A Guaranteed Parenting Win
With a 21- and 19-year old, we’re on the cusp of figuring out if our experiment worked. Were all those dollars and hours we invested in sports worth it? Did they really learn how to wash their own clothes and pick up after themselves? Were we so strict that […]
2020 Déjà Vu
I vividly remember traveling with our family on vacation when our daughter was 10. From the back of the car, she said “De vu ja!” Since then, her accidentally-improved version of the French phrase always brings a smile to my face when I have that familiar feeling of: “Haven’t I been here before?” In late […]
The Imperfect Christmas
All of us have much to be thankful for… of course. However, being told we should be thankful is about as helpful as someone telling us we should be happy. The reality is that we sometimes need some help finding the gratitude… the “happy.” The last two holiday seasons, I’ve found myself feeling pressure to […]
3 Things to Pray for your Son
The Conlee family recently hit a milestone as our firstborn turned 21. If you’re in the early years of parenting, let me encourage you that you will make it despite how you may feel… and know that having adult children can be an amazing experience. As an empty nester, it’s easy for me to say, “Hold onto every day […]
Silence – Part 2
In my last post, I mentioned my love for silence. Put another way, I’ve been labeled “noise sensitive” (insert eye roll) by my entire family, each of whom apparently functions like the rest of the world, listening to music and other background noise when they want to be productive. I’m not there yet. And while […]
Silence – Part 1
I’m someone who’s especially fond of silence. My family makes fun of me because I require four white walls and the absence of noise to do almost anything productive. If you’ve known me for a while, you’ll also know that I wrote most of my Miss Perfect Bible study in the car… with no music playing, I […]
Talking Trash – Part 2
Words. We take them for granted. When my daughter began speech therapy at age 3, and again when she began tutoring for dyslexia in the third grade, I remember being dumbfounded by the complex number of things that happen from the time our eyes see a group of letters to the end product of saying […]
Talking Trash – Part 1
Someday, I’ll write about the complete craziness of this season of our life. For now, though, let’s just say that I’ve never lived with more spontaneity, more trust, more faith, and (some days) more fear. We have literally been put in a place that necessitates we explore each and every door that God opens. Many […]
Don’t Think
Don’t think. Think. Don’t think. I’m exploring to see if there is actually some merit to this approach. I’ve always been a learner. I read non-fiction to learn. I like to be a student. I like to think. But… there’s a dark side to thinking. It’s one thing to explore new ideas and test hypotheses; […]
Mercy Upon Mercy
I’ve messed up. If you’re old enough to read this, you’ve messed up, too. Messes come in different sizes, and if you have an entire variety pack of different failures, you are perfectly normal. I think about the many times when I’ve lost my cool with my kids. I try not to think about times […]