Julie
Julie is a Texas-born missionary kid that grew up in New Zealand and finally found her way back to Lone Star state, by way of Missouri and Tennessee. Back in the DFW area, she met her worship pastor husband, Jake, in 2011. In 2013, Julie gave birth to a feisty little boy named Jude. In the summer of 2016, Ella Jene was born and balanced out the family. Julie loves good coffee, thrift stores, and occasionally faking a New Zealand accent. She is also a teacher, a singer, a songwriter, an Alabama fan, a traveler, and a Jesus follower. She considers herself to be an expert in food, music, and mistakes. Julie tells stories about her life and the people in it over at The Potluck Diaries.
If You Love My Kids, Please Respect Their “No”
Affection isn't demanded; it's given freely, or it's not given at all. They need to understand that as friends and family, we are safe people and will respect their boundaries.
So You’re Thinking About Homeschooling
You can create a truly personalized education plan for YOUR child. If something isn’t working, you can change it. This past school year, I changed my son’s math curriculum in November. I also took two months off from phonics, because he was dreading every lesson. Guess what. It was fine.
I’m Sorry I’m a Bad Friend
I know you understand. But I still feel the need to explain. This season of life is demanding. I have young children. They have not learned how to tie their own shoes, make their own sandwiches, or fill their own milk cups. So from the moment I wake up until the time I go to bed, my time is spoken for.
The 30 Best Things to Buy at Aldi
I dare you to try it. Take your grocery list to Aldi, and see how much less you spend! To help you make your list, here are 30 of my favorite items to buy from Aldi.
Raising Race-Conscious Kids
If your kids are young like mine, they may have never mentioned race. They choose playmates without regard to skin color. They have no prejudices, no biases. But our kids are not colorblind. They do notice differences. So we need to give them the words to talk about race and the freedom to have the conversation with us.
Eight Ways We Are Rocking Motherhood This Summer
We have done so many fun things this summer, but friends, I'm tired. I'm tired of drinking my coffee on my patio at 8:00 a.m. and it already being 90 degrees outside. I am tired of my little ones getting tired of the water table exactly six minutes after I fill it up. I am tired of my kids whining because the van is too hot.
I Am a Mom Who Uses WIC
It is a sensitive thing to receive help. It's hard to admit that you qualify for the help. Could we survive financially without WIC? Yes. But while my husband is in school, it has allowed us some financial flexibility we wouldn't have otherwise. Nobody's getting rich, here.