I hear from a lot of parents who really want their kids to grow up to know and love God. I want so much to support families in this way, so I thought I would share a bit of what we've done with our boys, in case it might encourage a few people...As most of you know, my husband Dave and I have four sons. As I write, they are ages 19, 17, 14, and 8.And as I write, all four of them really, truly, independently love Jesus. (*Levi, my youngest, is just eight, so it's fair to say his faith
Encouragement and faith
Six Things To Do Every Day–Especially When You’re Busy.
6 Important things to do, especially during busy seasons. {**Be sure to scroll down and read a little note in my PS at the end! :) }It's that time of the year again, when everyone seems to be running in different directions. School. Work. Sports. Activities. Sometimes it feels like we're a bunch of ships passing in the night. These are the days we tend to skip workouts, eat meals on-the-go, and fall asleep saying our prayers. I have personally ended more days than I care to admit
A Year of Island Inspirations! (Sign up below!)
Add inspiration to your days...all year long. (scroll down to sign up!)There is no doubt, Hawaii is a special place. I know many of you have visited the islands, and have told me you immediately felt a connection. Some of you say you feel more at home in Hawaii than anywhere else, or that a visit to the islands changed you in some way...maybe profoundly. Some of you live here, and -- like me, you're still discovering this magical place. Others of you, from all over the world, tell me
On Family, Work, and Pursuing Passions…
One of my favorite things about blogging has been getting to know such a variety of people from all over the world who are doing life in a thousand different ways: Young singles who are chasing their dreams, moms who juggle work and home life, amazing homeschooling families, as well as awesome grandmas, and even a few cool guys who work hard and love their families.When it comes to work and family, I just love that we live in a time when there are so many options! With a bit of intentional
Five Ways to Build Bridges When There is Distance in Your Marriage
Recently, my husband and I were running some errands in downtown Honolulu. It was just the two of us, and we were enjoying a little time away from our rowdy boys. But we were both distracted: Dave was getting many calls from the hospital, and thinking about the work waiting for him there…I was going over my mental to-do list, and calculating where and when I needed to pick up our boys.Suddenly, just as we neared a corner where we waited to cross the street, the scene brought me back in
Five Ways to Avoid Mother’s Day Disappointment
5 Tips for avoiding Mother's Day Disappointment Aloha Friends! So...I was not planning to publish this post again this year. Since I wrote it a couple of years ago, and shared it again last year, I thought I'd take a year off. :) But the Today Show Site just published it on their Parenting page, and I had a number of readers tell me they hadn't seen it before...So, I thought I better share it... It has been one of my most read and shared posts (top 10 at least), and it is truly
Tahiti: 4 take-home lessons from the Friendliest people on earth.
Though I've been working on this post a little at a time since Luke and I returned from Tahiti (nearly 2 weeks ago!) I realize it's coming out just in time for Easter weekend. That seems impossible since it was New Years like, last week, (right!?) but I guess the calendar doesn't lie. With that, let me begin by wishing you a Very Happy Easter! I hope you have a sweet and meaningful weekend. (Easter is my favorite holiday and I wish I were dedicating an entire post to it, but my little book
Something New for Praying Moms
On any given day, there's a lot we can worry about as moms. My boys do some crazy things: They surf powerful waves, jump off big rocks, and dive deep caves. Of even more concern to me though is the heart issues that all kids must go through to grow up: Identity issues, relationships, academic stress, questions about their own faith, and so much more.As moms, we carry a heavy burden, don't we?Like many of you, I am a total believer in the power of prayer. Prayer is my greatest