Intentionally Ordinary Gift Guides 2024

We’re back for another year of gift guides! I always consider intentionality in gift giving, quality and usefulness of the gift, and sustainability, so you know you’ll be giving something great! Most of the items in our lists are either items we already use and love or are on our list for this year.

I hope you find inspiration in these guides and joy in this gift-giving season.

Filson shirt // Beanie // Watch // Boots // Razor // Beard Oil // AirTags // AirPods Max // Mechanic scrub // Lifting straps // Portable air pump // Massager // LOTR book set // Backpack

Caraway Container Set // Glasses // Salt + Pepper Holder // Serving Dish // Magnolia Cookbook // Justine Cooks // Graza Olive Oil // Beast Mini Blender // Silicone Oven Mitts // Cutting Boards // Our Place Pan Set

Kindle // Kindle Cover // Book Embosser // Bookends // Funny Story // The Small and the Mighty // The Plan // Hello Beautiful // Book Journal // Book Light // No Bleed Highlighters // Audiobook Subscription to Libro.fm

Our favorite coffee // Tea Infuser // Matcha Bowl + Whisk // Cold Brew Bottle // Coffee Art // Milk Frother // The best scale // Fellow Tea Kettle // Ember mug // Mushroom Mug // Fellow Aeropress attachment // Espresso Cups // Coffee Blossom Honey

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Thank you so much for taking time to look over the gift guides! As a reminder, some of the links are affiliate links and earn me a small commission with your purchase. Every click is appreciated!

How to Start and Lead a Book Club

One of my favorite things about being a bookworm is sharing my love of books with my friends!

I started my reading journey as an adult during the pandemic lockdown. I’d read a little bit here and there post-college, but I really got on a roll once the world shut down and we were confined to our houses. I had an account on Goodreads (my favorite social media) and found that almost none of my friends were reading. I was starting to read a lot of fiction, and in 2020/21, it just didn’t seem like many other people were reading as much as I was. Maybe I was just in a new mom bubble; perhaps it was the community I was a part of, or maybe it was just me.

But after our move to Los Angeles, I found that many more people were interested in reading fiction, just like me! I was so excited that I started a fiction book club and a nonfiction book club with my women’s ministry at church. I also joined another fiction book club and was part of a non-fiction book club at work. Looking back, I may have gone a little overboard, but I was so excited that other people wanted to read books with me!

I’ve found book clubs to be so fruitful in my life. They allow space to build friendships and relationships, offer a space for vulnerability and honesty, and teach me about my community, the world, and the varied topics we discuss.

We’ve since moved back to the Bay Area, but I look back on our time in LA with my book-loving friends with such fondness. Many of the book clubs I started are still continuing without me, and I couldn’t be more proud to have brought these people together to read good books and learn.

Whether you’ve moved to a new community or want to start a book club with your current friends, this post is for you!

How to Start a Book Club

It might seem simple, but first, you’ll need to gather your friends. If you have an established community, you might already know the bookworms in your group. If you’re new to a community, and as you’re meeting new people, maybe ask them what they’re reading or share what you’re reading to gauge whether they’d be interested in joining your book club.

Determine whether you’ll host a fiction or non-fiction book club. Different people might fall into different categories, but sometimes, people interested in fiction might also be interested in non-fiction! It takes some conversations to find out what people enjoy. If you’re well-read, this should be an easy conversation to carry.

Once you know which group of friends might be interested, let them know you want to start a book club and ask if they’d like to join!

From there, starting the book club is primarily a logistics game (and for me, this is the hardest part!). If you’re a scheduling pro, you might love the challenge of coordinating multiple people’s schedules and preferences. If not, you can rely on apps like Doodle to help determine the group’s best meeting time. My most successful meeting times for groups of moms are usually after kid’s bedtime — around 7:45 or 8 pm. I’ve also had successful book clubs meet first thing on a Saturday morning. Ask your group their preferences, or pick a few dates that work for you, and the group can tell you which dates work best.

Encourage your readers to find the chosen book at the library, through Libby for an audiobook or ebook, or through a local bookstore if they want to buy it. Instruct them to read the entire book if it’s fiction or two to three chapters if you’re slowly working through a non-fiction book.

On your chosen meeting day, gather your group around books and food. I love having a simple snack like popcorn or fresh cookies, tea, and decaf coffee for my nighttime book clubs. Maybe some pastries or light snacks would work best if you're hosting in the morning.

