year have helped with that.

I feel like I’ve gone on a similar journey as the author has in Glory in the Ordinary. I love how she’s open about her struggle with this as well: “Like all major changes, my early days as a stay-at-home mom rocked me to the core. I had gone from days filled with fruitful conversations to days filled with crying and blank stares from two needy babies. Over time I began to see that being home had inherent value, but what I couldn’t immediately see was how the work at home had value as well. It was not merely about staying home to take care of the children (which made sense to my exhausted brain); I had to learn there was value in the laundry and cleaning too.” – Glory in the Ordinary page 25 This is the impactful part, she goes on to say: “What I’ve learned is that God is glorified in the mundane work as much as he is in the magnificent. In fact, it is in the mundane moments, the moments where we live each and every day, where we come to see the true greatness of God and his love for us.” – Glory in the Ordinary page 25 Life is lived out in these tiny moments. I may not always have the mental capacity to remember and realize that I am doing big, grand work, even when I’m scrubbing toilets, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.

Something that I love throughout her book is this concept of how our culture views work in the home versus how God does. Our culture views work as simply a means to an end. We work just enough to be able to afford leisure time. And we look down on those blue collar jobs or work that seem to have little worth, such as workingMcDonald’s.

We value big important jobs. We admire people who are in charge of large ministries who are making changes in the world. That’s not a bad thing to admire those people, but we tend to put all our value into these jobs or those people.

So we tend to think then,

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I have one big goal in my kitchen: nourish my family with good, nutritious food so that we all have the energy and vitality to serve the Lord. BUT it has to be simple and easy or I'll never be able to do it. So in this episode I'm going to share a bit behind how I run my simple kitchen to save money, save time, and eat healthier. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Find all my favorite kitchen appliances in my Amazon store Join me over on Instagram Our Sponsor: Get 50% off your first month of Care/Of by going to TakeCareOf.com/home50 and use promo code home50 at checkout!

Grab your ticket to this year’s conference! Tickets went on sale this week for the 7th annual Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. The theme this year is Finding Joy in Your Home. It’s going to be our BEST online conference yet. I invite you to come check out all the speakers, sessions, and other goodies.

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It's November and the Holiday's are almost here. I don't know about you, but once November hits, I feel like we hit fast forward on the year. So as we look forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and making memories as a family...I want to be intentional! Here's how we can start to prepare our hearts to better focus on Christ and make memories as a family. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Linka & Resources:

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch Hidden Christmas by Timothy Keller Our sponsor: New customers get 20% off plus free shipping at Nutrafol.com coupon code: HOME

Christ-Centered Christmas Kit! If you are looking for another resource that will give you the tools to focus more on Christ this year, I want to share with you my Christ-Centered Christmas Kit!

The kit includes 6 audio lessons, Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas eBook, and a TON of printables to help you this Christmas season! And you can get the Christmas kit for 25% OFF making it just $14.95 (it’s normally $19.95).

Just use coupon code: CHRISTMASBUNDLE18 at checkout for 25% off!

Purchase the Christmas Kit Here

The Christmas kit even includes these beautiful printable Scripture readings that go along with each day of December. It’s already December you say? Who cares! Jump in now and you will also have these next year to use!! Plus a ton of other great goodies inside the kit!

Grab your ticket to this year’s conference! Tickets went on sale this week for the 7th annual Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. The theme this year is Finding Joy in Your Home. It’s going to be our BEST online conference yet. I invite you to come check out all the speakers, sessions, and other goodies.

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It’s been such an insane year. And one thing has been clear to me: I haven’t been making relationships in my life a big enough priority. Listen in to the 3 areas I'm working on relationships in my life: in my parenting, in my marriage, and in my friendships.

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Find out more about the Homemaking Ministries Online Conference 2021 Preorder Crystal's NEW book: Love-Centered Parenting Our Sponsor: Get $80 off your first 5 boxes at HelloFresh.com/Homemaking80 and use code Homemaking80

Grab your ticket to this year’s conference! Tickets went on sale this week for the 7th annual Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. The theme this year is Finding Joy in Your Home. It’s going to be our BEST online conference yet. I invite you to come check out all the speakers, sessions, and other goodies.

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It's been a rough year. Am I right? But 2021 doesn't have to be. Let's head into this next year with JOY! Here's what I'm working on: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Find out more about the Homemaking Ministries Online Conference 2021 Bible Verses Mentioned: Romans 15:13, Psalm 90:14, Phil 4:4, James 1:2-4, Psalm 94:19, and 1 Thess 5:16-18 Our Sponsor: Sponsor a child today with WorldVision.org/Home

Grab your ticket to this year’s conference! Tickets went on sale this week for the 7th annual Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. The theme this year is Finding Joy in Your Home. It’s going to be our BEST online conference yet. I invite you to come check out all the speakers, sessions, and other goodies.

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We are gearing up for our 7th annual online homemaking conference. As we've been sharing about it this week, I thought I would share a little history of our online conferences, how they came to be, and some sneak peeks of what's coming up in our ministry and business. If you want to just chat with me for a little while, listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Find out more about the Homemaking Ministries Online Conference 2021 Our sponsor: Get your waived registration fee from LaurelSprings.com/Foundation Our sponsor: Get 50% off your first vitamin box from TakeCareOf.com/Home50

Grab your ticket to this year's conference! Tickets went on sale this week for the 7th annual Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. The theme this year is Finding Joy in Your Home. It's going to be our BEST online conference yet. I invite you to come check out all the speakers, sessions, and other goodies.

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Helping our kids know God's Word (and hopefully come to cherish it) is such an important task! But it can also be a very overwhelming task. In this episode, we will share some some great resources for helping our kids know God's Word. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Sign up to get notified when tickets go on sale for the 2021 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference Get FREE classes for your kids! VarsityTutors.com/Home Get $10 OFF stroryworth.com/homemaking

Common Questions / Misconceptions

“I don’t have enough time!”— Consider repurposing regular times of the day when you’re already with your kids (mealtimes, playtimes, snack time, car rides, before nap or bedtime, walks, etc.) “I don’t know what to teach them!”— When in doubt, just read small portions of scripture, talk about it in simple language, and pray. For more, you can add resources as referenced below. “I don’t know enough!”— Learn together! “It’s hard!” — Faithfulness is always challenging, but it’s worth the cost to invest eternal truths into the hearts of our children.

Reminders

There is no formula, every family will do it differently and that’s okay. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Even if we do everything right (spoiler: we won’t) that doesn’t guarantee our children will follow the Lord. Hope in him, not your methods. Pray for your children to have changed desires.

5 Ways to Help Your Children Know, Understand, and Apply the Word of God

Through Inductive Study Through Scripture Memory By Teaching Doctrinal Truths By Teaching Vocabulary Through the Gospel Narrative

Inductive Study

Ages 7+: Once a child can read, train them to think through the passage using a tool like the Kid’s Inductive Study Card (free download) as they read on their own. Have them write or draw a picture of what they learned. Ages 3+: Read a passage of scripture to your child, use a tool like the Kid’s Inductive Study Card (free download) to discuss, understand, and apply the text. Have them draw a picture of the story. Ages 0+: Focus on listening to the word of God through an audio bible or an audio storybook bible. Talk about it for comprehension at their level.

Free Audio Bibles: ESV app from Crossway, The Bible App Jesus Storybook Bible Audio Version, The Big Picture Bible Audio Version ESV Devotional Psalter (as mentioned in video that our family uses)

Main idea: Help your children get used to hearing the word of God and thinking deeply about it. Don’t forget to pray!

Scripture Memory

Ages 3+: Focus on memorizing small or long passages of scripture together. Recite it daily or set it to a tune. For more passive memorization, listen to scripture songs:

Seeds Family Worship, Hide ‘em in Your Heart There are many more if you do a quick search!

For more incentive, offer a small treat or work scripture memory before your child moves onto a preferred activity. Main idea: Implant the truth of God’s word in their heart so the Holy Spirit can bring it to mind.

Doctrinal Truths

Ages 3+: Work through catechisms (content amount appropriate for child’s age), having them memorize simple statements.

New City Catechism (book and app) — Some people also use: Westminster Shorter Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism

Ages 0+: Listen to doctrinal statements set to song.

Songs for Saplings: #1-3, #4-6, Also ABC’s, 123’s Walking With the Wise (not catechisms, but still memorable songs about theological truths)

Main idea: Teach your children simple statements that explain some of the hard-to-understand but foundational truths of the faith, so they can approach the bible with greater clarity.

Vocabulary

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There's never been a more important time to be in God's Word. But I know so many of us struggle to make that a habit in our own lives and also to help our kids make it a habit in their own life. In this episode, we'll hear from Laura & Emily from Risen Motherhood as they share what it means to treasure God's Word. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Sign up to get notified when tickets go on sale for the 2021 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference Get 20% off your first order (and free shipping) to get thicker healthier hair Nutrafol.com and use promo code HOME Need help scheduling virtual doctor appointments? Check out plushcare.com/homemaking

Why is it important for a mom to study God’s word?

The Bible is how God speaks to us. Right thinking leads to right living. Growing in biblical literacy is how we grow in discernment. Knowing who God is shapes where our identity is found. We cannot pour into our children if we our well is empty.

Two important notes:

The local church is a great place to find support and learn to study the word of God. Don’t confuse a devotional with a Bible Study. While devotionals are wonderful, we should prioritize studying God’s word for ourselves.

Tips for getting in God’s word as a mom of young children

Plow:

Read one book of the Bible over and over for comprehension.

You can start with any book of the Bible, but here are a few ideas to start with: Genesis, John, Acts, 1 Peter, James Free Audio Bibles: ESV app from Crossway, The Bible App

Read the entire Bible for comprehension.

Reading Plans: The Bible Project, The Bible App, Read the Bible cover to cover, Chronological Bible, Navigators Gospel-Themes: For a full list and further description, click here.

Trowel:

The Abide Method

The Abide Method Tutorial on Risen Motherhood Free Bible Study Worksheets from Risen Motherhood Bible Gateway (Where to get text for scripture. Copy and paste then print on paper in a large, doubles paced font.) Journaling Bible, ESV Study Bible, Pens Other resources we use to study God’s word from Risen Motherhood

Three steps to The Abide Method

Observation: What does the text say? Interpretation: What was the original context to the original audience? Apply: What does this passage tell you about who God is? How does that transform your life?

Always open and close your time with prayer.

Favorite prayer resources:

Val Marie Paper Prayer Journal Valley of Vision, A Book of Puritan Prayers A blank notebook/journal

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When I started my healthy living journey, I was so overwhelmed. It felt like there were so many areas I wanted to work on from diving into non-toxic products in my home, to healthy cooking, to figuring out healthy hormones and more. So today's episode is all about working through that overwhelm and figuring out how to set realistic healthy living goals. Let's jump in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Our Sponsor: Jenny Life - check it out to get a free quote for life insurance! Our sponsor: HelloFresh.com/Homemaking80 and use coupon code: homemaking80 to get $8o off your first month plus free shipping on your first box!

Join our brand new healthy living conference! Today we are kicking off the Crafting a Healthy Home Online Conference. Today's episode is the first session from this action packed conference. You can get immediate access (with lifetime access) to the conference right now!

Check it out and grab your ticket here!

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I'm taking a stand this year. 2020 is the year of directing my family back to Christ and making a Gospel Centered, Christ focused atmosphere in my home. In this episode I share 7 resources we've been enjoying for helping in that regard! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 1. Parenting by Paul David Tripp  This is a fantastic parenting book for all Christian parents to read! “God hasn’t just sent you to do his work in the lives of your children; he will use the lives of your children to advance his work in you.”

“So your hope as a parent is not found in your power, your wisdom, your character, your experience, or your success, but in this one thing alone: the presence of your Lord. The Creator, Savior, Almighty, Sovereign King is with you. Let your heart rest. You are not in this parenting drama alone. Your potential is greater than the size of your weaknesses, because the One who is without weakness is with you, and he does his best work through those who admit that they are weak but in weakness still heed his call.” 2. Read Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie  Drawing close together as a family is hard work! But it's more important than ever that I'm making the time in my day to connect with my kids and all of us together as a family. Reading together is a beautiful way to do this! The Read Aloud Family is a great book that helps with that (it even has booklists)! Her podcast The Read Aloud Revival is also a great resource. “No one will ever say, no matter how good a parent he or she was, “I think I spent too much time with my children when they were young.”

“When my head hits the pillow each night, I want to know that I have done the one most important thing: I have fostered warm, happy memories and created lifelong bonds with my kids—even when the rest of life feels hard.”

1. Courageous Parenting Podcast by Isaac & Angie Tolpin Courageous Parenting is a weekly podcast for Christian parents who want to equip confident Christian kids in an uncertain world. As parents of 8 kids, they know how important and hard it is to focus on Christ in your everyday and in marriage and parenting. I love their commitment to Christ centered parenting and I love to see the team they make in this.

Angie is also a very encouraging person to follow on instagram. 4. Faithful Life Podcast by Matt & Lisa Jacobson Matt and Lisa are another couple I love getting advice from. They especially shine for me when it comes to marriage advice. Their podcast is a terrific resource! "What does it mean to be a biblical Christian in Marriage, Parenting, Church, and Culture? Each episode takes on a vital issue and explores what The Word says about it – topics like sex, purity, growing in oneness as a married couple, difficult parenting issues, being a biblical Christian in a fallen world and much more, including practical steps for real success and deep growth in these areas. . . we laugh a lot, too!" 5. The Duties of Parents by J.C. Ryle This is a book I have't read yet. But Jason says it's the best book on parenting he's ever read! It's next on my to read list. It's a quick short book but an excellent one! 6. Minno Did you cancel Netflix this month? Or are you struggling in knowing what shows are safe (and encouraging) for your kids? Minno (use to be Jelly Telly) is a streaming service for kids. Basically it's like a Christian Netflix for kids shows and we are huge fans of it!!

Go to Gominno.com and use coupon code HOMEMAKING for 7 day free trial. While you check out that free trial, try out our favorite shows: Theo, Owlegories, 3, 2, 1 Penguins, and of course the classic veggie tales! 7. Drawing together in our marriage This last one isn't really a resource, but it's an important one right now! With everyone going on in the world today (and having a 4 mo...

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I've talked about morning baskets here on the podcast before, but usually when we talk about them, we are referring to reading more with your kids and/or homeschooling. But today we are going to chat about this morning basket concept and how everyone can use one. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. A morning basket is simply a basket or container of some sort that contains the books/resources to help facilitate a goal. We have 3 kinds we are going to discuss today. Create a kids basket This can be extremely helpful if you are homeschooling, but you can also just use it as a reading basket with your kids who do a different form of school.

For homeschool, your morning basket time is usually how you will open your homeschool day. It's an excellent way to kick off your homeschool day and to fit in extra subjects. Here's how we use ours (you can listen to this podcast episode for more info) We start off singing a few hymns, read our current devotional, and/or Bible study book. Then we move into reading different kinds of books to hit other subjects. We like to always have a poetry book, you can add in Shakespeare, art study, and cycle through different topics such as history, geography, social studies, etc. People will add in flash cards and other fun stuff to this time as well. We cover a lot of these topics now in our new unit studies we do. You can read about them here.

For non-homeschoolers: You can also create a reading basket for the current books you are reading with your kids. You can use this for Saturday mornings or even each night before bed! Create a Bible basket for yourself  This is what I am excited about! After talking about it for a long time, I finally have my own morning basket time. It's simple but it's a cute little crochet basket I found on Amazon.

Right now it just contains my journaling Bible, my spiritual disciplines notebook, and the current spiritual/theological book I'm reading. I leave it right out on my desk by my computer. I see it multiple times a day and makes it more likely I'll dive into it!

Create a hobby/fun basket  Since we've done church at time so much this year, I've been inspired to keep a few things by me for easy reach. Now I like this idea of making a little hobby basket for my self or even for some of my kids.

Things like: Coloring books, a tin of colored pencils, crochet, etc. Hop over on instagram and share any ideas YOU have for these baskets!! ? Check out our sponsor! Prepdish makes your life simple with incredible meal planning help! Their step by step systems shows you how to make an entire week's worth of healthy meals in just a few hours! Sign up for your very own 14 day free trial: Prepdish.com/homemaking

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In the last episode I jumped right into sharing new habits & routines I've been working on for this new season. In this episode we go back to the beginning of HOW do we figure out what these new habits and routines should be. It all starts with the baby steps of creating new goals. Let's dive in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Our sponsor: Varsitytutors.com/home  Our sponsor: Magicspoon.com/home and use promo code home for free shipping!

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I am in a season of building routines and finding a good rhythm. Slowly, things are coming together as we head into the rest of the year. In this episode, I'm going to share some tips on building out a good routine and what is working well for us in this current season which is very full! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find the notes for this episode down below.

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Looking for a new planner? Check out my Joy Filled Home Planning system here Our sponsor: magicspoon.com/HOME Our Sponsor: PlushCare.com/home

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In the last episode, we discussed what it means to meditate upon God's Word (and why this practice is so important)! In this episode, we are going to get practical and look at HOW we mediate and incorporate it into daily life. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Listen to the first episode: God's Battleplan for the Mind Our sponsor: Get your waived registration fee from LaurelSprings.com/Foundation Our sponsor: Get 25% off each of your first 3 months of TakeCareOf.com/home25 Book recommendation: God’s Battle Plan for the Mind by David W. Saxton Trusting the Promises of God podcast episode Practical Ways to Grow in Trust & Peace podcast episode Reclaiming Joy in an Uncertain World podcast episode

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Are you struggling with a good perspective right now? Are you letting fear or anxiety crowd your mind? In this episode we are going to look to the puritans to give us a fresh perspective on meditation and creating a battle plan for the mind! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

God's Battle Plan for the Mind by David W. Saxton Trusting the Promises of God podcast episode Practical Ways to Grow in Trust & Peace podcast episode Reclaiming Joy in an Uncertain World podcast episode

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We have been living in a renovated 32 foot travel trailer as we travel full time around the United States. While it's been amazing, it has also come with it's own challenges in living tiny. In today's epsiode I'm going to share some of the important lessons I've learned about homemaking and housekeeping that I'll be carrying with me back into a home one day. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Our sponsor: Get TWO weeks of free meal plans from Prepdish.com/homemaking Follow our RV adventures over at Instagram.com/Wanderingnotlostfamily

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Are you struggling to find joy and peace in your life right now? Me too! In this episode we will break down some practical ways we can learn to grow in the Lord when it comes to trust and peace! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Book recommendation: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges Book recommendation: Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney Our sponsor: LaurelSprings.com/Foundation Our sponsor: HelloFresh.com/Foundation80 coupon code: Foundation80

NOTES for this episode: 

It takes discipline and obedience to actively place our faith and trust: “We must not allow our emotions to hold sway over our minds. Rather, we must seek to let the truth of God rule our minds. Our emotions must become subservient to the truth.” - Trusting God 1. Start off your day with GOD not social media

Before you check your email, hop on FB or turn on the news...first turn to the Lord.

1. End your day with GOD not social media

2. Surround yourself with the things of God more

Listen to sermons when cooking or out for a drive Listen to Gospel Centered books that will help you have a better mindset Listen to hymns and other good worship songs SING those worship songs throughout your day Talk to your kids constantly about the hope we have in Christ

1. PRAY.

Pray all the time. Daily. Hourly. Minute by minute. Feeling crushed and defeated? Stop. Open your Bible to the psalms and pray through them. When you feel like you have nothing to pray, let the psalms direct you.

WHY pray scripture? “And when prayer is boring, we don’t feel like praying. And when we don’t feel like praying, it’s hard to make ourselves pray. Even five or six minutes of prayer can feel like an eternity. Our mind wanders half the time. We’ll suddenly come to ourselves and think, “Now where was I? I haven’t been thinking of God for the last several minutes.” And we’ll return to that mental script we’ve repeated countless times. But almost immediately our minds begin to wander again because we’ve said the same old things about the same old things so many times.” - Praying the Bible HOW to pray scripture: “To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text.”

“So basically what you are doing is taking words that originated in the heart and mind of God and circulating them through your heart and mind back to God. By this means his words become the wings of your prayers.”  -Praying the Bible

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Are you struggling this year to trust in the Lord? Are you wrestling with fear and anxiety? Today we are going to look to Scripture to see how we can learn how to trust in the promises of God. Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Book recommendation: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges Our sponsor for today's episode: For 25% off each of your first 3 months of Care/of, go to TakeCareOf.com/home25 and enter code home25

Passages we covered today: TRUSTING is not passive: 

“Trust is not a passive state of mind. It is a vigorous act of the soul by which we choose to lay hold on the promises of God and cling to them despite the adversity that at times seeks to overwhelms us.” - Trusting God

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. - Hebrews 10:23

Learning to trust: 

“God’s plan and His ways of working out His plan are frequently beyond our ability to fathom and understand. We must learn to trust when we don’t understand.” - Trusting God

“Behold, God is my salvation;     I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God[a] is my strength and my song,     and he has become my salvation.” - Isaiah 12:2

“If we are going to learn to trust God in adversity, we must believe God will allow nothing to subvert His glory so He will allow nothing to spoil the good He is working out in us and for us.” - Trusting God

“God's guidance is almost always step-by-step; He does not show us our life's plan all at once. Sometimes our anxiousness to know the will of God comes from a desire to peer over God's shoulder to see what His plan is. What we need to do is learn to trust Him to guide us.” - Trusting God

Trust in the Lord forever,     for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. - Isaiah 26:4

“Prayer is the most tangible expression of trust in God. If we would trust God for our persecuted brothers and sisters in other countries, we must be diligent in prayer for their rulers. If we would trust God when decisions of government in our own country go against our best interests, we must pray for His working in the hearts of those officials and legislators who make those decisions. The truth that the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord is meant to be a stimulus to prayer, not a stimulus to a fatalistic attitude.” - Trusting God

Trusting him when times get tough: 

“In the arena of adversity, the Scriptures teach us three essential truths about God—truths we must believe if we are to trust Him in adversity. They are:

• God is completely sovereign. • God is infinite in wisdom. • God is perfect in love.

Someone has expressed these three truths as they relate to us in this way: “God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.” - Trusting God

“God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to us. He does not delight in causing us to experience pain or heartache. He always has a purpose for the grief He brings or allows to come into our lives. Most often we do not know what that purpose is, but it is enough to know that His infinite wisdom and perfect love have determined that the particular sorrow is best for us. God never wastes pain. He always uses is to accomplish His purpose. And His purpose is for His glory and our good. Therefore, we can trust Him when our hearts are aching or our bodies are racked with pain.”- Trusting God

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

We need to trust in the Lord, not in man

The fear of man lays a snare,     but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. - Proverbs 29:25

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Welcome to part 2 in my series on homeschooling. In this episode I am going to share our unhurried approach to homeschooling and what our daily routine looks like. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

What is a Morning Basket? Premade Morning Baskets Better Together - A book on morning time Teaching From Rest - the BEST book!! Charlotte Mason in a Nutshell A guide to poetry tea time How to fit in extra subjects with tea time - Raising Arrows

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I know many people have questions about homeschooling right now. How to do it, what the different approaches are, what does an easy homeschool day look like and more. Listen in to Part 1 today where we go over the reasons why we chose to homeschool and 5 different "types" of homeschoolers. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Our sponsor for today: Get a 2 week FREE trial of the best meal planning from PrepDish.com/Homemaking The 5 types of homeschool What is the Charlotte Mason Method?

Curriculum recommendations:

Classical Conversations - A Classic Approach to Education Sonlight - A Literature Based Approach MasterBooks - A Charlotte Mason inspired Curriculum (Christian based!) The Good and the Beautiful - A Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum. We will be using this for our 2nd year in a row

Books I highly recommend:

The Call of the Wild and Free by Ainsley Arment Teaching From Rest by Sarah MacKenzie The Read Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie Better Together: Strengthen Your Family, Simplify Your Homeschool, and Savor the Subjects that Matter Most by Pam Barnhill

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This month we finally hit the road. After 18+ months of planning, we are finally traveling around the United States in our renovated 32 foot travel trailer. Today I'm sharing what our first two weeks of being on the road have been like! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

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Follow our family adventures on Instagram.com/Wanderingnotlostfamily Subscribe to our brand new YouTube channel here!!

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We've been talking a lot lately about extending hospitality. But how do we extend hospitality during unusual seasons? In this episode we are chatting about creative ways to extend hospitality and love our neighbors. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Get a 2 week free trial to PrepDish.com/Homemaking Book recommendation: Practicing Hospitality Book recommendation: The Gospel Comes with a Housekey

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The Bible has a surprising lot to say about hospitality throughout both the old testament and the new testament. In today's podcast episode, are going to take a journey through the bible to discover what it has to say about Biblical hospitality. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Find out more about our online training academy for Christian Homemakers: My Homemaking Mentor Book recommendation: Practicing Hospitality Book recommendation: The Gospel Comes with a Housekey Our sponsor: Ooak Dental (find them on Amazon!)

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What does it mean to practice hospitality in a radically ordinary way? What if we started to view our homes as jumping off points for the Gospel and as very powerful forms of ministry? In today's episode we discuss all of that and more! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

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Book recommendation: The Gospel Comes with a Housekey: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in our Post-Christian World by Roaria Butterfield Book Recommendation: Practicing Hospitality by Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock Our sponsor: Ooak Dental - get all your dental needs from Amazon now! Our sponsor: Get 50% off your First Care Of order by going to TakeCareOf.com and using promo code: home50

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Do you ever have those days where you feel like a failure? When things just don't seem to work and you get so discouraged? I was having one of those days today and decided to turn that into a little episode on encouragement...Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

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Bible study recommendation: Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin Our sponsor: visit Ooak Dental on Amazon!

