What is a divine mission? Just as the Lord knew Jeremiah and ordained him to be a prophet in Israel (Jeremiah 1:5), I believe the Lord knew each person who has come to the earth and asked them to fulfill certain mortal missions. Wendy Watson Nelson says, “premortally you and I were each given wonderful … Read more
Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. . . . and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 2 Kings 6:16-17 God could be speaking to us here. Whenever we falter in the face of temptation or trial, they … Read more
It has been a rough week. I had a lot of doubts at the beginning of this week, whether my experience matters or is helpful to anyone. My husband was quick to counteract those thoughts. As was Darla’s post on Instagram, plus a few other posts I saw, but can’t find now. But those thoughts … Read more
Kids are reading at younger and younger ages. We have a little friend who played with literacy apps and taught herself to read before she turned four. When my oldest was four, I felt like I needed to teach him to read. It seemed that all of the other mothers I knew were teaching their … Read more
If you look up research done in preschool and kindergarten classrooms, you’ll discover that their abilities to read, write, count, or identify patterns is only indicative of how well they do on tests. But the future success of our young children is closely linked to their social-emotional skills. A recent study found that fourth-graders “who … Read more
The summer before my son started kindergarten I was talking to another mom at church with a son the same age. When she found out I had decided to homeschool, she said something to the effect of, “You’re so brave.” I didn’t feel brave. But she wanted to know where I got the confidence to … Read more
It’s getting to the season when so many of us look forward to the fresh start of the new year. I seem to look forward to the fresh start of each new season. Every few months I am looking for ways to set new goals (though I could definitely use some better structure in that … Read more
Imagine you’re living in the 1800s on a homestead. You’re living in this cute little log cabin (let’s ignore the fact that it would be freezing in the winter) and there isn’t a technology screen in sight for the next 100 years. Your little kids play happily in the dirt with a few homemade toys … Read more
I’ve been thinking a lot about the desire we as parents have to help our kids reach their greatest potential. Because of this desire, we tend to think that we need to expose our kids to hundreds of different activities and experiences (not to mention ideas and opportunities). The sooner we find out what they’re … Read more