On this (sometimes teary-eyed – sorry!) episode, we’re talking about finding beauty from ashes. Sometimes we face difficult things. Sometimes it’s a minor health setback or car troubles. Sometimes it’s a failed adoption match or another negative pregnancy test. And other times, it’s losing someone you love. These setbacks and heartbreaks are inevitable in life on this side of heaven. But we can still find gratitude, even in the hard seasons.  I want to encourage you to see things through a different lens this week.

Friends, I hope this helps you find perspective during a season of waiting for your adopted child to come. If you’re raising Heartgrown littles, I hope this lifts you up during a time when parenting and life feels heavy.

Praying for you and rooting for you as you journey through your season.

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Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

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Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

Hey friends! On today’s episode of the Heartgrown Mama podcast, we’re talking about the word R.E.N.E.W. and how we can apply this acronym in our motherhood season.

Today, I’ll talk about what we’re reading, educating ourselves with, nourishing our bodies with, enjoying, and writing about.

Join us each month as we record another R.E.N.E.W. episode, where I’ll share things that I’m loving, learning about, and applying to mothering my children. I hope this blesses you!

A few mentions from this episode:

Neurofit App

Calm App

Wild Yam Cream

Write the Word journal

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Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Find our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mama

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

Today we’re talking about infertility leading to adoption. This isn’t always the order of things, but it is seen fairly often.

Does one always lead to the other? Absolutely not!

On today’s episode, we’re going to dive deeper into infertility and how, at least in my story, it was the stepping stone that led me to God’s plan for our family, which was adoption. And while I never saw that plan coming, I think God knew it years before we did.

Buckle up as I share some ways to proceed with caution if you’re considering adoption after infertility.

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Find our PRIVATE community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mama

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

On our third and final episode of our Love Series, we talk about ways to show love to your child (adopted or not!) and, spoiler alert: one of those ways involves showing love and respect to their birth families.

Just like in previous episodes, most of these ideas cost you nothing but time. Time well spent is what we will all remember years down the road. At the end of the day, your children just want YOU!  

Now I challenge you, mamas, to put your phone down, learn their love language, and get into their world. You’ll start to see who they are as little humans, and they will feel seen, known, and loved.   

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Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Find our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mama

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

How can we love and honor ourselves while we wait to adopt a child?

In this sometimes fragile season of waiting, how can we care for ourselves as we would a good friend? Are there things we can say “no” to, and boundaries we can set? Who are you surrounding yourself with? What things can you be doing to spark joy?

Stay tuned for five (mostly FREE!) ways to show love and kindness to yourself.

Praying for you and your family today. <3

Stay tuned, because our next episode will follow a similar theme!

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Find our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mama

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

How can we better show our love to our spouses while waiting to adopt a child?

This is a really unique season, but also a time where you can pour into one another and build a strong foundation for your future family. In today’s episode, I’m sharing 5 simple ways to show love to your spouse (and most of them cost NOTHING)!

I can’t think of a better time to share tips for loving your spouse than when Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.

Stay tuned, because the next two episodes will follow a similar theme!

Mentioned in this Episode: 

The 5 Love Languages Quiz

Connection Cards for Couples

Heartgrown Mama Episode 13

Marriage Conference: Get $100 OFF using group name: HEARTGROWNMAMA

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Find our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mama

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

Do you have a picky eater in your home? Are things too green, too squishy, too spicy, too stringy, too bitter, or too sour? I have a child who has become a very picky eater and won’t eat many (if any) fruits or veggies.

So, I created a one-week challenge to eat the rainbow and earn a super fun reward. So far, the kids are LOVING it and we’ve seen some massive improvement in willingness to try new foods!

You can do this in your home, too! Find a food item that feels like a struggle (fish, green veggies, beans, etc.), come up with a clever name for your challenge, and help them work toward a reward that is motivating.

Remember, better nutritional habits won’t be fully cured overnight, but exposure to different foods (with no drama) will slowly create the changes you wish to see.

Let me know if you try this and how it’s working for your family!  

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mamas: Thriving in the Wait

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

Are the what-ifs swirling in your mind about your child’s future? Do you lose sleep over worry or anxiety about it? As an adoptive mom, I understand this very well.  Today, we will use the acrostic, L.O.V.E. to form healthier thought patterns around these intrusive thoughts.

L: Love

O: Openness

V: Validation

E: Education

Let’s reframe our mind when these thoughts come creeping in, and lead with love. Let’s replace our what-ifs with we-cans!  

Remember, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Tune in to hear more.

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mamas: Thriving in the Wait

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

In the final episode of our three-part series on self-care, we discuss whether self-care is biblical or if it has selfish implications. I think it can go either way, depending on how it’s being done. Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing!

We discuss a handful of scriptures as they pertain to self-care. The Bible doesn’t explicitly mention self-care, but there are some verses that speak to caring for our bodies, minds, and spirits.

As adoptive moms (or moms who are waiting to adopt a child), practicing self-care is an integral part of meeting our own needs so we can meet the needs of our families.

But more importantly, if we can view self-care as a means to be in relationship with our Creator, and not being alone for the sake of being alone, then I think we’re on the right track!

What do you think about self-care? How do you feel after having listened to this episode?

Important note: I'm not a pastor or theologian, these are just *my* personal opinions and perceptions of scripture. 

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Our private community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mamas: Thriving in the Wait

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/

Taking care of yourself as an adoptive mom is vital for your well-being and your family’s health. By prioritizing your own needs, you'll be better able to support your child and your family in the long run.

In the second episode of a three-part series, we explore the ways mamas-by-adoption can take some solo time to fill their cups, from coffee with a friend, to perusing the library alone, to counseling, to prayer walks. We are all moms, and we face many of the same challenges, but as adoptive moms, there may be some unique situations that arise in our motherhood journeys.

Tell me…what is your favorite form of self-care? Are you going to implement anything new from today’s episode?  

Email Me: [email protected]

Check out the blog: heartgrownmama.com

Find our community on Facebook: Heartgrown Mama

Check out our digital adoption journal: https://heartgrownmama.com/waiting-well-journal/