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My biggest desire for my home is to make it centered around Christ. And one of the best things you can implement in that regard is regular and consistent family devotions. In this episode, Jenn shares with us some tips and encouragement for joyful and consistent family devotions. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Sign up for the 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference and get access to all of 24 amazing sessions! Our Sponsor: Look for Ooak Dental on Amazon for tooth care items! Our Sponsor: Get $10 off your custom story (great for mother's day!) from StoryWorth.com/Homemaking Follow us over on Instagram.com/JamiBalmet

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In today's episode we are going to cover some practical tips for when life feels crazy or overwhelming. In those ordinary days and in the extraordinary (like having a new baby like we did this week)! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Our sponsor: Lauren Springs School! Get your registration fee waived at Laurelsprings.com/foundation Our sponsor: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50

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Could you use some encouragement today? Are you struggling with financial stress, family issues, welcoming a new baby into the home soon, chronic illness, or any other number of things that can make life a bit more stressful? I think most of us are struggling with at least one thing (if not many more) right now. So today I want to give you some encouragement for those long, hard, weary days! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Our sponsor today: Get $10 off your first order from Story Worth by going to http://storyworth.com/homemaking

Book Recommendations:

Glory in the Ordinary by Courtney Reissig (I interviewed Courtney on the podcast here) Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman Treasuring Christ When Your Arms are Full by Gloria Furman Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman Refresh by Shona Murray (I interviewed Shona on the podcast here) Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges

Other Help:

Coping with Homemaking and Morning Sickness (TTM #18) Lies Moms Believe (and how the Gospel refutes them) When Pregnancy (or Motherhood) Doesn’t Go the Way You Plan Facing the Fear of Motherhood – how to find JOY on those hard days!

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Meal planning is something that most of us could use help on these days! Thankfully, we have Stacy Meyers from Humorous Homemaking helping us out today with her tips for finding balance in meal planning. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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This episode was originally a conference session in the 2016 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. You can purchase recordings of the entire conference here. Follow Stacy over at Humorous Homemaking Our sponsor: For 30% off your first month’s subscription, visit mylola.com and enter home30 when you subscribe!

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Are you hoping to read more in 2020? It's been such a busy time around here the last few weeks that I haven't really been reading. So join me in today's episode for some reading motivation as well as my favorite books I've read so far in 2020!

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Follow me over on Goodreads Follow Jason over on Goodreads Find our 2020 Christian Reading Challenge for Women here Find our 2020 Christian Reading Challenge for Men here Check out our sponsor today: GoMinno.com and use coupon code HOMEMAKING for a 7 day free trial!

My favorite books so far of 2020: Update on our reading goal: My goal is 156 books. I've read 34 so far which puts me 9 books behind schedule. Jason is at 39 books read and 4 behind.

Fun fiction series: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Christian non-fiction: Stop Calling Me Beautiful by Phylicia Masonheimer Business book: Start with Your People by Brian Dixon Homeschooling/parenting: Pocketful of Pinecones and Lessons at Blackberry Inn Christian non-fiction: Forever by Paul David Tripp Healthy Living: Grain by Grain: A Quest to Revive Ancient Wheat, Rural Jobs, and Healthy Food Travel: How to Travel the World on $50 a Day: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter

Books I'm reading next:

Season's of a Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson The Redwall Series The Gospel Comes with a House key Loving Well - Even If You Haven't Been A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning Saving Face: The Scents-able Way to Wrinkle Free Skin

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Are you looking for some good resources for teaching your kids about God? Are you looking for some ways to entertain them that are GOOD resources? Today I'm sharing all my favorite Biblical resources for kids. Listen in here (and then share your own)!

Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Our Sponsor for today's episode: Get a 7 day FREE trial to Minno at GoMinno.com and use coupon code: Homemaking MINNO just released a complete Church-at-Home experience for kids, which includes video learning and activities for free. Website here. ADVENTURES in ODYSSEY Focus on the Family's 900+ episodes and 5 family logins free for four weeks. Website here.

Books We Love:

The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung - Ages 5-11 (Crossway is offering free streaming access to The Biggest Story: The Animated Short Film through April 12, 2020) CRAFT BOOKP: Big Picture Bible Crafts: 101 Simple and Amazing Crafts to Help Teach Children the Bible Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids by David Murry (ages 6-12) My ABC Bible Verses from the Psalms by Susan and Richie Hunt The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New R.C. Sproul has a whole series of kids books: The Donkey Who Carried a King is a great one for this time of year!

Christian Chapter book series:

The Green Ember Series by S.D. Smith Little House on the Prairie Series Christian Heroes Then and Now The Wingfeather Saga Narnia Series The Secret of the Hidden Scrolls

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Are you struggling to work from home right now? Is it all new and you are wondering how to get work done? Jason and I have been working from home for 5 years and we share what has worked (and what hasn't worked for us) in this episode! Listen in: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Our sponsor: Check out the Laugh And Learn Bible for Kids - a great devotional Bible for the whole family!! Curious how we make money from home? You can find out a little bit more at Our Work at Home Life (it's outdated but still accurate!) Come join me over on Instagram to chat more! The first episode in this series: Surviving Life at Home The second episode in this series: Keeping Kids Occupied At Home

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It's been a long month for all of us and one in which many of us have been looking for ways to entertain our kids (and try to get some things done around the house or for work)! In today's episode, we are going to chat about some of my favorite ways to keep kids occupied, having fun, and maybe learning a bit too! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Join me on Instagram (check out my highlights where I share all of these favorites on video!!) Check out LaurelSprings.com/Foundation and get your registration fee waved

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Are you suddenly finding yourself stuck at home with a bunch of people who also can't leave the house? It's quite an adjustment period for all of us right now but especially when you are not used to everyone being home all the time. Jason and I have been working from home together for 5 years and homeschooling our young kids for 3, so we are a bit used to this life at home schedule so I wanted to share some of our tips for you in today's episode. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

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Hf #270: Facing anxiety and the unknown Hf #271: Reclaiming joy in this uncertain world Our sponsor: Get free shipping on all business cards at Vistaprint.com/Home and promo code home Our sponsor: Get 15% off your first order at Auratenewyork.com/home and promo code home

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It's been a tough month for many of us and we are facing the unknown of what Spring & Summer are going to bring. In the last episode we talked about what it means to be dependent on God and today, we are going to chat about how we can bring more JOY into our everyday lives...even during these tough times. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Join our Four Week Joyful Life Community here Our sponsor: Visit TakeCareOf.com and use promo code: home50 at checkout for 50% off your first box!

Bible verses used:

James 1:2-3: "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." Romans 12:12: "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 

Introducing the 4 week Joyful Life Community Week one: Cultivating a Vibrant Faith

Week two: Reading & Hobbies

Week three: oosting your immune system 

Week four: Simple cooking from scratch

Join our four week Joyful Life Community kicking off on March 16th!! To join us just head over to: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/joyfullife

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So many of us are facing a lot of fear, panic, anxiety, and the unknown right now. Today's episode is meant to serve as some encouragement in this fearful time. When we get anxious, where should we turn? HOW do we learn to trust in God more and become dependent on HIM, not our circumstances? Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

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All the quotes from this episode can be found in the chapter on anxiety in Phylicia Masonheimer's new book Stop Calling Me Beautiful Book recommendation: The Secrets of Contentment by William B. Barcley Book recommendation: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges Our sponsor for today's episode: Get The Laugh and Learn Bible from Phil Vischer - including 52 bible stories and family devotions!

Bible Verses used:

John 16:33 "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." James 1:2 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds"

"God's trustworthiness is the strength behind our battle against anxiety. Every weapon we use against anxiety must start with who He is, because only then do we invite an objective perspective and power into our circumstances. Jesus is the most trustworthy person who exists. Think about it: How can we trust Him for our eternal destiny and not trust him with our present fear?" Stop Calling Me Beautiful, page 110. I love Phylicia's definition of faith: Trust in God's goodness and ability.

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We are a few weeks away from meeting baby #6 and we are getting excited! However, it also hit me this week that I really haven't prepped anything for his arrival. So this week I'm sharing all my newborn essentials as I gather this stuff all together myself. Listen in here! (A few months ago I shared my pregnancy favorites). Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Our sponsor for today's episode: Get 10 FREE melas & FREE shipping with America's #1 meal delivery kit: HelloFresh.com/Foundation10 and coupon code Foundation10 Nursing Favorites:

Boppy Pillow Bamboobies Nipple Balm - Earthley Glass Baby Bottles Breast Pump Medela manual pump Haakaa manuel pump Mama's Magic Milk Boost - Earthley Mama's Milk Tea - Bulk Herb Store Nipple Shields

Other Favorites:

Cloth Pads (LunaPads are my current favorites) Period Underware Postpartum Balance herbs - Earthley Progessence Plus - Young Living Gentle Baby Essential Oil - Young Living Seedlings Oil - Young Living Seedlings Gift Bundle - Includes Baby wipes, diaper rash cream, baby lotion, baby wash & shampoo, baby oil, Linen spray, Bath towel, wash cloth, and basket. Muslin Swaddle Blankets Swing Organic or natural fibers baby clothing (Walmart, Target, Burts Bee's Baby) A great resource on this topic: Killer Clothes: How seemingly innocent clothing choices endanger your health, and how to protect yourself

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It's super hard to use our time well. There are so many things that we can spend our time on each and every day. So how do we start to use our time well? Especially when we want to work on new habits or routines. Let's chat today about how we can use our time extremely well! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Sign up for the 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference and get access to all of 24 amazing sessions! Our Sponsor: Check out Laurel Springs and get your enrollment fee waived Our Sponsor: Use coupon code home at checkout from Vistaprint and get free shipping on business cards!

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It's been a bit of a stressful year so far. We've had sickness and lots of unusual things going on and we are moving. Yet, there is also a ton of other stuff we've had to get done. So today's episode is going to be all about: how to get things done (and be productive) in a busy season! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Terrific  decluttering blog: A Slob Comes Clean. Her book: Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle Take a peek inside my weekly baking plans Our Sponsor: Get TWO WEEKS of free meal plans from PrepDish! PrepDish.com/Homemaking

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We have some very exciting plans coming up for 2020! Our family is planning on starting full time travel around the United States. Our goal: to visit all 50 states. In this podcast episode, Jason will be joining me to share our plans and do a fun Q&A on what's ahead for the Balmet family. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Interested in traveling full time? There is a great FB group: FullTime Families Follow us for now over on Instagram to hear more about our travels How to get mail on the road: Escapees Mail Forwarding More info about the RV park pass we will get: Thousand Trails Our Sponsor: Get TWO WEEKS of free meal plans from PrepDish! PrepDish.com/Homemaking

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Loving our husbands feels like something that should just come naturally. But once you've been married for longer than 10 minutes, you realize that loving your husband takes real, intentional work and thought. Today on the podcast we are going to be discussing some practical ways you can love your husband...for a closer marriage. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Book recommendation: 100 Ways to Love Your Husband by Lisa Jacobson Book recommendation: 100 Words of Affirmation Your Husband Needs to Hear by Lisa Jacobson Book recommendation: 100 Ways to Love Your Wife by Matt Jacobson Book recommendation: 100 Words of Affirmation Your Wife Needs to Hear by Matt Jacobson Our sponsor today: For 50% off your first Care/of order, go to TakeCareOf.com and enter code home50

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Do you want to raise your children to be readers? In this episode we are going to dive into encouragement and resources for creating a culture of reading in your home - for kids and mom! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: Book links by reading ages mentioned:

Reading to your baby & toddlers: Board books and visually pleasing books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Llama Llama Red Pajama, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, The Little Engine That Could, etc) The early reader: This is the 5-8 range. With emerging readers of my own, I know that this is a long process. Read aloud ALL the time during this age.

The Usborne My First Reading Library Our very early reader books: Dash Into Learning More suggestions: Ralph S. Mouse, The Ramona Books, Henry and Ribsy, The Magic TreeHouse Books)

The Middle grade reader: Ages 8 and up. Let them choose what interests them. Help guide them but let them explore worlds and ideas! Keep reading aloud at these ages. (The Redwall series, How to Train Your Dragon book series, etc.) Your Teen Reader: Keep an eye out for books labeled YA. You will still want to keep a close eye on what they are reading while also letting them explore! Help them explore reading outside their school requirements. As adults: Do the same thing!! Find the books that make you excited and don't want to put the book down...and ditch the others. Especially as busy moms, life is TOO short!!

Links:

Our homeschooling picks for this year (and how to instill a love of learning) – Hf #239 Get TWO WEEKS of free meal plans from PrepDish! PrepDish.com/Homemaking

Resources for learning more about morning basket time:

Your Morning Basket Podcast with Pam Barnhill – an entire podcast dedicated to this topic! How We Homeschool – Morning Time – by Read-Aloud Revival Simple Morning Time Plans – by Read-Aloud Revival

Books to recommend:

How to Raise a Reader by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo The Read Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson Honey for a Child's Heart By Gladys Hunt Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Family Handbook - New 8th edition Sources for books by age: SonLight Sources for books by age: (many are preprints of old classics) The Good and the Beautiful Library

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy: I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans.

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it. Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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The Bible calls us to encourage one another in Christ. We are to be there for those in our lives and we are to encourage them. But what does this look like on a practical level? This episode will explore how we can be encouragers to those in our life and what the Bible calls us to do in this regard. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Article by 9 Marks: Encourage One Another: Giving Grace with Your Words Book recommendation: 100 Ways to Love Your Husband by Lisa Jacobson Book recommendation: 100 Words of Affirmation Your Husband Needs to Hear by Lisa Jacobson Book recommendation: When a Woman Inspires Her Husband by Cindi McMenamin Book recommendation: Loving Well (even if you haven't been) by William P. Smith Book recommendation: The Peacemaker by Ken Sande Jump into the Instagram discussion about this topic here.

"WHAT IS ENCOURAGEMENT?

Biblical encouragement isn’t focused on complementing someone’s haircut or telling them how good their homemade salsa tastes. That kind of encouragement is important, but the encouragement the Scriptures refer to is explicitly Christian encouragement.

Encouragement is shared with the hopes that it will lift someone’s heart toward the Lord (Col. 4:8). It points out evidences of grace in another’s life to help them see that God is using them. It points a person to God’s promises that assures them that all they face is under his control.

The New Testament reveals that encouragement was a regular part of the early church’s life together (Acts 13:15, 16:40, 18:27, 20:1-2, 27:36). They shared Scripture-saturated words with each other to spur one another on in faith (Acts 14:22), hope (Rom. 15:4), unity (Rom. 15:5; Col. 2:2), joy (Acts 15:31), strength (Acts 15:32), fruitfulness (Heb. 10:24-25), faithfulness (1 Thess. 2:12), perseverance (Heb. 10:25), and the certainty of Christ’s return (1 Thess. 4:18).

Encouragement was and is an essential way of extending grace to each other."

• 9 Marks article: https://www.9marks.org/article/encourage-one-another-giving-grace-with-your-words/ Scripture used today: We are told to be encouragers: 

1 Thess 5:11 "Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." Being an encourager takes time and investment:  Hebrews 10:23- 25 "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Encouragement comes largely from our mouths and how we communicate with those around us: 

Ephesians 4:29 "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

We are to be there in good times and bad: 

Galatians 6:2 "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Do it all in patience and love: 

1 Thess 5:14 "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all."

1 Peter 4:8-10 "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace"

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It might sound funny to assign goals for my spiritual disciplines this year. But I want to make sure I'm being intentional with my relationship with the Lord in 2020. So here are my 4 spiritual goals that I'll be working on this year. Listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Want a simple method for Bible study? Listen to this episode: #115 Bible study book recommendations: Jen Wilkin & Katie Orr's Bible studies My spiritual disciplines notebooks I use Follow me on Instagram and join in the discussion for this podcast episode here Get TWO WEEKS of free meal plans from PrepDish! PrepDish.com/Homemaking

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One of my big goals this year is to establish a better morning routine. I have 3 areas I want to tackle in my new morning routine and in today's episode, I'm going to share my new 21 minute morning routine that is simple to implement! Want to join me, listen in! Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Our Sponsor: Get 50% off your first Care Of box by going to TakeCareOf.com and using promo code home50 at checkout! Podcast Episode: Setting up a good evening routine Podcast Episode: Establishing a morning routine with 3 minutes (an interview with Kat Lee) Join me on Instagram where you can share your morning routine and join in on the discussion. See the post here.

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This week on Instagram we've been chatting a lot about routines, getting more done, and saving time. So in today's podcast episode, I'm sharing my 5 tips for how to be more productive...when you have no time. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Look through our meal planning archives here Need help investing in yourself? Start here. Join me over on Instagram: Instagram.com/JamiBalmet Our Sponsor: Get 10 free meals plus free shipping with Hellofresh.com/Foundation10 and use coupon code Foundation10

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If you are looking for the MEN'S companion reading challenge for 2020, you can find it here! Happy reading!! 

Welcome to the 2020 reading challenge! It's my favorite time of the year and I am so excited to see how many books we all read this year. This is our 4th year in a row running our reading challenge and it's been a blast. Jason and I have always been big readers, but having 5 kids (and one on the way) and running our own business started to squeeze the love (or the time) out of our reading life. 

So in 2017 we decided to run a little challenge for ourselves (and invited you to join in) and the result has been three fabulous years of reading! We have both read more in the past 3 years then we could have thought possible with this busy season of life we are in. 

So we are back in 2020 with our 4th reading challenge...and it's our best one yet! Below you will find out 2020 reading challenge, lots and lots of amazing book recommendations, as well as a podcast episode all about the reading challenge this year that you can listen in to!

Listen to the Podcast: Listen in to my podcast episode from this week to find out more about why I developed this reading plan, tips for following along, and the reasoning behind the books and categories I chose. Or skip the podcast and head down below for all the info ? And don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

While this is our 4th reading challenge, all of the books in the actual challenge below are all new! That means if you've been following along these past 3 years, you won't have any repeats!! However, we do have categories down below if you want to pick other books to read – or feel free to swap out and put your own books in the categories. 

I’m ALL for broadening my reading horizon, which is why I was so excited about this new reading challenge. I think we often reach for the same kinds of books over and over again. But I want to stretch you and challenge you to reach out and pick up books you wouldn’t normally. 

Plus, doing a challenge like this will make you read more throughout the year. So wanna join us?!?

Grab the Toolkit: 

The very best and easiest way to follow along is to grab my toolkit right here! The toolkit includes the full reading challenge for 2020 (for both men and women) as well as tips for finding more time to read (even when you are super busy) and how to find more books for free or cheap. 

Grab the Toolkit!

Subscribe to my new reading challenge newsletter to follow along throughout 2020 AND get my 2020 Reading Challenge Toolkit for FREE!

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This is a long-requested episode! Today I'm sharing all my pregnancy favorites but I'm sure I missed some, so make sure you share all your favorites as well over on Instagram.

Listen to the Podcast: You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Favorite Pregnancy Books:

Taking Charge of Your Fertility The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth The First 40 Days: The essential art of nourishing the new mother Awakening Fertility: The Essential Art of Preparing for Pregnancy Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way Husband-Coached Childbirth Betsy Bosom's Baby Book: A Girlfriends Guide to Using Essential Oils From Bellies to Babies Gentle Babies: Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants, and Young

Morning Sickness Remedies: 

Sea Bands - Motion sickness bands  High amounts of vitamin b - my two favorite Vitamin B complexes are Dr. Axe's Vitamin B complex & the one I use now is Super B by Young Living (it's AMAZING!!)

Heartburn remedies: 

The only thing that has ever worked for me for heartburn is: Alkalime supplement by Young Living

Pregnancy tea:

Mama's Red Raspberry brew - My favorite pregnancy blend!! Mama's Milk tea - Great for lactation and milk production! Earthley also makes a great pregnancy tea

Pregnancy workout dvd:

Lindsey Brin's pregnancy workout DVD set

Vitamins and supplements:

Take a good prenatal - I use Master Formula + Super B as my prenatal vitamin (both from Young Living). You can read about this combo here.  Dr. Axe also has a great prenatal I recommend I also take a good probiotic. I switch between Young Living's Life9 and some of Dr. Axe's probiotics. It's a good idea to switch up your probiotic from time to time to get different strains. Dr. Axe has a bunch of good ones but I recommend his Women's once a day as well as his SBO probiotic.  You will also want a good omega/fish oil supplement for pregnancy. No surprise here but I recommend one of Dr. Axe's Omega's but all four are currently sold out. The one I take now is Young Living's OmegaGize. A good omega supplement is crucial during pregnancy, but a GOOD one from a good source is going to be expensive. Just keep that in mind. I usually take mine 3-4 times a week instead of every day just to lesson that expense a bit.  I also take Magnesium and iron - see my favorites below

Other supplements I LOVE:

TriLight Health has an entire line of pregnancy herbal blends that are affordable and rock! Their ingredients are outstanding. I recommend getting their Pregnancy essentials kit for everything you need.  Earthley is my next favorite store to recommend. It's owned by a mom who has a passion for providing home remedies at an affordable price. Here are a few of my favorites from Earthley:  Pregnancy tea -a Premade blend for pregnancy Fertili Boost herbal extract - Want help getting pregnant? This tincture might help.  Post Partum balance - I am SO getting this tincture for this time around - helps balance things out after pregnancy Mama's tummy relief - I wish I had seen this during my first-trimester sickness  Nourish her naturally - Another possible option for a prenatal Magnesium Lotion - Another great one for pregnancy! I use this every night. Dr. Axe has a good supplement if you want a pill instead of a lotion.  Iron supplement  - I LOVE Earthley's iron supplement. Make sure to look for an herbal iron supplement though if using a different brand. 

Additional resources:

When pregnancy and motherhood doesn't go the way you planned - Hf # 60 Find me over on Instagram - watch my highlights for all of these items and to share your own!!  Check out Wix.com/Podcast to get 10% off your new website!

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One of my big goals for 2020 is getting into a better fitness routine. I know that if I can work on my physical health, it can help me have more energy for my family and ministry. Listen in to this awesome interview today between myself and Beth Learn!

Listen to the Podcast: You can find important links & info below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Visit Beth over at Fit2B Studios Follow her on Instagram Visit our Sponsor: Vistaprint.com use coupon code HOME for free shipping on all business cards Visit our Sponsor: MEL Science - get 25% off your first box & free shipping when you text HOME to 64-000

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For the first time in 3 years, Jason and I are both hitting our reading goal this year! Next week we are releasing our 2020 reading challenge and I'm preparing for that by reflecting on my favorite books from 2019. Listen in for some good books to add to your reading list for next year. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My Top 10 Books of 2019: Listen to the full podcast episode for my reasons behind these picks and more!

Chasing Contentmentby Erik Raymond God's Healing for Life's Losses by Robert W. Kellemen Don't Make Me Count to Three by Ginger Plowman & I Can't Believe You Just Said That Finding God in my Loneliness by Lydia Brownback Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingald Wilder Introverted Mom by Jamie C. Martin Eat Dirt by Dr. Josh Axe You Need a Budget by Jesse Mecham Mother Culture by Karen Andreola

Links & Resources:

My Word for 2020 Our Sponsor: Wix.com/Podcast for 10% off your website! Our Sponsor: MyLola.com use coupon code HOME30 for 30% off your feminine care subscription

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I love this time of year! It's time to make new goals for next year and I have 5 areas I want to work on as we head into 2020. Another great episode to listen to in conjunction with this one is my Word for 2020.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

My Word for 2020 My favorite meal planning website has a sale going on right now 

Visit our sponsor: Minno! Stories kids love, values parents trust.

Visit gominno.com (that’s M-I-N-N-O)  

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This is my 6th year picking a word for my year. It's always a tough decision to nail down my word, but this year was particularly hard because I had a hard time really pinpointing what I wanted to work on in 2020. I felt a little all over the place trying to decide so it took me longer than normal to settle on my word. 

But now I've picked and it's feeling like the perfect fit for 2020! So today I'm sharing my new word for the year as well as some tips for picking your own word for this year. 

Here are my past words: 

2012: Intentional 2016: Joy 2017: Create 2018: Refresh 2019: Faithfulness

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What has gone into choosing this word:  On the podcast, I share the general flow of our life since 2012 and how you can see that overarching picture of our family through each word of the year. 

But looking ahead to 2020, we are facing what is likely going to be a very big transition year for us. Baby #6 is due in April and we are Lord Willing, going to be selling our house and starting to travel around the country. But at the same time, my own personal energy and capacity has been rising and I feel ready to jump back into more consistent routines and habits. 

So 2020 for us is going to be a big mix of buckling down and cultivating better habits as a family AND living in a constant state of change throughout the year. ? Bring it on! 

So when choosing my word for 2020, I faced a difficult challenge of blending this idea of stricter discipline while also going through the flow of newborn, selling our house, and lots of change...all while maintaining those BIG important priorities as #1 priorities (God, Jason, and the kids)! 

So while thinking about and praying about my word, I started a list of things that felt important to focus on. This list included: unity, community, relationships, grace, connectedness, harmony, vision, perception, connectivity, adventure, compassion, connection, consistency, and intuition. 

This then led me to a word that I've almost used a few times in the past.... Cultivate.  My word for 2020 is cultivate and it's fitting so perfectly with my goals and desires for 2020 (even those that seem to be at odds with one another like slowing down to have a baby and enjoy the newborn time...while at the same time selling our house and traveling)! 

So as I head into 2020 and start to form my goals and habits for the new year (look for the next episode for a discussion on those), I've broken my word into 3 main categories:  Cultivating Relationships I want to do a better job this year of investing in those close to me. Jason and I really pulled back this year to be able to focus on our family and it's been great! We feel like we've really been able to double down on those big important priorities and look inward to our family. 

That's what we've needed in 2019! And now I need to do a bit more outward focus for this next year. I want to do a better job of following up with friends and family. Asking them how I can pray for them (and actually doing it) and adding a few select things back into our schedule (without overwhelming ourselves)! 

Cultivating friendships is another big one for me this year! 

Cultivating Better Habits As 2019 as drawn to a close, our life has been busy and full (with so many good things) this fall. SO many of our normally good habits and routines have gone out the window. 

So as usual, I'm desperately craving some better routines as we head into 2020 and beyond. So one of my big focuses will be building in better habits and routines so that come baby time, I hopefully have things working more consistently (things like meal planning...

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This is a super fun episode and next installment in our series, Finding Joy in Your Home. Today we are chatting about specific hobbies and ideas for investing in yourself. I'm going to share ideas from YOU guys on what you do for fun. Listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Our favorite board and video games to play together with Jason – Hf #181 Our Sponsor: Wix.com/Podcast for 10% off your website! Our Sponsor: Vistaprint.com use coupon code HOME50 for 50% off Christmas cards and photo calendars!

