As I write this, my house is unusually quiet. The kids went out for the day with friends, so I’m alone with the house noises and chirping birds on the patio. Quiet time, even with only two children, is rare and perhaps even a bit uncomfortable. Even so, I’ve...

Last week, Madilynn enjoyed the summer session at her ballet studio. She started ballet with last year’s summer session. It’s been amazing to watch her learn and grow! Just this past week, I saw how much she’s improved in her skills. She loves her teachers and has made new...

We followed Dietrich’s return from church camp by hosting our Small Group for Sunday evening worship. Sadly, the other kids from our group were either out of town or unable to come, so my children were rather bored with all the “business” talk.  We picked our first tomato from...

Dietrich officially became a teenager and then went off to church camp. Before leaving, we celebrated his birthday with a sleepover and Mario Cake. I was very happy with this newest cake decorating achievement.  I packed all of Dietrich’s camping clothes, sleeping bag, towels, toiletries, and supplies, all in...

I recently stumbled across another link-up that has inspired a rabbit trail of extra reading and research, though admittedly, part of it was accidental. On Sunday evening, the lesson was from Psalm 122, one of the songs of ascent. These songs were sung on the journey to the temple...

As a homeschooling family, we don’t take a “regular break” for the summer. I want the kids (and myself) to have some kind of learning experience every day. This can take several forms. This week Vacation Bible School took the most space in our learning. For us, VBS is...

This week we held a Vacation Bible School at our congregation. For a few years now (except last year when nothing happened), I’ve taught the memory verse/application station during our VBS. I enjoy the challenge of sharing Scripture on multiple levels. I also enjoy how much I learn in...

Each of my children has a unique way of starting their questions to me. Dietrich, who is usually asking to play video games, starts with, “Would it be okay if…” Madilynn, who simply enjoys chatting, starts her many monologues with, “Mama, did you know…” We are working on Dietrich...

When you are a stay-at-home mom, sometimes all the days run together. Many days it seems like Nothing special happens. Part of the reason I enjoy Seven Quick Takes is that I get to evaluate the everyday moments and find the extraordinary within the seemingly mundane.  We began the...

Every Sunday morning, we attend Bible class and worship services (though this looked very different for most of 2020). At some point during the day, I ask the kids what they talked about in Bible class. One Sunday in October 2019, I asked Madilynn what she learned. Here is...