rewrite this title Week 12: A Peek Into This Past Week

Kathrynne surprised us with a few visits the past week and I wish you could hear the squeals coming from Kierstyn and Micah when they see her. This is what a 17-year age gap looks like. 😍

This week I started a new series: Can I feed 7 people for $10 for dinner every night?

If you’re struggling to come up with budget-friendly meals that the whole family will love, utilize this list of 70 dinner ideas under $10! If you’re willing to get creative, there are dozens of frugal dinner ideas that will keep your family (and your wallet) full!

Here’s what I made this past week in this series:

Here are 70 other easy dinner ideas your family will love — all for under $10.

If your goal as a parent is to raise kids who always make the right choices and decisions, you are probably going to find yourself often frustrated and stressed because your kids aren’t turning out as perfect as you’d envisioned.

But if, instead, you see your goal as a parent to point your kids to Jesus, then mistakes are opportunities to have great conversations, love your kids right where they are at, walk with them well, and extend the same grace and patience that God shows us. Parenting isn’t ultimately about the results (because we can’t save or change our kids’ hearts); it’s about our faithfulness.

Jesus came to take the heavy and impossible burden of perfection off our shoulders as moms. We will never get it all right or do it all right (and neither will our kids!), but that’s the whole reason we have Jesus! We can look to Him, rest in Him, and put our hope in Him — even on the hard days and the days when we make mistakes and mess up, yet again. I’m so thankful for His grace!

I have started using my @crystaliscleaning Instagram again – be sure to follow along so you don’t miss out on what I’ve been cleaning lately! I am working on resetting my whole house one room at a time!

I took the kids to Kroger with me to look for deals on Friday. You can see this fun video we did of our shopping trip together.

If you have experienced any sort of disappointment or loss or challenges in your life recently — or you know someone who has, please watch this interview with @courtneyprayduke!! Trust me, it will be well worth your time.

Courtney shares about what it was like to lose her husband in a tragic cycling accident when she had three young kids. How devastated she felt. How she didn’t want to get out of bed and live life.

But God.

He gave her the courage and strength to get up and to keep choosing to live — to put one foot in front of the other, to preach the truth of Who He is in the darkest valley, and to let other people care for and carry her.

I highly recommend her book, And She Got Up: Shattered By Loss, Restored By Jesus.

It’s baseball season again! I LOVE the hours and hours we spend outside watching Silas… it’s my spring and summer hobby!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day to the boy who has wrecked our world in the most beautiful of ways. We will never be the same because of you, David! 😍

I look back on these past five years we’ve been privileged to love you and think about how I’m such a different person because of getting to be your mama.

You’ve taught me that there is so much we prioritize and chase after and stress about in this life that really doesn’t matter.

You’ve helped me to slow down and learn to notice and appreciate so many tiny things I used to rush right past.

You’ve opened up my eyes to a whole world of incredible people and families I never world have gotten to know — I now excitedly go out of my way to meet anyone who has disabilities or has a child or family member with disabilities! I didn’t know I was going to get to join such an incredible club of #theluckyfew!

You and your mama have changed my viewpoint on so many things and given me a deep well of compassion and advocacy for those who are overlooked or marginalized.

You’ve taught me that you don’t need words to communicate and express love.

And most of all, you’ve helped me get to discover what radical reliance on Jesus looks like. I’ve gotten so many opportunities to see His faithfulness in miraculous ways as we’ve navigated all sorts of challenges and unexpected emergencies the last five years. I could literally write a book on the crazy amazing stories of God’s goodness. And it’s caused me to have so much more calmness and deeper trust because I’ve gotten to see firsthand just how faithful God is… and I believe with all my heart that He will continue to be faithful – no matter what! ❤️

We love you our sweet David Mateo Paine!

I’ve been testing out Walmart dresses to see if I can find the perfect Easter dress… and we found 20 options all under $25! You can see a video of some of the dresses here.

In Case You Missed It – Posts From This Week

Best Christian Books and Devotionals for Teens — The teenager years can be a lot, but they’re also some of the most spiritually significant years a person will ever walk through. That’s why I’m so excited to share these recommendations for books to encourage your teen’s faith.

Easter Basket Ideas for Teens — Are you stumped about what to put in your teen’s Easter basket? I know the feeling! Check out this list of recommendations, complete with ideas for both guys and girls.

Homemade Chipotle Chicken Bowls ($10 Family Dinner Idea) — These customizable rice bowls are a family-favorite that comes together in minutes — no trip to Chipotle needed!

Best Devotionals and Christian Books for Kids — I often get asked for recommendations of devotionals to do with kids and I finally put together a post with my top recommendations!