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An important part of this series we are working through here on the podcast is finding more joy and peace in your life and home. A HUGE part of that is turning to the Lord and making him of ultimate importance. But there are some other things to consider in a well rounded life. And today we are talking about a fun one: hobbies, finding joy, and finding things that fill you up!  Listen to the Podcast:

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Subscribe to this entire series on iTunes

Visit our sponsor: Minno! Stories kids love, values parents trust.

Visit gominno.com (that’s M-I-N-N-O)  

Use coupon code HOMEMAKING to begin your 7-day free trial 

and start streaming anytime, anywhere on your phone, tablet, TV or computer

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Intentional, Biblical rest is an important part of finding more joy in our home and in our lives. In this next installment of our series, we will dive into the WHY behind getting rest and the HOW to make it happen.  Listen to the Podcast:

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Book recommendation: The Tech Wise Family Subscribe to this entire series on iTunes

Visit our sponsor: Minno! Stories kids love, values parents trust.

Visit gominno.com (that’s M-I-N-N-O)  

Use coupon code HOMEMAKING to begin your 7-day free trial 

and start streaming anytime, anywhere on your phone, tablet, TV or computer

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Do you have people always looking to you for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks? Jamerrill will show you how real life freezer cooking can help you streamline and simplify your family meal times. She will show you freezer cooking strategies, tips for big batch cooking, and more! Listen to the Podcast:

Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Find Jamerrill's YouTube channel Jamerrill's blog Large Family Table Follow Jamerrill on Instagram Sponsor: Wix.com/podcast for 10% off your website Sponsor: Get 9 free meals with HelloFresh by going to HelloFresh.com/FOUNDATION9 and using code FOUNDATION9.

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Developing a mission statement for your life, for your family, and for your home can be a powerful tool to help give you clarity and direction. It doesn’t have to be a long or complicated process, with just a few minutes, you can put some real thought and intentionality behind why you do what you do every single day. Listen to the Podcast:

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Read through the full notes for making your own family mission statement TTM #21: Developing Your Priorities in Your Home Subscribe to this entire series on iTunes

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Welcome to the next installment in our Finding Joy in Your Home Series. Today we are chatting about a topic that is easy to overlook but SO important: How to figure out those BIG priorities are for your family so you can start building your ideal schedule and calendar. Let's dive in!!  Listen to the Podcast:

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More on creating your personal priorities here Book recommendation: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine Book recommendation: Crazy Busy by Tim Challies Sponsor: Paint Your Life - get 30% off your personalized painting - text HF to 64-000 Sponsor: Care/Of  - Get 50% off your first box of personalized vitamins at TakeCareOf.com and use promo code HOME50 at checkout

Our Priorities: 

Always maintain a strong, deep, and vibrant relationship with the Lord through daily Bible study, serving, home group, fellowship, Church, daily prayer, and reading Gospel Centered books. Purposefully and passionately pursue my husband as my best friend and love of my life. Pursue Christ-Centered parenting through disciplining, love, encouragement, and taking time to play with my kids. Craft a healthy home for my family by encouraging exercise, cooking from scratch, and researching & pursuing a natural lifestyle. Write and manage my blog & ministry so that I can encourage other women in Gospel Centered Homemaking.

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Part two of our brand new series, Finding Joy in Your Home is focused on taking care of ourselves physically so that we can thrive mentally, emotionally and spiritually! It's a key piece of finding more joy and peace in the every day. 

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Book Recommendation: Reset by Shona Murray  Go through my women's hormones workshop Creating Grace-Infused Routines & Goals with Shona Murray – Hf #210 Is Self Care Biblical? – Hf #238 Sponsor: Wix.com/podcast to get 10% off  Sponsor: HelloYUMI.com and use promo code HOME to get $60 off your first month

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Welcome to episode #1 of our brand new 12 week series: Finding Joy in Your Home. We are kicking off this super practical series by laying the groundwork for everything we will talk about: what do you do when you struggle to find joy? Where do we turn? Listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

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Register for our 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference here Follow me over on Instagram: Instagram.com/jamibalmet Podcast episode: The simple key to finding more joy in your life Podcast episode: Finding joy in all aspects of my life Podcast episode: My simple Bible reading plan for deeper study Book recommendation: Trusting God by Jerry Bridges One of my favorite biography series: A Long Line of Godly Men Series

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I am SO excited to be kicking off this series on Finding Joy in Your Home. Over the next 12 weeks we are going to dive into this topic and cover some really helpful lessons. I can't wait to dive into. This introductory episode will set us up well for lesson #1 coming next week! Let's dive in. Listen to the Podcast:

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Sign up for the 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference Follow me over on Instagram: Instagram.com/jamibalmet Watch our cute pregnancy announcement here Sponsor: Get 10% off your website Wix.com/podcast Sponsor: Get FREE shipping on business cards. Use promo code "Home" – Vistaprint.com

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Join Jason and I in this episode as we share our journey with family worship. Hint hint: It did NOT happen naturally and we didn't know what it was suppose to look like. We've got some great resources to share in this episode.  Listen to the Podcast:

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Grab your ticket to the 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference and get the Gospel Centered Home Toolkit for FREE!!  Sponsor: Get 500 high quality business cards for $9.99 - Vistaprint.com/home Sponsor: Get 25% OFF your first Care/Of order with coupon code HOME

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Do you ever feel like your day is drudgery? Do you wake up facing another un-important feeling day? What about when you are just not sure why you work so hard day in and day out? If you identify with any of these - listen in today for some encouragement and hopefully a dash of perspective!  Listen to the Podcast:

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You can read the full notes for this episode here Book recommendation:  Do More Better by Tim Challies Book recommendation: Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller Book recommendation: Treasuring Christ by Gloria Furman Sponsor: Check out Wix.com/podcast for 10% off a new website!  Sponsor: Text HOME to 64-000 to get 25% off and a bunch of freebies from Mel Science

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Are you stuck in a season of not being in God's Word? I know I go in and out of seasons of being in the daily habit of reading God's Word and faithful prayer and then I have super dry seasons. In this episode we are going to cover some simple ways you can establish the habit of daily meeting with God. Listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

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New Morning Mercies devotional recommendation Bible study recommendations: Katie Orr's bible studies. My favorite is Jonah!  Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney (a fantastic book on prayer!) Listen to my interview with Donald Whitney on prayer!  Learn about our Bible reading plan we follow Learn about some other simple methods for Bible studies here Book recommendation: Word Filled Families Our favorite catechism for younger ages: Catechism for boys and girls Our favorite catechism for older ages: The New City Catechism Favorite devotional for kids ages 2-8: I Am: 40 Reasons to Trust God Good devotional for kids ages 6 and up: I Am Devotional: 100 Devotions About the Names of God  Good devotional for kids ages 6 and up: The Ology My FAVORITE journaling Bible: ESV Interleaved edition Amazing Scripture journals: ESV Scripture journals New Testament Set (you can also find the OT set or all the books individually!)  Our Sponsor: VistaPrint.com! Use coupon code Home2 at checkout for free shipping on all business card orders!  Our Sponsor: MyLola.com! Use coupon code HOME to get 40% off your first Lola subscription box!!

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Are you dealing with fatigue, stress, over daily overwhelm? Then this episode is for you! In it we are going to cover physical as well as some emotional and mental tips you can do to overcome that daily fatigue and stress. Get ready, this is going to be a fun and practical episode! 

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It looks like Dr. Axe Magnesium oil is no longer sold but he has an awesome Magnesium supplement Ashwagandha supplements - good for sleep!  My FAVORITE Ashwagandha supplement for sleep - Cortistop Favorite essential oils for sleep: Valor (my personal sleep oil), Stress Away, Lavender, Francisense, Peace & Calming Favorite hot drinks: Criobru, Dandelion Tea (Dandy Blend - you can find on Amazon!), and Four Sigmatic products.  Essential oils to diffuse for a morning pick me up: Peppermint and a citrus blend like Citrus Fresh Energy essential oil blend: En-R-Gee (terrific for helping to support thyroid and adrenal function) Thyroid supplement for when you know something is wrong: Thyromin Great thryoid supplement that helps support healthy thyroid function: Thyroid support system THE BEST essential oil for Thyriod function & energy: EndoFlex Join Eliza and I on our FREE masterclass: Naturally Balancing Women's Hormones

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Our big aim and goal this year with homeschooling is instilling a love of learning in our kids. That's a tall order but also a fun goal to work towards. In this episode I am going to share our homeschooling picks and curriculum for this year and how we are trying to instill that love of learning. We will discuss fun ideas for this regardless of how you school your kids. Come listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

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Simply Charlotte Mason: To learn more about Charlotte Mason style homeschooling Listen to the previous episode: A Homeschooling Q&A The Good and the Beautiful Homeschool Curriculum - what we are using this year for math, language arts, handwriting, and science for 1st grade and we also got their PreK curriculum for the 4-year-olds. We also got a bunch of their reading books!  Master Books - Another great curriculum we love. They have some amazing science resources especially and for more books to read

Resources for learning more about morning basket time: 

Your Morning Basket Podcast with Pam Barnhill - an entire podcast dedicated to this topic!  How We Homeschool - Morning Time - by Read-Aloud Revival Simple Morning Time Plans - by Read-Aloud Revival 

Where to find living books: 

The Good and the Beautiful Library - they republish out of print books  Master Books - Great source of science books & devotionals  Sonlight Readers - we love buying the package of books for each grade level. We will likely purchase Core B books for the spring when we finish up all core A books.  Read Aloud Revival - Has TONS of book lists, recommendations, and more!

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Self care is a popular term and discussion item right now. But what about self care from a Biblical perspective? Should we invest in ourselves? Do we need to think about self-care? In this episode we are going to talk about three important topics: spiritual health, physical health, and emotional health.  Listen to the Podcast:

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Book Recommendation: Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung Book Recommendation: Refresh by Shona Murray Join me over on Instagram.com/JamiBalmet See more Bible study resources in the links below

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It's that time of year again: back to school! And over on Instagram all week we've been doing homeschooling Q&A's and it's brought up a ton of fun discussions. So we are bringing the Q&A to the podcast. Listen in:  Listen to the Podcast:

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Find out more about Charlotte Mason homeschool here Find out homeschool laws in your state at HSLDA Book Recommendation: For the Children's Sake Book Recommendation: A Charlotte Mason Companion Book Recommendation: Mother Culture

My favorite curriculum choices for a Charlotte Mason style homeschool:

Sonlight - a literature based curriculum. While we ABSOLUTELY LOVE the books that Sonlight provides, the entire curriculum wasn't for us. But we still purchase the book sets each year to use throughout our school year Master Books - If you are looking for an incredibly sound Christian curriculum that is Charlotte Mason based, then Master Books is the one for you! We did their math last year and loved it and we own several of their other books. We love Master Books! The Good and the Beautiful - a newer curriculum that is beautiful, stunning, and so inspiring! We are trying some of their curriculum this year to try it out!

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This has been a BIG topic the past few months in our house: How to create a Gospel Centered Home! In today's episode we are going to chat about 4 important ways to do this: 1) Centering yourself on the Gospel, 2)Centering your home on the Gospel, 3) Using your home as a jumping-off point for the Gospel and 4) Building in intentional rest. Let's jump in!  Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources: 

Check out the 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference. The theme for this year is Creating a Gospel Centered Home Check out Wix.com/Podcast for your website and podcasting needs Check out Vistaprint.com/HOME to get 500 high quality business cards starting at $9.99

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth. For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the Lord your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him, then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you." - Duet 11:19-21

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As we head into the Fall, I'm desperate and ready for some better routines! I really want to tackle better morning routines, but I know that that morning routine needs to first start with a better evening routine FIRST. So today I'm sharing a little encouragement on routines in general (and giving grace during tough seasons) and what I am implementing for new evening routines. Listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Book recommendation: Refresh by Shona Murray My spiritual disciplines binders 

Join us for the 2019 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference!!  The theme for the conference this year is Creating a Gospel Centered Home and it's going to revolve around everything we talk about in today's episode. Get your ticket for the lowest price of the year through August 21st. 

Check out all 23 speakers, sessions, and more at: HomemakingMinistries.com/2019Conference

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In the past episode we talked about what happens when we grumbling and complaining take over our home. We discussed the heart of the issue and why we need to address grumbling in the home. Today, we are going to dive into some practical resources and ideas for creating a grumble free home.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Pre-order the book The Grumble Free Year from Amazon Are you feeling discontent? 3 questions to ask yourself Get your own customized hand painted portrait for 30% off by texting HF to 48-48-48 from Paint Your Life Get 500 high quality, custom business cards starting at just $9.99 from Vistaprint.com/HOME

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We all know how destructive grumbling and complaining can be. We want to cover our ears when our kids are complaining in the back seat of the van that they are hungry. We roll our eyes when our husbands complain again about the air conditioner making that noise. But how often are we stopping to evaluate our own hearts when it comes to grumbling and complaining. In this episode we are going to take a look at what we can do when grumbling and complaining takes over our house!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Pre-order the book The Grumble Free Year from Amazon Are you feeling discontent? 3 questions to ask yourself Preorder the Laugh and Learn Bible from JellyTelly for 50% off with coupon code: HOMEMAKING

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I've been on a long time quest for a healthier kitchen. A couple of years ago I took a giant step in that quest that has become one of the best things I've ever done in my kitchen: I started grinding my own grains. And while that might sound crazy, it's actually super simple and easy (plus cheaper and nutritious). Today I'm going to share a little peek into this!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Preorder my new grain mill course: Freshly Milled Baking! Another great resource: Bread Beckers A terrific cookbook: Cooking with Ancient Grains Want to start your own podcast or website, check out Wix.com/Podcast for 10% off! 

Freshly Milled Course: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Ground Grains Preorder my brand new grain mill course for 50% OFF!! You will get EVERYTHING you need for only $24.99! After August 1st, the price will go up to $49.99. It's going to be amazing and you will get my recipes, the ins and outs, how to find a good grain mill for you, all the different grains, and so much more. Preorder the brand new grain mill course here.

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I've got my favorite guest back on the show today! My husband Jason is cohosting with me to do a little Q&A. We are going to chat about date nights, strengths and weaknesses in marriage, what our thoughts were finding out we were having twins, our upcoming travel plans update, and more! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Follow Jason on Goodreads to keep up with his reading Follow Jami on Goodreads to keep up with her reading Book Recommendation: Parenting by Paul David Tripp Book Recommendation: The Faithful Parent Our favorite board games to play together - episode with Jason Marriage and parenting books we love - episode with Jason Cultivating friendship in marriage  - episode with Jason Preorder the Laugh and Learn Bible for Kids and get it for 50% off - preorder for just $9.99 with coupon code HOMEMAKING

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Are you feeling burnt out? Do you often feel overwhelmed? Do you lack joy on a daily basis? I've experienced all of those. And I've also learned some really good ways to avoid that burn out and overwhelm. Listen in today for tips on creating a culture in your home of rest and nourishment. Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Book Recommendation: Mother Culture: For a Happy Homeschool And interview with Karen Andreola on Mother Culture Podcast Episode: Getting back on track with your Spiritual Disciplines  Get a copy of my Spiritual Disciplines notebooks I use for Bible journaling  Get 25% off your first box of personalized vitamins from Care/Of with coupon code: HOME

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Friendships are so hard for so many of us! And figuring out how to balance friendships and relationships well is a life long struggle! I know this is something I've been wanting to grow in for a long time. Join my friend Angie on this episode as she shares some tips for maintaining health and wholeness in our relationships. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Find Angie at Courageous Mom Listen to Angie's podcast at Courageous Parenting Sponsor: Get 10% off your website by going to Wix.com/Podcast

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Today we are chatting about all our favorite natural summer tips and ideas! I've got my sister Sienna on the show today and between the two of us we have (almost) 8 kids 6 and under and we are always on the look out for new summer favorites. Here are the tips we've been learning:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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The Charcoal soap that Sienna uses after the pool Our current favorite healthy sunscreen (give us your favorite healthy SPRAY sunscreen recipes)!  LavaDerm After Sun Spray  Aloe Vera (add lavender)  Bug spray ideas: Make your own using essential oils. Badger & Aunt Fannies Roxanna's Candles all natural bug repellent candle  My favorite place for healthy snacks: AzureStandard.com Preorder the new Laugh and Learn Bible from JellyTelly for 50% OFF using coupon code: Homemaking

Join our FREE workshop: Using Essential Oils with Kids On July 2nd, Sienna and I will be hosting an awesome and practical workshop on how to use essential oils with kids. Sienna has been through a lot with her 2 (almost 3) kids and she has learned so much in how to help support their systems using oils and other natural products. 

Join our FREE workshop here! (and YES! We will send out a replay of the video if you can't catch it live. And if you are viewing this anytime after the 2nd, go register and you will get immediate access to the workshop!)

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STRESS, lack of sleep, and hormonal imbalances have been very big struggles for me over the past few years. I found myself struggling with health issues that I didn't know how to identify and didn't know how to start researching them. Here I am over two years later and I am so thankful for the progress I've made with my health! In today's episode we are going to cover many of those struggles that come out of what happens when stress takes over your life from a physical and spiritual stand point!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Book Recommendation: The Essential Oils Hormone Solution by Dr. Mariza Snyder Join our FREE workshop here: Naturally Balancing Women's Hormones with Jami & Eliza Get 30% off your custom hand painted portrait by texting the code HF to 48-48-48

Join our FREE Online Workshop! Want to learn more about all of this and what supplements and essential oils you can use to REALLY make an impact on your health? Join our FREE online workshop on Wednesday June 26th at 2pm EST / 11am PST (and don't worry, if you miss the live training you can catch the replay)!! :)

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There is not place like the family...for conflict and fights to rage! It's easy to let home life and family relationships suffer form unresolved conflict and failing to know how to deal with these issues in a Biblical way. In today's episode we are going to share 4 simple commitments to creating a peaceful family. Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Get 500 high quality business cards starting at just $9.99 by visiting Vistaprint.com/HOME Book Recommendation: The PeaceMaker by Ken Sande Book Recommendation: Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sande Book Recommendation: Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul David Tripp Book Recommendation: Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick  Book Recommendation: Unoffendable by Brant Hansen

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I'm on a mission this year to recapture the joy and passion in my motherhood (and family as a whole)! I want to make sure I am not letting these years pass me by by being too busy to stop and chat or read a book with the kids. Toady we are going to chat about what it means to say YES to more things!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Book Recommendation: A Mother's Heart Book Recommendation: Memory Making Mom Visit our sponsor for today's episode for natural ear ache relief: Hylands.com/ear-pain

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I am not naturally very good at keeping up on the home but as I've learned some tricks over the years it has helped so much! In this episode, Marci is going to share some of those practical tips and systems for keeping up on your home without all the stress!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Visit our sponsor for today's episode: To get 10% off go to Wix.com/podcast Download all of Marci’s notes here to find all the links and books she talks about!  You can find Marci over on her blog: Thankful Homemaker And you’ve got to subscribe to her awesome podcast: Thankful Homemaker Podcast

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Marci Ferrell from Thankful Homemaker has been a huge encouragement and mentor in my own personal life. And today, she is on the podcast sharing encouraging with all of us on loving and cherishing our homes (all aspects of it)! Listen in:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Download all of Marci's notes here to find all the links and books she talks about!  You can find Marci over on her blog: Thankful Homemaker And you've got to subscribe to her awesome podcast: Thankful Homemaker Podcast For an amazing Father's Day gift idea check out: StoryWorth.com/homemaking to get $20 off your book!

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We kicked off a reading challenge this week with our kids and it's been rally fun! We built in some goals and incentives and the whole family is on board and excited to our reading goals. Every member of the family has their own reading goals - including Jason and I! Listen in today as I share our goals and some tips for reading more: 

Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Free reading challenge for kids packet 2019 Reading Challenge for Women 2019 Reading Challenge for Men Follow me on Goodreads Join in on the books and reading discussion over on Instagram A Summer Reading Challenge – Hf #81 Get 30% off your custom painting from Paint Your Life by texting "HF" to 48-48-48 Get 25% off your first box of personalized vitamin packets from Care Of by going to TakeCareof.com - and use coupon code home

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I want to be really intentional this summer with my time in the Word. I crazy sweet moments with the Lord and time set aside to do this. So whether you are facing a realizing and calm summer, or more likely, a crazy and hectic one...let's all brainstorm together how we can creatively get in the Word more! Listen in:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Start a new summer reading plan:

60 Day Summer Reading Plan from Intentional By Grace Zondorvan has a summer reading plan for kids Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth from Revive our hearts has a 30 day reading plan

8 Ideas for Book Studies: 

Women of the Word   A Mother's Heart: A Look at Values, Vision, and Character for the Christian Mother Adorned: Living out the beauty of the Gospel together  Refresh: Embracing a grace-paced life in a world of endless demands Chasing Contentment: Trusting God in Discontented Age Growing Your Faith by Jerry Bridges When a Woman Inspires Her Husband by Cindi McMenamin The Text Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in it's Proper Place

Other ideas:

Bible journaling (you can find my spiritual discipline notebooks here) Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney My interview with Donald Whitney on praying the Bible Biblical Discipleship & Mentoring - My interview with Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth Getting back on track with my spiritual disciplines - podcast episode

Our sponsor for today's episode: Get 10% off your website with Wix.com/Podcast

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I have a passion and a dream this summer to make more space to hang out as a family, go on more hikes together, and make sure that we are creating the time and the space to teach our children about the Lord. I want to slow down this summer and make more time for our family. In this episode we are going to chat about some really fun and encouraging family bucket ideas and more!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Related podcast episode: Viewing motherhood as the important task that it is -Hf #216 Natural Summer Essentials - Hf #127 Making Summer Plans & Memories - Hf #126 (from last summer)! A Summer Reading Challenge - Hf #81 Visit: Hylands.com/ear-pain

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It's been on my heart a lot lately to make sure that I have a proper view of motherhood. I know in my head how important motherhood is and the grand end goal of raising up these kids. But it's really easy to forget how important the every day average moments are when I'm drowning in the mundane. Listen in for some encouragement and practical ideas of keeping the larger goal and plan in mind!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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A Mother's Heart: A look at values, vision, and character for the Christian Mother by Jean Fleming Today's Sponsor: Hylands.com/Ear-pain

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I am wrapping up this current homeschool year and starting to plan and collect resources for next year. So now is a great time to do a little recap of our homeschool curriculum we've used the past 2 years and what we will be using going into next year! I'll also share a little bit about the homeschool philosophy we have fallen in love with, how we do a morning basket time, and more!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:  Using Sonlight: 

The Sonlight curriculum we have: Core A (for grades K-2 and ages 5-7) For our family we have fallen in love with their book selection but don't need their Instructor's Guide.  LISTEN: How to get started homeschooling (and the curriculum we are using this year)- Hf #92 LISTEN: Our homeschool plan for Kindergarten/First Grade – Hf#150

Sonlight books we've loved: 

James Harriot's Treasury for children Isaac Newton and the Laws of Motion Adventures in Ancient Greece  Dolphin Adventures Cappy Boppy The Boxcar Children #1 Johnny Appleseed: The Story of a Legand Usborn's Children Encyclopedia

What we use for teaching reading: 

Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons (goes from K-2nd grade)  Dash into Reading books - Amazing beginning reader books. They are so beautiful!! 

What we now use for Math (and LOVE!!) 

Master Books Level 1 (this is technically first grade math but it was perfect for Kindergarten)

Morning basket time: 

Devotional we use: I Am: 40 reasons to Trust God

Other books we've loved reading this year:  

Children's picture atlas - Usborn My first keyboard book - Usborn Rahl Dahl Book Set (we got ours at Costco for a killer price) The Dragon Master Series We are the gardeners by Joanna Gaine The Usborn Outdoor Activity Book

What we are planning for next year (but this might change as I start to order stuff): 

Master Books Math level 1 Continue with 100 easy lessons book Next level in handwriting without tears Adding in a nature notebook Move into another devotional when we end that one

Sponsors for today's episode: 

Get 500 high quality business cards starting at just $9.99: Vistaprint.com/HOME Get 40% off your organic feminine care products by going to mylola.com and use coupon code HOMEMAKING

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I love doing Q&A episodes here on the podcast because it allows me to cover a bunch of smaller/random topics that we don't normally get to cover. So join me today as we chat about our RV life update, my ideal weekly/daily schedules, our church denomination, favorite book recommendations, and more!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Hf #42: What to do when your routines & schedules vary from day to day Getting Fit & Healthy on a Busy Schedule (from someone who HATES exercise) – Hf #204 When Your Day Feels Like it’s on Repeat…and it’s exhausting! – Hf #135 Learning more about grinding your own grains Book Recommendation: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine Book Recommendation: Refresh by Shona Murray Book Recommendation: Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman Book Recommendation: I will Teach You to Be Rich by Remit Sehti Book Recommendation: Introverted Mom by Jamie C. Martin Visit our sponsor from today's episode: Hylands.com/ear-pain

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Rest has been a big battle for me. Finding the time for rest, knowing the best way to rest throughout my week, and not feeling GUILTY about taking adequate rest. In this episode we are going to look at how Biblical rest is a necessary part of your day and week. Listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Book Recommendation: Refresh by Shona Murray Sponsor for today's episode: Wix.com/Podcast to get 10% off your website Sponsor for today's episode: Hellofresh.com/foundation80 and use coupon code FOUNDATION80 for $80 off your first month!

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It's easy to feel overwhelmed and under-appreciated on a regular basis. Do you ever wonder "I wish they would just notice all I do this for this family?" or do you feel think "If only they realized how much I work and all I do?"

You are not alone in these feelings! But what do we do, where do we turn when we have these feelings? That is what we are going to discuss in today's episode:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Sign up for our brand new one day mini conference: Refresh Your Routines 1 Day Conference Book Recommendation: Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman Book Recommendation: Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick Our sponsor today: TakeCareOf.com and use promo code: Home30 to get 30% off your first order!

