I Believe in the Holy Spirit - Finding Strength for Motherhood

Motherhood is beautiful. It’s also overwhelming. Between schedules, laundry piles, meals, and the constant needs of little (or not-so-little) people, it’s easy to feel worn thin.

But here’s the good news: you are not doing this alone. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you (Romans 8:11). That changes everything.

1. The Spirit Is Present in the Chaos

Even in the noisy, messy, ordinary moments—packing lunches, carpool lines, sleepless nights—the Spirit of God is with you. He doesn’t just show up in quiet devotions; He is present in the everyday.

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” (Romans 8:11)

• Takeaway: Whisper a prayer in the middle of the mess—He is already there.

2. The Spirit Reminds You Who You Are

It’s easy for moms to lose themselves in the identity of “just a mom.” But the Holy Spirit calls you daughter of God before anything else.

“You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:15)

• Takeaway: Your worth is not in your parenting performance—it’s in belonging to Jesus.

3. The Spirit Empowers You When You’re Empty

Motherhood often feels like pouring from an empty cup. But Acts 1:8 reminds us that the Spirit fills us with power—strength to be patient, courage to face hard days, boldness to pray over our kids.

• Takeaway: Ask the Spirit to refill you daily, just as you refill everyone else’s water bottles.

4. The Spirit Guides You in Decisions

Moms are decision-makers all day long: what to cook, how to discipline, when to say yes or no. The Spirit promises to guide us into truth (John 16:13).

• Takeaway: Before you react, pause and pray: “Holy Spirit, guide me here.”

5. The Spirit Produces Fruit in Your Home

We want our homes to be places of love and peace, but sometimes they feel more like chaos and conflict. The Spirit can grow His fruit in us:

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22–23)

• Takeaway: Choose one fruit of the Spirit to intentionally practice this week with your family.

Final Word for Moms

Believing in the Holy Spirit isn’t just theology—it’s survival for moms. His presence steadies us, His voice reminds us who we are, His power fills our empty places, His guidance helps us parent with wisdom, and His fruit transforms our homes.

So when the days feel heavy, remember: you are not doing this in your own strength. You are mothering in the Spirit’s strength.

Mom’s Challenge This Week:

• Invite the Spirit into your daily routines
• Ask Him to remind you of your worth in Christ
• Pray for power when you’re running on empty
• Let Him guide your parenting choices
• Practice one fruit of the Spirit in your home

#Motherhood #holyspirit #momchallenge

When the Last One Graduates

It happened.

My youngest child walked across the stage, shook the principal’s hand, and received that diploma. The tassel turned, the cap flew, and just like that, all three of my babies had graduated from high school. I’ve known this moment was coming, but nothing quite prepares your heart for it.

This milestone has stirred up so many emotions—gratitude, pride, and yes, a quiet ache that only a mama’s heart can understand. As I’ve sat with these feelings, I’ve been reflecting not just on what’s ending, but what God might be beginning—in my child’s life and in mine.

With each child, I’ve had to learn a new level of letting go. With the last one, though, it’s different. There’s a finality to it. The noise in the house quiets. The calendar clears. The laundry lessens. And suddenly, there’s space—both physical and emotional—that wasn’t there before.

But here's what the Lord keeps reminding me: They were never mine to keep.They were entrusted to me for a season, and now, like arrows from a bow, they are being launched into the world. Psalm 127:4 says,

 "Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth."

My job was to aim them well, and now it’s time to release them, trusting that God will guide their flight.

Motherhood never ends—but it does change.

I’m learning to shift from hands-on manager to faith-filled supporter. My role now is to encourage, pray, and be a safe place they can always come back to—not to fix, control, or direct every step.

It’s also a season where God is inviting me to grow. For years, my identity was deeply wrapped up in homeschooling, carpooling, cheering from the bleachers, and being “Mom” full-time. That was holy work—and it still is—but now the Lord is gently asking, “What have I placed in your heart for this next chapter?”

This isn’t just an ending. It’s a beginning—for them and for me.

I’m rediscovering dreams that were placed on pause. I’m remembering the things that brought me joy before motherhood became all-consuming. And most of all, I’m seeking God’s voice to show me where He wants to use me now.

Whether it’s diving deeper into ministry, mentoring younger moms, writing, serving, or just being still for a while—I know He’s not finished with me. Philippians 1:6 reminds me,

“...He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

If you're in this place too—on the edge of a quieter home, with a heart full of memories and a little bit of fear for what comes next—know this: You’re not alone, and you’re not done.

God is faithful through every season of motherhood.

He was there in the diaper days, the teenage chaos, and the graduation tears.

And He is here now, gently leading us forward with open hands and hopeful hearts.

So here’s to new beginnings—for them and for us. Let’s trust that the same God who helped us raise them, will continue to raise us.

Sheet music Christmas trees

Beautiful paper and wood Christmas trees perfect as a hostess gift or to use in a tablescape.

Gretchen Girl Scouts

 Gretchen is selling nuts and candy, plus magazine subscriptions and other goodies, to raise money for her girl scout troop. They go on trips, earn patches, go camping and hiking and do lots of other fun activities. Please considering consider helping her with her fundraising. Thank you so much!

