Practically Joyful Mom

Last week we talked about the importance of taking time to rest and today we're talking about the importance of working hard for the things that matter. There are things in each of our lives that require hard work to build and invest in and are absolutely worth it. In a world of "easy buttons" and "life hacks" we can forget that many of the most rewarding and valuable things in life are worth working hard for. 

We all need rest but it can be so hard to let go of all of the things we feel like we need to be doing. This episode is full of encouragement to take time to rest and ideas for ways to make it happen. 

We all have those moments or days or weeks, when we just don’t feel like it. 

We just don’t feel like praying, like cracking open our bibles. 

We just don’t feel like reading another board book, like talking about Thomas the train characters for hours. 

We just don’t feel like listening to our husbands talk about their stressful days when we’ve had a long day ourselves.

But we don't have to let not feeling like it stop us from acting lovingly towards those we care about. Today's episode is all about perspective shifts and practical ideas for how to show love even when we don't FEEL like it. 

We all have those days. Where things go differently than expected. Where everything seems to go wrong. Today's episode is all about shifting our perspectives and our practices on those days where nothing seems to go as planned. 

We can feel a lot of pressure to make holidays memorable and exciting for our families. It is a wonderful thing to celebrate and enjoy Easter together but we can let go of the pressure for perfect crafts and activities. One of the ways we can make Easter deeply meaningful for our children is to deeply connect with the story of redemption and salvation and to let our children see how much joy we take in the fact that Jesus gave himself to rescue us. Our excitement and delight in the Easter story will affect our children's hearts much more than and activity or craft. 

As moms we can face a lot of pressure from society to follow the latest trends, to do what everyone around us is doing. But it’s ok to be different. Like snowflakes, we are each unique and distinct and have different paths in life. Let’s dive into why it’s ok to be different and how we can focus on our own journey.

As moms we can often feel alone even when surrounded by our children. Today, I encourage us all to remember that we are not alone, that God is with us wherever we go, even if that is just in our own homes. The reality of Jesus walking with us through our days helps us to remember that we are not alone and our everyday lives really do matter.

This week, we are going back to lessons from Moana. The theme of identity and knowing who you are is woven throughout the movie and is a topic that can really benefit our families. When you have a strong family culture and identity, your children are more likely to be excited about family activities and have a solid place to come back to when they inevitably get off track. 

In our modern world full of marketing, social media and comparison, it can be all too easy to live in a mindset of “I’ll be happy when . . .”. But this outlook on life leaves us feeling disappointed and discouraged and causes us to miss out on all the beauty around us in the moment. Listen today for some perspective shifts and practical ideas to find happiness right where you are.

We all have a nemesis. A thing we spend more time dreading than doing. Maybe it’s dishes or laundry or clipping your child’s nails. But we don’t have to stay stuck in a place of letting dread of these tasks drain our energy and drag us down. We can make some simple shifts in our perspectives and practices to choose joy even in the mundane tasks of everyday life.