August 16, 2018

You ARE a Good Mom

August 16, 2018/ Erin Cox

You're a good mom. And I should know- I'm a good mom too, so I'm qualified to judge.

Here's how I know that we are both good moms:

I've yelled at my kids.
I've criticized them.
I can be impatient and distracted.
I've overexpected.
I've underestimated.
I've failed to discipline them.
I've disciplined them too rashly.
I've packed up and left them for a whole weekend because I needed a break so badly.
I've wondered what in the world I was thinking to have had so many.
I've failed to know one of them had learning disabilities and criticized her for her "disobedience and laziness."

I've also felt shame, self-hatred, condemnation, overwhelming guilt, and humiliation over every single one of those things. If you can fail in some way as a parent- I've done it.

August 10, 2018

If I Hear "Mama" One More Time

August 10, 2018/ Erin Cox

In the last 20 minutes, I've literally heard the beckoning of "Mama" 38 times. Literally. To keep my sanity, I started counting. As I lay my youngest down to sleep, I pondered the huge milestones we'd met this week of potty training and weaning all intermingled with the frustration and just plain exhaustion of, "Mama, Mama, Mama."

In my heart, I cried out to the Lord to strengthen, encourage, and bless me for the rest of this day and all that it still held... And for the many, many "Mamas" that had yet to be said...

July 31, 2018

The Ultimate List of Health Must-Haves (for Every Mom)

July 31, 2018/ Erin Cox

Do you love a recommendation from a friend as much as I do? I love to read reviews and hear the best experiences (and the worst) so I kind of know what to expect. BUT the best recommendations come from an unbiased friend. I especially want to hear from my friends who have lots of kids, lots of responsibilities, and lots of things pulling her in every direction- just like I do! I need to hear what has worked for her and how it's made her life better... because isn't that all what we are looking for? We desire the stamina to live a life worthy of our calling and to avoid sickness as MUCH as possible!

I've walked through a very unhealthy few months. Between being accidentally glutened a few times and the resulting gut damage and deficiencies from that, then finding mold in our new home which kept me sick for months, I've become very refocused on healing my body and getting adequate rest so that I can be the wife and Mom I like to be. Sometimes our own health can be the hardest habit to maintain.

Here are my top 5 favorite things that have been helping me nourish my body, restore balance, and prepare healthful meals for my family as we get back into the "school" swing of things and recover from prolonged sickness:

July 30, 2018

How You're Sabotaging Motherhood (and don't know it)

July 30, 2018/ Erin Cox

Breast or bottle.
Forward-facing or rear-facing.
Homeschool or public school.
Attachment parenting or cry it out.
Baby wearing or stroller.
Store bought puree or baby led weaning.
Cloth or disposable.
Early education or delayed instruction.
Formal lessons or unschooling.
Classical or Charlotte Mason.
Textbooks or living books.
Crafts or free play.
Packed lunch or lunchroom.
Organic or not.
Essential oils or a doctor visit.
Paleo or convenience foods.
Homeschool for life or homeschool for now.
Time outs... Positive reinforcement... Or spanking?
And let's not even get into the decisions we make with our teenagers!

It never ends. As moms, we make thousands of decisions daily, big and small, and no matter where we look, our friends, family, media, and experts are all telling us (directly or indirectly) that we are doing it WRONG. The world shouts that out of all the choices, the one we made isn't the BEST. There's a better way...

July 24, 2018

How to Pursue Excellence Rather than Perfection

July 24, 2018/ Heather Margiotta

Criticism is something I’ve battled my entire life. It came from extended family members, friends, acquaintances, leaders, and even strangers.

My earliest memory dealing with it was as a small child. Being criticized for being a female while all my cousins and sibling were males was constant. Growing up in a family where my extended relatives praised males was challenging. I never felt enough, no matter how hard I tried.

As a young adult, I worked under a leader who didn’t fully agree with women in ministerial roles. I found myself receiving the same sort of criticism I did as a child. Nothing I did was ever good enough, and every time I opened my mouth I was told I said something wrong. I was given clear instructions, followed them exactly, but somehow I was still critiqued. It was constant, and it was heartbreaking. It crushed my spirit.

