Raising Coconuts in a world full of turnips.
I have four kids whom I love and adore. They are my sun, moon, heart, and all the other ridiculous sappy things. Additionally, I homeschool four said kids. This means they are also the cause of the tic under my left eye and why I sneak chocolate in the pantry on tough days. But even… Continue reading The Real Challenge of Parenting…and no, it’s not our kids.
I hear the way the world screams for our kids. I feel the cold tentacles of porn so readily accessible on the internet, the pain from addictions to drugs and alcohol, the pull from friends, the media, and even our government on our youth to step off the foundation of Jesus that we’ve placed them… Continue reading An Open Letter to Youth Group Leaders, Church Leadership, and Especially Parents:
The house we now call home wasn't always inhabitable. As a matter of fact, it had sat abandoned for a couple of years before we bought it. During the remodel and up to almost a year after moving in, we spent much of our time taking it back from the wild. For example, early in… Continue reading Mice in the Attic
The oldest Coconut leaves for Africa on a mission trip in less than 24 hours, and I don’t even know how we got here. Wasn’t it just yesterday she was 11, starting middle school, knowing everything about everything, and humiliated that I would even think about wearing THAT out of the house? Or maybe it… Continue reading Coconut #1 Goes to Africa
I’m homeschooling the Coconuts this year so that means I’m required to be able to answer questions that range from how to diagram a sentence to quantum physics with lightning speed. I’m over here pulling Algebra out of places in my brain that haven’t been accessed in 30 years. I’ve already consumed enough chocolate and… Continue reading Burn the Ships
Because Hubby and I can't seem to leave well enough alone, we decided to tackle a home remodel project a few summers ago. Which doesn't sound too crazy right? I mean, it was summer, lots of normal people paint stuff, clean out closets, etc. Of course, we can't just be normal so we decided to… Continue reading Hoarders
I watched her from across the room. Her long brown hair half covered her face but I could still see the dark shadow of anxiety in her eyes. I know her too well. The way she furrows her brows and sucks in her bottom lip tells the story over her otherwise calm, 15 year old… Continue reading Leaving the Matrix
We have, without a doubt, the worlds most worthless cat. If there were a contest for that sort of thing I wouldn't even bother to enter him in it because he would absolutely lose, even in that venue. The only reason that he still lives at our house is because of the interceding's of a… Continue reading The Feline Fiasco
Some time back, I found myself at Target. Alone! Although I wanted to run through the aisles yelling, "FREEDOM" William Wallace style, I managed to get control of myself. Instead, I found myself slowly meandering through the store, inhaling the smells of popcorn and Starbucks, and reveling in the ability to silently walk whatever aisles… Continue reading No, You Won’t Enjoy Every Parenting Moment. And That’s Ok.
“Hey, so how do you handle chores with your kids? How much do you pay them and what do you have them do? She casually asked. We had met in the cleaning aisle of Wal-Mart and began chatting when I philosophically asked if Mr. Clean’s pants were white because he was always cleaning or was he always cleaning because… Continue reading Raising Slow Cooker Kids In a Microwave Generation
Conversations With Coconuts 