Hi Reader, A few nights ago, sitting around the dinner table, someone made the light-hearted comment, "Nobody's perfect." My 7-year-old daughter, who doesn't speak a lick of sarcasm, dead-panned, "I am." The rest of us chuckled, because, well, that's funny right? But she continued to look dead serious. We confirmed, "Niki, you're really perfect?" She didn't hesitate but nodded assertively. We didn't correct her. Because who's to say she isn't? She's already battled a lot in her short life...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, It has been a minute or two since I've shown up here. (Unless you're new and just finished the welcome series, in which case...lucky you!) One excuse is that I've been busy. But I also just haven't felt like writing. There's a certain vulnerability required to present myself authentically, and I haven't had the heart or energy for it. It's been a year, you know? I've experienced a ton of change and strain, and I'm plain old wiped out by it all. There have been more than a few days...
over 1 year ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, I dropped my 3-year-old off at his first day of preschool last week. I prepared myself for some clinging to my leg and tears. Or at least a little resistance. Instead, he hardly looked back. I was the one with tears. I was reminded yet again how I hold on to my kiddos with an "open hand" posture as they grow and mature. I love them. I guide them. But I can't grasp them (well at least not figuratively; I still hold pretty tight when we cross the street). Open-handedness is not just...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, For anyone feeling a little (or a lot) of stress, one of the first questions you can ask yourself is whether you're taking on more responsibility than you need to. I started a new job a couple of months ago, working with my husband Marc at our family staffing and recruiting agency. A few weeks in, a senior member of our team left to take another job. While I had been training as a recruiter, my role suddenly shifted to employee onboarding, payroll, and benefits administration. (If...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, My oldest son is about to turn 15 (!) Raising 5 kids has been a journey full of all the peaks and valleys. Over these 15 years, I've personally experimented with all kinds of lifestyle approaches including working full-time from home (waaaaay before working remotely was all that common), being a full-time at-home parent, doing freelance work on the side, homeschooling, sending kids to school, and now working in an office about 30 hours a week. I appreciate that this audience is...
almost 2 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, I started taking piano lessons when I was around 7 years old. I continued them through my senior year of high school. Day after day, week after week, I learned the fundamentals of music. Later I learned to play the clarinet in my high school band and sing on the church worship team. I'm not a great musician. But I'm glad I learned all the same. As I was reflecting once about my music lessons, I kept thinking about my piano teacher, Carol. I stayed with her the entire time. I went...
almost 2 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, Three weeks ago I started working in an office for the first time in over fifteen years. We own a staffing and recruiting agency that my husband Marc took full leadership of a little over a year ago after working under his dad. It has been a roller coaster of a journey for our family during this time, inside and outside of the business. I'll just skip to the part where I step in to help. (Warning: I may or not have a lot of "life lessons from the office in the coming weeks...😜) It...
almost 2 years ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, It's decision time: your opportunity to enroll in my stress management academy for $30 off ends tonight! In case you missed the details, Chaos to Calm teaches a step-by-step process, based on biblical principles, for overwhelmed, exhausted women to take their lives back and be who God created them to be. By the end of this program, you'll learn how to create a personal action plan that can help you choose rest, lead a calmer, healthier, happier life, and spend time doing what you...
almost 2 years ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, With the Chaos to Calm sale ending on Wednesday, you may know that this program will help you have a healthier approach to stress, but at the same time, you may have some questions that are holding you back… Or even some worries, fears, or limitations getting in the way… I want things to be as clear as possible for you, so I’m going to try and answer the big questions and concerns I've heard: Who is this program for? This program is for anyone who is tired of feeling overwhelmed,...
almost 2 years ago • 4 min read