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Are you struggling to develop new habits and routines (I'm over here raising my hand!)? Listen in to this episode today and Kat will share how just 3 minutes (yes, really just 3 minutes) can change your morning routine and have a big impact!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Book Recommendation: Hello Mornings by Kat Lee Sign up for our brand new one day mini conference: Refresh Your Routines 1 Day Conference Our Sponsor today: Wix.com/podcast Our sponsor today: Storyworth.com/homemaking (an excellent mother's day idea!!)

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One of my favorite books of all time is  Refresh by Shona Murray. It's a reminder to live a grace-paced life in all we do. And today she is on the podcast sharing with us how to do just that!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Book Recommendation:  Refresh by Shona Murray Sign up for our brand new one day mini conference: Refresh Your Routines 1 Day Conference Our Sponsor today: visit Hylands.com/ear-pain

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I talk about reading a LOT. It’s a hobby of mine but it’s also an important tool I use in my Spiritual growth. Because I read a lot and talk about it a lot, I get a ton of questions about reading and the best ways to fit it into a busy homemaker’s schedule. 

I get it. It can be really hard to fit any reading time into your already too busy and too full schedule. But I want to encourage you to try and find a few minutes in your week to invest in a good book. Reading is so life giving and encouraging to me that I sorely miss it when I get out of the habit.  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

You can read the full notes with links to this episode here Follow me over on Goodreads Check out the 2019 Christian Reading Challenge for Women Get natural deodorant scented with essential oils for 50% off your first box! Mymyro.com/home and use promo code HOME

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I got a comment from a friend who was feeling overwhelmed and like her work in the home is just plain pointless sometimes. And my heart went out to her! 

Last week I addressed the first part of her question: When Your Work Just Doesn’t Feel Worthwhile. In that episode I addressed the heart aspect of it. And today, I want to address the practical parts of her question. Where can you turn to for help when life seems overwhelming?  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Read the full notes from this episode here For natural ear ache relief for your little ones check out Hylands.com/ear-pain Sign up for my FREE class Finding Joy in Your Home

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Last week I shared an episode giving some tips for dealing with busy hectic seasons and it's been a really popular one! I just posted it last week and I've already heard from several people who have listened to the episode multiple times.

And I think I know the reason - we are all busy! We are all feeling stressed and overwhelmed a bit and it's so encouraging to be reminded of where we can turn when the days get busy and hard. But here's another aspect of this conversation: what do you do when your work you do every single day, doesn't feel worthwhile? 

In today's episode we are going to dive into that discussion on what our ultimate purpose is and where we can turn when that discouragement sinks in. Listen in:  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

You can read the full episode notes and quotes here Listen to last week's episode on tips for handling those busy hectic seasons Sponsor for today: Vistaprint.com/HOME to get 500 business cards starting at $9.99 Sponsor for today: Wix.com/podcast for 10% off your website

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One of my big reading goals this year is reading more classics. The next series I've reading is Little House on the Prairie and I've fallen in love with this series! It's been teaching me a lot of life lessons and cementing the importance of other lessons. Listen in to today's episode where I share the lessons I've been learning while diving into this amazing series!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Listen to the wonderful audio version of the series for FREE with a 2 month free trial of Scribd. You can sign up with our referral link here: https://www.scribd.com/g/7kyooz Buy Little House on the Prairie complete book set on Amazon Hot tip: The Little House tv series is FREE on Amazon prime video now!!!  Little House coloring book (I NEED!!) The Little House Cookbook (I also need!!) A Little House Picture Book Treasury: 6 stories from the picture book series - soooo cute!  Amazing cookbook: The BackYard Homestead Kitchen How To Paint Your Life: Amazing hand painted keepsakes. Get 30% off by texting "HF" to 48-48-48

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For the past month we've been renovating our house getting it ready to sell and we got really really sick. It hasn't been the worst month but we have been in a busy season the last 3-4 weeks. Because of this, I've been getting a ton of questions about how we function in busy seasons. 

So whether you are in a season of sickness, renovating and selling your house, dealing with your husband on deployment, have a newborn, are dealing with grief or a myriad of other things that keep us busy...this episode will be sharing about how to handle those busy seasons and a few things we've learned along the way!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Book Recommendation: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine The sponsor for today's episode: Get 50% off your first box of Care/Of vitamins. Go to TakeCareOf.com promo code: home50

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It's health week here on the podcast! In the previous episode we focused on healthy eating, and today we are talking about establishing other healthy habits. This is a fun topic to talk about (and SO motivating)!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Healthy living podcast episode #1 The workout videos I'm doing right now: Fit2B Build your own podcast or website: Wix.com/podcast

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This week on the podcast we are talking about all things healhy! In the next episode we will be chatting about getting moving and exercise. Today on the show we are chatting about cooking healthy food and how to make it yummy!  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Using Freshly Ground Grains in Every Day Life - Hf #166 How to Use a Grain Mill Q&A - Hf #124 Bread Making & Healthy Living with Stacy Meyers - Hf #117 Book Recommendation: The Life Giving Table by Sally Clarkson Paint Your Life: to get 30% off your painting text HF to 48-48-48

Natural sweeteners that I use: 

Raw honey  - I get mine in a 6lb glass jar here Maple Syrup - My favorite is from Azure Standard Granulated honey - Bread Beckers has it in 5lb pails and 50lb bags. You can also find it on HoneyVille (compare shipping between the two depending on where you live).  Sucanant - 

I get mine from Azure Standard - 2lb bag or 50lb bag for greater savings You can also get it from Bread Beckers (but they ship based on weight so it's too expensive to shop to CA) - 5lb pail or 50lb bag

Stevia - I also use stevia to sweeten my coffee in the morning

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One of my big reading goals for this year (that I kind of forgot about) is reading more classic books. I recently got back on the band wagon and I've read 3 classic books and I'm loving it! Join me in this episode today as I share what I've been learning about reading classic books, how it's helped my faith, and what I'm reading next.  Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today’s episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Try Scribd FREE for 2 months with our referral link (it's how we've been listening to so much this year!)  Little Women  Little House on the Prairie series (I started listening to these on Scribd) The Wizard of Oz (narrated by Anne Hathaway and soooo good!) The Daring Mission of William Tyndale The Expository Genius of John Calvin The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen - Sinclair Furgeson

Coming up to read next: 

The rest of the little house series a biography of Laura Ingles Widler (let me know if you know of a good one!) The next in a Long Line of Godly Men series - not sure which one yet The Apostles' Creed: Discovering Authentic Christianity in an Age of Counterfeits by Albert Mohler  TTM #63: Reading more classics this year (the why and what) My 2019 Christian reading challenge for women Using Scribd to get cheap books this year - my review of Scribd Listen to episode #199 to hear our secret(s) behind how we are reading so much this year

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Do you ever have seasons where it just feels harder to connect with God? Have you (or are you) walking through a difficult or particularly busy season and you just don’t know how to fit it in or where to find the time? Jump into this episode today to discuss different ways we can connect with God even when life is busy, hard or all over the place. Listen to the Podcast:

Thanks for listening in today! You can find all the links & resources mentioned in today's episode down below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin One Year Chronological Bible Our Simple Bible Study Method with Big Impact Look up sermons: GTY.org

Bible Verses Mentioned: 

Matthew 22:37 James 1:25 Matthew 4:4 1 Peter 2:2 John 8:31-32 Colossians 3:16 Hebrews 4:12 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Don't forget to check out the sponsor for today's episode: Wix.com/podcast to get 10% off your podcast website.

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One of the best things we can do when raising our kids is teach them essential life skills. One of those is cooking and getting comfortable in the kitchen. In this practical and hands on episode, Laura Coppinger shares her secrets for getting kids to help in the kitchen. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Get your free "Teaching Your Kids to Cook" resources HERE! Check out wix.com/podcast to build your own podcast website Check out care.com/jami for finding help at home from nannies to house cleaners!  Find out more about Laura at Heavenly Homemakers Purchase the full 2018 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference

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I've read 25 books so far this year out of my goal of 104 books. Today I'm sharing my top 9 books I've read so far this year:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Top 10 Books Read in 2019 So Far: 

Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt (I also read Honey for a Women's Heart. I liked it but I liked Book Girl better!)  The Joy of Fearing the Lord by Jerry Bridges Chasing Contentment by Erik Raymond Cooking with Ancient Grains by Laura Blake McBride The Beginners Guide To Fill-Time RV Living With Kids by Hilary Fuller The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker Who Am I? Identity in Christ by Jerry Bridges Taming The Dragon Within: How to Balance Women's Hormones With Essential Oils by LeAnne Deardruff  Killer Clothes: How Seemingly Innocent Clothing Choices Endanger Your Health... and How to Protect Yourself! by Anna Maria Clement 

Links & Resources: 

HelloFresh.com/Foundation80 and use coupon code foundation80 2019 reading challenges Get two months of Scribd for free (an intro on how we use Scribd to get cheap books!) Jason's FREE podcast where he reads through classic Christian literature: Hurry up and Read Podcast Follow me on Goodreads

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Contentment has become a major theme in my life. It's something that I keep coming back to again and again - especially in the past 2 years. Today I'm sharing about contentment, discontentment, trusting in God, and 3 questions to ask yourself to determine the areas you are discontent in! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Throughout all of this, I know God is teaching me one huge important lesson: How to be content in all things.  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Trusting God One of those big lessons in all of this is learning what it truly means to Trust God more!  "What does providence mean? In short, it refers to God's work in which he upholds, governs, and sustains all things by his infinite power. The definition from the Heidelberg Catechism bears repeating:

'God's providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them so that: leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.'

The main thing to remember about God's providence is that he is not disconnected from or disinterested in hat is happening in the world today. There is no such thing as chance, luck, or fate. Rather, God is upholding, governing, and ordering all things with his very hand. Nothing escapes God's sovereign control." - Chasing Contentment, pages 113-114 Are you discontent?  The thing about discontentment, is that it sneaks up on us. So many issues in our life our caused by our discontentment: stress and anxiety being among some of the biggest. In his book, Chasing Contentment Erik Raymond goes through 3 questions in chapter 7 to determine if you are being discontent in different areas of your life and I think it's a really helpful exercise to go through! Ask yourself: 

1) Am I grumbling about the present?

"If we are grumbling about something we're going through right now, we are arguing with God. We are saying that we shouldn't have to endure this. Our present experiences are like a magnet drawing out either our discontentment or our contentment. If you are grumbling, we can be sure we are not content. We are essentially saying that God is getting it wrong. Such discontentment questions God's wisdom, goodness, and power."

2) Am I bitter about the past?

"Everyone has faced hard days. Some people's pasts are harder than others, but all hvae felt the string of sin and pain in our fallen world. Many people live under the cloud of their past hardships and become increasingly bitter. Over time they revisit and analyze the situations from the perspective of a victim, only to feed their bitterness. We cannot be content in the present when we are nursing bitterness about the past. We are basically saying that God has failed us. This discontentment too questions God's wisdom, goodness, and power."

3) Am I worrying about the future?

"What is going to happen tomorrow? How do I know it's really going to be okay? Where will I work? Whom will I marry? We can ask hundreds of questions about the future, but the bottom line is that we don't know. And we can't know. Sadly, many people sit in bondage to worry about the future and lose the joy of contentment in the present. Jesus saw this as the trait of the unbeliever (Matt. 6:25-34) rather than the believer, who knows and trusts God. If we are worrying, we are as much as saying that God won't get it right. This is yet another form of discontentment tha...

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A good evening routine is KEY to a good day and routine for me! But it took me along time to figure this out. I focused so long on an effective morning routine but I finally discovered that the key to a good morning, is an awesome and functional evening routine!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Sign up for Beth Anne's FREE Webinar here!  TTM #31: Establishing Better Evening Routines HF #196: 6 Secrets for Staying Organized with Laura Smith Hf #193: How I free up 1-2 hours a week for the things I love HF #101: When you have too much to do and too little time Visit our sponsor for today's episode: Wix.com/podcasting

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The podcast is ALL about productivity and organization this week and we are kicking off the discussion with one of my favorite planning gals, Laura Smith from i Heart Planners. She's share her 6 secrets for staying organized!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources: 

Find the full 2017 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference here Follow Laura over at i Heart Planners Download Laura's note sheets from this episode Check out our sponsor: VistaPrint.com Check out our sponsor: Wix.com

Sign up for the FREE workshop!!  Join me later this week for an awesome free workshop taught by one of my favorite bloggers and authors, Beth Anne from Brilliant Business Moms. She is teaching a free class called Craft Your Perfect Evening Routine and it's going to be SO good! In fact, in the next episode, I am going to share all the lessons I've been learning this week from Beth Anne - so make sure to sign up to so you can follow along too.  Sign up for the free workshop here!

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When life is hard - you add another baby, you lose someone close to you, financial or job loss hits, and the list goes on - it can be hard if you don't know where to turn. In today's episode I'm sharing a bit about some of my struggles over the past 6 years and how God has used those things so powerfully to remind me where I need to turn in the hard (and the good) times!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources mentioned today: 

Memorize: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Memorize: James 1:2-4 Memorize: Colossians 3:14-17  Memorize: Nehemiah 8:10 Book recommendation: Growing in Gratitude by Mary Mohler Book recommendation:  Treasuring Christ When Your Hands are Full by Gloria Furman Book recommendation: Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth Visit our sponsor: HelloFresh.com/Foundation80 and use coupon code foundation80 Visit our sponsor: Zola.com/home to start your free wedding website

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The idea that I need to return to again and again in my life and daily routine: is treasuring the Gospel in my home. So in today's episode, we will be discussing what it means to make the Gospel known in your home and some practical ideas for making it a true priority throughout your day.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What is the “goal” of the Christian life? "For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better." - Philippians 1:19-23

Desiring God, "Our Grand Obligation": http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/our-grand-obligation  Hf #74: The Goal of Our Christian Life: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/goal-christian-life-practical-theology-homemakers-part-2/ 

How do we treasure the Gospel? 

Book recommendation: What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert And free resources: The Centrality of the Gospel by Tim Keller: http://www.newcityindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/centrality-of-gospel.-keller.pdf 

Practical Ideas & Suggestions

A Catachism for boys and girls: http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/acbg.htm  The New City Catechism: http://newcitycatechism.com/ 

Seeds Family Worship 

Where to get: Seed’s Family Worship | on Amazon | Listen free on Spotify

Jellytelly – Christian tv for kids

JellyTelly is a sort of Christian netflix for kids. It has over 100 different tv shows for kids that are all Bible based. We have been very impressed with it! To get a subscription, it is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a month. You can try out a FREE week here with coupon code: HMF. 

They do have some great family devotional guides on their blog that are FREE. You can browse through them here.

Reading Gospel-Centered Books

Obviously, I have of book recommendations for the adults! But Jason and I also compiled our favorite Gospel-Centered books for kids: https://findingjoyinyourhome.com/our-favorite-gospel-centered-books-for-kids-ages-3-10/ 

Book Suggestions:

Peacemaking for Families by Ken Sande No Little Women by Aimee Byrd What is the Gospel? By Greg Gilbert Family Shepherds by Voddie Baucham Word-Filled Families

To purchase access to all of the other amazing sessions during the 2017 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference you can do so here! 

Check out the sponsor for today's episode: Mylola.com and use coupon code HOMEMAKING at checkout to get 40% off all subscriptions.

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With 5 young kids, a house to take care of, and a growing business people often ask me how I find the time to bake or read a book. And while I don't have a lot of extra time for any of these things, I do manage to find a little bit of time in my daily routine for some "extras". So today we are going to discuss some of my favorite ways to free up 1-2 hours a week for the things you love.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Get your free eBook by February 11th: Make More Margin If it's past the 11th then you can just the same link above starting the 14th to get access to an amazing FREE webinar in crafting the perfect evening routine Get 50% off your first month of personalized vitamins and supplements: Care/Of - Use coupon code home50 My reading challenge for 2019 Finding the Time for Hobbies - Hf #142

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Wanting to work on goal setting this year or getting your year off to a good start? We have 3 fabulous books for you today that take you through a great system for planning...and doing it all according to God's priorities for our days! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources: 

Refresh by Shona Murray and Reset by David Murray Living Forward by Michael Hyatt Do More Better by Tim Challies

Honorable Mentions: 

Hello Mornings by Kat Lee The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod The Tech Wise Family by Andy Crouch Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney

Sponsor for today: Vistaprint.com and use promo code HOME

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I've been having a lot of fun this year planning out my goals for our family, business, and even my crazy reading goals! But throughout this process, it leads me to one discussion again and again. And that discussion is - what is my ONE THING and my own main focus this year? listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources: 

Read the full blog post for last year's audio To save 30% off a Care.com Premium membership— visit Care.com/jami when you subscribe.

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We are back today with our second book discussion. This time Jason and I are chatting about Charles Spurgeon's book All of Grace. If you haven't read the book yet, no problem! Jump into this episode anyway because we give a reading challenge update, chat about some of our favorite classic Christian books and more.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Check out Jason's podcast Hurry up and Read You can also find his podcast on iTunes (or wherever else you listen to podcasts) Our first book discussion on The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment Follow Jami on Goodreads Follow Jason on Goodreads Our 2019 Reading Challenge for Women Our 2019 Reading Challenge for Men Book recommendation: Spurgeon's Sorrows (on depression)  Book recommendation: Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon Book recommendation: Steal Away Home Book recommendation: The Gospel Focus of Charles Spuregon Check out our sponsor today: Zola.com/home to sign up for a free wedding website and $50 off your registry!!

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I really love the start of a new year! It's a fresh slate to make goals, plan for a terrific year, and plan in the most important things in life. Listen in to the 9 goals I'll be working on in 2019.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Creative ideas for preserving family memories My Spiritual Disciplines notebooks I use My planning system I use: The Joy-Filled Home Planning System Build a Menu - our new online meal planning website My reading goal (and challenge) for this year My Proverbs 31 Cross Stitch I'll be working on this year

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It was my birthday last week and I've seen a few of these fun lists going around lately so I figured it was the perfect time to take a pause in the podcast and share a fun little chatting episode. Here are 29 very interested (AKA random things I think about) things about me on my 29th birthday!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources: 

Get your own personalized vitamin packets from TakeCareOf.com and get 25% OFF with coupon code: HOME

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During 2018, our family had a huge emphasis on healthy eating (in fact, I think it's one of the areas that I actually did really well in - and a large part of that was out of pure necessity)! You can read about my health struggles from 2017-2018 here. I always thought of myself as a healthy cook but we've taken a lot of steps in 2018 to cut out processed food and take care of my entire family better. 

So today we are going to chat about what some of those changes have been and we want to invite you to join us for a healthy eating 30 day challenge!! 

Listen to the Podcast: We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both  And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 

Links & Resources: 

My struggle with Chronic Fatigue Find me on Instagram - I'll be sharing our Whole30 journey Find me on YouTube - Where I'll be sharing lots of Whole30 cooking and update videos!  Find the Whole30 menu plan we are doing this month (it includes all breakfasts, lunches, dinners, grocery shopping lists, and prep ahead instructions!!)

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This is my fifth year picking a word for my year and I am just as excited as that first time to pick a word and a general direction for my year. In today's episode I am going to share my word for the year, what goals and ideas this will entail, and then I'll cover a little bit about how you can pick your own word for 2019! 

Here are my past words: 

2012: Intentional 2016: Joy 2017: Create 2018: Refresh

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What has gone into choosing this word:   The past two years have brought with them a lot of exciting things and several really hard things! In the beginning of 2017, we welcomed baby #5. Magnolia was born when our oldest set of twins (yes we have TWO sets of twin boys) had only turned 4 years old 3 weeks before. 

So we were very excited to meet our first little girl and she has since proved to be the very perfect addition to our male heavy family. But having 5 kids in 4 years really takes a tole on one's body (um...DUH)! So as I weaned Magnolia throughout 2017 and she was sleeping through the night but I was still so exhausted I could barely get out of bed many days...I finally admitted that this was way more than normal baby exhaustion (even for having 5 kids 4 and under)! You can listen about my journey this year with chronic fatigue. 

It took me until a good way into 2018 to finally start to figure out my issues and make progress. It boils down to this: I probably have an auto-immune disease that has been triggered by all these babies and tiring 4 years mixed with a hyperactive thyroid, very imbalanced hormones (testosterone and progesterone) and adrenal fatigue. 

All of this means NO ENERGY for Mama!! Seriously, I couldn't believe it by my exhaustion had hit new levels of low, even for a mama who birthed two sets of twins. So after alllll the blood tests and results, we start working on supplements and hormones that have finally been helping. It's a slow road to recovery with these types of issues and I still have to be hyper aware of taking care of myself, but I am happy to report that I am finally doing so much better! 

It's been about 9 months now of all my new stuff and for the last 3 months or so I've really been feeling back to my normal self. The first 6 months saw a dramatic 80% increase in my energy and health, but more recently it's been incredible once again. 

So my focus for 2018 has been Refresh. I wanted to hit a reset button on our life from a hard 2017 and work on refreshing my health, our family life, and my spiritual disciplines! 

Now that I've been feeling better and I am looking forward to a new year with new goals, one word clearly came to mind for me: Discipline. 

But discipline didn't quite have the right connotation for me. It felt too negative for some reason (even though I know it's not and it's a great word)! But there are still so many variables in my day that I can't control (hello: I have 5 very young kids)! So after a lot of thought and prayer, I landed on my 2019 Word of the Year and I'm very excited.... Faithfulness. Faithfulness is giving me that same idea that I wanted with discipline, but with a very firm reminder that God is in control of it all!! I can strive and strive and strive...and nothing will come of all my striving. Or I can rest in the Lord, show up and be faithful to what we has called me to that day...and God can make everything happen (all for His Glory)! 

So as I work diligently this year, as I discipline myself to get back into better routines in my spiritual disciplines, homeschooling, homemaking, and my work....I am doing it all in faithfulness knowing that everything I do is NOT in my own strength but rather...

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I'm so excited to have Jason taking over my blog today. I shared my own 2019 Christian Reading Challenge for Women earlier this week. If you're a man, feel free to follow along with this challenge by yourself OR wrangle your wife into the women's companion challenge to do it with you.

If you are a woman reading this, send over the link to your husband and you can then go through this challenge together! It's a great way to have a built in accountability partner. Many of the books are the same but Jason changed the feminine and homemaking categories to male equivalents. - Jami I have a lot of hobbies. I enjoying playing video games. Board games are my love language. I'm a Netflix junkie. I sometimes dabble with MTG deck-building.

But one hobby stands head and shoulders over all the rest, for me. I LOVE to read. You probably already know that about me if you've been hanging around this blog or podcast for any amount of time. But it's worth stating again. Books are my favorite thing. Listen to the Podcast:

Jami and I hopped on a podcast episode to share all about the challenge, my tricks for finding the time to read in a busy schedule, a little bit about the books I picked and more! Listen below or keep scrolling down to read all about the challenge. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Two years ago,  Jami and I came up with a year-long reading challenge. Most times, the biggest obstacle to reading as much as I'd like is lack of time. I'm a father, husband, small-business owner, and dabbler in many hobbies as previously established. Needless to say, I don't have a lot of free time. Well, I am happy to report that implementing the reading challenge has SIGNIFICANTLY helped me to increase the number of books I've read in the last 2 years. Something about setting a goal, and having a list of books I want to read, has been very effective for me. So this year, we're doing it again! Welcome to the 2019 Men's Reading Challenge.

Yesterday, Jami posted her reading list, which is geared primarily toward women. So she asked me to put together a companion list to hers that would be more male-oriented. Many of the categories and book recommendations are the same, as there are LOTS of books out there that are great reading for both men and women. But I've tweaked the list to add some books on things like fatherhood, being a husband, etc. 

Also, like Jami's list, I have not included any fiction suggestions in the list. I personally love to read fiction, and would encourage others to as well, but, at least for me, picking up a novel is much easier than digging into a history text or book on theology, and so I tailored the list to non-fiction only. I highly recommend reading some fiction as well, though. Go ahead and add a few novels you've been wanting to read, or, if the 13 or 26 books on the list is already the maximum you want to commit to this year, swap out a few of the categories for fiction, keeping the total count the same. Bottom line, this list and challenge is for you, so don't hesitate to customize it to your liking. As long as it gets you reading, I've done my job.

Also, if you're not already familiar, I highly recommend using Goodreads on your reading adventure. It's a great way to track what you're reading, what you want to read, and what you've already read. You can get book recommendations, and even see reviews on books you're not sure about. Plus, you can follow me on there if you'd like to see what I'm reading. You can also see my fiction selections on there, if you want some inspiration in that department.

On more note before we get to the challenge. Back in November, I started a new podcast called Hurry Up and Read, on which I read and discuss classic works of Christian literature. It's been an absolute blast so far! We just finished up our first book on the podcast,

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If you are looking for the MEN'S companion reading challenge for 2019, you can find it here! Happy reading!!  Welcome to the 2019 reading challenge! This is our 3rd year in a row running our reading challenge and it's been a blast. Jason and I have always been big readers, but having 5 kids in 4 years and running our own business started to squeeze the love (or the time) out of our reading life. 

So in 2017 we decided to run a little challenge for ourselves (and invited you to join in) and the result has been two fabulous years of reading! We have both read more in the past 2 years then we could have thought possible with this busy season of life we are in. 

So we are back in 2019 with our 3rd reading challenge...and it's our best one yet! Below you will find out 2019 reading challenge, lots and lots of amazing book recommendations, as well as a podcast episode all about the reading challenge this year that you can listen in to!

Listen to the Podcast:

Listen in to my podcast episode from this week to find out more about why I developed this reading plan, tips for following along, and the reasoning behind the books and categories I chose. Or skip the podcast and head down below for all the info ?

And don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. While this is our 3rd reading challenge, all of the books in the actual challenge below are all new! That means if you've been following along these past 2 years, you won't have any repeats!! However, we do have categories down below if you want to pick other books to read – or feel free to swap out and put your own books in the categories. 

I’m ALL for broadening my reading horizon, which is why I was so excited about this new reading challenge. I think we often reach for the same kinds of books over and over again. But I want to stretch you and challenge you to reach out and pick up books you wouldn’t normally. 

Plus, doing a challenge like this will make you read more throughout the year. So wanna join us?!? Grab the Toolkit:  The very best and easiest way to follow along is to grab my toolkit right here! The toolkit includes the full reading challenge for 2019 (for both men and women) as well as tips for finding more time to read (even when you are super busy) and how to find more books for free or cheap. 

