My guess is that you are here because you read one of my posts or one of your besties told you about this awesome site filled with support, understanding, and inspiration.

No matter how you landed here – I’m really happy you’re here!

If you’re like many of my readers, you think other moms have it all figured out. I’m here to assure you they don’t.

You’re tired of feeling, well…tired. And guilty. So was I. But there is a better way.

I wanted to spend more time soaking up rosy cheeks and big belly laughs and less time washing dishes and doing laundry. I bet you want these things too. And you deserve all the grins, sparkling eyes, and big belly laughs you can handle.

You want to follow a path that will lead you to the calmer, more meaningful family life you’ve dreamed of.

But when you’re caught up in the frenzy of every day life and you’re desperately struggling to get through one day at a time – it’s hard to know which path to follow. Or to even know where the path is.

That’s exactly why I created Intentional Family Life. I show you how I’ve learned to live intentionally. And I’ll show you how it’s brought me the family life that I’ve always wanted.

Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t perfect. We have tween and teen boy struggles, just like anyone else. But our framework guides us through the struggles and creates a stronger bond at the end when we inevitably come back together.

By discovering what means the most to you – you can begin to make choices each day that point you in the right direction. In a direction that feels loving, connected, and genuine.

This site is filled with information that will help you truly get all you want out of your life!

What Is Intentional Living?

So – what is intentional living? What does that mean?

Well, for my family, it means that we strive to make the choices that align with our chosen values and ideals. Even when those aren’t the choices that are easy.

Intentional living gives me a beacon toward which to keep steering the ship. Even through the roughest of waters.

In other words, we make choices based upon alignment with our values. It’s simple. But not always easy.

It often feels like we are swimming upstream. As Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist so eloquently put it:

“Living a simple life certainly requires intentionality.

In a world that is hectic, busy, and hurried, simplicity is not.

In a culture that encourages selfishness and excess, minimalism does not.

And in a society that is rushing to gain more, satisfaction with less is counter-cultural.”

Choose A Starting Place

I use my intentional lifestyle to move me closer to the things that mean the most to me. For me, personal and family priorities are a close and bonded family, intentional and positive parenting style, natural living, simplified living, and self-love.

On any given day, I’m better at some things than others. And every day, I still struggle with anxiety, aching love for my boys, uncertainty about whether I’m doing this parenting thing right, and whether 4:00 pm is latte time or wine time. #thestruggleisreal

Three FREE Offers To Give You Immediate Results

SIMPLE LIVING

Keep The Trash Out Of Your Home

Get my free “Get Rid of What Overwhelms You” reference guide. Because. Stuff. You can’t focus on what you love when it’s buried under phone books, a mountain of junk mail, and an email in-box that you’re afraid to go near.
I created this epic Reference Guide giving you the detailed and super specific info – the phone numbers, resources, and email addresses – to STOP the incoming madness today. Seriously. Stop the madness.

Want the reference guide?

FAMILY TIME

More Peace & Less Overwhelm

One tiny shift today gives you the freedom to prioritize what’s truly important right away. You need a list of easy action items that give you the results you want fast. I’m talking – connecting with your kids, loving yourself just a bit, and finding the support your need.
I’ve created that list for you.
Take one tiny action from this list that speaks to you and put it in place. And this list – I mean – these are things that you simply can not fail at.

Want the list?

POSITIVE PARENTING

Simple Ideas For Connecting

The one thing all humans are searching for is connection. If you can connect, I mean genuinely connect, with your kids each day – everything else starts to fall into place naturally. They talk to you more. They listen to you more. It’s magical.
But how? Toddlers, tykes, tweens, and teens all have their own special minefields for you to jump around.  This is a terrific list of quick, actionable ways to share a beautiful moment of connection with your kids. Every day.

Want to connect today?

FAMILY BONDING

I share ideas and inspiration to help your family bond deeply – because sometimes functioning well together as a family is infinitely more difficult than parenting a child one on one. Our family bonds have been forged on three major things:

  • good old fashioned family activities that are fun and that make us laugh;
  • collaboratively developing and nurturing character traits that are important to all of us, including social justice; and
  • recognizing the importance of family, including family traditions and holidays.

Here are some of my most popular posts in this category to get you started:

POSITIVE PARENTING

Intentional or positive parenting is a way of parenting your children with intention and purpose.Positive parenting acknowledges that children are horrible little adults. Just horrible.Likewise, intentional parents understand that our children are glorious perfect children with all of their foibles and inexperience. To help you learn more about how it works, you can check out:

  • tips for modern parents; let’s face it – this ain’t your mama’s world;
  • open frank information about tweens and teens – nobody else is talking about it;
  • information about highly sensitive children and the different levels of support they may need.

Here are some of my most popular posts in this category to get you started:

NATURAL LIVING

When he was very young, I it was easy to see that one of my boys was a highly sensitive person. Later, when he was about five, we learned that he was physically sensitive to seven out of eight of the top food allergens! And he was severely allergic to most tree nuts.As a result, I wanted to learn everything I could about living more naturally and with fewer toxins.Because I was aware of these sensitive tendencies, I decided to go as natural as possible within our home. I’ve slowly made many small changes over the years that have made a big difference in our home.It’s easier than you think and the cumulative impact on your wellbeing is priceless!

  • my favorite clean eating recipes
  • holistic health that starts at home
  • a natural home with as few toxins as possible

Here are some of my most popular posts in this category to get you started:

SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE

Simple living to me is all about priorities. What are my priorities in life, and how can I maximize the time I spend attending to those priorities? Simple living is about refusing to wear or covet a “busy badge of honor.” It doesn’t mean that I never feel overwhelmed and it doesn’t mean that I’m not busy. I am.I’m a homeschooling mom with two boys. I’m busy. On the other hand, I also understand that in this season of my life – the busy-ness that I do embrace is a blessing. This busy-ness creates family time and meaningful memories. And, most importantly, I understand the need for breaks from the busy-ness for everyone in our family. Because we have simplified our lives in various ways, we can actually take those breaks from the busy-ness.

  • my tips and tricks for simplifying homemaking
  • the ways in which our new homeschool journey has brought us more simplicity
  • slower living at home, ways to just do it!

Here are some of my most popular posts in this category to get you started:

SELF LOVE

Confession: for me, focusing on self love is like choking down cod liver oil. I know it’s good for me – but it’s not yet my best friend. This is why I write about how my journey toward self love appears in my daily life – in all its infancy and with all its imperfections. I hope that my tips will motivate and inspire you to begin your own practice of self love.

  • motherhood has inspired me to love the body that created such amazing children – no matter what it looks like
  • life begins at 40 – own it girl!
  • discovering and expressing your creativity is the gateway to knowing yourself better

Here are some of my most popular posts in this category to get you started: