If I Had Four More Arms and One More Brain
Photo submitted by Karin Brown “If I had four more arms and one more brain, I might be able to help you.” This phrase is uttered a lot around my house lately. With five children demanding my attention...
View Article10 Ways to Achieve Mommy Burnout
There are few topics that allow me to present myself as an expert, but this is an exception. There have been many times during my almost 15 years as a mother when I have experienced–maybe even asked...
View ArticleBack to School and Back to Basics
It is that time again. . .back to the balancing act. The start of school is just around the corner and I am preparing myself to start juggling homework, lunches, and after school activities. We have...
View ArticleSelf-Care Is Not Selfish
One afternoon, my 16-year old daughter Taylor came home for her lunch break. When she heard music blasting, she took the stairs two at a time and pushed open my bedroom door. What she found was her mom...
View ArticleUnhealthy Stress & Habits? Break the Cycle! Episode 87
Do the demands of life and motherhood leave you feeling depleted, frazzled, overwhelmed, and inadequate? Would you like to feel more peace, happiness, and love in your daily life—love for yourself,...
View ArticleStiff Laundry, Soft Lessons
My 10-year-old daughter got in trouble and was consequently displaying a very poor attitude. So, I–the ever exasperated mother–braised her eardrums, “You walk your friend home this instant, and then go...
View ArticleWhy I Go to Bed with Dirty Dishes in the Sink – Episode 109 [Audio Post]
Ever feel like you simply need a break? Do you feel guilty if you sit down to rest at night…especially if there are still dishes in the sink? This wise post by Pricilla Dickinson has really resonated...
View ArticleNew Year’s Goals That Fit Our Current Stage
After a wonderful post-Christmas week in southern California visiting my husband’s family, we’re on the road heading back home. I’m sure we’ll be taking many bathroom breaks, and there have already...
View ArticleBuilt to Last
Endurance—it’s what separates us from the animals! I don’t have much endurance in the traditional sense. I mean, running marathons—that’s not me. I run because it’s a quick and cheap exercise. Slap on...
View ArticlePermission to Breathe
I hold my breath when I’m stressed. It’s totally unintentional, but when my hands can’t keep up with what my heart wants to do, my inner critic tries to convince me that I am a loser mom. Am I...
View ArticleEating My Words
Can I take you back seven years? Seven years ago, my children were ages four, two, and one. Seven years ago, I had things all figured out for “older” children. I assumed once diapers, whining, and...
View ArticlePower of Moms Pick: This School Year, I’m Cutting Myself Some Slack
Are you feeling excited but also overwhelmed by the new school year? In a recent article on Babble.com titled “This School Year, I’m Cutting Myself Some Slack,” author Victoria Fedden muses on the...
View ArticleOrganizing a Beautiful Life that Fits on One Plate – Episode 127 [Audio Post]
We all know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed. I think that’s a daily occurrence for most mothers. But what do we do when we feel like we can barely breathe? A friend of mine once shared some wise,...
View ArticleHow My Son’s Routine Chart Helps Me Be a Better Mom
This morning, I found myself lying face-down on the wet sidewalk leading up to my front door. No, I hadn’t slipped on the dewy grass while going to get the mail or been attacked by a neighborhood...
View ArticleA Super-Specific Prescription for the Overwhelm – Eric and April Perry –...
These are the indicators I check when I am feeling overwhelmed: sleep, nutrition, water, time with Eric, time to read and think, sunlight, exercise, and balanced hormones. So simple…but so easy to miss...
View ArticleBringing Home Baby
I recently had a baby—three boys now in my crew. We were so happy for this new addition, and the older boys (ages three and five) seemed very excited to welcome their little brother. When they came...
View ArticleHold the Pose: What Yoga Taught Me about Motherhood
You should know straight off that I’m not a yoga person. I like it. I do. But the sensation I hate more than anything else in the world is the fiery, fibers-slowly-ripping feeling of a stretching...
View ArticleWhat if I Don’t Like Playing with My Kids?
I was recently with a group of my trusted mom-friends when I sheepishly admitted that I don’t like playing with my kids. Don’t get me wrong—I like my kids. A lot. I just don’t really like Thomas the...
View ArticleQuiet Time WORKS! with Desiree Ward and April Perry – Episode 174
In this podcast Desiree Ward talks about how she has implemented daily quiet time with her children. April and Desi share their top tips for making quiet time a success for you and your children! For...
View ArticleHow One Phone Conversation Helped Me to Stop Feeling “Mom-Guilt”
My friend Laney has a big, bold personality. She is confident and unapologetic about the things that matter to her—and she always says it like it is. I, on the other hand, am naturally prone to...
View ArticleCleaning Out Your Internal Closet
This article was originally published on May 11, 2011 as “Cleaning Out Your Closet.” Several years ago a friend said to me, “You don’t seem like yourself lately. You don’t seem happy.” Later that...
View ArticleOrganizing Tips to Match Your Style
This article was originally published on April 27, 2011. I’ve always loved organizing tips. It’s fun to learn new ways to sort, process, and complete tasks and projects, but once I became a mother,...
View ArticleLife Balance with Christy Wright and April Perry – Episode 206
With everything that happens inside of a family, who doesn’t need a little more life balance? Christy Wright, an amazing mother, author, speaker, and member of the Dave Ramsey team, has some incredible...
View Article10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Postpartum Depression
Just minutes after my son Neel was born, he developed serious health problems that led him to the Neonatal ICU for a fortnight. When he came out of the NICU and I brought him home, I started fighting...
View ArticleBack-to-School Dinner Routines
Ah, September! It’s one of my favorite months of the year. Not only does September mark the coming of autumn, but it also means back to school. And back to school means back to schedules and routines–a...
