Family, For the Love of Family

Mary, a Mom like Us

The story of Mary – so simple, so complex, so comforting. Mary is a mother, like so many of my readers. A mother whose heart endured a lot. Mary is just like us, yet not like us. She is the mother to our Savior, who is also her Lord. In his gospel writings, Luke offers some beautiful insights into Mary’s personal journey as a mom. An emotional journey not unlike our journeys today. In the darkness of the night, outside of Bethlehem, the shepherds were suddenly and gloriously notified of Jesus birth. Although they were frightened, they heeded the words […]

Family, For the Love of Family

Organizing Your Family. My Calendar Recommendation

A friend of mine, a mother of three small ones, posted the following question on Facebook: Mom friends…how do you stay organized? Between my husband and I and our work commitments, and the 3 kiddos school/preschool events and due dates, activities, appointments, etc. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed! I currently use outlook for work and a paper planner/calendar for home (yes, I like to write things down, including my to do list), but I am afraid I am going to double-book/overlook things. What works for you? I loved reading the replies from young moms, each wanting to offer was has […]

Food, For the Love of Family

Sunday Night Ignite

Every Sunday evening, Gary and I host a group of  15-20 college-age students in our home. The impetus for these weekly events was a need Gary saw for creating a place for our church college-age kids. I admit, my first reaction was ‘no-way’ – yet the Holy Spirit has a way of confirming a calling to better His kingdom. Once decided, my one desire was to provide a home-made family-style meal. My prayer, “give me the energy and margin to do this Every. Sunday. Night.  I admit, there are Sundays when I would rather not….yet most of the time, I […]

Family, Finances, For the Love of Family

Do This. Checklists for First-Time Home Buyers

Recently one of my clients asked if I had a check-list for buying a home.  My answer was ‘no’, but what a great idea! Purchasing a home is exciting, especially your first one; yet it is also a bit overwhelming. Like anything else, though, you need to think through the ‘cost’ of owning your own home. As a financial coach, my first priority is to assure that the budget is working and good financial planning is in place. Having lived through home-buying mistakes, I desire to help others be wise in making a new home purchase so that the new home […]

For the Love of Family

She was a Bit-O-Honey

Today is Bit•O•Honey ® Day.  Why? It is Christine Newell Murphy’s birthday. My mom’s birthday. She would have been 90 today. Several years ago, when we said good-bye to our sweet mom, sister Pam wrote a beautiful story/tribute. She told of how during our once-a-week six-mile trip to town, mom would sometimes buy ONE Bit•O•Honey ® for us to share. There were six kids and six sections. Six kids. One adult. Six sections. Mom let each of us have one small piece of candy, and she went without. That’s the way she was. She was quiet and sometimes reserved, yet bold […]

For the Love of Family, Raw Footage

Facing Reality

Sometimes reality hits you in the face with a strong blow. My annual visit to the doctor did just that –  slapped me a good one! Certainly proud of my lifestyle choices, I answered the health questions with a bit of smugness: Yes, I brush my teeth twice a day; Yes, I floss; Yes, I participate in a variety of exercise throughout the week including Zumba, walking, and Essentrics. Reality, though, slowly moved into my psyche when asked more clarifying questions: How many times per week  do you exercise? I can’t lie, the average is  two though I want to believe […]