Making Self-Care a Priority I’m not sure which is more nerve-wracking: keeping young children from playing in the street, teaching your older child how to drive, or letting her drive alone. My teen daughter had just left the house and had only been gone 10 minutes when my phone rang. Not good. She opened with, “It’s…

Becoming a mother is a life-changing experience.  It’s also a body-changing experience.  After 9 pregnancies, more than 8 years of breastfeeding or pumping, and 16 consecutive years of having a baby in the family, I can honestly say this “Old Gray Mare” ain’t what she used to be.  Here are my top 10 permanent changes…

An Ordinary Day I sat at my desk, intently focused on the work I was trying to finish.  My 3-year old son climbed into my lap and snuggled against me holding an airplane made of Legos.  I love early morning snuggles with my treasures.  He turned his face toward mine and looked into my eyes. …

What’s so great about having a big family?   When people first learn that we have eight children, their minds usually go straight to the disadvantages—cost, time, food, laundry, sanity.  Most people don’t comment on all the wonderful things about having a big family because often they don’t know and can’t imagine the blessings. It’s…

Even when he asks you to do something “crazy”! I was scared. I had so many doubts and questions. How can I do this? What will people think? What if I fail miserably and cause others to think poorly of Christ? But I had this image in my mind I couldn’t escape of Jesus holding…

Having a larger-than-average sized family generates a lot of questions from curious onlookers.  Because I’ve been fielding the same handful of questions over and over as we travel the globe, I can probably guess what you’re wondering.  So before you ask me, “Are they ALL yours?”, here are my answers to your most likely questions…

What it’s really like to live with 9 other humans When you have 8 kids like we do, people tend to ask a lot of questions, like “WHY?” Many people want to know what it’s like to live in a large family. It’s difficult to describe but here’s a list to get you started. These…