Brenda blogs weekly on life, faith, and parenting beyond the storybook image here at Life Beyond the Picket Fence Blog and podcast. Don’t miss a message. Join her and the not-so-perfect community by subscribing at Life Beyond the Picket Fence.
The First Frost and Why Beauty and Sadness Coexist
Beauty and sadness can coexist, and sometimes we need a sabbatical to find out what we need to thrive in seasons of loss.
Guarding A Child’s Heart on Halloween {and Beyond}
Is celebrating Halloween okay? What about the creepy decorations? Here are 10 principles to consider for God’s call to guard your child’s heart.
When Your World Crashes In
We were at a movie theater when a phone call changed the trajectory of our evening. One of those phone calls when the world seems to crash in around you, and the only choice you have at the moment is to sink or swim. Have you received those phone calls, the doctor's...
10 Ways Parents Sin by Idolizing Children
Do you put your kids, their success, and desires above God? God wants us to love Him more than our kids. These questions assess whom you worship more.
When Did Things Get Complicated? 4 Ways to Simply Your Life
Life is complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn four immediate strategies to simply your life without changing your lifestyle.
5 Tips for Busy Moms in the Fledging Years
Life is exhausting raising kids, so how do you manage during the years that are the busiest? 5 tips for how to manage the crazy before all your kids fledge.
5 Reasons to Talk about Hard Stuff with Your Kids
Kids rarely tell you they need to talk about hard stuff. And you might be afraid to so do, if you’re honest. Here are 5 reasons why talking is essential.
9 Truths about Love You Must Understand
Love is elusive, almost incomprehensible in today’s culture. It doesn’t have to be. Here are nine truths about love everyone needs to know.
The Kindness Wall
A lesson on kindness from school kids teaches all of us how to be better humans.
Giving Yourself Grace
A young mom, I laid sobbing on our couch in our basement. It was my reaction to a comment I received that day which validated feelings of unworthiness and unacceptability. I laid there, loathing myself. It triggered feelings I had as a teenager with an eating disorder...
The Changing Faces of Community
Community means different things to me. I live in the community in which I was raised, one where everyone knows your name. There’s safety and familiarity in knowing those around you, in others knowing where you’ve been and to whom you belong. I experienced community...
When You’ll Be Fine is the Wrong Answer
“You’ll be fine” is usually not a good answer to tell someone when they share their fear, struggle, or anxiety. Here’s why.