Homeschooling 
What if I told you that as a homeschool parent as your child gets older — especially once they enter their teen years — your primary job is not to pass along information. Nor is your job price-comparing the best textbooks. Your job: look for the inspiration. (Stick with me. I'll explain.) The Metamorphosis of Education Education needs to grow and morph just as our kids do. There was a time—in the elementary years—when education was like a caterpillar. You crawled along as your kids memorized times tables and painstakingly sounded out c-a-t. You watched as your kids molted one curriculum after another—new ...Read More
Foods Gluten-Free for Beginners
Our oldest son used to be a gluten addict. One Christmas, the present he wanted under the tree more than anything was boxed macaroni & cheese. No joke. (And his grandpa actually wrapped some up for him.) But after a lot of research, when we finally decided to take the "gluten-free plunge" as a family, we made a lot of mistakes as beginners—gluten seems to "sneak in" to a lot of things. Store-bought chicken broth. Soy sauce. Salad dressings. And even the scrambled eggs at IHOP. For more gluten-free recipes, tips, and tricks, look no further than our Everything Gluten Free page! But we began to see health ...Read More
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Scones (paleo & sugar-free option)
Nothing says "tea time" like a good scone—well, except for maybe tea. I typically enjoy scones, but finding a good gluten-free recipe that does justice to this traditional Scottish baked good is hard to come by. Bonus: this one has chocolate chips. For more information on gluten free living check out our Everything Gluten Free resource page. Funny thing about scones... First, no one really knows where we get the word "scone" from. Some think it's derived from a Dutch word schoonbroot which means "beautiful bread" or "fine bread," or maybe the Middle Low German word schö̂ne, meaning "fine flour bread." Or ...Read More
Homemade Lemon & Lavender Laundry Soap
I first began dabbling in making homemade laundry soap to save money. We were on a tight budget—anything I could do to save a few pennies here or there helped give us a little more wiggle room. And making my own homemade laundry soap was definitely an easy way I could save money. The lemon & lavender laundry soap also smells absolutely divine! But the more I began to learn about what was actually in most laundry soap, the more I realized we needed to make changes. Fighting Lyme disease, I knew my body didn't need to also contend with all those toxins rubbing on my body through the day. And I certainly didn't ...Read More
20 Easy Habits to Create a Christ-Centered Home
My oldest just turned fifteen, so excuse me for being a little nostalgic. How is it possible that my new-mom days seem like just last week—but at the same time they feel like a lifetime ago? Time is funny that way. Looking back to my early days of motherhood, I remember distinctly that, like all very young moms, I was overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed by the diapers and the feedings and the lack of sleep. But even more, I was overwhelmed by the incredibly high calling that was thrust upon me as my child entered the world. I was utterly in love with my little bundle, and I was frighteningly aware that the stakes ...Read More
Is “Gluten-Free” Biblical? – Wheat and Bread in the Bible
When we first published our book, Weeding Out Wheat, we were attempting to answer a specific cross-section of skeptics: those who believe a gluten-free diet is both (1) unnecessary and (2) unbiblical. In this article, my hope is to address the second concern: since there is both wheat and bread in the Bible (spoken about in positive ways), how can a Christian defend a gluten-free diet? (By the way, if you are looking for gluten-free resources, make sure to check out my Everything Gluten Free resource page.) Now, I get that this might seem like an odd question. For most people, the question of whether ...Read More
How to Use Copaiba Essential Oil
I could tell, even over the phone, Marie was beaming ear to ear. I'd been working with her to help her find an oil to help her ease the chronic pain she'd experienced for the last 10 years. We'd finally landed on a combo that was working wonders. And one of the game-changers was copaiba. She'd also found some other uses for copaiba and couldn't wait to tell me about the success she was having. More on that soon... If you've been wondering how to use copaiba essential oil — you've come to the right place. You'll learn why it's become one of the oils I use pretty much every day (and an oil I frequently reach for to use ...Read More
Should My Family Attend a Gay Wedding? A Christian Perspective
To many people, the question is nonsensical: "Should my family attend a gay wedding?" because the answer is simple: "RSVP the same way you would to any wedding." But for the Christian who believes God is opposed to homosexual relationships, the answered isn't always as cut and dry—especially when the wedding invite is from someone we especially love. There is by no means any consensus among conservative Christians about how to handle an invitation to a same-sex wedding. Much of it comes down to two questions… In your own conscience, does attending a wedding ceremony imply that you are blessing and ...Read More