Coffee, Cookies, and Calendar

Today is a (pretty much) stay at home day. Except for a quick oil change after dropping off my son at school, I will be staying home to bake, cook, update my planner, and get ready for tonight's Prayer and Praise night with my church.

I needed some cute Christmas stickers, so I found these great ones online.
Christmas planner stickers from Laughing and Losing It

I also found some specifically for Christmas Week on her site:
Nativity Stickers from Laughing and Losing It

They are super cute, and I just printed them out on sticker sheets I found online at Amazon:
Pres-A-Ply sticker sheets

I've got pork roast and veggies in a crockpot for dinner tonight, leftover roasted chicken in the stockpot with water for soup for the weekend, and cookies baking in the oven. It smells heavenly here today.

What's on your agenda today? Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and send me a note! I would love to meet you!

Holiday Planning

Do you need help planning for the holidays? Here's a free planner to print out!
Organizing Junkie - Holiday Planner

Menu Plan Monday

It's been a long while, but I thought I would post my menu plan here today. We have busy schedules right now with the kids doing football, soccer and basketball. But I always try to have homemade meals ready - either to eat around the table, or take with us. I make exceptions on early football game nights - it's much easier (and the kids love it!) to grab pizza and eat it in the stadium on those nights.

Monday - Chicken Stuffing Bake - I picked up some inexpensive pre-seasoned chicken drumsticks the other day, so those will go in the crockpot for the day while I am subbing at the kids' middle school. Then when I get home at 3:30 I will take the meat off the bones and put the casserole together. Yummy and easy!

Tuesday - Take-out Pizza - my oldest has his last 7th grade football game of the season at 4 pm, so we will enjoy hot pizza sitting in the stands watching him play. Go Spikes!

Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops with homemade chunky applesauce and Crockpot Mac-n-Cheese - with BSF leader training in the morning and errands to run in the afternoon, I need something easy today.

Thursday - Crockpot Roast with Vegetables - this sounded so good when I read it from Organizing Junkie that I decided to add it to my plan for the week. This will be great since we will be eating in shifts today - soccer, basketball, homework and bible study for the evening.

Friday - Chicken Parmesan with Garlic Bread and Salad - one last football game tonight, this time the high school team, but since the game doesn't start until 7 pm, we will eat at home first. There are usually no leftovers when I serve this meal!

Saturday - Waffles or Pancakes with Bacon - the whole family likes a big breakfast for dinner, and I usually make enough to have leftovers for the school week for the kids. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone!

Sunday - Family Birthday Dinner at my sister's house. We will be celebrating both my husband's birthday and my mom's birthday this month, and since my sister just moved into a new house, she wanted to host it there. So I may have to bring something simple, but the meal is on her! Woo Hoo!

For links to lots more menus, head over to Organizing Junkie - there are lots of ideas!

Blessings!
Meegan

Family Meals

I picked up a few new cookbooks at the library a while ago - I love cookbooks and getting new inspirations for meals. One of them was Rachael Ray's "My Year in Meals".  The recipes in the book were a little beyond me - swordfish, anchovies and homemade pasta - but the format was inspiring.  She and her husband John recorded a year's worth of meals in journals, and then turned it into a cookbook. Very cool!

Daniel and Gretchen - and maybe soon Austin - have been experimenting more and more in the kitchen lately.

And so, I've decided to document our family's year in meals, just to see how a year goes. Our favorites, our not-so-favorites, recipes, pictures and more.  Hopefully it will be a fun trip down memory lane for future reading!

I will say, though, this is a very busy season for us. Daniel and Gretchen are both in basketball, so they each have two practices a week, and of course on different days! Austin is on his math team, so he has practice once a week. All three are in scouts, and Gretchen is in dance. Combine that with church, doctor and dentist appointments, and various and sundry other things, and lately meal times have been crazy. But we will work hard to having dinners together as much as possible!

Breakfast - the kids are used to making their own breakfast most mornings. Anything from sausage sandwiches to cold cereal, toast and peanut butter to fruit.  So, for the most part, I will only share our breakfasts if we have something special.

Lunch - our year will mostly be made up of school lunches, or run-of-the-mill sandwiches at home.  Again, I will only share lunches if we make something out-of-the-ordinary.

Dinner - this is where we like to mix it up a bit.  We have our family favorites and we also have new additions we like to try out.  this will be what I share the most.

So, let's see where this path leads us. First step - what shall we have for dinner tonight.......hmmmmmm.

Halloween

We celebrated Mom and James' birthdays today at Mom and Dad's house. We had the kids bring their costumes so we could get some photos together. I didn't have Gretchen's Elsa costume finished, so she wore her second costume instead.

Fall Family Photos

Today we went up to Greenbluff in between soccer games to take some family photos. I had seen a beautiful country lane used as a backdrop in lots of family photos, and I was determined to find it. After driving around the Greenbluff area for a little while, I spotted it. A beautiful gravel lane lined with trees, right next to (or maybe part of) the property belonging to Serena Thompson of Farm Chicks fame. Even though it was a bit of a battle - the kids were not being very cooperative getting changed from soccer clothes to photo shoot clothes - the pictures turned out great!