Autumn Strong, Written by Jamie C. Martin for all my fellow introverts who know that it’s our calling to be still and strong in this stormy world My roots determine my life: Deeper means stronger. They inch down, not visible from the surface. Essential all the same. Each time thunder rocks the sky, I must go deeper or die. Others with shallow foundations fall to the ground in a swift breeze. Not me. My early days required depth to survive. I didn’t plan it; I didn’t choose it. But now there’s no toppling me. My branches take longer to display their fruit. Not as quick as plums in summer. Not ..read more

Create Your Own Positivity Jar ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin Want to encourage more positivity around your home–kind words, helpful actions, listening to Mom and Dad? Try a positivity jar. Here’s how it works. 1. Get a bag of dry beans of any type – put them in a basket or container. 2. Take an empty glass jar and put it somewhere easily visible. We always kept ours on top of the living room armoire or shelf in the dining room. 3. Children can “earn” beans by saying something positive, choosing kindness, listening the first time, counting by two’s – really anything you decide! 4. What the posi ..read more

The Secret Behind a Schedule That Actually Works ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin The secret behind a rhythm that actually works, especially when you have littles in the house, is this: Create it by imagining your worst day possible. What often happens when moms attempt to plan a routine for our days is that we cram as much into the schedule as possible – because there’s so much we feel needs to “get done.” Ironically though, doing so means that we fall further behind than ever. Here’s an example: If, back in the day, I’d allowed 30 minutes for breakfast on my routine, then what would happen if T ..read more

Try Kindness First ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin The other morning found me stressed, irritable, overwhelmed. The reason? Everything…and nothing, rolled into one. You know how that goes, right? A looming deadline, plenty of work, not enough sleep, kids and home to care for – the business (& busyness) of life. Wandering around to gather supplies so I could head out for a morning of writing, I hurriedly grabbed laptop, power cord, research books – tears gathering in my eyes all the while. Before I left Steve pulled me into his arms. “Everything’s going to be okay. You can do this. I love yo ..read more

  Be so good at your job that your kids think you’re playing ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin Once when my children were younger, I sat at the table drizzling maple syrup on my pancakes (our Sunday morning tradition), when I overheard this from one child to another: “Daddy goes out to work every day, but all Mommy does is play and rest.” Excuse me, what?! This statement, spoken with the true innocence of childhood, hurt my feelings at first–and annoyed me in retrospect. Steve and I gave the kids a brief overview of all that I did around the house, and the kids just looked on with wide eyes ..read more

Time Management for the Introverted Mom ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin Motherhood and calm don’t always go together, yet the latter is so important for introverted moms! Finding the right balance of spontaneity and rhythm allows us to create a home that is little less stressful. But before we consider time management for the introverted mom, it’s important to keep two things in mind: First, remember that there is no magic pill or formula that will enable children to not be children. I feel moms have a tendency (speaking from my own experience) to look for an easy tip or trick that wil ..read more

One of the best things I did when my kids were little ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin One of the best things I did when my kids were little: I made rest a priority. Not just for me, but for them, too. This began with nap times – encouraging my kids to nap and when I had multiple kids, encouraging them to nap at the same time (no small feat!). I panicked a bit when it appeared that they were ready to drop nap time altogether. As an introverted, stay-at-home mom who intended to homeschool, going without any downtime did not appear an attractive or realistic option. And so I began the process of te ..read more

5 Tips to Simplify Kids’ Birthday Parties ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin Birthday parties for little ones can easily get out of hand. If you love organizing and planning them, I think that is a beautiful way to show love to your kiddo! But if you find the process overwhelming, here are a few tips on how to simplify kids’ birthday parties that might be useful. I have tried all five at different seasons and can vouch for each one: 1. Forget themes. Birthday parties for young children do NOT have to include themes. We had theme parties when my kids were young, and I found executing them stressful ..read more

The Key to Starting a New Habit with Your Kids ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin I’ll always remember the time I heard an experienced mother of nine speak at a conference. As a mom of only one tiny infant, she seemed like a mothering giant in my eyes. Her words have stayed with me: “What becomes a habit doesn’t become a battle.” Makes sense, doesn’t it? Take something like brushing our teeth. For most of us, we never think about this daily task – we know when to do it and we just do it. We don’t have to wonder, “Should I or shouldn’t I? Do I want to or don’t I?” It’s the same for our kids. And tha ..read more

Tips for Dealing with Anger as a Mom ~ Written by Jamie C. Martin Those who know me generally consider me a calm, low-conflict, get-along-with-everyone individual. So who on earth was this mother I saw in the mirror? The one with that constricting feeling growing in my chest, the one slamming a door, the one with “that tone” in her voice, or worse, the one shouting? I honestly didn’t know that stuff was there until motherhood uncovered it. Here are seven tips that have helped me as I navigate dealing with anger as a mom: 1. Leave the room. Sometimes walking away really is the wisest thing to ..read more