How to Lead a Book Club

Now that you’re all gathered together, how do you keep a discussion going? Often, non-fiction books have discussion questions at the end of the chapters. These questions are usually constructive and keep the conversation flowing for your time together. Fiction books occasionally include discussion questions; if not, you can generally find discussion questions posted online. A simple search of “(book title) discussion questions” should come up with a few good leading questions about characters or circumstances in the book.

Here are a few more I like to ask for fiction books:

• How many stars would you rate this book (out of 5) and why?

• Which actor would play each character in the film?

• Which character resonated with you and why?

If you’re running a Christian non-fiction book club, I’d also encourage opening and closing in prayer.

A sample book club meeting might look like this:

7:45 - 8 pm: people arrive, grab snacks, chat with each other

8 pm: open in prayer if applicable

8:05 - 8:45 pm: book discussion time

8:45 -8:55 pm: pick your next book (or chapters), confirm the next meeting date

8:55 pm: close in prayer if applicable

9 pm: end, chat as people are leaving

As a final note for leading, I will say that the discussion leader does not also have to host. Ask if others would be interested in hosting, or find a fun meeting spot in town if you can’t host the book club. Make it work for your group! Invite people in, allow others to invite them in, or gather wherever you can — it’s worth it!

Next up, here are some ideas for books to read based on the type of book club you’ll be hosting. I’ve read each of these and discussed many in book clubs, so I know they’re worth it! It’s not exhaustive, and I could’ve added so many more! Hopefully, this list is one you can revisit when you need ideas for your book club. Happy reading!

Book Ideas for Fiction Book Clubs

Mystery/Thriller

• The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel

• Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

• The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

• Curfew by Jayne Cowie

• Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

• The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

• The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

• Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

• The Maid by Nita Prose

• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Literary/Social Commentary

• Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover

• Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Claire Pooley

• Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

• Beartown by Fredrik Backman

• The Nix by Nathan Hill

• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

• Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

• Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

• Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

• Any classics would be great as well!

Book Ideas for Non-Fiction Book Clubs

General

• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

• The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row by Anthony Ray Hinton

• A Fever in the Heartland: the Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan

• Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

• Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention — And How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari

• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

• That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea by Marc Randolph

• The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi

Christian

• Practicing the Way: Be With Jesus, Become Like Him, Do What He Did by John Mark Comer

• Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton

• The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley

• Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools: An Invitation to the Wonder and Mystery of Prayer by Tyler Staton

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer

Book Ideas for Christian Moms

• The 6 Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents and Kids Through the Power of Connection by Amy Elizabeth Olrick

• The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place by Andy Crouch

• Holy Hygge: Creating a Place for People to Gather and the Gospel to Grow by Jamie Erickson

• Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms by Justin Whitmel Earley

• Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

• Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope For Everday Moments by Emily Jensen

• Raising Passionate Jesus Followers: The Power of Intentional Parenting by Phil Comer

How to Take a Half-Day Spiritual Retreat

If you’re feeling out of sync or disconnected from God, or even just tired and in need of some soul restoration, today’s post is for you!

“The next morning, Jesus got up long before daylight, left the house while it was dark, and made his way to a secluded place to give himself to prayer.”

— Mark 1:35 TPT

In the Gospels, we often see Jesus withdraw to rejuvenate his spirit and spend time alone to pray. He also asked his disciples to join him on occasion, teaching them how to do the same. In these subtle and maybe often-missed verses, we see Jesus exemplifying and offering a better way to rest and connect with God. While we don’t “have” to take time to retreat as Christians, this example in Christ’s life is an invitation to receive the same rest.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

— Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

As a busy mom, taking sabbaticals and days-long spiritual retreats is often impossible. When my routine is thrown off or my calendar fills up, I know I might need to take extra time with God to be able to serve from a full cup, not an empty one. Maybe you’re also in a busy season and looking for a way to reconnect and rest with God. If you can, setting aside a few hours to spend in solace with God might be what you need to refocus, renew your energy, and look forward to what’s ahead for you.

Preparing for a Half-Day Retreat

(I use the term half-day lightly here; honestly, anything more than an hour probably requires the same coordination and preparation as 3-5 hours would.)

First, to prepare for your half-day retreat, you’ll need to schedule it. This may seem obvious, but often, we need to put things on our calendars so they get done. It’s the same as a chore chart—say you’ll clean the bathroom on Thursdays, and you most likely will. The first step of putting the retreat on your calendar is essential.

Second, find a day/time that works for you based on your schedule. Would a weekend work well if you have full- or part-time work? Would a weekday while the kids are in school be best? Can your partner, grandparents, or best friend watch your kids for a few hours? Make the moves and plans to ensure your retreat can happen.

