<p>Have you ever had an idea to improve yourself? Well, that's what this Advent has been about: self improvement.</p> <p>Then Jesus issued an invitation to me, a totally unexpected invitation.</p>

Have you ever had an idea to improve yourself? Well, that's what this Advent has been about: self improvement. Then Jesus issued an invitation to me, a totally unexpected invitation.

So Jesus derailed my Advent Challenge... 3rd Week 2018

I love my life. Becoming a wife/mother has been the absolute second best part of my life. (My faith life is first, sorry, husband and kids.)  I have eight kids, yes, EIGHT. And yes, we are Catholic.

People always ask if having a big family has been crazy, chaotic, or difficult. Well, yes, of course. But those things no longer concern me. What concerns me is how every single person in our culture, including myself, my husband and our children, has been tempted away from their best self. Going along with our culture is not living. Nor is it life-giving.  I am too old to pretend that I have it all together. I am (finally) too wise to think I can do it all myself. 

That's what "The Parenting Dare" is about: entering into the messy, the nitty, the gritty, and the beautiful. It's about surrendering what we thought our family life would be like so we could receive the higher gifts that God has prepared for us. Some of those gifts are about becoming and being: 

JOYFUL
PROACTIVE
AUTHENTIC
INTENTIONAL
ACCEPTING
FAITHFUL
DARING

Most of these podcasts will also posted in normal blog (with pictures!) format found at www.theparentingdare.com/blog. Please follow us on either platform! I say "US" because my oldest son Eric is my partner on this mission He is the tech side of this whole operation. If you ever hear a voice in the background, it is his. 

What surprises me most about this particular kid of mine: he can write. He has an engineering degree AND he can write. Weird, I know. He will guest blog/podcast occasionally, so you can look forward to his unique perspective. Eric is always pushing me out of my comfort zone and he is the one that suggested I move my beloved three-year old blog, "Prayer and Duct Tape" to The Parenting Dare site AND create a podcast to go with it. At first I thought he was delusional. But over time, I realized that playing small (even though it was nice and safe and warm and yummy) was not really serving God in this realm. Learn more about our mission. It's a big one. If you love it, share it. 

Thank you for your beautiful support. We appreciate you.

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I love my life. Becoming a wife/mother has been the absolute second best part of my life. (My faith life is first, sorry, husband and kids.) I have eight kids, yes, EIGHT. And yes, we are Catholic. People always ask if having a big family has been crazy, chaotic, or difficult. Well, yes, of course. But those things no longer concern me. What concerns me is how every single person in our culture, including myself, my husband and our children, has been tempted away from their best self. Going along with our culture is not living. Nor is it life-giving. I am too old to pretend that I have it all together. I am (finally) too wise to think I can do it all myself. That's what "The Parenting Dare" is about: entering into the messy, the nitty, the gritty, and the beautiful. It's about surrendering what we thought our family life would be like so we could receive the higher gifts that God has prepared for us. Some of those gifts are about becoming and being: JOYFUL PROACTIVE AUTHENTIC INTENTIONAL ACCEPTING FAITHFUL DARING Most of these podcasts will also posted in normal blog (with pictures!) format found at www.theparentingdare.com/blog. Please follow us on either platform! I say "US" because my oldest son Eric is my partner on this mission He is the tech side of this whole operation. If you ever hear a voice in the background, it is his. What surprises me most about this particular kid of mine: he can write. He has an engineering degree AND he can write. Weird, I know. He will guest blog/podcast occasionally, so you can look forward to his unique perspective. Eric is always pushing me out of my comfort zone and he is the one that suggested I move my beloved three-year old blog, "Prayer and Duct Tape" to The Parenting Dare site AND create a podcast to go with it. At first I thought he was delusional. But over time, I realized that playing small (even though it was nice and safe and warm and yummy) was not really serving God in this realm. Learn more about our mission. It's a big one. If you love it, share it. Thank you for your beautiful support. We appreciate you.

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So Jesus derailed my Advent Challenge... 3rd Week 2018

So Jesus derailed my Advent Challenge... 3rd Week 2018