"...There was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2... more

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11)

It’s easy to get “caught up” as a parent, in disciplining your child, particularly if they have a myriad of behavioral, emotional and social issues. We want our children to “be okay” when they grow up, so we stress certain behavior to them.

But one underutilized tool is the “word fitly spoken.” I see the effects my words have on the faces of all of my children. They can be crestfallen, or light up like the sky on the fourth of July!

Of... more

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13, NASB).

I will not repeat the lyrics of the song my daughter composed for my birthday, as my age features in it prominently (though I think that’s very funny!), but today is my (mumble)-eth birthday. Last night, my kids took me to a store where you can create your own stuffed animal. The animal I chose had a portion of his purchase price as a donation to several charitable organizations dealing with special health needs. Therefore, I made Humphrey a bear with multiple special... more

Recently an email came around as a forward on our homeschool loop at Yahoo groups. Frequently, I just delete forwards without even looking at them, but something made me read this one. Maybe it was a little nudge from the Holy Spirit. Shannon Ethridge who is the author of Every Woman’s Battle and coauthor of Every Young Woman’s Battle wrote the article being forwarded. The article was only about the way women dress, teenager girls in particular, as that is Shannon’s focus for her books. However, as the mother of several teenage boys, I also insist that they take care in their... more

She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue (Proverbs 31:26).

As I have often shared, I grew up with undiagnosed ADD. My impulsive speech and poor social skills cost me many friendships and years of heartache. To this day, I bear those scars and find it awkward meeting new people for fear I’ll say something wrong.

Because of this experience, I ache when I watch my daughter as she struggles with her often rude behavior. It’s like re-living all the bad stuff all over again. And, maybe that’s why... more

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:37-41; NKJV)

It’s... more

God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able (I Corinthians 10:13; NASB).

In our household, we cover the gamut when it comes to special conditions. We have ADD, PTSD, Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, anemia, spherocytosis, epilepsy…and those are just the ones I can whip up off the top of my head! In a previous post I’ve discussed the topic of parents with special needs. Today, I want to focus on siblings of children... more

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9; NASB)

I’ve been MIA for a couple of weeks and I apologize. The last you heard from me, my son had a couple of seizures that we attributed to the temperature spikes associated with the ear infection he had. After an EEG and a consultation... more

It's been over a week since you have heard from me, and what a week it has been! In the wee hours of the morning last Monday, my oldest climbed into bed with us complaining of headache. He felt warm to the touch as well. We kept him fairly well quarantined from the other children for the day, and thought nothing more of it than perhaps it was some strain his flu shot didn't catch. However, as the day wore on, his temperature began climbing, but then would seem to go back down rapidly. Due to his Type... more

If you’ve followed the Pee Papers, my chronicles of our recent issues with my six-year-old, you’ll know that we’ve implemented some new strategies.

We are on Night 3, Day 2 of “The Solution” and it has restored balance to our home. No stress. No fuss. No consequences. And, though we’ve said all along we’re not... more