Deep in our gut, we all want to be friends with our neighbors.

We want to know and be known –to live in spaces that feel safe and welcoming. We want to be loved, served, and cared for and we want to love, serve and care for others.

But society in the West has become deeply fragmented. 

A new report by Harvard University researchers finds that 36 percent of Americans are experiencing “serious loneliness,” and some groups, such as young adults and mothers with small children, are especially isolated. And that can easily be us, right?

How can we fight against the cultural norms of isolation and seclusion and instead forge patterns that will bless us and bless others? 

Tune in for a discussion about the importance of knowing our neighbors and a few ideas for how to get the relational ball rolling.

Resources Mentioned:
The Art of Neighboring 
The Gospel Comes with a House Key
An Underrated Key for a Fruitful Christian Life: A Rooted Life in a Place

Happy first official, unofficial day of summer! 

For many of us, summertime is a blissful welcome. Schedules are relaxed, sports are mostly over and there’s a lot more free time. But sometimes that lack of structure can feel really daunting! “What exactly am I supposed to do these wild little humans?”

But either way, none of us want to get to the end of August and feel like we just survived. We want to soak it up! We want to play in the sun, read good books, sleep well, roast marshmallows, catch crabs, have good conversations with friends, and grow in our wonder of God. 

At the start of this summer, how can we intentionally number our days in a way that will help us to delight in the Lord and enjoy our kids more?

Homeschool mama of four and the founder of Treehouse Schoolhouse, Lyndsey Mimnagh gives us a look at how she thinks through her summer rhythms and priorities.

We'll talk about good books to read, the importance of unstructured time, the glory of fabulous read-out-louds, and the need to get rest and refreshment.

Check out Treehouse Schoolhouse for loads of beautiful and inspiring resources including nature study, book lists, and family-centered devotionals.

Use the code delightedmotherhood15 for 15% off any purchase.  Whoot! It expires on December 1st. 

THNS Summer/ free week-

https://treehouseschoolhouse.com/products/treehouse-nature-study-summer 

Sunny Summer Book List-
https://treehouseschoolhouse.com/pages/book-lists 

Reach out to delighted motherhood on Instagram or by email, [email protected]

Every honest mom will tell you that she has battled anxiety related to motherhood. Whether it's anxiety over getting pregnant, staying pregnant, newborn challenges, struggles to learn to read, mean kids on the playground, health concerns, behavioral concerns, etc –the triggers for anxiety in motherhood are too numerous to number. But in light of a God who invites us to call Him Father, how should we think about confronting this anxiety with hope and truth?

Tune in for this encouraging conversation with Kim Seville –counseling lead for Frontlines Ministries, Dallas Theological Seminary grad, a former missionary in Asia, mom to five kids, and wife to Pastor Jason at Del Ray Baptist.

If you have comments or feedback about the program, please reach out on Instagram or by email at [email protected]

Summer is coming and for many of us, this means air travel. Traveling with kids can be stressful and sometimes the idea of canceled flights can be enough to make my skin crawl. But there are some strategies we can employ for success. Today we are going to be talking with Caroline Craddock –a homeschool hybrid mom to four who has traveled to 27 countries with her kids. She'll share from her experience some tips for how to enjoy travel with little ones, not dread it.

If you intend to travel soon with kids or have wanted to travel with kids but have felt intimidated, I think you’ll be encouraged, helped, and inspired by this conversation with Caroline Craddock.

Spring is officially here which means it's planting time! And there are few things kids seem to enjoy more than getting completely and totally dirty. Listen in for a sweet conversation with Yetta Reid about the joy of gardening with little ones and cultivating a love of the Creator in the process.

Books listed:
Floret Farm’s A Year in Flowers: Designing Gorgeous Arrangements for Every Season
The Gardener By Sarah Stewart
We are the Gardeners By Joanna Gaines
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
The Giant Zucchini by Catherine Siracusa

In my motherhood journey, I have had some incredible relationships with other Christian sisters that have been lifegiving, transformative, and delightful. 

Christians are to be marked by these kinds of intimate, tender, loving relationships. And in fact, our love for one another in a very real sense is how we express love for God. (Matthew 25:40)

But also, Christians can be offensive, frustrating, hurtful, rude, inconsiderate, self-righteous, slothful, and mean. Honestly, all those labels have described me before. 

If you have been friends with me for any length of time, it’s very likely that I have sinned against you. And honestly, you have sinned against me. And sometimes those conflicts and disagreements can be downright divisive.  

Most significantly, sometimes those conflicts cause us to hate rather than love our sisters.

In my experience, when these things come to a head, they don’t typically magically evaporate with one good conversation. 

To begin to consider this issue, we are going to unpack Paul’s response to a very public conflict between two women in the ancient church at Philippi --Euodia and Syntyche. 

In the view of some scholars, their quarrel one of the primary issues Paul addresses in his letter.

So, let’s jump into this embarrassing public conflict and see what we can gain from it.

Happy Holy Week 2023!  

Holy Week, in the Christian church, is the week between Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey, and Resurrection Sunday or Easter.

It’s a time that has been observed by Christians across the world for centuries. In the Greek and Roman liturgical books, it is called the Great Week because great deeds were done by God during this week.

Listen in for dozens of sweet ideas, from around the world and across the centuries, for celebrating Easter with your family and for the theological significance of this Holiday.

Our reflection comes from Hannah Sillars –adoptive mom to three.

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

For me, having a baby has never been a magical glowing experience. The days and weeks following delivery I’m exhausted and elated at the same time. I’m over the moon in love with my babies, but I feel like a choo-choo train has just come out of my body and I seem near the point of tears day and night. 

Postpartum is objectively very difficult.  

How do we think Biblically about seasons of limitedness such as the postpartum phase?  How can we humbly approach recovery without shame (ie excessively working out or dieting) or despair (ie giving up entirely)? What are some practical next steps for making that happen?
 
Listen in for an edifying and educational conversation with Ashely Keller, founder of GlowBody PT and an industry leader in Prenatal and Postnatal exercise on how to lean on the Lord as our strength during seasons of weakness. 

Check out Ashely's super helpful plans here:
https://www.glowbodypt.com/

St. Patrick's Day is Friday, March 17th, 2023.  But what is the holiday anyway? Is it just a random day in March to wear green? Who was “Saint Patrick”? How can his story encourage us as moms? What's with the snakes? 

Listen in for a conversation with Joanna Walters, mom to five and blogger, about St. Patrick's Day. We'll discuss the man St. Patrick, his mom, myths surrounding his ministry, traditions around the country, and fun ideas for celebrating with your family.  
****
Joanna's St. Patrick's Day Morning Time Plan - https://raisinglittleoaks.wordpress.com/

Breastplate Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RYlgutgDKg

Torchlighters for kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0jMGNQjgBw

Before I had kids, movement, and exercise was a huge part of my life and a way that God blessed me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Would that all go away after having kids? 

As any mom will tell you, life changes a lot after having children. And not everyone is even still physically capable of exercise after having children or due to another injury. But for me, although fitness looks very different today as a mom with three kids, it is still a way that God blesses me physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Listen in for a helpful conversation with Sarah Talone, mom to four and the queen of creative workouts about the why and how of working out with littles.