June 11, 2018

Encouragement in Shifting From Surviving to Thriving (VLOG)

June 11, 2018/ Erin Cox

Even the best homeschool mom faces days or weeks where she questions if she should quit or not- sometimes after a year and sometimes after 5. Other times, we can also recognize that we've not taken the time to really reflect on our WHY for educating at home or cast a true vision for our homeschool. Those are both INCREDIBLY important.

In this video, I discuss why this matters, along with ending with some general "points of refreshment" that I use to encourage myself during challenging seasons. It could be called "A List of What I Have Learned." I hope you enjoy!

May 29, 2018

How to Effectively Discipline Your Child Using God's Word (Cheat Sheet!)

May 29, 2018/ Erin Cox

I'll confess up front, I do NOT have this all figured out. After four kids, I've been blessed with the wisdom to know I will NEVER have it "all figured out." In general, my life is like herding cats... drunk cats. On a daily basis, I lose my cool on someone, get totally irritated with dealing with the SAME SIN ISSUE again and again, and almost weekly I unabashedly question my sanity for even making all these tiny little crazies in the first place. I mean, I LOVE them... but WHY does it have to be so hard sometimes?

But the fact of the matter is, it's hard because of sin. It's hard because I'm a big sinner raising little sinners. We are all far from perfection, and our only hope is found in Christ alone. It's my profound duty and honor to daily seek out this sin, reveal it, and direct our hearts toward Jesus so that we can all pursue righteousness.

April 25, 2018

I'm Impatient with My Kids {Because I'm Distracted}

April 25, 2018/ Erin Cox

I want to openly admit that I've been completely distracted lately... by an overwhelming to-do list, endless obligations, spreading myself thin, and spending WAY too much time on social media. It has resulted in my being irritable and impatient with my kids.

The insane amount of time I spend on my phone is one of those things that I've been "aware" of for some time, but it's also something I find myself making a ton of excuses about. I work online so I need access to my email, my blog, and my social media. Plus I'm a stay at home mom with littles, so I don't get out and have many adult conversations. I have friends and family who don't live close by, so I need to keep up with their lives too. Plus, those same family and friends want to see what we're up to. RIGHT? And with many life changes going on right now and various tasks popping up left and right... of course my mind is overflowing 24/7. My brain is an internet browser with 4.7 million tabs open at all times.

April 03, 2018

Shift From Surviving to Thriving in Your Homeschool (FREE 14-Page Workbook!)

April 03, 2018/ Erin Cox

Have you ever noticed that it seems that many homeschoolers don't necessarily choose home education for themselves? It seems to choose them? So sometimes we come into it a bit overwhelmed, making decisions as we go, sometimes making one mistake after another.... (raising hand!)

Sometimes it ends up being more than we signed up for. We may even consider quitting. Or maybe we aren't that far into questioning our choices, but we also know there has to be a better way.

Maybe you started homeschooling out of necessity, and you jumped in hurriedly?
Maybe you just dove in hoping for the best, but you weren't sure what to expect?
Maybe you thought you had it figured out, but life circumstances, learning disabilities, personality conflicts... something... came in and derailed your plans?
Maybe things aren't going so badly, but you also don't feel like you're thriving like it seems others are?
Maybe you're kind of new and feeling overwhelmed, unsure of how to make decisions when there are just SO MANY options and opinions out there?

March 14, 2018

How to Cultivate the HABIT of JOY

March 14, 2018/ Erin Cox

We make THOUSANDS of small decisions daily, my friend.

Should I get out of bed?
Should I work?
Should I cook breakfast?
Should I shower?
Should I drive safely?
Should I respond to this text?
How should I respond to my husband?
When should I respond to my whining child?

Opportunities to decide come relentlessly. We make so many in a day that we develop habits to overcome the overwhelm of the constant thinking required for all of these decisions. We don't think through EVERY single decision. At some point, we made a decision in the past, and it went well, so we settled into following those ruts so that we no longer have the stress of having to make that decision every single time. Our habits help us cope with the magnitude of the everyday.

Basically, we set our lives on auto-pilot, and we do this despite the fact that our habits (pre-decided decisions) change our lives.

Our habits don't just CHANGE our lives; they ARE our lives.