by Anna | Aug 24, 2018 | Pumpkin Spice for Your Soul
I wrote another book. It’s been as much a surprise to me as it may be to you, and it’s done. In my hands. ANOTHER BOOK. It’s my favorite project yet. I was so excited when we picked it up today that I dragged my whole family to our favorite little...
by Anna | Mar 7, 2018 | encouragement for moms, lifeblog
Soulful 70’s rock is probably my favorite musical genre. The only other era that comes close to matching the joy of this genre is music of Bing Crosby, Etta James, Eartha Kitt, Judy Garland… The music of the 30’s and 40’s brings me joy, but the...
by Anna | Jan 15, 2018 | encouragement for moms, Parenting
My little girls still have their ‘school’ today, but my kindergartner is off and we are still learning. I’ve been pinning and printing all morning. I sent my son downstairs to ask Alexa about MLK while I got dressed. I’ve pulled storybooks...
by Anna | Jan 3, 2018 | lifeblog
I’m coming off a Hallmark Christmas movie bender. You guys, I’m pretty sure that between Halloween and New Year’s Day I watched FORTY NEW HOLIDAY MOVIES. I’m not even sorry. (It was for WORK. Kind of. OK it was for Facebook live videos with my...
by Anna | Dec 15, 2017 | A Moment of Christmas, lifeblog
I’ve been doing quite a bit of speaking this season, to church groups and moms groups and groups of parents. As I’ve prepared the talks for each gathering, I’ve realized that I am a perfectionist. You could say I’m a perfectionist in recovery, but...
by Anna | Oct 25, 2017 | encouragement for moms, Reader Favorites
It’s cooling down here in Minnesota, snow forecasted this weekend even though we topped at 80 degrees last week. The sticky, long, dog days of summer dredged deep into to September, and now in October the nights and early mornings bring a chill. And the trees . . ....
by Anna | Sep 26, 2017 | lifeblog
Hey, cool mom at Target, I saw you today, with your adorable little one in her bonnet. I’m partial to bonnets myself – nothing sweeter on a baby than a ruffly little bonnet! Anyways, I saw that sweetie pie bat her eyelashes at you and then totally. lose....
by Anna | Sep 20, 2017 | encouragement for moms, lifeblog
Three weeks ago, we started school. Like real school. Kindergarten. You guys remember praying for that little baby we so badly wanted six years ago? NOW HE IS IN REAL SCHOOL. With bells and a teacher and little desks and lunch in the cafeteria and gym class and the...
by Anna | Aug 9, 2017 | lifeblog
I’ve realized recently that I’ve been wearing stress like a badge of honor. I realized that whenever I walked into a room, I was huffing and puffing, rolling my eyes at the circus act that it took to bring three kids in to any place. Which yes, is a sweaty...
by Anna | Jul 25, 2017 | lifeblog
*spoiler alert ahead, in case you haven’t seen Moana yet* I’ve been struggling lately, words unspoken weaving their way into anxiety and outbursts. Right now who I say I am – girl with blog – isn’t all that true. It’s more like...
by Anna | Jul 4, 2017 | at (in)courage
While not anywhere near the entanglement of modern day slavery, there is definitely a culture of enslavement right here in the free world. We are bound, all right. Maybe with proverbial chains, but nonetheless these shackles are our reality: Fear. Low self worth....
by Anna | May 28, 2017 | at (in)courage
I haven’t watched a full broadcast of the 10 o’clock news in years. It seemed to me that each night, the news became darker, more saturated with gloom and despair and evil. And there came a point where I decided that I just wouldn’t watch any longer. I do read...