Free shipping on all orders over $75🎄

Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives. A day that will radically alter our season as a family. We get these kinds of days several times throughout our lifetime and sometimes life changes more than we ever thought – sometimes it’s not as big of a transition as we thought.

For our family, tomorrow brings the beginning of public school life and the end of 6 years of homeschooling. But bigger than the schooling part of it, will bring an altering of the reason WHY we have homeschooled for 6 years and what kinds of changes our family will be living in because of that decision.

Six years ago, our family said ‘yes’ to leaving a stable pastorate position. We said ‘yes’ to letting go of any normality or organized daily lifestyle. We said ‘yes’ to leaving our 3600 square foot home for a 2-bedroom apartment with no kitchen that was situated above a church gymnasium. We said ‘yes’ to traveling wherever and whenever the Lord pulled on us. That could mean overnight just a couple hours down the interstate to minister at a church on Sunday morning. That could mean flying our family of 5 (at the time) across the ocean to live in France for 3 months. (Mind you, 2 out of 3 kids had never flown and none of them had flown internationally.) We said ‘yes’ to a lifestyle of flexibility, of adaptability, and a lifestyle of adventure.

But, though some parts of this lifestyle will change drastically, some will stay the same. My husband’s job description does not change. He will still be on the road more than he is home. Buying plane tickets will continue to be a regular part of my life. The kids and I might still even jump in the car with him for an overnight weekend ministry trip. But our family now won’t have the flexibility to jump in the car and go with him across the country for 2 weeks.

We will go to bed early and wake up early – instead of being in church services til 10:00 pm with a meal afterwards that we haul our family (now 6 of us) to because we can start our day in the morning as late as we chose. Homeschooling is cool like that. Homeschooling, for us, has been cool like that because we could do it anywhere – hotel room, someone else’s dining room table, a train making it’s way across the hills of France or a plane soaring over the Atlantic, taking us home. But public school isn’t like that. Kids have to be at the bus stop on time. They don’t come home til evening. And missing more than a handful of scheduled days will land a truancy officer at your doorstep. (Homeschooling means doing some summer days if needed.)

But, it’s time for a change. We don’t take any decision lightly when it will change the dynamics of our family life so drastically. But, we also don’t make decisions to stay in the same routine and life-plan just because it might be scary… or stretch us a bit. So I’m excited about the new plan. And equally scared about the new plan.

Most mamas who have this scary-excited feeling are saying goodbye to their kindergartener at the door of the school in the morning. I’m saying goodbye to a 7th grader and a 9th grader as they hop on a bus and leave me for the day. I’m thrilled for them. Nervous for them. Thrilled for me. Nervous for me. A bit hesitant to say goodbye to our family’s flexible and free lifestyle but also pretty excited to say yes to a bit of organization and routine.

So, tomorrow’s the day. The day I’m feeling scary-excited for. On one hand, just another day in life. On the other hand, the first day of the rest of our lives –  or of this season. And one thing I’ve learned as I’ve walked this family journey for over 18 years. Seasons come and seasons go. And every time, it’s a little bit scary and a lot a bit exciting. 

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Dani Stroda

I love the adventure of life - aspiring to live every day lost in the whimsy and wonder of the journey. I’m outrageously in love with my amazing husband who makes me laugh every day. I’m mamma to 4 gorgeous and witty daughters who delight me everyday. I’m overwhelmed by the love of our Creator and passionate about helping others find freedom and wholeness - body, soul and spirit. I am author of the book, Journey Through the Door, which released in November 2015. A good conversation, with a friend, over coffee is a favorite pastime of mine and you can join me over at http://www.whimsyinmycup.com/ to join in the conversation! Also find me at “Whimsy In My Cup” on Facebook.

I Come Alive at Christmas

In: Motherhood
Kitchen decorated for Christmas

It’s time again. Time for the lights and the trees and candy canes and tiny porcelain village homes. It’s time to shake off all that this year has thrown at me and come alive again. My favorite time of year is here and it’s time to make some magic. My mom started the magic of Christmas for me when I was little, and I was infatuated with the joy that it brought to so many people. Loved ones come together and everything sparkles and people who don’t normally come to church are willing to join us in the pews. Everything...

Keep Reading

Brothers Fight Hard and Love Harder

In: Kids, Motherhood
Two boys play outside, one lifting the other on his back

The last few years have been a whirlwind. My head has sometimes been left spinning; we have moved continents with three boys, three and under at the time. Set up home and remained sufficiently organized despite the complete chaos to ensure everyone was where they were meant to be on most days. Living in a primarily hockey town, the winters are filled with coffee catch-ups at the arena, so it was no surprise when my youngest declared his intention to play hockey like his school friends. Fully aware that he had never held a hockey stick or slapped a puck,...

