by Janel Breitenstein | Jan 13, 2023 | closeness and intimacy, closeness; intimacy, community, discouragement, friendships
I paused on the stairs today, peering at this photo of my sons eating hot dogs in Halloween costumes at a Trunk or Treat. The one on the left, in the fireman costume, is now a Marine in infantry training, rucking five kilometers this week with about forty pounds on...
by Janel Breitenstein | Jan 2, 2023 | challenging, children, closeness and intimacy, closeness; intimacy, community, compassion, enduring love, faith, Family, Holidays; Occasions, infographics, kids, love, Printables and Freebies, relationships, romance, staying in love, time together
Today, my oldest is headed for continued training with the Marines; the 1987 Nissan Z he’s been flipping–the one the still needs the muffler?–sits resignedly outside. My youngest, a delight and a straight-up handful, is with extended family. And...
by Janel Breitenstein | Dec 22, 2022 | challenging, children, difficulty, discouragement, enduring love, Holidays; Occasions, motherhood, Parenting
So–a lot of women I know are in that window of life where one’s body starts needing repair from growing, then expelling a human. If you’re not there? Hey, super-fun stuff. I’ve been reminded wombs, too, bear both the weight of joy and of the...
by Janel Breitenstein | Dec 20, 2022 | children, Family, Holidays; Occasions, Ideas, kids, Parenting, time together
Random avatars of sugar and carbohydrates currently sprawl across my table, and I recently did the Sam’s Club pickup with holiday snacks to feed four teenagers. Which is to say, never, ever enough. And I need price-club-sized tubs of things like salsa and cheese...
by Janel Breitenstein | Dec 8, 2022 | closeness and intimacy, closeness; intimacy, conflict, Family, friendships, love, Marriage, relationships
On Tuesday, my brain–well, my heart–undermined my marriage. Here’s what happened on the outside. I got home from Walmart (because we live in a Walmart-not-a-Target town). The sun had set, and the temperature was hovering around seventeen degrees....
