by Janel Breitenstein | Feb 13, 2023 | challenging, Holidays; Occasions, love, Marriage
For some of you–Valentine’s Day is not a fluffy pink cloud, studded with chocolates. For some of you, Valentine’s Day is hard. We stayed married another day. Three cheers. People are celebrating the ones they love, spewing poetry and love songs. And...
by Janel Breitenstein | Feb 11, 2023 | children, Holidays; Occasions, kids, Parenting, time together
Valentine’s Day for kids: I 100% get the dilemma. How can you make it special, make them feel loved–when you’re just trying to get kids to eat mashed potatoes with a fork, or get their shoes on the right feet? I’m piling in here a few easy...
by Janel Breitenstein | Feb 3, 2023 | challenging, compassion, free download, prayers, Printables and Freebies, quotes, social justice
This week has dabbled in the frenetic at my house. Uh. More than usual. Rather than writing you a half-baked post, I’m pulling from the archives some chalkboard art of a printable prayer–an artistic version of this challenging Franciscan benediction: Grab...
by Janel Breitenstein | Jan 28, 2023 | closeness and intimacy, closeness; intimacy, faith, free download, prayer, Printables and Freebies, time alone with God
My friend’s alienation crackled through the phone line. “I don’t know. I keep doing all the right things. But a lot of times I don’t feel close to God, you know?” My friend described time in Scripture and prayer, their attempts to...
by Janel Breitenstein | Jan 20, 2023 | kids, Parenting, sex, shame, spiritual life skills/spiritual disciplines, tweens and teens
As I’ve mentioned, oh, 76 or so times, I have four teenagers in the house. Which means we have very little of some things (leftovers, tranquility, time, clean laundry), and a lot of other things (drama, chips and salsa, deodorant, hormones). And as the culture...