2019 Christian Reading Challenge for Women Here’s how it works: 

I have given you category suggestions for each book as well as my book recommendation. I personally recommend all of these books and tried to think about the very best books I recommend all women read. If you’ve already read that book or simply want a different suggestion, scroll down and you will find more book recommendations for each category (OR feel free to choose any of your own books). 

Then download and/or print off the reading list to follow along. 

A note about fiction: This list does not include any fiction. I LOVE reading fiction and read many fiction books throughout the year. However, since this is for entertainment and relaxation for me, I don’t need to add these in as reading goals. When we are on vacation, or I have more down time (like during Christmas), I read a lot more fiction. But I’m already prone to being lazy and reaching for a fiction book more than a book to help my spiritual growth or draw closer to the Lord, so I don’t need any extra reading goals to re-inforce that habit ? But I know several of you requested fiction options worked in, so feel free to replace some of the categories below with fiction if you would prefer. 

Pick Your Level:

I know each of us has different reading levels and time for reading, so I created two different tracks you can follow. 

13 Books a Year – This works out to 1 book every 4 weeks. If you have no habit of reading right now or have no idea you will fit reading time into your busy schedule,

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Today we are wrapping up our November and December read aloud: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Listen along to if you finished the book or you just want to listen to us chat about the lesson's we've been learning about contentment in our lives. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Listen to the book and the podcast here: Hurry Up and Read Or subscribe to the podcast here in iTunes Follow Jami on Goodreads Follow Jason on Goodreads Our 2018 Reading Challenge for Women Our 2018 Reading Challenge for Men 2019 editions coming NEXT WEEK!!! 

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it. 

Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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Over the course of our marriage, we've noticed one very important thing about staying best friends: we love to laugh and play together! The busyness of life can choke out those good intentions though, so today we are chatting about our favorite games together and hopefully giving you a little dose of encouragement to laugh and play with your spouse this week!  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Our Favorite Games to Play Together: Card Games: 

Nertz Hand in foot Spoons Spades and Hearts

Easy board games to start with:

Lost Citities Rivals of Catan Ticket to Ride Pandemic Survive Splendor

More complicated board games to play: 

Agricola  Lords of Waterdeep Alchemists

Video Games: 

Stardew Valley  Fable 3 - Xbox 360 Donkey Kong, Rayman Legands, and Mario games

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it.  Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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Out of the 80 some books I've read so far this year, 10 stand out as clear favorites. Tune in today to hear my top 10 favorite books of 2018. And then go back and listen to my top 10 favorite books of 2017.  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My Top 10 Books of 2018:

Prayers for the Battlefield by Heidi St. John  Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson War of Words by Paul David Tripp The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie Devoted by Tim Challies The Hormone Cure by Dr. Sarah Gottfried Adorned by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon by Steven J. Lawson  Caring for One Another by Edward T. Welch  Suffering by Paul David Tripp

Don't forget to check out the sponsor for today's episode: Vistaprint. Get 50% off your custom photo cards and calendars with promo code HOMEHOLIDAY. Valid through January 31, 2019.

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As a busy mom, it can feel so hard to know how to keep up on pictures and preserving family memories! What's a busy woman to do today and what are some cool new ideas for doing this? I'm glad you asked, listen in today:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Project Life Digital Scrapbooks to check out: Mixbook, Vistaprint, SmileBox, and Shutterfly.  Chatbooks

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Anger within the home can be a really hard problem to address and deal with. With a large family of 10, and as an adoptive mom of 7, Tricia knows a thing or two about battling anger in the home. In this episode, Tricia and I will discuss anger in the home and family and how to go about dealing with it.  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Visit Tricia Goyer's website Tricia's Book Calming Angry Kids Tricia's Podcast: Walk it Out Podcast Kathie Lee Gifford's new book The Gift That I Can Give

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This is a departure from my normal topics, but since we have two sets of twins, it's something I get asked about all the time. So today I'm sharing all of my favorite tips for life with twins, multiples, or just surviving early motherhood! Listen in for our story about our twins and some of my favorite tips:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Expecting twins, triplets, or more Twins 101 Mothering Multiples: Breastfeeding and Caring for Twins, or more!  You can get the fancy twin pack n' plays but we just used the regular pack n play since the babies wanted to snuggle anyway!  Grace double stroller that fits two infant graco car seats or the slightly fancier option that also uses two infant car seats Table For Two My Breast Friend - Twin breastfeeding pillow

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It's the season to be thankful...but what do we do when troubled times have hit and it's not so easy to focus on being thankful, grateful, or joyful? In today's episode we are focusing on how we can choose thankfulness even in the tough times...all throughout the year! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Read this entire episode here Book recommendation: Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh Demoss Try out Care/Of (my FAVORITE vitamin company) and use coupon code HOME for 25% off your first month!

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Are you struggling to stay motivated in your home and priorities? Do you struggle with the energy or even the desire to want to get into better habits and routines? I get it. I've been there and today we are going to talk about what happens when that laziness strikes...and also when maybe it's more than simply laziness!  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Refresh Your Routines - FREE eKit Foundations of Spiritual Growth for the Busy Homemaker Planning for a Year of Success Avoiding Burn Out and Letting Go of Guilt

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it.  Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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We get asked a lot about our favorite marriage and parenting books. So we complied a list of our favorite books broken up by category: marriage, family life, and parenting. Listen in to hear Jason and Jami discuss their favorites:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Our Top Book Recommendations:  These lists are in no way exhaustive, but here are some we really enjoy! You can also check out our annual reading challenges here.  Our Favorite Marriage Books: 

The Excellent Wife and The Exemplary Husband Sweethearts for a Lifetime What Did You Expect? Tying the Knot Tighter Strengthening Your Marriage When Sinners Say "I Do" For engaged: Preparing for Marriage God's Way by Wayne Mack

Our Favorite Family Life Books:  

Christian Living in the Home The Read Aloud Family Family Worship by Donald Whitney  Peacemaking for Families (and the original book The Peacemaker) War of Words Unoffendable

Our Favorite Parenting Books: 

The Life Giving Parent  Shepherding a Child's Heart Parenting by Paul David Tripp  The Faithful Parent For women: Treasuring Christ when Your Hands are Full and Glimpses of Grace For men: Family Shepherds and The Conviction to Lead

Additional Links: 

Get Kathie Lee Giffords new book for 30% off with coupon code HOME Get 50% OFF your Christmas cards and photo calendar with coupon code HOMEHOLIDAY from Vistaprint Hurry Up and Read: Jason's brand new podcast reading through classic Christian books

Check out Jason's brand new podcast!!  If you are wanting to read more, find ways to read with your husband more, and/or read more Christian classic works...all without spending ANY money then we have an amazing new podcast to introduce you to! 

Jason just launched his first solo podcast called Hurry Up and Read. It's a 5 day a week podcast (M-F) is runs about 15 minutes each day. In the podcast, Jason reads through classic Christian books starting with The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs.

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As we venture into homeschool life in our family, one thing has become clear: the organizing of it all can be a hassle...and I am only homeschooling two of my kids so far! Today I'm chatting with Lisa Woodruff all about how to organize our homeschool from future curriculum options, to weekly work, and more. Tune in to hear her strategy for getting it all organized in one convenient location. Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Find out more about Lisa at Organize 365 Subscribe to her awesome podcast Organize 365 Check out her Homeschool Friday Workbook here Try Hello Fresh here with code: foundation60 to get $60 OFF your first 3 boxes!!

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When I got married, I had zero cooking skills. I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen and felt like I had a lot of catch up to do. So today we are going to chat about my favorite cookbooks, tips, and other resources for cooking on a budget!  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My favorite cookbooks for a budget:

100 Days of Real Food - and especially 100 Days of Real Good on a Budget. See also her website. Dinner Made Easy with Six Sisters' Stuff: Time-Saving Recipes for Busy Moms. See also their website. Six Sisters' Stuff 30 Minute Recipes: 100 Quick and Easy Dishes Six Sisters' Stuff Simple One-Pan Dishes: 100 Quick and Easy Recipes Good Cheap Eats - also a great website!  Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freezer Cookbook Honorable mentions: Pioneer Woman and Magnolia Table

Other Links: 

Doing a $70 Grocery Budget Challenge with Crystal Paine Our Grocery Budget Challenge for the Summer How Jessi Paid of $55k in debt in 2 years

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The holidays are almost here and it's time to start thinking about your holiday traditions and what you want to accomplish over the next 2 months. Listen in today as I share what we are hoping to accomplish (and focus on) this holiday season.  Listen to the Podcast:

You can find all of the links and resources mentioned today down below. And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Our goals for this Holiday season: 

Set intentional media breaks Make a heavier focus on the Gospel Put a heavier emphasis giving gifts A scripture centered advent calendar 

Links & Resources:

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch Hidden Christmas by Timothy Keller

Christ-Centered Christmas Kit!  If you are looking for another resource that will give you the tools to focus more on Christ this year, I want to share with you my Christ-Centered Christmas Kit! 

The kit includes 6 audio lessons, Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas eBook, and a TON of printables to help you this Christmas season! And you can get the Christmas kit for 25% OFF making it just $14.95 (it’s normally $19.95). 

Just use coupon code: CHRISTMASBUNDLE18 at checkout for 25% off!  Purchase the Christmas Kit Here The Christmas kit even includes these beautiful printable Scripture readings that go along with each day of December. It’s already December you say? Who cares! Jump in now and you will also have these next year to use!! Plus a ton of other great goodies inside the kit!

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We have got some exciting news around here for all you readers (or those who want to read more)! Jason and I have a brand new podcast launch on Monday November 5th - listen in today for all the amazing details!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Our brand new Podcast  Jason and I are both very excited to introduce you to the Hurry Up and Read Podcast! This brand new podcast will be hosted by my husband, Jason Balmet. It will be a brand new 5 day a week podcast that lasts 15-20 minutes. In it, Jason will be reading through classic Christian books. 

His first book that will kick off on Monday November 5th will be The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs.  Hop on over and subscribe to our brand new Podcast in iTunes!

Or find the feed in the blog here. 

Links & Resources: 

Hurry Up and Read Podcast - Subscribe in iTunes!  Follow Jami on Goodreads Follow Jason on Goodreads Jason recommends: Console Wars Jason recommends: Reading the Bible Supernaturally Jason recommends: Irena's Children Jami recommends: Spurgeon's Sorrows Get a two week free trial of PrepDish

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it.  Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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God's design for the family is a good and wonderful gift...and vary widely! From the single mom, to the family adopting, to the single gal, to the couple trying to conceive, and so many more situations. 

In today's episode we are going to open up the discussion on how do we respond when "family" doesn't really look the way we think it should and how we can start to keep an eye out for those suffering or falling under the radar - and how we can learn to come along side them.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.   

Links from today: 

Walking Through Infertility by Matthew Arbo Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick Caring for One Another by Edward T. Welch Side by Side by Edward T. Welch Hf #45: Idols of the Heart and Keeping Our Eyes on Jesus HF #46: Making an Idol Out of Your Home (and Homemaking) Get 25% OFF your first month of Care Of customized vitamins with coupon code: HOME

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I've got my favorite guest back on the show today (and my partner in crime) Jason! Today we are chatting about how to cultivate friendship within marriage and what has worked well for us to actually have FUN together. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What we are chatting about: 

Making Time to TALK (and ideas for getting conversation to start flowing)  Making Time for DATES (and it doesn't always have to look like what you think) It takes INVESTMENT And our #1 tip: Go to bed at the same time!

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For October, I've slowly been working on making better habits in my day. After a busy Summer and busy September, I'm desperate for some better routines in my day. And today I'm sharing what those things are that I'll be working on.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. To get even more out of this discussion of planning:  You can sign up for my FREE eCourse where you can rewatch the full video if you want and access the PDF guide as well as a fun art print. Sign up for free here.

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It's been almost a year since I revolutionized my kitchen and started grinding my own grains. I know it sounds crazy that I grind all my own grains. I originally had the idea that grinding my own grains would be hard, complicated, and more importantly take way too much time. 

I was shocked to find out that it's actually very easy and takes very little time, and yet, this one simple changed has completely revolutionized my kitchen and helped me fall back in love with cooking! 

We have three ways for you to follow along with this discussion today: Read the brief note below, listen to the audio from the podcast, or watch the full video (my personal favorite option) on YouTube. Find all the options below!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Check out my new show: Baking with Jami!  I have a brand new show on YouTube called Baking with Jami and this is my first episode - sharing how I grind fresh grains in my house. Watch my video below to get the most out of this talk! I'll take you in my kitchen to show what I do. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you never miss an episode! And watch my newest episode all about how to pick the best grain mill for you here. 

Why Grind Your Own Grains?  The very first thing I get asked is “WHY would you want to grind your own wheat?” I know it sounds like something out of prairie days – but honestly it’s very easy and doable wth an electric grain mill. 

We grind our own wheat because its: 

Much healthier (Listen to the FREE audio here called “The Truth About Wheat“ Tastes AMAZING compared to store bought wheat Much cheaper per pound (after you pay off the grain mill)

Where you can learn more about grinding your own wheat: 

Bread Beckers FREE video classes (these are AMAZING) – Start with Bread Making 101 The Essential Home Ground Flour Cookbook (An excellent cookbook with over 100 recipes AND tons of information about the health of using fresh grains and the different types!) Traditional Cooking School – Wardee is a WEALTH of information (and she is a Christian and ties all of our healthy eating back to bringing glory to God). You can search for blog or find classes and videos on bread making, grinding wheat, and so much more! 

Is this even practical? So you might be convinced that this is healthier, tastes better, and might even be more economical…but is it even practical?? I thought there was no way that we could fit this into our already full schedule. But it seriously takes just 60-90 seconds to grind the wheat – so simple, fast, and easy! It doesn’t add hardly any time to my baking routine. 

Watch the video above to see how easy it is to make a full sandwich loaf in about 5 minutes! I make 2-3 of these a week and it replaces all of our bread! Simple, easy, and delicious.  Where to Buy Grain There are dozens (hundreds) of different grains to choose from. This part can be a little difficult to know what kinds to buy. Sue Becker’s book does a GREAT job of explaining the main kinds of grains we use and what recipes to use them in. 

The three main types of wheat that I use (I order 50lb bags at once) are: Hard red, Hard white, and Soft white. If your budget is tight or you don’t have room to store all of that, Hard white will serve almost all of your needs.

I’ve also been using spelt a lot more recently and I keep small amounts of millet, buckwheat, and pearled barley on hand as well. I have also started looking into Einkorn grain and want to find an affordable source for it. Wardee has some great information on this ancient grain. 

Where to buy:

Your local health food or bulk bin store (i.e. Winco (the best prices for me locally,

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Is your life feeling out of order? Does your home feel like it's in constant chaos? There's a really good chance that you need to DECLUTTER! And decluttering isn’t just for the junk drawer - when you figure out how to declutter all the areas of your life - it leads to much greater joy within the home! Listen in today:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

2018 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference (it's not too late to grab a ticket and watch the sessions!) A Slob Comes Clean Dana's new book: Decluttering at the Speed of Life Dana's podcast

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Earlier this week on the podcast we started talking about the first 4 ways to cultivate meaningful relationships. Today we are going to discuss the second 4. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. The second four lessons:  Based off of Edward T. Welch’s wonderful book Caring for One Another. 

Be Personal and Pray Talk about Suffering Talk about Sin Remember and Reflect 

Get your FREE 11x14 canvas art print from Canvas People just use coupon code: HOME at checkout!

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Cultivating meaningful relationships is pretty high up there on many of our priority lists. But it can feel so hard to know how to go about doing that. In today's episode we are going to explore what it means to care for one another in Gospel-centered relationships. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. The first four lessons:  Based off of Edward T. Welch's wonderful book Caring for One Another. 

With all Humility  Moving Toward Others Know the Heart Know the Critical Influences

"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." - Ephesians 4:1-3 FREE Mrs. Meyers Fall Cleaning Kit!  For all of my listeners, Grove is offering a wonderful Fall cleaning kit for FREE! All you have to do is check out with $20 in your cart (see all of my amazing suggestions here) and your order ships for FREE with your $20 order PLUS the fall cleaning kit. 

If you are wanting to try out Grove or you just want to take your first baby steps to healthier living, then this is an awesome deal! Here’s what you will get: 

Free Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap Free Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap Free Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Spray Free Grove Walnut Scrubber Sponges

Sign up for your FREE fall cleaning kit here!

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it. 

Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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As a mom of many littles (5 kids 5 and under), I know how HARD and exhausting it can be to manage a house full of littles one. That's why I always love and value Amy Robert's input as an experienced mom with a house full of littles. Listen in today and she shares her wisdom, encouragement, and practical advice as a mom of 10:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

You can find Amy over at Raising Arrows Check out her very own podcast: The Raising Arrows Podcast (it’s one of my FAVORITES!) Check out Hello Fresh and get $60 OFF your first three boxes: http://hellofresh.com/foundation60

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I've been getting back into reading this week and making plans to get caught up on my reading challenge for the rest of the year. I've read some really good books lately and a few not worth mentioning...but here's a little reading challenge update as well as a list of past and current books! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Books I've Read Recently:

I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson Caring for One Another by Edward T. Welch - I loved this book so much I ordered one for my sister and I ordered his new book Side by Side: Walking with others in Wisdom and Love War of Words by Paul David Tripp You and Me Forever by Francis & Lisa Chan Better Together: Strengthen Your Family, Simplify your Homeschool, and savor the subjects that matter most by Pam Barnhill Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins The fiction series I've been reading this year: The Wheel of Time. And I just read the Red Queen series. And I highly recommend The Lunar Chronicles. One of the best series I've ever read!! 

What's up next for me to read:  I need to read 39 more books by December 31st. Which is one book every 2.74 days, we'll see if I can do it. Honestly, if I get to 80 books I will be happy! Here's whats on my next to read list: 

A beautiful set of classics which includes: Little Women, Heidi, A Little Princess, and Anne of Green Gables.  Praying Together: The Priority and Privilege of Prayer in our homes, Communities, and Churches The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield  Gospel Centered Mom: The Freeing Truth About What Your Kids Really Need Spiritual Depression: It's Causes and Cures by Martin Lloyd Jones Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline by Catherine McNniel Even Better Than Eden: Nine Ways the Bible's Story Changes Everything about Your Story by Nancy Guthrie Therefor I Have Hope: 12 Truths That Comfort, Sustain, and Redeem in Tragedy by Cameron Cole Walking through Infertility: Biblical, Theological, and Moral Counsel for Those Who Are Struggling by Matthew Arbo

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My word for 2018 has been Refresh. In many ways, I've found refreshment throughout this year and in a few ways...I need to work on it still! Join me in this episode as I share my 3/4 of a year update on my word and year. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.   The definition of Refresh is:  1. to make fresh again; reinvigorate or cheer (a person, the mind,spirits, etc.).

2. to provide new vigor and energy by rest, food, etc. And my Bible verse for this year has been: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. (He refreshes my soul in NIV) He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

– Psalm 23:1-3, ESV The Lord is the one who strengthens my soul, refreshes my soul, and gives Grace during the hard times. That’s why my #1 area under my new REFRESH word is my spiritual walk with God. That walk with the Lord then in turn affects all other areas of my life. 

I broke my word for this year into 5 main goal areas so as a kind of mid to end of the year check, I'm going to talk about what I've been doing in those areas and how I've been changing/not changing. 

Refresh my Health Refresh our Family Life Refresh Relationships Refresh our Business Refresh my Spiritual Life 

Links & Resources: 

My 2018 word of the year - Hf #105 Our homeschool plan this year - Hf #150 Refreshing my routines for Fall - Hf #151 My Health journey this year with chronic fatigue - Hf #146

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it. 

Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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We haven't had a marriage episode in a while and today I have the best guest to talk about this topic. Jolene Engle is joining us today! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can listen to the full episode and then find the links and resources below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What I love about Jolene, is that she doesn't back down from Scripture. She calls us to live godly upright lives, but she is so real about it. Life is hard. Marriage is hard. But our God is good and calls us to obey HIM. Jolene talks about humility being key to a thriving marriage and I love how she brings it all back to that.  Links & Resources: 

Visit Jolene on her blog Visit today's sponsor: Canvas People Grab your ticket here for the 2018 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference

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The most important aspect of my parenting is teaching my kids about God. The short time that we have them under our roof, we want to teach them doctrine, theology, and to hopefully love the Lord. In today's episode we are going to focus on fun and different ways to teach your kids Scripture and about God.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Becoming a Discipling mother I love love love this encouragement to disciple our children. I need to focus on the Gospel within my home for myself and my husband. But another huge responsibility God has entrusted to me is instructing and discipling my children! “Mothers can tremendously impact the future of the Lord’s heritage, as Paul testified about Timothy’s start for the Lord: ‘and that from childhood you have known’ (2 Timothy 3:15). Young Timothy, in a home with an unbelieving father, was shaped by a Word-filled mother. Everyday I prayerfully set out to do the same. During this short life on earth – this prelude to eternity – God has assigned us parents the role of standing in His place to show our children what He is like. My husband says, ‘God has given us their tiny hands to hold, to walk with in this world, step by step, until we lead them to their heavenly Father, and place their hands in His everlasting hand.” – Bonnie Barnett, Word-Filled Families: Walk in Truth When you feel unworthy There are so many times and places when we will feel unworthy. When we will feel our own sinfulness, our own failings, and our own shortcomings so acutely. We are not perfect and we will never have the right answers all of the time, no matter how hard we strive. 

This is an all too common feeling among women, especially for mothers. Here’s some encouragement:  “God will help you, as you keep a steady focus on the Lord and search for His unchanging truths, to increasingly model the characteristics of a genuine disciple of Christ. Does He expect perfection? No, for that is impossible this side of heaven. Remember: God isn’t after your ability, but your availability. Simply put, God wants your heart. As you surrender yourself unreservedly to Christ, the Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to conform you into the image of God, for His Glory. (Romans 12:1-2). ” – Bonnie Barnett, Word-Filled Families: Walk in Truth Our family devotions  Most of what we do is in our morning basket time. I love having devotionals and other good books that teach them about God in our rotation. Here are some of my favorites: 

The Jesus Storybook Bible The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung I Am: 40 Reasons to Trust God The Garden, The Curtain, and the Cross All of the R.C. Sproul kids books (like this one) The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New

Catechisms:  We have also found doing a catechism with the kids to be incredibly helpful! I know many people associate this with being a Catholic idea only, but it can be used very effectively for protestants as well. There are many catechisms out there and I'll share a few of my favorite that are Biblical sound.  A catechism is "a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for the instruction of Christians."  So Jason will lead them through the catechism by asking a question and the boys memorize the responses. It's an incredible way to introduce these doctrines to the family and for everyone to learn together. 

We started this when our oldest twins were 3 and we had to start slow at that age. So we've been using The Catechism for Boys & Girls because it has been perfect for their age as they've grown (they are now 5). This is an old one that you can find free on a ton of websites.

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Making healthy and nutritious meals for my family is so important to me! In fact, it's one of the biggest areas I focus on within my home. I am thankful for the resources to be able to cook and provide food that will nourish my family to have the energy and stamina to serve the Lord in everyday life! But I also know how overwhelming and hard it can be to begin cooking healthy (or to jump back into it). 

In today's episode, I've got Wardee from Traditional Cooking School sharing her SIMPLE tips for getting started with real food in a healthy kitchen. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

You can listen to the full episode and then find the links and resources below. 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 7  Simple Things to Switch: 

Better quality meats Eggs  Milk Better fats Sweeteners Salt Produce: 

My newest (and favorite) place to find healthy foods lately has been Azure Standard. They are a truck delivery company that delivers to specific areas once a month. It's not in all parts of the country (but you can organize new drop off points if there isn't one already organized). You can find out more about Azure here. I do an order every month and my monthly order is usually around $200. I expect that to go up and up over the next few months as I start planning my monthly orders better and shifting more and more of my grocery shopping to Azure. 

More Help in this area: 

8 Tips To Help You Rein In Your Real Food Budget - Wardee Bread Making & Healthy Living with Stacy Myers - Jami & Stacy Using freshly ground grains in everyday life (how to make it work!) - Jami How to Use a Grain Mill Q&A - Jami Our Grocery Budget Challenge for the Summer - Jami

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When you are feeling burnt out, overwhelmed, and living in a general state of survival mode...there is no one I turn to more than Crystal Paine. She has time and again helped me prioritize and plan out new routines and habits in my home. I love how practical helpful she is and in today's episode she is going to share how you can dig your way out of survival mode and so much more!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Crystal's Book: Say Goodbye to Survival Mode Crystal's Blog Money Saving Mom Last time I had Crystal on the podcast: Doing a $70 Grocery Budget Challenge with Crystal Paine

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Are you content in the Lord? Or are there daily things that you struggle with and wrestle with? Do you know what those idols are in your life that are distracting you from God and that you are placing above him? One of my very favorite ladies, Marci Ferrell, is with us today chatting about all of that and more!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Idols of the Heart Marci's Blog Thankful Homemaker 2018 Homemaking Ministries Online Conference

Meal Planning Help for Eating Healthy:   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it. 

Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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Are you feeling buried by your finances? Are you looking for some help and encouragement for digging your way out of debt? No matter your financial situation now, it's important to be wise and intentional with our finances and in this episode, Jessi is going to share some wisdom on that.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources:

Check out more from Jessi here (and get all her free resources! She has a free wordbook you can download) Our grocery budget challenge  Crystal Paine's Grocery Budget Challenge

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Motherhood can be heart wrenching and joyful - difficult and so rewarding - all at the same time. We spend our days as mothers serving and loving these little people in our house - but if our focus ins't in the right place - it can make it all the more painful and difficult.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Servant Motherhood

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10

If there is one thing I've learned over and over again in my motherhood, it's that I have to daily lean on Jesus's strength. It's only in Him and through Him that I am able to take care of my family and mother well.  Now, I still slip and fall a lot. I stumble and I fail, but all that does is lead me back to my dependence on the Lord in all things. Especially in my motherhood.  Here's what it all boils down to: Motherhood is servant leadership. As a mother, my job and my role is to serve and in that I am imitating our Lord. 

