Two-sides of the tipping dilemma — We’ve all been there. You’ve placed your order, insert your credit card, and you’re about to sign. But first, how much should you tip? As someone who has never worked in food service (I was a retail clothing girl), I tread lightly. People in the service industry work hard. It…

Meaningful gifts that won’t break your budget this holiday season — Every year I set out to buy gifts with the right frame of mind and heart. And every year, it ends in frustration. I genuinely desire to give gifts I think the receiver will enjoy, but I am stuck between this desire and the realities of my budget. No one…

The incidence of autism is going up, is the quality of long-term care going down? — We know the number of children diagnosed with autism is up from previous years. Therefore it follows that twenty years from now the incidence of adults with autism will be up. We will have more vulnerable people in our communities in need of our compassion and care in the coming…

Perhaps pursuing happiness is the true source of our strife — I love America. I have been a citizen of this country since birth. Though it is a very different country now from the 70s and 80s of my earliest memories, I still am proud to be an American. But I’m not supposed to say that anymore. There is a whole…

Fall is a season of change, but we must cling to the One who doesn’t — There is so much constantly changing around us. Fall itself is a season of change. As a creature of habit, I dislike these changes. I struggle with my kids moving up a grade each year. One of mine is now a middle schooler; he left elementary school behind for good…

God sees and hears — I’m in the thick of mothering children who need my help a lot. They are no longer toddlers but one has severe special needs and the other is in middle school without the executive functioning skills of a young adult. My daily routine consists of making meals, rotating laundry, making…

Your household will run smoother with these simple life hacks — In our grab-and-go world, we are all looking for shortcuts. We want tips that will help us accomplish more and keep the pace of everyone around us. Now, I am not saying that I am endorsing the overcommitted, overproducing lifestyle. There are costs for sure. However, we live in the…

When hanging on to what was before COVID is no longer an option — I think we can all agree COVID has outstayed its uninvited welcome. It has affected our normal routines for longer than we expected. Initially, the fear and anxiety we felt caused us to hunker down and muscle through. It’s been 18 long months. There is no end in sight. We…

How can you grow smaller so His Kingdom can grow bigger? — COVID sent our family spiraling about school options. (I know we are not alone in this dilemma.) With one medically fragile child to be especially protective of, which option was best for our family? Virtual, in-person, homeschooling, unschooling? We decided on homeschooling and I spent a year of being small. …