Keep Reading

Stop Putting an Expiration Date on Making Memories

In: Kids, Motherhood
Mother and son in small train ride

We get 12 times to play Santa (if we’re lucky). This phrase stopped my scroll on a Sunday evening. I had an idea of the direction this post was going but I continued on reading. 12 spring breaks 12 easter baskets 20 tooth fairy visits 13 first days of school 1 first date 1-2 proms 1-2 times of seeing them in their graduation cap and gown 18 summers under the same roof And so on and so on. It was essentially another post listing the number of all the monumental moments that we, Lord willing, will get to experience with our...

Keep Reading

Connecting with My Teen Son Will Always Be Worth the Wait

In: Motherhood, Teen
Teen boy standing near lamppost, color photo

So much of parenting teens is just waiting around, whether it’s in the car picking them up, reading in waiting rooms now that they are old enough to visit the dentist alone, and quite honestly, a lot of sitting around at home while they cocoon in their rooms or spend hours FaceTiming friends. Sure, you have your own life. You work, run a household, have your own friends, and plan solo adventures to show your teen that you’re not just waiting around for them all the time. That you are cool with them not needing you so much. But deep...

Keep Reading

This Is Why Moms Ask for Experience Gifts

In: Faith, Living, Motherhood
Mother and young daughter under Christmas lights wearing red sweaters

When a mama asks for experience gifts for her kids for Christmas, please don’t take it as she’s ungrateful or a Scrooge. She appreciates the love her children get, she really does. But she’s tired. She’s tired of the endless number of toys that sit in the bottom of a toy bin and never see the light of day. She’s tired of tripping over the hundreds of LEGOs and reminding her son to pick them up so the baby doesn’t find them and choke. She’s tired of having four Elsa dolls (we have baby Elsa, Barbie Elsa, a mini Elsa,...

Keep Reading

6 Things You Can Do Now to Help Kids Remember Their Grandparents

In: Grief, Living, Loss, Motherhood
Grandfather dances with granddaughter in kitchen

A month ago, my mom unexpectedly passed away. She was a vibrant 62-year-old grandma to my 4-year-old son who regularly exercised and ate healthy. Sure, she had some health scares—breast cancer and two previous brain aneurysms that had been operated on successfully—but we never expected her to never come home after her second surgery on a brain aneurysm. It has been devastating, to say the least, and as I comb through pictures and videos, I have gathered some tips for other parents of young kids to do right now in case the unexpected happens, and you’re left scrambling to never...

Keep Reading

To the Parents Who Coach: Thank You

In: Living, Motherhood
Mother with young son in soccer uniform, color photo

I always planned on being an involved parent, whatever that would mean. Never an athlete, always athletic, I joined the swim team in high school, taught swim lessons for spending money as a college freshman, played intramural soccer at 10 p.m. on weeknights on a college team with a ridiculous name. Later, mama to only one baby, finding extra dollars wherever I could, I coached track. And then, my own babies really started to play sports. I promised myself I would volunteer as possible, but something always stood in the way, and all I could manage was to get my...

Keep Reading

I’m Leaning into Kintsugi Parenting

In: Motherhood
Mom hugs little girl with pigtails

My 5-year-old daughter whimpers in the darkness. “I am putting the baby down,” I whisper, the rocking chair creaking. “You need to go with Dad.” Even in the dark, I can make out the stubborn, I’m-not-going-anywhere look. Call it defiance. Call it deep attachment to me. All I know is that to be so openly disobeyed makes me run a gauntlet of emotions. First, I feel irked that she’ll wake up the baby, but that’s the surface-level stuff. What really gets to me is the fear—am I doing a bad job because my kid won’t readily “obey”? Have I failed...

Keep Reading

A C-Section Mom Simply Needs You to Hear Her Story

In: Baby, Motherhood
Newborn baby crying in doctor's hands

As an expecting mother, I was told all about the sleepless nights. People made sure to give their opinion on whether I should bottle feed, breastfeed, or exclusively pump. I was told which swaddle to buy, which sound machine worked best, and when to introduce a pacifier. They told me about sleep training but that it really didn’t matter because I wouldn’t get any sleep anyway. Whenever I would mention how scared I was to give birth, I’d always get the same response: oh. honey, don’t worry, your body will know what to do. I remember listening to calming meditations...

Keep Reading

Life’s Most Precious Treasures are the People I Get To Love

In: Motherhood
Family relaxing together on a bed at home

Life is a whirlwind. The days blur into weeks, and the weeks into years, leaving us wondering where the time has gone. In the blink of an eye, my oldest boys, once tiny tots, have now reached the ripe age of 10. With eight more years until they venture off to college, I find myself acutely aware of the fleeting nature of their childhood. As a mom juggling multiple roles—household manager, PTO president, bookkeeper, and the support and sales backbone of my husband’s real estate business—life often feels like a relentless marathon. In the midst of this whirlwind, I have...

Keep Reading