"and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:44-45

As Mothers, this is our life. And it's really easy to get worn out and run ragged if we don't have the proper focus within our motherhood. 

When the Days are Long A mother's life isn't easy. And from that day that you welcome that first little bundle of joy into your home, it's not long before the days can feel mundane, endless, and weary.  I don't know how many moms I've talked to or seen posting on Facebook and they feel overwhelmed and defeated. They are tired, they are exhausted, they work from sun up to sun down without a lot of thanks (or anything thanks) and they start to feel like something is wrong.  "Why I am so exhausted all the time?" "Is it supposed to be this hard?" "I fall into bed exhausted at night only to rise again the next day and do it all over again." 

They look at social media, they look to popular culture, and they assume their days should be easier, maybe a little happier, and certainly less exhausting. We start to feel that there must be something wrong with us if this whole motherhood thing is so hard. 

Serving within motherhood Jesus came to earth with a very unpopular message to the jews. The jews were looking for a Messiah. They were waiting for their victor who would deliver them from the Romans. They were eagerly awaiting the Messiah who they thought would storm in as a military and political leader.  Instead Jesus says, "even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:28 We know that Jesus taught us to be servant leaders. To put others interests before our own. To serve with all humility and joy. Jesus led by that example. 

However, this flies in the face of what the world values.  The world values power, prestige, climbing the corporate ladder to be in the highest position of power possible. We look down on those jobs that are servers. We look down on those blue collar jobs, especially those that take care of the physical needs of people: cleaning, dirty laundry, even child care workers. 

We don't value those jobs and that has a direct translation to our motherhood. What is it that we spend our day and our life doing? Those menial, blue collar jobs that we do day in and day out. My day consists of many roles: As a janitor, as a maid, as a cook, as a laundromat, a school teacher, and so much more. 

It's very easy to look at our motherhood, and to look at our motherhood through the lens of the world's standards, and see our job in the home as worthless, subpar, or as drudgery. 

And I get it - I do not like the dirty dishes or scrubb...

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Each new season it's important for me to evaluate what my priorities are, how my routines are working, and what I need to change. As I head into the fall, I can sense that there are several big areas that I want to revamp. Join me as I take some great advice from my friend Brittany and share what I'm working on for this year: Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Think through those big priorities for your day 

Our new homeschool routine. For September it will be our conference Making sure I am sticking to our grocery budget and meal planning efficiently Carving out time for Jason and I to talk, and most importantly right now, have some fun together! Better routines overall: meal planning and grocery budget and especially my spiritual disciplines 

Does your schedule reflect your priorities? 

This is something that both Jason and I have been trying to work on this Summer. I honestly feel like I've been in some sort of survival mode for about 3.5 years now. 3.5 years ago I was pregnant with our second set of twins and our first set were 2. Then we had them, then when life was calming down and they were 9 months old, we found out we were pregnant with Magnolia. She was born in January 2017 and once life started settling down as she got older, I had some challenging health issues with my hormones and chronic fatigue. As I am now coming out of about a year of figuring out my health issues, I'm starting to feel like I can jump back into things again! 

So I'm excited as I face the Fall. I need to remember to add things in slowly, very slowly. Because my personality is the type to want to jump in with a whole new schedule with every second blocked out and allotted, but I know that isn't realistic or practical. 

So while there are many things I want to revamp, I need to start slow. So the first thing we want to change immediately is bringing back a better morning routine. So to achieve this, we need a better evening routine. For us, they go hand in hand! So Jason and I are both working on these two changes to help everything else! 

What am I wasting time on now? 

Honestly, my biggest waste of time right now is just not being intentional. Letting the nighttime hours slip by, then it's too late, then I can't get up early, etc. I am letting my schedule happen to me instead of scheduling it. Now of course, especially with little kids, I can't schedule everything and a lot of what I do can change at the drop of the hat. 

Is there a disconnect between what you want your priorities to be and what they actually are? 

During the actual conference, the next thing that Brittany does is show you on screen how to actually build those priorities into a manageable schedule which is really cool! But we don't have time to share that part on the podcast today. So let's move to the next topic which is her second deep dive session on how to deal with distractions when planning your priorities and routines. 

Dealing with Distractions 

Leave plenty of margin! I use to over schedule down to the minute or 15 minute blocks and it use to work reasonably well for me. But now with kids, that simply does't work anymore! Good advice to leave margin and plenty of white space. 

Leaving room for joy and spontaneity

This might be my favorite suggestion yet! I am a scheduler and a go go go person. And while raising my kids, part of this can be good and organized and other times I need to be flexible and joy filled as I raise them. We try to leave open blocks of time throughout our day and week where we can have a picnic on the lawn, enjoying an evening at the park while we eat dinner, etc.

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We are officially (for the second time) entering into Kindergarten this year with a strong likelihood of moving on to first grade in the new year. We are excited for the resources and curriculum that we are using! Here's what we are planning for 2018-2019 school year for K and 1st: Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My review of Sonlight: 

For last year, we used the full Sonlight curriculum which was perfect because I had no idea how to piece together a Charlotte Mason style literature based approach to homeschooling. I was overwhelmed and getting one big box of stuff in the mail was exactly what I needed. 

What we loved about Sonlight:

A literature based curriculum that you don't have to piece together yourself!!  Everything out of the box and ready for you The schedule is completely done! You just use it you are good!  We absolutely adore the books from Sonlight

Here's what didn't work for us: 

We did not care for the Bible curriculum. The Bible itself was fine. But it was extremely dry and the allotted time they had for K-2nd grade was far too long. Especially with all the other reading.  It was hard for us to stick to the schedule. It became hard for us, even when we were trying to be flexible.  We found that we never used the discussion guides and leaders guide. This is supposed to be a huge benefit of Sonlight. but for these grades, we found it entirely unnecessary to look up discussion questions. It was far more trouble than it was worth. We just naturally discuss the books with the kids. (this would be a lot more helpful I think as they get older)

So while we won't be doing the full sonlight curriculum, we WILL be using their books each year but then doing our own thing. Overall, we still highly recommend Sonlight! And I have a few friends who are looking for more structure in their homeschool day. For them especially, I think it's 100% worth it!   Our Approach to Kindergarten:  As I shared in our podcast last year at the beginning of the year, our educational style is very Charlotte Mason inspired, especially for these young ages. So that includes a TON of outdoor and unstructured play. Our actual homeschooling doesn't take very long. 

Typically it looks like 15-30 minutes of sit down at the table doing their math and hand writing. The rest of our subjects are done through books at the couch, outside, on the boys bed, etc. 

What we are using: 

100 Easy Lessons to Teach Your Child to Read (we LOVE this handbook! And you can use it again and again!) New handwriting books we are trying for $4.99 Math U See Kindergarten Then our science, history, and everything else will be mainly through reading.  Masterbooks: Their living education math, writing, and more. They have a full preschool and kindergarten curriculum, creation science materials and more! 

Usborn Books: 

The Usborne Outdoor Book - Includes ton of outdoor activities to do! We will use for science  It All Starts With a Seed...How Food Grows - Science A Look Inside a Castle - History Count to 100 - Math How Big is a Million? - Math Lift the Flap - Telling the Time - Math My First Reading Library - Language Arts Children's Picture Atlas - History 

Amazon Things We Ordered: 

Melissa and Doug Magnetic Calendar Building our own nature bags: I got this one and this one Melissa and Doug Pattern Blocks and Boards Melissa and Doug Daily Calendar

Bible and devotional books: 

I am: 40 Reasons to Trust God

How we will do school this year:  In the last 6 months, we've fallen in love with doing morning basket time. This means that we have a basket with about 10 different book...

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Between last summer and this summer, we've taken 5 trips with our 5 young kids. Last year we took 3 big trips with our 5 kids FOUR and under and this summer with our five kids five and under. We've learned a lot and I've received a lot of questions about how we manage travel, vacation, and camping with 5 young kids! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  1) Look for easy ways to save money We spent way more on our trips last year.  But we still found great ways to save. And our two trips this year are far cheaper. 

FOOD is the biggest part of this. I bring crazy amounts of food on all of our trips and it helps so much! We were able to bring food into all three parks we went to last summer: Legoland, Universal Studios, and the San Diego Zoo. AND obviously this summer camping and our cabin at the lake!

We hardly had to buy food for the kids on the road and we only bought one meal for them inside the park. This helped us save a ton of money. So plan ahead and bring snacks and lunches for the kiddos (or the whole family)!  2) Adjust your expectations - this is KEY!  We are going camping next week for the first time ever as a family of 7. It's going to be fun and also a little difficult. But the key to this camping trip (and all others) is adjusting expectations! 

Our camping trip will be with our Church and there will be a lot of fun things going on. However, I already know we won't be able to do everything!

3) Remember they are tired as well This goes hand in hand for me with point #2. I needed to remember that all these little guys were just as tired (if not more) than myself and Jason and that we needed to give grace. 

This struck me hard one night. We had just left Legoland after an emotional hour (see point #4) and we decided to head out early and go to Denny’s for dinner. Jason and I were both drained and the kids were mostly good, but a little wild. They were a bit louder and more rambunctious than I would normally allow at Denny’s. 

I could feel my impatience grow, but then I remember that they were just as tired as I was and I needed to remember that! Little kids can get heavily affected by being out of their normal routine, in new places, etc. So I had to not care about what the people the table over were thinking…and just give my kids some grace!  4) Give EVERYONE grace Along with giving the little kids grace, I had to remember to give JASON more grace. It’s very very easy when you are all stuck in the car together for 10+ hours together, or all sharing 1 room, to let the little things get to you. Or just lash out when tired or weary. 

A good lesson for me was just to remember that everyone is tired and to give everyone a little dose of GRACE! I think this one went a long way in happy moods and joyful hearts…even when we were getting tired.  5) Make sure little ones know the game plan This is a lesson we learned at Legoland. We should have had a game plan for the kids in case anyone got lost. Listen to the episode above for the full story. But long story short, we lost Malachi in the park for about 25 minutes. Thankfully he ran into a Legoland worker right away and it just took a while to connect with us. 

The next day, the first thing we did when we went to the park was give everyone a thorough explanation of what they should do if they get lost (i.e. go into one of the shops and talk to the person behind the counter). From then on, we would remind the boys each day we went somewhere new. 

In hindsight that seems like a no brainer, but we just didn’t think of that before. So learn from our scary 20 minutes and make sure your kids know a game plan before hand!

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I posted a Q&A question time on Instagram a few weeks ago and got so many wonderful questions! But I only had the chance to answer a few of them before the 24 hours was up. So I thought it would be fun to do them here in this episode!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  The questions I get asked:  "Could you share a handful of books you think every women should read?" 

Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin (here's the interview I did with Jen) Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman Disciplines of a Godly Women by Barbara Hughes Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine When a Woman Inspires Her Husband by Cindi McMenamin (here's an episode I did on that topic)

"What's included in your beauty routine? How do you find natural products?" My VERY favorite source (even though I am NOT an expert in this area) is Honest Beauty! Use my referral link and get $10 OFF your first bundle! You can get 3 things for $40! <--- An awesome price for expensive beauty items!! 

"What tips would you share for managing a busy house, cooking so much, etc."

Keep it SIMPLE.  I don't and can't sweat the small stuff. Train, train, train your kids  Prep and plan ahead!!  Watch other moms in the trenches (and those right above) to see what they do!

'What's your favorite music/artist to listen to?" My current favorite: The Ghettys. But I also really like Francesca Battistelli and Reliant K. 

"What is your favorite "me" time activity?"  READING, scrapbooking, playing video games, playing board games with Jason, and cross stitch!!  "Whats your favorite candy?"  Black Licorice and red hots!!

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Do you have a large age gap among your kid and your wondering how to get it all done AND still spend quality time with the different ages and kids? Because I'm not equipped to answer this question at all, I have two wonderful ladies this week on the show to share some fabulous advice on how to handle this:  Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.    Amy Roberts from Raising Arrows The first lady you will hear from is Amy from RaisingArrows.net. She is a mom of 9 kids ages 20 years old down to a 19 month old. She brings so much wisdom and grace to the discussion! You can check out her blog and her amazing podcast at Raising Arrows.  Jennifer Ross from Confidently Called  The second piece of advice comes from my friend Jennifer from Confidently Called. She is a mom of 11 kids age 27 down to 5 years old and I love her practical advice on the topic! You can check out her blog and her helpful podcast at Confidently Called.

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The second half of 2017 and the first half of 2018 have been rough for me! I've been dealing with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and a host of hormonal imbalances that have left me utterly drained. It's been a long road to recovery (and I still have a ways to go) but I am thankfully doing a lot better! Listen in to here's what I learned this year (and what I'm still working on).  Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources: 

Boosted Coffee which has become a MUST have!  Adaptogenic herbs from Dr Axe Adrenal Fatigue diet  Thyroid problems from Dr Axe Care/of Vitamins use coupon code HOME for 25% OFF your first order!  Purple use coupon code HOME for 10% off

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I started a blog almost 9 years ago and I quickly fell in love with it! It started off as a hobby and a creative outlet and as time went on, I played with it more and more, and as of December 2015 this is our family's full time income. So whether you want to start a new hobby, invest in your writing skills, or make a little side income for your family...a blog can be a terrific way to do any of those (or all of them)! Here's my beginner's guide to blogging:  Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  How to get started blogging Here's the question I got: "I cannot tell you how often I look to your blog and podcast for inspiration and reinforcement in my motherhood, marriage, and homemaking. You and your creativity have inspired me to want to start my own blog also talking about homemaking. With that, I have many questions. Not all of which I will bombard you with, but for starters, how did you start your blog? How did you come up with the idea for your first post? Where did you draw your inspiration from?  Thank you for what you do for your fellow mothers and wives. You're truly a light in God's world." I have two huge passions that I love teaching people about - homemaking for God's glory and blogging and online marketing!! I don't get to talk about my passion for blogging, marketing, and product ideas very often so this is fun for me! 

First thing I want to tell you about: Jason and I do have another side business that is sitting in our back pocket that we WILL one day get back to. It's called Our Work at Home Life and it's where we started to, and want to get back to, helping women and families build a blog or business for ministry and/or as a side or full income. 

If you are listening to this and you've toyed with starting a blog but haven't started yet, then I want to direct you to our guide How to Launch Your Blog for Under $100! We also have a free course you can go through on launching your own blog or business where we go more in depth! 

So when I started my blog, I was just writing about Jason and I and what we were up to. I would share pictures from our weekend, what I made for dinner, etc. It was basically like my online diary and it was purely a hobby. But when I started realizing that I like writing recipes and sharing my latest meal planning tip.

Slowly, I realized that my love of teaching was marrying perfectly with this new online platform. And slowly, I started realizing my true passions within homemaking. It was little by little and still to this day, my writing changes and evolves with the years. 

So don't feel like you have to have the perfectly polished idea to start off with immediately. It can change and grow, as it should as you change and grow! 

What is your passion? The very best place to start is with something you are passionate about. Starting a business takes a TON of time, energy, and love. You will spend hours and years building this thing - make sure it's something you are passionate about! Otherwise, you will quickly get burnt-out.

Feel free to think outside the box! My main blog, Young Wife's Guide, is not something you would classically think of as a business. My blog focuses on Gospel-Centered Homemaking and encourages women to live for God! It's a VERY small niche and is more ministry than business.

I started writing about Gospel-Centered Homemaking because it's a passion of mine. I have spent 5 years so far deep in the trenches writing about it, developing products around it, and living and breathing it. Some days it absolutely feels like work, but that passion for the subject keeps me going.

What do you have a passion about? Bible journaling? Gardening and canning? Cooking?

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Last week, I interviewed Mary K. Mohler all about growing in gratitude and how to live this out in everyday life. The discussion was based on her new book Growing in Gratitude. As I've been reading through her book and meditating upon the interview with her, I've resolved to change some things in my own life when it comes to gratitude. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Cultivating Gratitude in Everyday Life 1) Gratitude in Difficult Times

This is perhaps the hardest time to cultivate gratitude in our lives. I know there have been difficult times and times of grieving where it can hard to know how to turn my heart to thanksgiving. But I know that even in those difficult times, God is calling me to praise His name and give thanks.  "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"I love spring flowers. They are some of the most beautiful parts of God’s creation. If money was no object, I would place vases filled with multi-colored bouquets all over the house. Roses are among the most beautiful and fragrant. We have no problem thanking the Lord for the beauty of every rose he allows us to enjoy, each one delicately created by our Creator in vibrant color. Yet I cannot recall even one time when I thanked the Lord for placing sharp thorns along the stems of those beautiful flowers, and I’m guessing you can’t either. There is nothing beautiful about those thorns, yet they are not there by accident. God chose to place them there—probably to protect the blooms from animals who may want to eat them." - Growing in Gratitude, Chapter 7.

She goes on to quote:  "My God, I have never thanked thee for my thorns. I have thanked thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to thee along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of your rainbow look much more brilliant.'

How stunning it is for a blind man to speak of the brilliant colors of the rainbow! Oh that we would learn to thank the Lord for our suffering in specific ways as Matheson did. He asked the Lord to teach him four things: the glory of the cross he bore, the value of the thorns, the closeness to the Lord they brought him, and the brilliance of the Lord in the process. Perhaps this would be a good exercise for us as we test our sincerity to grow in gratitude." And finally Mary sums up this chapter by saying,  "This leads us to believe there must be a value in the thorn because, otherwise, God would not allow it to exist. He makes no mistakes. He is never mean-spirited or unkind. He sent his only Son to purchase our redemption. We are his! So, as Spurgeon wisely said, we go with that. We trust the heart of our all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God even when we don’t understand his purposes. We must trust him and keep praying, even with groans." Recognizing that the "thorn" may have nothing to do with me except for God's Glory. 

2) Expressing gratitude to my husband (and kids) more 

This has been a growing conviction in my heart lately. We've had some battle of wills in our house lately with some disciplining and discipling we've been doing with the kids. This of course leaves me feeling discouraged, tired, and yelling some days. This also can cause Jason and I to be exasperated with each other.  

I've also been dealing with chronic fatigue and some other health issues and when mama is tired and cranky, everyone is cranky. So I think God has been working on my heart a lot in this lately and as usual,

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As a busy wife, mom, woman, and so on...life can feel so busy and full. We run around trying to do everything we can for everyone. But we seldom stop to do anything for ourselves. I'm not talking about indulging hours a day to watch soap operas but rather taking some calculated time to invest in yourself. We've got some fun stuff to discuss today, so let's jump in!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. The Importance of Hobbies I don't think hobbies is necessarily the right term here. But rather, intentionally investing in yourself. One big aspect of that is investing in some hobbies and another big part is properly taking care of yourself emotionally, spiritually, and physically. 

The lesson I’ve learned throughout the last 4 years (with three pregnancies and five kids) is that I have to take time each day to invest in myself. 

Especially in these busy days of toddlers and babies, it feels like there isn’t 10 minutes I can take for myself. If I decide during nap time to put my feet up for 30 minutes with a cup of coffee to read a book, I feel guilty. If I take that time to read, it means I’m saying no to the sink full of dirty dishes, or the pile of bills on the counter, or vacuuming the chips off the living room floor. 

If I take 15 minutes for myself, it means saying no to something else in that moment. And with the demanding day to day needs of my family, that often feels selfish and like wasted time. But what I have learned the hard way over the past 4 years, is that I have to take this time for myself. I have to set aside time in my day and in my week to care for myself a little bit so that I have the energy and stamina to care for my kids.

I have to take 15 minutes during nap time to do something for me, so that when all four kids wake up hungry and full of energy, I have the energy to tackle the rest of my day, change diapers, get dinner on the table, and greet my husband with a smile. “In the Bible we see Jesus taking time to be alone and refuel. This is especially apparent after times of busyness, such as when he fed five thousand people. Our commitments should not overrun our lives to the point that we don’t take care of ourselves. Quiet time to invest in ourselves and become restored is incredibly important.” – Jessica Turner, The Fringe Hours Wow, what a powerful lesson to remember. Jesus often went by himself to pray, to talk to God, to refuel before going out to minister again. He knew he had a very limited time on this Earth before returning to Heaven. It would be understandable if he didn’t even sleep to get all his work done.

But he also knew that he had human limits and had to take time to rest, refuel, and most importantly, slow down long enough to spend quiet moments with God, talking to Him. Even Jesus, who is GOD, took time, lots of time, for quiet prayer by himself with God the Father.

How much more should we be spending quiet moments? Taking the time to get enough sleep so we have energy and patience to serve our family? To make that time for Bible reading and prayer. To intentionally carve out just a little time in our week to invest in ourselves?

Not only will this help us to have the energy and stamina to tackle our day, but it will also help us to avoid burn out. With all the physical exhaustion of having almost 5 kids 4 and under, I’ve had my fair share of days where I just feel burnt out. And this goes beyond simply being tired, it sinks into the core of my heart and I realize that I am not facing my days with joy. I am facing my day with begrudging duty. Staring at my to-do list with zero to little motivation. To moping around the house and feeling defeated once again when my head hits the pil...

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Gratitude and thankfulness are wonderful qualities to cultivate in our lives. But it can sometimes be hard to know where to start and almost always difficult to sustain when life gets hard. In this wonderful interview with Mary K. Mohler (Albert Mohler's wife) we discuss how we can grow in Gratitude and what that has to do with our relationship with Christ. Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources:

Growing in Gratitude by Mary Mohler

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Preparing for motherhood can be exciting, nerve wracking, and downright scary sometimes! Are you preparing to be a new mom, looking into the future, or preparing to add another baby to the family? There are a lot of emotions mixed into this - so where do you turn when the excitement is also mixed with a little fear? Listen in today!!  Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Jennie, I love your heart in this message! I am excited for you that you are preparing for motherhood and you are doing wonderful that you want to prepare now! 

While my circumstances are different than yours Jennie, I have had my fair share of fear and anxiety over the years.  “Sister, we have died, and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. We are not our own. Our children are not our own. Our homes are not our own. Our stuff is not our own. Nothing is our own. It’s all his and for his glory. And that’s the incredible reality we get to make up to every day. Let’s help each other remember!”– Missional Motherhood, page 165. When you are tired, when you are overwhelmed, when you are facing a chronic illness, or a time of anxiety...remember our ultimate end goal:  “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” – Colossians 3:1-4 Our lives, our motherhood, our daily lives are meant to be lived for Christ. This is going to look different from family to family, from situation to situation, and from season to season. Your ultimate guide to "biblical or godly motherhood" is not what your neighbor is doing, or your favorite blogger on Instagram looks like they are doing. 

Your guide to motherhood is Christ alone. Seeking Him, putting Him above all else, and storing your hope and future in Him alone! 

It's a very easy thing to make an idol out of motherhood. I think this is especially true in our Christian world today. The culture has swung so far to one side of not appreciating motherhood. So Christians swing to the other side and build up motherhood larger than it should be. 

Yes, it's a high and noble calling. Yes, it's entirely worthy of pouring our lives into. But ladies, your primary identity is not as mom. Or as wife. It's as a servant and follower of Christ. We must make sure that we make our relationship with Christ our #1 identity and not our motherhood. 

When we store up motherhood as our ultimate idol, we will be severely disappointed. Mamas, whether or not you have a chronic illness, you won't be able to do it all. You won't do it perfectly. You will fail again and again. You will build up the perfect image of a mother in your head and you will fail that again and again. 

But our hope isn't in our motherhood. Our hope isn't how perfect we appear on Instagram. Our hope doesn't hinge on our kids perfectly obeying us at Church (but believe me, I struggle with that one!!). We want to pour into our kids, discipline them, disciple them, spend huge chunks of our time teaching them about Christ. 

But our motherhood ultimately is not about us. It's about using our time, energy, and our motherhood for His glory.  Fix Your Eyes on Eternity Mamas - It helps with the small decisions “When your eyes are fixed on the horizon of eternity, it affects your vision for motherhood. We need to have eyes to see a view of God that is so big and so glorious that it transforms our perspective of motherhood. In the context of eternity, where Christ is doing his work of reigning over ...

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Are you stuck in a meal planning rut? Or struggling with healthy breakfast ideas? You are not alone!! Listen in to today's episode as we share some tips and tricks for meal planning and breakfast!  Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Help in the Kitchen!  QUESTION: "Help! My kitchen is starting to feel overwhelming. My husband and I are starting to realize that we have been progressively getting worse and worse with spending waaaay over what we should on food because we are eating every meal out practically, except for sometimes making bacon and eggs at home. So after talking about how we’ve been pulling constantly from our savings account just to cover our spending habits, we know we need to get better it’s just so hard when that’s what we’re so used to and also when everything we TRY to cook at home often gets thrown away because it’s terrible LOL. And my main question I wanted to ask is, breakfast is the one thing I’m starting to struggle with most because every option is either super sugary, super processed, or super greasy/unhealthy (we’ve been eating bacon every day and it’s going to be hard to get my husband off of it!). I hate oatmeal, and I’ve tried it and tried it, and I’m still trying to get myself to like it but he also hates it and won’t eat it. Any healthy ideas?" My journey in the kitchen You are certainly not alone in this struggle! I came into marriage with absolutely no practical kitchen or cooking skills. We had many food flops in the early days of our marriage and ate lots of frozen burritos while I figured out what I was doing in the kitchen!! 

Now a days, most women don't learn how to cook and manage a home before they get married. So if you are like me, then you get thrown in marriage and realize how little you actually know. It can be tough (especially when you feel like everyone else knows what they are doing)! 

Kitchen & Breakfast Resources: 

Money Saving Mom: She is currently doing a $70 a week grocery budget challenge and I love her simple and easy recipes she shares!!  Learn how to Freezer cook! Money Saving Mom has wonderful freezer cooking resources. I also have some great freezer cooking resources here.  The Humbled Homemaker has a great 5 day Eating Well on a Budget eCourse!  Great recipe ideas: Don't Waste the Crumbs (especially her breakfast ideas) and Traditional Cooking School also has a great resource for recipe index. 

Breakfast Ideas: 

Don't be afraid of eating eggs all the time! This is our main breakfast staple Get creative with oatmeal dishes!  oatmeal bakes Make Ahead Refrigerator Oatmeal!!!! <--- Amazing!  Breakfast Burritos 

And lastly, don't be afraid to keep it simple!

