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You know that feeling when you haven’t seen a good friend in a really long time?  And you sit down over lunch and you’re talking so fast that you can’t breathe?  And the server has to keep returning to your table because you haven’t looked at the menu yet because there’s so much to say??? That’s me today. It has been a year since I last spoke to you in real time, because I’ve been reading through my book, Mom, You’re Amazing. So, today I’m catching you up on what’s going on in my life and what’s next for The Balanced MomCast. Click here for show notes. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Today I’m sharing a metaphor for this crazy ride called motherhood and a few "other things I want to tell you." If you’ve been listening from the start, thanks for sticking with it—and I’d appreciate it if you could leave a quick review on Amazon or Goodreads to let other moms know what you loved about the book. This is The Conclusion of Mom, You’re Amazing! And Other Things I Want to Tell You. Listen in. To purchase a copy of the book and read along, click the link below. To listen from the beginning, you can start at EP253 JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

It never ceases to amaze me what the Lord teaches me in a year. In January 2019, I wrote out the list I’m reading today–which includes several things that changed my life forever (Abide! Podcasting! Plant-based eating!). This is Chapter 48: The final round-up of What I Learned Last Year.  JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

I never want to be the older mom who discourages the younger mom, but neither do I want to be the mom who paints such an unrealistic picture of family life, that no one can relate to me. If you're a mom who is going through a hard season of parenting teens, you are not alone. Today I lay out the truth about parenting teens–the bad and the beautiful.  Also, Happy New Year, and thank you for being here.  JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Merry Christmas! It’s time for another edition of “What I Learned Last Year.” Circa 2016. This list is especially fun because I give my first hint that I will start a podcast and mention writing a Bible study on balance which later became my first book! This list covers everything from goal-setting and TV binges to monitoring teens on the internet and caffeine intake. This is Chapter 46: What I Learned Last Year, Vol 2, Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Reflecting on two of the most exhausting years of parenting, two things stood out to me—two things that others did that gave me new energy. If you know a tired mom, I’m sharing two simple ways you can help her feel alive again. This is Chapter 45: Be a Life-Giver to a Tired Mom. Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

If I could retitle this essay, I’d name it: "For the Mom Who Idolizes Productivity." Or maybe, "For the Mom Who Keeps Raising the Bar." Because while it’s true this is an essay about a time I sent my kids back-to-school and had a meltdown, the bigger truth is that it’s a time I gave myself a pep talk about silencing my evil inner critic.  This is Chapter 44: For the Mom on the Verge of a Back-to-School Meltdown. Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

I wrote this essay after talking with a friend who was at a doctor’s office and witnessed a teen openly disrespecting his mom. My friend was outraged that the mom said nothing in response and was expecting my approval. Instead, I sided with that mom. This is Chapter 43: Dear Mom of the Mouthy Teen: an Open Letter. Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Who knew that the decisions I made in 2015 would still be affecting me so profoundly now in 2025? As we approach the end of the year, I hope this list inspires you to make some decisions of your own that stand the test of time. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Of all the essays I’ve written in this book, I think this is the one I’ve personally shared the most often with my personal friends. It’s hard-fought wisdom from the toughest years of parenting on record. This is Chapter 41: Six Strategies for Staying Calm When Your Teen is Freaking Out. Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Some people struggle to offer apologies. But I have the opposite problem: I apologize too often. That isn’t a humble brag, like, “I don’t know why, but I’m just soooo generous. I just loooooove giving away my money and my time to people." No. Apologizing too often for the wrong things is messed up. In this essay, I explain why.  Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

Making decisions as a parent can be tricky. Often, we lack all the facts–either because our child is withholding them or because the child doesn’t have them either. Thankfully, God has all the facts, and He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide and direct us—in the form of a gut feeling. That’s what I’m talking about today. Listen in. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

I grew up in the 70s and 80s where I never learned about sexual purity. Then, I started parenting in the late 90s on the tail end of the Purity Movement. Neither of those approaches worked well for me as a mom. Today I share what did. JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

For me, middle school was the most challenging season of parenting, hands down. It wasn’t all bad, but it was tricky and confusing. If you have a middle school student, this essay alone is worth the price of admission. Today, I offer you literally everything I know about parenting through this short season.  JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance

If you know me at all, you're already aware that I have a complicated relationship with social media. What you may NOT know is that this complication began almost immediately after I joined back in 2008. And I’ve been writing about social media and its effect on me since that time. This is an essay I wrote 11 years ago after a 20-day Facebook break.  Is it time for YOU to break up with social media? Take the quiz and find out.  JoinThe Abide Sessions—a weekly, premium spiritual formation membership for women craving depth, clarity, and a steady rhythm with Christ. Weekly Zoom. A full Bible study. Community. Peace. Want to abide more deeply this year? Learn More Here. We'd love to have you.  Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance  Website: The Scoop on Balance