For many years, my jogging stroller contraption was my ticket to any sense of “silence” and “solitude.”

Those words are in quotation marks because this setting is not the true definition of either. I had to keep my expectations low, so I didn't get frustrated by inevitable interruptions.

Hours were not flying by when I had six children eight years and under, but I had it pretty good.

My babies slept in a separate room within days of being born, and most of them consistently slept through the night within a few months, though my last one pushed the envelope here.

Still, there was always the possibility of an interruption (or more) on any given night—a reality of six young children.

Many nights I'd knock on my parents' door to process my heart's questions or struggles. One night, as my parents were quietly praying for me, I knocked on their door. The Holy Spirit had convicted me to apologize after a rough day.

In the safety of our homes, we get to teach our children how to handle freedom and choice!

But first, we need to manage our anxiety so we can protect our connection.

A decade ago, I left a short-lived teaching career and welcomed my first baby. Making a home-based life didn’t feel natural in those early months.

I struggled to grasp at elusive forms of control—a jail of my own making.

I anticipated birth would be a challenge I could conquer; yet, twenty hours of intense back labor and over three hours of pushing left me reeling (the hardest of six deliveries and the catalyst to midwifery care and home birthing).

Once again, I am packing our trailer as we prepare for our annual fall camping trip. We will celebrate our two little boys’ birthdays, bike through leaves, and read around the campfire as we watch the season change right under our feet.

This is my favorite trip of the year!

I am about to listen to the Lab I:68 podcast like I do every Monday as I fold laundry, but I am a little nervous as this time I will be hearing my own voice chatting on the other end—weird.

We did not expect to tear up last Sunday night during out final session of LAUNCH into the teen years. The last scene, around a campfire, spoke to the amazing gift of sex and marriage within godly boundaries.

We so deeply desire this joy and freedom for our children and our hearts ached with this hope and prayer as we closed out the session.