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For the second year in a row, Jason and I have set reading goals for the year. We have had fun setting the goal, figuring out how to read more, and having fun competing over those reading goals. So listen in today as Jason and I share our mid-year check up on our reading goals. 

Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. If you want to follow along with our reading challenges, or jump in with your own (start ANY TIME!!) then check out the 2018 Christian Reading Challenge for Women and the 2018 Christian Reading Challenge for Men! You can also catch up and listen to my January and February reading challenge update. 

Books Mentioned in This Episode: 

The Wheel of Time (specifically book 4) The Reformation by Diarmaid MacCulloch  Jonathan Edwards by George M. Marsden  Reset by David Murray Seveneves by Neal Stephenson Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson The Invisible Hand by R. C. Sproul God in the Dock by C. S. Lewis Expository Apologetics by Voddie Baucham The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie Growing in Gratitude by Mary K. Mohler The Backyard Homestead Devoted by Tim Challies The Consequences of Ideas by R.C. Sproul The Crown: The Companion Book to Season 1  Alone with God by John MacArthur Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards by Steven J. Lawson The Passionate Preaching of Martin Lloyd Jones by Steven J. Lawson The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon by Steven J. Lawson

Make more time for reading with our favorite way to meal plan:  Please welcome our sponsor to today's episode, Hello Fresh! They are a meal kit delivery service that delivers fresh and delicious ingredients to your door that you can make into meals in about 30 minutes or less. 

When we got our first Hello Fresh box, honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I’ve been intrigued by these box meal kits in the past but with so many options, it felt a little overwhelming. So when I got the chance to try Hello Fresh, I jumped at the chance. 

Well Jason and I both have been extremely happy with the box! It has been really fun to cook with Hello Fresh! Okay so how does it work? You get three meal options to choose from: Classic, Veggie, or Family. We got the family box and as a huge plus, all of our kids devoured the meals!! 

Each of the meals comes packaged in it’s own bag with all the ingredients in the perfect portion for that recipe. So you literally just pull the bag out of the fridge for that recipe and everything is ready. I did not anticipate this being one of my very favorite things about the service. 30 minutes before dinner, I literally just pull out the bag, grab my full color recipe card, and take the items out. 

I had no idea how much mental energy actually goes into planning my menu, shopping for each ingredient, and assembling it all…all before the cooking even begins. Plus, as a bonus, it had me cooking more involved recipes that I’ve felt like I had time for (even though they were only 30 minute recipes). 

So you are getting delicious and nutritious meals delivered to your door for less than $10 a serving which is pretty amazing! Especially if you are in a rut of eating out a lot, this can be an incredible switch! AND if you go through my special link for todays episode, you can get $30 off your first box. I went in to test $30 off and it makes the box and the serving price an amazing offer! 

So go to hellofresh.com/foundation30 and this is important, use coupon code Foundation30 at checkout to get $30 off your first box. If I hadn’t just got one, I would absolutely take this deal right now. It’s such a fun thing to try out!

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Do you ever wonder what God's Will for your life is? Join myself and Jen Wilkin as we discuss how we can know God's Will, how to study the attributes of God, and why that's important! Listen in here: Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

In His Image by Jen Wilkin None Like Him by Jen Wilkin Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin  Video and audio resources from Jen at her church JenWilkin.net God of Creation – Jen’s new Bible study through Genesis 

FREE Mrs. Meyers Summer Cleaning Kit!  For all of my listeners, Grove is offering a wonderful Summer cleaning kit for FREE! All you have to do is check out with $20 in your cart (see all of my amazing suggestions here) and your order ships for FREE with your $20 order PLUS the summer cleaning kit. 

If you are wanting to try out Grove or you just want to take your first baby steps to healthier living, then this is an awesome deal! Here’s what you will get: 

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I got to interview Crystal Paine earlier this month all about her grocery budget challenge (link to session 133). She is challenging herself to stick to $70 a week for her family of 5. After I got off the phone with her, I started talking to Jason about the challenge and we both agreed that we NEED to do this for our family! So listen in to how we are doing it:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Our Grocery Budget Challenge for June: Jason and I have really been needing to work on our grocery budget. We needed to sit down and take a look at what we've been spending and then come up with a budget to try to stick to! So we've been excited to undertake this challenge...but it's been tough! 

While I think it is so neat that Crystal is doing $70 per week for a family of 5, it's just not feasible for us to cut down that far. But part of this, is because we are trying increase the health of our food. So while we want to be wise stewards of our money and we want to cut down on our spending so we can save and give more - the ultimate goal for us is not to get our grocery budget to the lowest possible. 

The quality of our food is very very important to us. So we could fit our grocery budget down or keep pairing down if we sacrificed on the good quality but that's not the goal. I want to increase the health of our food while at the same time trying to be frugal about it. So I'm going to be sharing how we are cutting costs while not sacrificing our health.  American's are spending less and less on food...and that might not be a good thing. "Here's the story. Thirty years ago, the average household spent about 17% of its income on food. Today it spends about 11%. It's a global trend: Food is getting cheaper relative to incomes everywhere with rising incomes. But there's also a distinctly American thing going on here. We spend less of our cash on food than any other country -- "half as much as households in France," according to Dorothy Gambrell." - Cheap Eats A chart on their website shows that American's are spending just 7% of our household budget on food, the lowest of any industrialized country. The UK is 9%, Canada 10%, and all the way up to Egypt which spends 44% of their household budget on food. 

In 1900, a whopping 43% of a family's annual income was spent on FOOD (source). By 1950 this dropped to 30% as processed and cheaper foods became more widely available. And as more women moved into the workplace and home cooked meals as home started to become less and less. This same study shows that the number had fallen drastically to just 13% in 2003. 

First things first: Setting a budget I would begin by adding up your last three months worth of grocery spending AND eating out. The number might be shocking if you haven't been following it! I know that our worst months are when we eat out without really tracking it...that number really climbs as a family of 7! 

Then Jason and I just kind of low balled what we thought we could try for in June. We seriously just picked a number and said "Let's try it!" It would be great if we could shave off a few hundred dollars (especially in eating out)! 

And then we decided to look up the USDA Food Chart to see how our number stacks up against their plans. So I wrote down each family member and their ages and what we should spend. And our made up budget landed exactly right on with the "thrifty" plan. Now that we are a few weeks into our challenge, I think we will probably end up closer to the low-cost plan. 

But this can be a great place to start with a food budget! Check out the chart here.  Our Grocery Budget Challenge:  Okay so for our family of 7: two adults and five children we've dec...

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Do you ever feel like your days are on repeat? Are you exhausted just thinking about tomorrow? Do you feel like you are on the hamster wheel of little kids? Or a chronic illness? Or just having a hard time finding a little joy in your day? Today we are covering all of that and more! Listen in:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Encouragement for you mama!  I came across this question recently in a homeschool group I'm apart of. This gal was just posting the question to the group and got some great responses from it. But when I glanced and saw this question, it tugged at my heart. It might be because I can deeply identify with her, it might be because of the twins, and it's probably because I hear moms/women express this all the time. Here's what she asked:  "I have twin 4 year old twins and a 1 year old. Mommas, I'm exhausted! Each day feels like a repeat of the day before. Each day feels like a struggle to stay calm and release the desire to go hide for a bit. Is this just this phase of life with little ones or is it just me? Does anyone have any encouragement (or empathy) or suggestions, like a chapter of the Bible you dive into during hard seasons of life? Thanks!"   

Here's what we cover in today's episode: 

You are NOT alone in these feelings.  Yes, this is part of this season of littles. It is physically exhausting and that's okay!  To break the monotony, trying adding one new thing to the schedule to break things up!  Add in something for YOU: You do need a few minutes to yourself!! We give and give and give. Don't be afraid to stop and refuel yourself every once in a while.  God doesn't promise us an easy and care free life. Life is hard, and life with littles is exhausting and physically demanding. But we are called to serve. So when you are feeling burnt out and overwhelmed, make sure you are digging into that relationship with God as best you can. Schedule a once a month coffee date with your Bible, etc.  Leave the Bible around the house, don't neglect that all important relationship.  Remember: you are doing a very important task. BUT we have to be careful that we don't make an idol out of it. 

Links & Resources:

Finding Joy in Your Home Free eCourse  Defending Your Choice as a Homemaker Practical Ways to Set the Atmosphere in Your Home Are you Delighting in God and Your Family Today?

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This is our second year running our Christian reading challenge for women and our Christian reading challenge for men. And with it, we often get the question about reading fantasy, media choices, and how to approach this as Christians. That's what we are chatting about today!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. How we approach reading fiction  Jason and I love reading fiction! And among our very favorite fiction reading are fantasy novels. So the very first thing we need to cover: is it Biblical to read fiction?

Jesus taught primarily through stories. There is something about hearing or reading a story that helps you connect with it better, learn it, and remember it. Stories tug at our heart strings, stories have a way of drilling in a point and making it come alive. We can learn through stories, weep with stories, and come to know God more through stories.  "I’ve found that most people who tell me that fiction is a waste of time are folks who seem to hold to a kind of sola cerebra vision of the Christian life that just doesn’t square with the Bible. The Bible doesn’t simply address man as a cognitive process but as a complex image-bearer who recognizes truth not only through categorizing syllogisms but through imagination, beauty, wonder, awe. Fiction helps to shape and hone what Russell Kirk called the moral imagination. My friend David Mills, now executive editor at First Things, wrote a brilliant article in Touchstoneseveral years ago about the role of stories in shaping the moral imagination of children. As he pointed out, moral instruction is not simply about knowing factually what’s right and wrong (though that’s part of it); it’s about learning to feel affection toward certain virtues and revulsion toward others. A child learns to sympathize with the heroism of Jack the Giant Killer, to be repelled by the cruelty of Cinderella’s sisters and so on.

When you think about it, that’s how the Scriptures often work. The Proverbs, for instance, paint a vivid picture of the revolting tragedy of adultery (Proverbs 7). Jesus doesn’t simply speak about God’s forgiveness in the abstract. He tells a story, the prodigal son, designed to shock (a son who would spurn his inheritance) and to elicit sympathy and identification. The apostles do the same thing. They employ literary, visual language meant to appeal not just to the intellect but to the conscience through the imagination. Think of the Apostle Paul’s language of “laboring until Christ is formed in you,” or his use of literary themes in the OT (“fruit of the Spirit,” and so on)." - Fiction and Literature: An Interview with Russell Moore We also know that reading out loud to our kids is one of the most beneficial things we can ever do with them. If you haven't already, go get Read Aloud Family by Sarah MacKenzie right now.  "Fiction and poetry provide authors a unique way to glorify Christ that more overtly intellectual genres, like theology, simply can't. These genres that aim directly for the heart and soul—rather than aiming at the heart through the mind—do not argue for belief, they show what it looks like and make you feel it. Theology, devotionals, and other books in the “Christian Living” section of the bookstore talk about belief explicitly. Their goal is to explain truth as clearly as possible. Fiction and poetry, on the other hand, tell the truth, but tell it slant. They offer an author a way to give his beliefs flesh and blood by enacting them in the confusion of the real world. In fiction, belief is not what you look at, but what you look through." - How is Fiction True and Valuable?

What about Fantasy and Magic?  This is of course the biggest controversial subject.

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On her blog Crystal Paine has been doing an awesome challenge that has been so encouraging to me personally! She's doing a $70 a week grocery budget challenge for their family of 5...and it's even inspired a big grocery budget challenge for our family from talking to her (info on this coming soon)! 

If you are wanting to work on your grocery budget, meal planning, or anything of the sort, you have to listen in to this encouraging episode!!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources: 

Follow Crystal's $70 a week grocery budget challenge here Crystal's Blog: Money Saving Mom Follow Crystal on Instagram for tons of deals and to follow her challenge Follow Crystal on Facebook for her live videos!

Get a personalized song from Songfinch!   I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: Songfinch! Songfinch is a personalized gifting company that brings stories, feelings and memories to life through one-of-a-kind songs. With personalized songs starting at $99 and delivered within 7 days, their community of professional songwriters will handcraft the best gift you can give.

I was able to create a song for Jason for our 9th wedding anniversary. I had no idea what to expect but the process was super easy! They gave me several ideas and suggestions for the kind of details to fill out when creating my song. I got it back to me in less than a week and Jason and I are both THRILLED with how special and sweet the song is. I don't know how they did it, but they perfectly captured Jason and I and our family in our sweet song. You can listen to our custom song here. 

Personalized songs start at just $99 and you can get $20 OFF your Personalized Song From Scratch (which is what I did!) with coupon code: HOME at checkout ? Get $20 OFF your personalized song!!

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Medical Disclaimer: Today we are chatting about essential oils. I use these oils in my home and today I'm sharing how we use them. Please be aware that I am not a doctor, a certified aromatherapist, and have no formal training in aromatherapy. Please always do your own research before using essential oils. This episode today is for entertainment purposes only.  A couple of weeks ago, I did an episode on essential oils 101! If you've never used oils before and you want to dip your toes in, then this is a great class to start with. But since then, I've had people asking for more in depth tips on using essential oils. So tune in today.

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. How we use Essential Oils in our Home:  The two main ways I use essential oils in my home are for cleaning and health and wellness. I first began using essential oils in my home to clean with because it seemed like the easiest way to get started. Plus, I was slowly figuring out how to swap out toxic cleaning items with more natural ones in my home anyway! 

To start off with: Dr. Axe is a fantastic resource for essential oils. Search essential oils on his website, or for specific concerns or oils and a ton of stuff comes up! In fact, he has an AMAZING book on essential oils that I've been drooling over for a long time. I like the fact that it is NOT brand specific! 

Essential Oils for Cleaning:  My favorite oils for cleaning include Tea Tree, citrus oils (especially lemon), a deodorizing blend, and a germ fighting blend. Young Living has their very popular Thieves cleaning line which you can purchase pre-made cleaners with the Thieves essential oil! 

I just saw (from searching) that Plant Therapy has their own cleaning kit!! This would be a fantastic way to get started with cleaning oils. It includes: Tea Tree, Lavender, Lemon, Germ Fighter, Peppermint, and Citrus Blend. The only one I would add to this pack is the deodorizing blend for laundry!

Dr. Axe's Tips for Essential Oil home use from his article 101 Essential Uses and Benefits.

Air cleaner: Diffuse cinnamon essential oil in the air and enjoy its anti-microbial properties.

All-purpose cleaner: Add three drops each of lemon essential oil and tea tree oil (melaleuca) to a few ounces of warm water, then spray countertops to naturally disinfect.

Bathroom freshener: Put a cotton ball soaked in lime or lemon oil behind the toilet for a bathroom refresher.

Bathtub scrub: Mix one-half cup of baking soda, one-half cup of vinegar and five drops of bergamot or lime oil; use as a scrub for a sink or bathtub.

Dishwasher fluid: Add a few drops of lemon oil to the dishwasher before washing for a spot-free rinse.

House fragrance: Diffuse clove, rosemary and orange essential oils when guests come over, and they will talk about how amazing your house smells.

Kitchen odor eliminator: Add a few drops of clove, cinnamon or citrus essential oil to a simmering pan of water to get rid of cooking odors.

Mold killer: Add tea tree oil to your diffuser to kill mold and other pathogens in the air.

Pest killer: Combine orange and clove oils and then spray to kill pests on contact.

Produce washer: To clean fruit and vegetables, add two drops of lemon oil to a large bowl of water, then wash.

Shower scum remover: Using a 16-ounce spray bottle, use four drops of eucalyptus essential oil and four drops of tea tree oil with warm water; spray onto your shower for natural mold-killing action.

Trash can freshener: Put a cotton ball with two drops each of lemon oil and tea tree oil at the bottom of the trashcan to help decrease the odor and detoxify.

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Choosing to spend the bulk of our time, energy, and attention on our family and our home can be a very unpopular decision these days. I know there are people in my own life who don't understand the decision so when I got a question from a reader about this topic, I knew it was a good one to address. 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Here's the question I got:  "Lately, I’ve struggling with something and I thought you may have insight. I’m getting several questions from my friends and other peers as to why I have chosen to stay home with my young children and become a homemaker. I graduated from a large Catholic university and I also have my masters from another Catholic university. My schooling was not inexpensive and I’m still paying off some loans. But after my husband and I had our first child, we decided the best use of my time was taking care of our home. 

I have many people who question why I’m not working, why I got a masters degree if my objective was to stay home, or why I don’t send my children to daycare and just hire a housekeeper for the home. I feel like my responses are being taken as a criticism of their choices. Have you come across this issue? How have you explained your choice - especially to those who choose differently - without people becoming defensive?" Let's clear some things up first:  Let's talk about what it means to be a homemaker first. 

Do I think that all women are called to be homemakers? Yes, I do. Does that mean every women will be married? No. Does it mean each couple will have children? No. Does that mean that all mothers must stay home full time with their kids? No. I think God has weaved us all with very different stories and circumstances, or even for short times. 

What I do this means, is that our heart needs to be home with our family. If you are not married and don't have kids, there are still people you live with that you can love and serve. Are you a newly married wife without kids? You can bless your husband and show love by keeping the house and cooking. 

And if you have kids and a family, then caring for them includes all of the nitty gritty mundane moments as well.  "Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled." - Titus 2: 3-5, ESV

Homemaking is for all women "Wherever you live, you are still a part of a household as defined by Scripture. You can still exercise dominion over your private sphere as a single woman. Consider that you shouldn't wait for marriage to learn basic household skills, like food preparation, laundry, and cleaning. There is nothing worse than waking up on the morning of a big meeting to find that you have run out of shampoo, or forgotten to pick up the dry cleaning, or left for hte office on an empty stomach because you ran out of food. Good household management is a characteristic of a godly woman. 

You are not just called to manage your home for your own benefit, but Scripture also requires you to use your home for the benefit of others (1 Tim. 5:10 specifically, and also Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2). No matter your living arrangement, you can still invest in the lives that are nourished there - show hospitality to roommates, friends, neighbors, church friends, or extended family."- The Measure of Success It's an unpopular calling... This whole issue of being a homemaker and even working in our homes speaks to a much larger issues in our culture.

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Medical Disclaimer: Today we are chatting about essential oils. I use these oils in my home and today I'm sharing how we use them. Please be aware that I am not a doctor, a certified aromatherapist, and have no formal training in aromatherapy. Please always do your own research before using essential oils. This episode today is for entertainment purposes only.  We've been covering a lot of natural and practical homemaking topics lately on the podcast which has been so fun! And one of the questions I keep getting over and over: is about essential oils! How to get started and how to use them. 

So today we are covering essential oils 101! Join along and listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My journey to Essential Oils I've been using essential oils since 2012 and I was a skeptic at first. At the time, essential oils were only barely starting to catch on and most people didn't use them yet. Even today, with essential oils being widely used, there are still so many who don't use them yet. 

So when I first started hearing about them, I really wasn't sure what to think. They seemed like this hippy stuff...how could oils do all these amazing things?! But I had a few friends looking into them and decided to do some searching of my own!  “Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant.” ~ Modern Wellness: What Are Essential Oils Basically, essential oils are the pure and concentrated oil from that object. Orange oil is  the powerful and concentrated oil from the tree and peel. ” When we peel an orange, walk through a rose garden, or rub a sprig of lavender between our fingers, we are all aware of the special scent of that plant. But what is is that we can smell? Generally speaking, it is essential oils that give spices and herbs their specific scent and flavor, flowers their fruit and perfume.” ~ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, pg 13. Ways You Can Use Essential Oils Knowing how to use essential oils was one of the most confusing things to me about them when I first heard of them. People threw around words like using them “neat”, diluting them in a “carrier oil”, and I wasn’t sure how you actually used the oils – in everyday life!

Here are the 3 main ways that essential oils are used. Topical When you apply an oil topically, this is referring to placing the oil on your skin. 

Typically this means you are rubbing the oil on to some part of your body {i.e. the bottoms of your feet, your back, arm, ect}. When you apply the oils directly to your skin {without diluting it first}, this is often called applying it “neat”.

However, most essential oils are so powerful that they should not be put on your skin “neat”. So instead you dilute a couple drops into a teaspoon or tablespoon of a “carrier oil” and then you rub it onto your skin. It might seem that that dilutes the effectiveness of the oil, but actually using a carrier oil can help facilitate the absorption of the oil easier. 

Common carrier oils include fractionated coconut oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, olive oil, ect.   Aromatic This is another wonderful way to use essential oils and can have wonderful effects. 

A great way to use oils aromatically is to use a vaporizer, diffusor, or humidifier to easily spread the essential oils throughout the house. There are many essential oils on the market in varying price points. But the one we currently have, and have had for a couple years is Plant Therapy's AromaFuse diffusers and it's only $50! It has stood up the test of time and we love it. 

Internal

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As a mom of five young kids (5 and under), I get this question a LOT. How do we cultivate quality time with young kids (and at the same time actually take care of our house)!? Listen in to today's episode for advice from several mamas:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Here's the question I got: “Ideas for quality play time as parents of young children. How do you keep your kids busy while keeping technology to a minimum? Do you have ideas for playing WITH your young ones? Ideas for educational play? Ideas for getting young ones to play independently?” I know I have some thoughts and ideas on this, but at the same time, I am in the trenches of this myself with my oldest two only being 5, my middle two being 2, and my baby is only 16 months. So I turned to the best source: Other women and what they have found to be the most helpful!! 

If you want to come over and read all the answers, you can do so here.  Reading Together:  I have found that for me and for them, reading together is one of the most bonding things we can do together. We have a new routine of a morning basket where we store our kid Bible, a hymnal, a few chapter books, and a few fun educational books. We alternate going through the books each morning, reading from 3-4 of them each day. 

We keep the reading short and quick! Reading together was one of the #1 recommendations from the gals I asked. Another great suggestion is listening to audio books together. You can even do this when you are running errands in the car, etc! 

In our basket: 

The Jesus Storybook Bible Adventures with Waffles Hymns of Grace Hymnal The Usborn Children's Encyclopedia Jame's Herriot's Treasury for Children (this is my current FAVORITE book with the kids!) The Usborn Book of Science Activities (Volume two)

Do a dance party!  This is another very popular suggestion I saw! And we love doing this!! I sometimes, but not always, participate in the dance party. But it's such a fun way to turn around the attitude in the home, especially on a cranky day. Or to get people moving and to have a little fun together! 

Singing songs together is another great suggestion. Singing fun and silly songs together is obviously fun! But we have started memorizing more hymns together. I love that we can all sing them together and they are learning them for Sunday morning worship. 

We have been using the new hymnal from the Master's Seminary: Hymns of Grace. Jason got it at a recent conference he went to and we love it! 

Impromptu dance party in the living room!! Rotate Toys & Keep it special!  I did this a few years into my parenting journey when I was frustrated with them not playing with their toys. So I took older moms advice and cleaned out half their toys. These toys went into the shed and about 6 months later I remembered I did this. So I packed up all their current toys - and then brought the long forgotten ones out and it was like Christmas day!! 

Shelley had a great tip: "Sometimes I would set up the toys in a fun way before my kids got up (train tracks or a farm or whatever). They usually jumped right into playing as it looked more interesting than the usual buckets of toys that they had to set up. Another thing my kids loved was to take a bucket of water and some paint brushes and “paint” the deck outside." 

Or just play in a box!! ;) That will keep them super busy as well! Let them come alongside you during the day I'm just gonna be honest - I have a lot of stuff to do throughout the day. The laundry is never done, the dishes are always piling up, and they always.want.to.eat!! So a lot of my day is spent doing necessities.

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Biblical discipleship, mentoring, and relationships have been on my heart and mind a lot lately! I recently read the book Adorned by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth and it's all about Living out the Beauty of the Gospel Together. 

After I read the book, I knew I needed to see if I could get Nancy on the podcast and we had such a sweet conversation about the topic! Listen to the Podcast:

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Links & Resources:

Nancy's Book: Adorned Adorned Bible Study Nancy's Ministry: Revive Our Hearts Revive Our Hearts Podcast

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We’ve been on a roll talking about Summer things lately! We kicked it off by talking about Summer hospitality, then talked about making memories with your family during the summer and now we are talking about one of my favorite things: Natural summer essentials!

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We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

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Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. My Summer Essentials: Immune Boosters: Elderberry Syrup

You can buy one or make your own. It's very simple to make your own. All you need it dried elderberries, honey, and some spices. See wellness mama recipe for how to make it yourself. Or get a pre-made one from Vitacost.com (just check all ingredients). 

A Good Probiotic

We love all the probiotics from Garden of Life and they have a ton of options - for kids, for adults, specifically for women, or men, etc. We have started using a different brand though for the kids that we found from Grove.co. It’s the Lovebug brand and we love it! They also have a couple of different strains - they have a cold one that’s targeted for immunity. They have a weight loss one, and they even have two infant ones for 0-6 months and 6-12 months. They even have a pregnancy specific one that looks great. 

Immune Defense Essential Oils

These are great for all around immunity defense! Our absolute favorites are the Plant Therapy KidSafe line of Immune Boom and Germ Destroyer. We use them topically and also for diffusing. 

Goats Milk Soap with Essential Oils

We also started trying a new soap. It’s a Goats Milk soap from Bend Soap Company. We got it in bar form and as a milk bath. You just add the shreds to the bath. It's called All Shield and it's basically like their immune defense essential oil blend in the soap! 

Zarabees

Another line we love is Zarabees. They have natural cold and immune support items for kids. You can find it at places like Target, but my favorite place is Grove because their price is much better.  

New Chapter 

For adults: Grove just started carrying New Chapter brand. It's a very natural and healthy supplement brand for adults and I've been a long time fan. They have multivitamins, prenatals, fermented turmeric, maca and so much more! I love this brand but it's an expensive one. So I was excited to see that Grove is carrying it now! 

Choosing a Natural Sunscreen  Sunscreen is a big one and a hard one! SkinDeep.org has a fabulous Sunscreen guide that you can sign up for for free!! Their biggest ingredients to avoid are: 

Oxybenzone Vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) Added insect repellent

And to look for: 

Zinc oxide Avobenzome Mexoryl SX

My staple for the past several summers has been the Honest company spray. With 7 people in the family needing to get sunscreened, the spray has been a lifesaver! But we do go through it quickly and the nozel does tend to get clogged a LOT and we've been through too many bottles to think it's a mistake in one or two bottles. 