View ArticleIntroduction to November’s Value: Peaceability
Introduction “Peaceability” means understanding, calmness, patience, control, and accommodation — essentially the opposite of anger, losing one’s temper, impatience, and irritation. Just as there are...
View ArticleStaying Calm in a Perfect Storm–April Perry [Season 2, Episode 4]
After 18 years of motherhood, I (April) have finally noticed a pattern in what causes me to be calm–or not. (I know…light bulb moment!) There’s a little chart to explain it more in the show notes,...
View ArticleGetting Over the Perfection Infection – with Jill Savage [Season 2, Episode 5]
Jill Savage is an amazing woman. But not just because she speaks, writes, shares goodness and leads thousands of people around the world. It’s because she’s real. And she knows how to look at...
View ArticleCreating Picture Books to Help Children Adjust to Change
Big changes can be tough on kids, especially young children. They don’t always have the knowledge or verbal ability to understand or talk about what they are experiencing. As a result, they may express...
View ArticleA System to Prevent Fights Before They Start
I remember well the multitude of fights that occurred in our household when I was a child because each child believed he or she should be the one to choose the music in the car, or the TV show we...
View ArticleSelf Care, Enjoying Moments, and Being Happy when Everything Isn’t...
We have three great posts highlighted in this week’s podcast– in audio form so you can enjoy these beautiful insights from three other deliberate mothers. Check out the question and challenge at the...
View ArticleEncore Audio Post: Inspiration for a No-Stress Summer [Season 2, Episode 16]
Are you getting worried about summer? Often we want to use this season wisely and well, but be relaxed at the same time. We want to spend time with our kids, but we also don’t want them to drive us...
View ArticleFor Moms with a Spouse Who Is Often Away
One of the most frequent comments I heard the year before my husband started medical school was, “Good luck being a single mom!” That comment rubbed me the wrong way every time. “He’s going to school,...
View ArticleBook Summary: It’s Here Somewhere
Title: It’s Here Somewhere Author: Alice Fulton & Pauline Hatch Basic Overview: This is my go-to book for streamlining and organizing my home! I “met” the book at a Dejunking Class held at my...
View ArticleSneaking In “Me Time”
When my in-laws came to visit this past summer, my mother-in-law was kind enough to bring along the magazines she’d already read so I could enjoy them. I usually read magazines in the bathtub as I...
View ArticleSeven Tips to Shake Off the Winter Blues
Winter is here! This time of year is hard for me–January and February specifically. I love Spring, Summer, and Fall, but Winter gets me down. It’s cold, dark, and the days seem to drag on forever. I...
View ArticleAudio Post: Saying No | What “No” Means to Me | Getting Everything Done...
On making decisions: It feels good to say what we mean- and Alisha Gale teaches us four basic strategies that help her to feel comfortable saying, “No” when she needs to. Danielle Porter knew that...
View ArticleHow to Balance Marriage and Motherhood with Self-Care
If there is anyone who deserves a week devoted entirely to being pampered, it’s moms! However, as a busy mom, I know that between work and family obligations, a spa day isn’t always possible. The life...
View ArticleReconnecting With Yourself after Kids
After my second baby was born, I was an emotional wreck. I had two babies 18 months apart and my husband’s job often required him to work 50 to 60 hours each week. I was alone with my kids a lot....
View ArticleWhat NOT to Regret
I remember, after I had three children, I needed to do some soul-searching and life-changing. Out of necessity, I had grown a hobby into a business. I was still at home all week, but I would fit...
View ArticleFind You. Be You.
I know we’re already a quarter of the way through the year, but I still find myself thinking about what my aspirations are for the year ahead (besides growing a baby), and assessing what is really...
View ArticleElectronics: What I Wish I’d Known About Teens and Devices
Parenting in the age of electronic devices is new and uncharted territory for many of us. Our teen-aged daughters saved their money and paid for half the cost of their iPad Minis a few years ago....
View ArticleNo Sick Days For Mom
It’s a well-recorded and bemoaned fact that mothers don’t get sick days. In this profession, if I were to check out for a day to nurse a sub-par body, 1) chaos would ensue and, 2) number 1 wouldn’t...
View ArticleWould Your Child Stare At A Screen All Day If You Let Them?
One exhausting morning, when I was seven months pregnant with my son Spencer, I set my four-year-old, Ethan, at the computer with a couple of CD-Roms, and I dozed on the couch next to him. Three...
View ArticleQuitting Time
Before I became a mother, my favorite time of day was quitting time—that most beautiful of hours when I could put everything away, lock the doors, shuck the worries of the office, and head home. I...
View ArticleStop and Smell the Crayons
My husband offered to take my son with him to run errands the other day and I thought, “Yes! I can finally get to those piles in my bedroom that are driving me crazy.” My next thought was, “Hmm…I...
View ArticleAdventures in Mommy Wonderland
“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice. “You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.” (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.) Some days, I feel a little like Alice,...
View ArticleTraditions Stressing You Out? Try These 3 Tips
I recall the moment when a favorite gesture of mine became tradition. I climbed the basement stairs, arms loaded with clean laundry, to see my husband making lunchtime sandwiches for the kids. He had...
View ArticleHow to Renegotiate with Yourself
One October, when life was feeling happy and we were in the midst of living up the family traditions, I signed up to bring a crock pot of chili to a local Halloween celebration my family was planning...
View ArticleHave You Checked in with Yourself Today?
Like most mothers, my life is full and busy with family and work, and often there’s little time left for me at the end of the day. But the one thing I make time for at least once a day is to check in...
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