A Slightly Better Wife

Simple Summer

As summer nears, I always find myself making a big Summer Bucket List. I check out all the local events, buy simple crafts for the toddler, bigger projects for the older kids, and maybe even something a little ambitious for myself. I pick up new popsicle molds, vowing we’ll only make homemade frozen ...

The Simple Joys of Motherhood

Motherhood. It drains me and fulfills me like nothing else ever could. If I don’t get too caught up in all that I have to do, I can really practice being grateful for what I get to do. Today I am grateful for laundry. A bathroom floor covered in dirty clothes is a blessing in my eyes. As I pick up a ...

The Power of Words: Choosing Uplifting Labels

I truly believe that the words we use shape how others see themselves and how they see the world. When you tell someone, “You’re smart,” they’re more likely to embrace challenges with confidence. When you say, “You’re organized,” they’ll feel encouraged to nurture that trait. On the other side of ...

Texts From Dad: The Church

From my dad: "This is the church where your mother and I got married." Okay so maybe he isn't very poetic, and this picture doesn’t spark a hundred emotions within you like it does for me, but I know my dad’s big heart and this sure made me smile! Just take another look at the picture, would you? ...

What Should I Take to a Blog Conference?

I’m attending my first Blog Conference next weekend, and I already started thinking a few weeks ago about what I would be bringing with me (aside from my usual necessities, which are my cell phone, a good lip balm, and some cash). I don’t want to take too much stuff with me that I feel like I’m ...

You Can’t Give it if You Don’t Have it- So Get It!

As I got ready for bed one night this week I walked past this sight, in the middle of my living room floor. Our cat, who we call #slightlybetterbrownie on social media, was checking out the tracks left out by my kiddos. Normally I would've told the kids to clean them up before bed, but I was away ...

4 Ways to Improve Your Efficiency in the Office

In no particular order at all, here are my top 4 tips on how you can improve your efficiency in the workplace, specifically the office. I know it’s been quite a few years since I’ve worked in a cubical, but the 4 simple steps in BOLD can be easily adapted for anywhere. Next week I'll tailor this ...

A Tripod Setup For YouTube For Under $35!

.This post contains affiliate links. A camera tripod has been on my Amazon wish list basically ever since I bought my fancy camera back in December of 2014. I’ve been worried about getting a cheap one and it tipping and breaking my camera. I finally ordered one and was so happy when the UPS man ...

Happy 3rd Birthday, Sweet Girl

Sweet Girl, Tonight I am going to put you to bed as a 2 year old. When you wake up (I’m guessing at about 3:30am, and again at 6:30am), you will officially be a 3 year old. Man, just when you got the hang of admitting you were 2, and not 15 when people asked, you’ve got another age to ...

Home Art: Creating a Paint Shirt!

We've been taking on quite a few art projects this year, since switching to Home Art Studio. We are LOVING it! The kids love it because they're actually getting to do more art, and I love it because the materials are so easy to follow and it mostly uses things we already have at home. As a ...

My Heart Today: The Orphans

Photo Courtesy of Courtney Lorenz Photography. My family and I drove home from church today in our Town and Country van. We bought it new, had it custom-fit for our family, and delivered to the same dealership where we had bought our last minivan, just a couple years before that. When we got ...

Happiest Pumpkin in the Patch

My husband agreed to let me bring home the prettiest pumpkin today. He loves me so well, and honestly, he makes me the happiest pumpkin in the patch. It makes me smile to think that my teenage-self found him early on, so I could have all these years to love him, learn from him, and be spoiled by ...

Stop Comparing! Start Encouraging!

I'm feasting on cage free brown eggs with organic garden fresh onions, and sipping a cup of Oolong tea from the cutest Asian Market around all of Minneapolis. & that Hobby Lobby mug, totes adorbs, right? ~BUT WAIT {seriously} ~ Dear Sisters in Christ, PLEASE don't let this snapshot of one meal ...

2015-2016 Curriculum Choices! 7th Grade, 2nd Grade, and Pre-Pre-School

2015-2016 Curriculum Choices! The Fashionista- 7th Grade My oldest daughter has dyslexia, which we see as such a blessing. It means she is so much more inventive than the rest of us; she has an eye for art, and is a lover of all things that take any amount of creativity. Dyslexia is not a curse, ...

One Skillet Green Bean Goodness

I spy a little boy's hand, swiping some bacon. Thanks to my backyard hobby farmer & the amazing God we serve, our refrigerator has been filled with an over abundance of GREEN BEANS! To put this in perspective, I had a whole shelf dedicated to only gallon Ziploc bags that were stuffed full ...

Where Can I Improve?

During the Passion Pursuit Bible Study, I asked my husband a meaningful question: "Where do you think I can improve, or what can I do to be better for you?" Now, you might be expecting something spicy, but this is 100% PG! 😉 Let me tell you, that study is AMAZING, so practical and so ...

An Open Letter To My Adventure Boy, As He’s Turning 8!

Dear Buddy, Just a couple more sleeps and you’ll be 8 years old. 8! I remember when I was pregnant with you, and your daddy and I went to the gender ultrasound. When the ultrasound tech told us you were a boy, we cried tears of happiness. Then we called to tell your great grandpa, Carl (dad‘s ...

The Random Reasons Why We Love Church (And You Should, Too!)

We all have our reasons why we attend church, or don’t. Sometimes I struggle hard with not wanting to attend and be fully present there; other times I don’t struggle at all, I just get in the van and go. This is just a random post, folks. I do have some deep feelings about church, religion, and God, ...

5+1 Car Survival Tips for Parents of Littles

Always keep a bag in the van (because moms don’t drive cars- ha!). Include a spare set of clothes for each kid, cheap t-shirts and shorts work perfectly. If you have a kid in diapers, toss in about five diapers and a pack of wipes. Keep this stash separate from your diaper bag. Trust me: one ...

My 29th Birthday

Yesterday, I turned 29. When I was in 5th grade, I invited every girl in my grade to my birthday party. I hand-wrote the invitations, and my mom drove me all around town to drop them in mailboxes. Back then, RSVPs were practically legally binding… but I got exactly zero in return. I called each ...