Grove has several fantastic sunscreen options as well! They carry Badger brand which is very natural. Babyganics is also rated very well and they have a spray. I'm adding this one to my cart to try next! They also carry several kinds of Alba Botanicals. I'm actually very impressed with their natural sunscreen selection and I will be trying several new ones to see if I can find one that works better than Honest. Choosing a Natural Bug Spray  This can be another tough one to find! I have three suggestions for you: 

You can make your own bug spray with an essential oil blend. The one I have is from Plant Therapy called Shield Me and it's a KidSafe blend. You can diffuse it outside, or mix into coconut oil to apply to skin.  If you want a candle,

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The summer is the perfect time to be intentional with family memories, making time for family, and slowing down (just a little bit). But if we are not very careful, it's easy for our entire summer to go by before we know it. So this summer, we are working on being intentional with our time, energy, and resources! Come along to listen:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. What we are focusing on this summer Our Morning Basket Routine:  This is the newest thing in our routine and it's a fun one!! We started implementing a morning basket time. My #1 goal with this is to sing a hymn or two with the kids (and get them to memorize more songs) and do our Bible reading together. But we also have a poetry book, a book about how things work, some fun chapter books, and more in it. 

The goal is to cycle through a couple different books each day (but not all of them each morning)! We are implementing this right after breakfast and it's been a fabulous habit to start cultivating. 

You can check out a great podcast on the topic: Your Morning Basket episode #1. And my friend Victoria does this for herself with a Bible basket. 

Being More Intentional To make memories as a family:  Here's a quick list of what we want to implement more this year! 

More trips to the parks in the evenings (eat dinner at the park)  Picnics outside on our lawn Roasting marshmallows on the deck The boys want to watch the stars one night on the trampoline Letting the kids do a "sleepover" on the floor Doing a few camping and day trips

Summer Hospitality: I have a lot of fun family plans this summer, which are important! But I want to make sure I am making more time for hospitality as well. 

We just got a Hibatchi grill - makes hospitality so much easier (You can also plan a BBQ!)  You can host a potluck!  Make good use of Crockpot meals during the hot and busy months Host a Smores dessert fellowship Use paper plates - and make it easy!  Host a Watermelon party - This is a fun tip that I got from Katie and I think it’s brilliant!! Invite people over in the evening after dinner, and crack open a watermelon. Let the kids run around and play in the backyard and enjoy a sweet (and inexpensive) treat!

Make meal time EASY with our new sponsor!  Please welcome our brand new sponsor to the show, Hello Fresh! They are a meal kit delivery service that delivers fresh and delicious ingredients to your door that you can make into meals in about 30 minutes or less. 

We got our first Hello Fresh box last week, and honestly, I had no idea what to expect. I've been intrigued by these box meal kits in the past but with so many options, it felt a little overwhelming. So when I got the chance to try Hello Fresh, I jumped at the chance. 

Well Jason and I both have been extremely happy with the box! It has been really fun to cook with Hello Fresh! Okay so how does it work? You get three meal options to choose from: Classic, Veggie, or Family. We got the family box and as a huge plus, all of our kids devoured the meals!! 

Each of the meals comes packaged in it's own bag with all the ingredients in the perfect portion for that recipe. So you literally just pull the bag out of the fridge for that recipe and everything is ready. I did not anticipate this being one of my very favorite things about the service. 30 minutes before dinner, I literally just pull out the bag, grab my full color recipe card, and take the items out. 

I had no idea how much mental energy actually goes into planning my menu, shopping for each ingredient, and assembling it all...all before the cooking even begins. Plus, as a bonus,

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Today we are chatting about a topic that is always on my heart and mind this time of year. Hospitality and how summer is the perfect time to start practicing hospitality or begin again.

Summer is the perfect time for fun and easy hospitality ideas! Listen in today:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Challenging ourselves to selfless hospitality "Offering radically ordinary hospitality is an everyday thing at our house. It starts early, with minestrone soup simmering on one burner and a pot of steamed rice warming on another. It ends late, with Kent making beds on the couches and blowing up air mattresses for a traveling, stranded family. A truly hospitable heart anticipates everyday, Christ-centered table fellowship and guests who are genuinely in need. Such a heart seeks opportunities to serve. Radically ordinary hospitality doesn’t keep fussy lists or make a big deal about invitations. Invitations are open." - Rosaria Butterfield

Cultivating a heart of service "In radically ordinary hospitality, host and guest are interchangeable. If you come to my house for dinner and notice that I am still teaching a math lesson to a child, and my laundry remains on the dining room table unfolded, you roll up your sleeves and fold my laundry. Or set the table. Or load the dishwasher. Or feed the dogs. Radically ordinary hospitality means that hosts are not embarrassed to receive help, and guests know that their help is needed. A family of God gathering daily together needs each and every person. Host and guest are permeable roles." - Rosaria Butterfield Hospitality begins with humility: "Clothe yourself with humility (1 Peter 5:5) as you extend biblical hospitality. Walls are built when we think that we have all of the answers or our choices are the best choices for everyone. Learn the difference between biblical mandates and preferences and then expand your borders to include people of differing socioeconomic levels, family size, school choice, and even theological persuasions. Proverbs 27:17 reminds us that as believers we should sharpen one another. There is no better way to abolish cultural differences between families than to purpose to dismantle the unbiblical walls we have constructed. Food is always a good lubricant to assist in the demolition process." - Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock

An open letter to a hesitant host:  "Dear friend,

Are you busy? Are you important? Do you work on a tight schedule? Are your boundaries well-fortified?

Those are not, in and of themselves, bad things.

But they will become idols if you don’t add something: Christian hospitality—the scriptural command to regularly, transparently, and sacrificially come together in homes over a meal, gathering with neighbors and brothers and sisters from the church, and welcoming strangers....

...Over the years, we have come to learn this. What stops us from practicing hospitality is our plenty, not our lack. We have too much, and we love too much what we have. Statistics have borne out this truth: meager homes and poor churches give and gather more; wealthy homes and upscale churches horde and micromanage more.

Daily ordinary hospitality, practiced for Christ’s glory, sanctifies your boundaries and fortifies your faith. It also exposes the idolatry in our hearts that falsely declare our homes our castles and our time our own. Hospitality combats the crushing loneliness that too many brothers and sisters in Christ bear by offering basic care: a meal, a hug, a prayer. When we share a rhythm of life, we know before anyone asks how we can help and what others need. Right before the eyes of this post-Christian world that dismisses orthodox Christianity as dangerous or useles...

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I've been sharing a lot lately about how our family has been grinding our own grain this year...and how much we LOVE it!! Back in episode #19 I shared our routine for doing this and how it's actually very easy to do even with a houseful of kids and a busy schedule! 

Since that episode, I've had a ton of questions about grinding your own grains and decided to do a follow up episode answering those. Listen in here!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Get a GREAT deal on a Grain Mill!  There is an amazing Mother's Day deal going on for the Nutri Mill Plus grain mill (the one I have and LOVE)!! They say it's a mother's day sale so I have no clue how long it's good for (the website doesn't say). You can get the grain mill and my FAVORITE cookbook for an excellent price. 

This grain mill is normally $219 which is pretty much the standard for this kind of mill. But for mother's Day the Nutri Mill Plus is on sale for only $159! 

THEN you add Sue Becker's cookbook (my VERY favorite cookbook for using freshly ground flour. It will teach you everything you need) to your cart and use coupon code MOTHERSDAY to get it FREE with any grain mill purchase!  

You will get both the grain mill and the cookbook for just $159 (PLUS FREE SHIPPING ). When we purchased these just 6 months ago, it was $242 for both!! :) So exciting!! 

Freshly Ground Grains FAQ  Question: "I want to get started, which grain should I get first, what is most versatile?"

If you only want to get one for now, I would get hard white! It’s more mild and you can use it for a ton of stuff!! If you want to do things like cookies, coffee cake, etc. then the next one I would get is soft white. It’s more of a pastry flour ? 

HoneyVille offers organic and non-organic hard white for a fantastic price plus flat rate $4.99 shipping! 

How do you know the conversion amounts from whole grains to ground flour? Like if a recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, how many cups of wheat berries do you grind?

It's actually very simple! 1 cup of dried grains will yield 1.5 cups of flour. So if you need 3 cups of flour, you would grind 2 cups of dried grains. 

I am wondering can I use the fresh flour in my normal recipes or will I need to switch to recipes that call for fresh flour?

Yes! It's just normal flour :) Freshly ground flour can sometimes get a little thirstier so you might need to add a little extra water into your recipe. And if you are converting recipes that you normally use white flour then you might need to do a little tweaking to get the taste you want, but overall, it's basically the same thing. 

How long is the whole grain shelf stable? Also is it possible to use this in freezer meals ie freeze bread/muffins or a pizza crust?

The hard grains will last up to 25 years if stored properly in an airtight bucket with no moisture or bugs getting into it. The softer wheats will last around 5-6 years because they have a higher moisture content. 

We go through a 50lb bag of hard white in about 2-3 months. So you should be able to use it in plenty of time. 

Yes! You can use freshly ground flour for all of those needs and it all freezes very well!! I routinely freeze things like: Banana nut bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, bagels, etc! 

We haven’t done a ton of grinding our own wheat but I was told before hand that you kind of have to work up to it because it can be hard digesting it full bore at the beginning of your body is not used to it.

This is actually one I don't really know much about. When we got our new grain mill, we just jumped in and started using freshly ground grain for all of our needs and we didn't notice any different. In fact,

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I am a big believe in creating manageable routines for your family and I think they can have a huge impact! But they have to be simple, doable, AND firmly in line with God's priorities for your life. 

That's why I am so excited to chat with today's guest, Kat Lee! She's sharing the secrets behind her 3 minute morning routine and I think it's a fabulous idea to get re-motivated in forming better habits and routines in your home. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources Mentioned Today: 

Find Kat's new book Hello Mornings Kat's Blog Hello Mornings Her old podcast: Inspired to Action Kat will be speaking at the 2018 Enjoy the Word Online Bible Conference

FREE Mrs. Meyers Cleaning Kit!  For all of my listeners, Grove is offering a wonderful Spring cleaning kit for FREE! All you have to do is check out with $20 in your cart (see all of my amazing suggestions above) and your order ships for FREE with your $20 order PLUS the spring cleaning kit. 

If you are wanting to try out Grove or you just want to take your first baby steps to healthier living, then this is an awesome deal! Here’s what you will get: 

Free Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap Free Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap Free Mrs. Meyer’s Multi-Surface Spray Free Grove Walnut Scrubber Sponges

Sign up for your FREE spring cleaning kit here!

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Friendships. That's a tough word sometimes. We all want to form deeper friendships, but we often stumble about and don't know how to go about it. 

Or we get hurt from our friendships and don't want to reach out again. I think all of us women want to form deeper relationships, but it can be so tough to know where to start or what that looks like. In this honest conversation with Christina Hoover, we get right into the heart of messy, beautiful friendships.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  Links & Resources mentioned: 

Christine's blog Grace Covers Me Her book: Messy Beautiful Friendship Her first book: From Good to Grace Her newest book: Searching for Spring

Christine is Speaking!!  At the 2018 Enjoy the Word Online Conference! If you enjoyed this conversation with Christine, you will love her session during the conference. She will be speaking on Understanding the Big Picture of the Old Testament - it's going to be so so good!!  You can purchase a ticket to the conference here (even if it's already over - you get lifetime access to the sessions)!!  Watch this sneak peek of her session:

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This is a topic that I am very passionate about and have been for the past 6 or 7 years. I think in our world today, it's very important to know what's in our food, our cleaners, and our beauty supplies. 

This is obviously a huge topic, but I've been wanting to do a talk on this for a while. We've been chatting a lot lately about healthier eating, so I wanted to switch gears a bit and talk about the other areas of having a healthy home. Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.  I started getting interested in more natural things before we got pregnant with our first set of twins. I was starting to see more articles and things about toxins and began doing a little research. 

Then when I got pregnant with our first baby (which turned out to be twins), I really started investigating things. Suddenly, I wasn't just eating for one, I was eating for three!! Suddenly, the things I was ingesting and putting near my body were more important. 

Then of course the babies came and I wanted to know even more: What about laundry detergent? Do they need baby lotion? What's a healthy way to deal with stomach pain and spitting up? And the list goes on and my healthy living journey began...

Of course it's been a long journey and I've learned a lot along the way! So today I wanted to share some of what I've learned. And my favorite resources for healthy living (PLEASE leave your favorites in the comments below)!  Start off Slooooooow  When working on our health, or switching to natural cleaners, it can easy to want to jump in with both feet! When I first started realizing how dangerous all of my go-to cleaning products were, my temptation was to throw it all out and go out and buy everything new. 

The problem? I didn't have the time to research all those new products and most importantly, I didn't have the money!! So as I would run out of one item, I would replace it with a natural option and so on. 

So start out slow, don't get overwhelmed! Pick one product, or one item at a time and slowly start replacing things. 

HELPFUL HINT: Use EWG's Skin Deep database (for cosmetics) and their healthy living database (for cleaning supplies) or download their app to make it easy! You can look up all your household products and get an individual safety rating for each! Our family personally tries to stay at about 3 or 4 and under depending on the reason for the rating.  It doesn't have to cost a ton to switch to healthier options!  I used to think that "healthy" and "natural" was synonymous with "expensive" and "costs too much"! But that's simply not true. 

YES, there are some overly expensive items and companies out there. And YES, I think it is worth it sometimes to spend more on quality items (deodorant has often fallen into this category for me). But many other items tend to be a lot less expensive than the alternatives! 

For example, I've been using Grove's concentrated kit which is simple, easy, and very cost effective! They sell a 3 pack of their concentrates for $7.95!!! You get their glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, and tub and tile cleaner. You just have to add the concentrate to water and for less than $8 you have three fabulous natural cleaners that replace a ton! 

They also sell each concentrate on it's own and glass bottles with colors that match. So I got their complete kit which contains all three concentrates, three glass bottles in the three colors, AND three microfiber clothes in the matching colors as well. This is currently sold out on Grove's website because one of the colored glass spray bottles is out, but I'm hoping it's coming back soon! You can get started with the concentrates and two glass bottles...

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I have a wonderful guest on the show today. It's Erin Odom from The Humbled Homemaker! I've known Erin now for almost 7 years. We've walked through having several babies at the same time, I've watched as her family has struggled to make ends meat, and I've celebrated as she authored two fabulous books. 

The road has not always been easy for Erin and her family, especially when it comes to finances. And I am delighted to have Erin with us today as she shares some of the struggle their family has had when it comes to finances and what she has learned in the process.  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. 

Links & Resources Mentioned in Today's Episode: 

Erin's BRAND NEW BOOK: You Can Stay Home With Your Kids Erin's 1st book: More Than Just Making It Visit Erin's Blog The Humbled Homemaker Erin's Free Course: Eating Well on a Budget

Meal Planning Help:  I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it.  Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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I've started something new in my kitchen which has been fun, nutritious for the whole family, and also a little weird! In January of this year we started grinding our own grains (I know, I know, it sounds weird)! So stick with me ;) 

I interviewed Stacy a few weeks ago and we chatted about making bread, grinding our own wheat, and healthy living and eating. It was a fun chat and after it, I had so many of you asking question about the process. 

So today's episode is going to (hopefully) answer all your question and (hopefully) convince you how easy this is to incorporate into your kitchen! As a BUSY mo of 5 little ones, I couldn't handle anything that requires more than about 5 extra minutes. Thankfully, it doesn't even take that long. Listen in!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. An Introduction to Grinding Grains To get the full scoop make sure you listen to my podcast episode above! The notes here are just meant to help you fill in all the links I mentioned in the episode :) 

The very first thing I get asked is "WHY would you want to grind your own wheat?" I know it sounds like something out of prairie days - but honestly it's very easy and doable wth an electric grain mill. 

We grind our own wheat because its: 

Much healthier (Listen to the FREE audio here called "The Truth About Wheat" Tastes AMAZING compared to store bought wheat Much cheaper per pound (after you pay off the grain mill)

Where you can learn more about grinding your own wheat: 

Bread Beckers FREE video classes (these are AMAZING) - Start with Bread Making 101 The Essential Home Ground Flour Cookbook (An excellent cookbook with over 100 recipes AND tons of information about the health of using fresh grains and the different types!) Traditional Cooking School - Wardee is a WEALTH of information (and she is a Christian and ties all of our healthy eating back to bringing glory to God). You can search for blog or find classes and videos on bread making, grinding wheat, and so much more! 

Is this even practical? So you might be convinced that this is healthier, tastes better, and might even be more economical...but is it even practical?? I thought there was no way that we could fit this into our already full schedule. But it seriously takes just 60-90 seconds to grind the wheat - so simple, fast, and easy! It doesn't add hardly any time to my baking routine. 

You can watch a "highlight" I have on Instagram right now of making a fresh loaf of sandwich bread, it shows how easy and quick the grain mill is. Hop over to Instagram to watch it (you might need to go to mobile to find the highlight. Or search @jamibalmet) Where to Buy Grain There are dozens (hundreds) of different grains to choose from. This part can be a little difficult to know what kinds to buy. Sue Becker's book does a GREAT job of explaining the main kinds of grains we use and what recipes to use them in. 

The three main types of wheat that I use (I order 50lb bags at once) are: Hard red, Hard white, and Soft white. If your budget is tight or you don't have room to store all of that, Hard white will serve almost all of your needs. 

I've also been using spelt a lot more recently and I keep small amounts of millet, buckwheat, and pearled barley on hand as well. I have also started looking into Einkorn grain and want to find an affordable source for it. Wardee has some great information on this ancient grain. 

Where to buy:

Your local health food or bulk bin store (i.e. Winco (the best prices for me locally, Sprouts, WholeFoods, etc.) BreadBeckers.com - They are my supplier of choice and they sell sooo much more than just grains.

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As a mom, we tend to focus on about 100 different things a day. We bounce between all our different tasks, taking care of everything and everyone...but how often do we slow down long enough to make sure we are focusing on the right things? 

It's hard to know what we should focus on, what the priorities need to be. Please come jump into this fabulous interview with Katie Bennett as we chat about what it means to be a heavenly minded mama!! Listen in here:  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Links & Resources: 

Katie's blog: Embracing a Simpler Life Katie's NEW BOOK: Heavenly Minded Mom Katie's Podcast: Embracing a Simpler Life

Meal Planning Help:  I am really excited to share with you the sponsor of today’s podcast episode: PrepDish! If you ever feel like you wish you had a little help in your meal planning, then I highly encourage you to check out PrepDish. They offer gluten-free meal plans and paleo meal plans. 

But you don’t have to eat a gluten-free or paleo diet in order to take advantage of all that PrepDish has to offer! In fact, almost half of their customers don’t eat those diets. The meals are healthy and non-processed and work well for anyone who is trying to eat a healthy diet. And PrepDish is offering a super special TWO week free trail when you sign up through this link (how awesome!!)

When you sign up, you’ll receive an email every week with a grocery list and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only 1-3 hours of prepping on the weekend, you’ll have all of your meals ready for the entire week. I absolutely love how easy they make it.  Free TWO week trial of PrepDish

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We've got a fun discussion today! I have Stacy Myers with me and we are discussing healthy living, bread making, and even how to grind your own flour!! 

It was a fun chat and inspired me to get in the kitchen and to enjoy it more. Listen in today!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Finding a balanced approach to healthy living I love Stacy's emphasis on healthy eating and healthy living! It's important to be aware of what we eat but it's also good to strike a good balance between healthy eating and realistic living.

I love Stacy's approach to eating "poorganic" and the 80/20 rule. Check out her articles to learn more! 

Grinding Your Own Wheat One of the main reasons I wanted to have Stacy on the show was to talk about grinding your own grain. It might seem overwhelming and daunting, but grinding your own grain is actually really doable! 

Make sure to follow Stacy and myself over on Instagram to see the behind the scenes of our baking days!  Links & Resources: 

Follow Stacy on Instagram Follow Jami on Instagram The Bread Beckers Website A great source for grains with only $4.99 shipping My FAVORITE cookbook for using freshly ground grains Zojirushi bread maker (the bread machine that both Stacy and I have) The grain mill that Stacy has The grain mill that Jami has The EWG Skin Deep Database

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Learning how to dive deeper into God's Word doesn't happen by accident. It takes work, discipline, and a willingness to invest that time in the Lord. 

Last week on the podcast, we covered going deeper with Bible study when you have no time. Today we are going to be continuing that conversation with a Q&A time. We cover a ton of fabulous topics today, so tune in!! 

Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer. Bible Study Q&A: "Do you have a list of books you read, in order, if doing the book a month study?" - Elise Elise is referring to my simple Bible reading plan that Jason and I have been following for a few years now. With this plan, we read the same book of the Bible everyday for 30 days. See the link above for a full explanation of the plan. 

But to answer Elsie's question: I don't. We just alternate between a big book and a little book. It's not that hard. When you get to the next month, just pick one! So I don't have a list for you, but don't make it overly complicated ;)  "How long do you devote to quiet times vs general study times or are they the same?" - Jennifer I think our culture has done a bit of a disservice surrounding our Bible study time with all our different lingo: "quiet time, devotional, Bible study, etc". It can be confusing as to what we are supposed to be doing! 

To answer this question, we have to first ask the questions "What is the purpose" and "Why do we study the Bible?" We must first recognize why we study, why we spend "quiet time" with God. Ultimately, we study God's Word to know him more. We want to learn his character, his commands, his love, and what he excepts of his disciples. We study God's Word because he commands us to and we want to learn more about our creator, to love Him more. 

When we approach it from that standpoint, we can more easily see that all of these things tie together - our bible study time, devotionals, etc. But the unifier is: We need to be in God's Word. Other books, devotionals, sermons and podcasts can be helpful in our knowledge of God. I know I have been mentored from afar from hundreds of books, but God's Word still needs to remain the core. 

So whatever you call it: other books, especially devotionals, shouldn't be the meat of what we study, God's word directly should be. 

Breadth versus depth: there are times for both in our study. Sometimes we read through entires books at a time, sometimes we hunker down and study one single passage. 

If you have never done so before, I highly recommend you: Read through the entire the Bible. Go through Genesis to Revelation. This gives you a good overview of the Bible. Then go through studies where you learn to study God's Word on your own. Katie Orr and Jen Wilkin's studies are both ones that do this wonderfully. 

Resources: 

Katie Orr's newest study on Philippians Jen Wilkin's newest study on Genesis Podcast by Katie: How much time should I spend when I study my Bible? <--- this is GREAT to listen through! 

"What are some ways you suggest to memorize scripture?" - Stacey There is no way around it - memorizing Scripture is hard work. It's easier for some of us, and very hard for others. Jason memorizes scripture very easily. It takes me a lot more work, especially in this season of young kids. 

My preffered method is to use Scripture memory cards. You can just write them out on 3x5 cards. Or use the Scripture memoruy cards we have in our store to just print off and go! 

Another method is to write out Scripture. Take a piece of paper, and write out Scripture over and over again. After a while, you will have it memorized! My notebook in my spiritual disciplines notebook has this. 

Resource:

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It can be so tough to find the time to study God's Word, and dig in deeper, when you feel like you have no time! 

You might be in a season of little kids, you might be suffering through a sickness, you might be working long hours, and/or you are just finding it hard to focus in busy times. In today's episode we are going to chat all about how to go deeper in God's Word...even when you have no time!  Listen to the Podcast:

We also recorded this blog post as an audio podcast. If you want to listen in instead of reading, click play below or do a combination of both 

And don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. 

Right click here and save-as to download this episode to your computer.

Deeper Bible Study with Little Time 

Where do you start?  If you have never done so - read the entire Bible cover to cover. It can be in 90 days, it can be in a year. But start in Genesis and read through to Revelation.  

A neat way to do this is by reading it chronologically. The You Version Bible app has a chronological plan you can select which will give you your readings each day. You can also download a PDF here that you can print out and keep in your Bible. 

First Reading, then Interpretation  We can't just skip straight to the application because often, we will be misunderstanding what the text actually means. We can't apply the text and the meaning to our own lives until we know what God originally meant to the original hearers of the Word. 

We need to remember that the Bible is a book about God, not about ourselves. When we read looking for ourselves in the text first, we are missing the most important point.  “If I read the Bible looking for myself in the text before I look for God there, I may indeed learn that I should not be selfish. I may even try harder not to be selfish. But until I see my selfishness through the lens of the utter unselfishness of God, I have not properly understood its sinfulness. The Bible is a book about God. As Moses would learn during the Exodus, who he was bore no impact on the outcome of his situation. Who God was made all the difference.” – Women of the Word, page 27

Getting Started:  1) Look at the bigger picture "Our purpose in studying must be to look for that Big Story each time we go to the Scriptures. We must study asking not just what a particular portion of Scripture wants to tell us, but how that portion of Scripture is telling us the Big Story of the Bible as a whole. Studying the Bible with purpose means keeping its overarching message in view at all times, whether we are in the Old Testament or the New, whether we are in the Minor Prophets or the Gospels. In order to do this, we must "zoom out" from any one particular book or passage and gain an appreciation for how it plays its part in unfolding the Big Story."- Women of the Word, page 51 2) Study with perspective  Questions to ask when studying: 

Who Wrote It? When was it written? To whom was it written? In what style was it written? Why was it written?

5 Steps to Deeper Bible Study  1) Read the text Jen recommends you print out the passage so you can mark it up, write question marks, and even write "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!?" 2) Read repetitively "The historical, cultural, and linguistic gap that exists between the Bible and its modern-day reader makes repetitive reading a critical tool in our attempts ot build comprehension. Simply put, we are probably not going to catch what the author intended to communicate in one reading. The first step in comprehending a text is reading it several times from start to finish. We wouldn't expect to read once through a scene in Shakespeare's King Lear and come away with a clear understanding of what it says. Nor should we expect to be able to do so with the Bible." - Women of the Word, page 91

3) Read once and then begin annotating the text Jen suggests that after your first read through, you then begin marking up the text.