Last, plan where you’ll go! I love going to a quiet park with shady trees and grass to lay out on. You could also pick a hiking trail with a spot to sit at the end. I wouldn’t recommend a busy coffee shop, restaurant, or somewhere you might run into your friends.

The Day of Your Retreat

You’ve arrived at your retreat day after careful planning, calendar management, and childcare coordination, way to go! First, gather your supplies - each person might want to bring different things based on their unique personality and giftings, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

• water bottle/favorite drink

• notebook/journal and pen

• creative supplies like paints or instruments

• Bible

• comfy blanket to lay out on the grass

• comfy shoes and clothes to walk in

• devotional or other materials to guide your time

• light snacks if needed

You’ll also need to think about things you’ll be leaving behind. This time is meant for you to connect with God, so leave behind distractions like:

• your phone (turn on do not disturb or leave it at home/in your car)

• music or podcasts

• books or audiobooks that don’t aid in your retreat time

• friends, family, and pets (we love them, but this time is just for you and God!)

A Sample Retreat Schedule

Your retreat should be unique to how you connect with God, but here’s a small sample of how you might spend three hours of retreat time with God:

9 am - arrive at your retreat destination and find a comfy space to lay your blanket on the grass. Open in prayer, praying for a heart open to listening to God.

9:15 am - open your Bible and spend some time in meditation. I like practicing Lectio Divina or Ignatian Meditation (both are included in my retreat guide!). If you can, spend about an hour repeatedly looking at a passage and praying about what comes up for you at that moment.

10:15 am - stretch your legs by taking a walk. Use this time to say prayers of thanks, intercessory prayers, or continue praying through what God brought to your mind in the previous session.

10:45 am - find another relaxing spot or return to the previous location. Open up your book, devotional, or guide and read. Alternately, this would be a good time to engage in creative activities like singing, playing an instrument, writing a song or poem, or painting and drawing.

11:30 am - you’ve made it to the end of your retreat time! Spend 30 minutes or so reflecting on what God has been saying to you. Write down a word or phrase you feel is important to remember and reflect on how you can bring this into your everyday life.

12 pm - end your time in prayer, thanking God for the space and time to retreat with Him. Thank Him for speaking and being present in your life.

Feel free to shorten each session if you have less time for retreat or extend them if you can make more retreat time with God!

I hope these few hours give you the rest, rejuvenation, and connection you need with God!

My Half-Day Retreat Guide

I designed a retreat guide that walks you through five practices of meditation, prayer, and response to God. This would be a perfect companion if you’d like a more structured retreat time! Check out the details in my shop here!

10 Things Most People Don’t Know About Me

Hi! I’ve taken a little hiatus from posts on the blog, but I’m back with a little reintroduction!

I started this blog at the end of 2022 as a project with my mom, Valerie. She was taking her certification to become a spiritual director and helped with many of the articles on soul care and spiritual practices. Now that she’s received her certification, she’ll run her website and spiritual direction/coaching business, so I’m taking over Intentionally Ordinary fully!

If you have been following along since the early days, thank you so much for being here! I’m always learning and growing in this space and in and out of seasons of productivity, so I appreciate you sticking around.

If you’re new here, hi! Thanks for checking out my tiny corner of the internet. I trust you’re on a similar journey of intentionality, spiritual growth and care as I am, and that truly excites me!

So whether you’ve been around for a few years or just stumbled upon this blog, here are ten things most people don’t know about me:

1. I was a picky eater growing up. I remember going to Taco Bell, ordering a taco, then dumping out the contents and eating the shell (much better than just eating chips, right?!). I’ve come a long way since then and love to cook and eat just about anything now!

2. I’ve never played on a sports team. Why? I don’t know if I really have an answer for why past me chose not to get involved in sports, but now I’d love to! I’m considering joining a swimming group or even picking up something like tennis/pickleball or volleyball!

3. Although I never joined any teams as a kid, I did gymnastics and taekwondo growing up.

4. My husband and I have been together for almost eighteen years! We started dating when we were fourteen and have been together ever since.

5. I’ve been to seven countries (including the one I live in), and I’d love to travel internationally more.

6. Japan, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal are at the top of my current travel bucket list!

7. I’ve read over 200 books since the beginning of the pandemic. I was always a reader growing up, but I slowed down during college, my early 20s, and new motherhood. When we were locked down in our houses, I found a lot of joy in mainly reading fiction, especially before bed at night. Currently, I end almost every night with at least a few pages of my book, but I often spend 20+ minutes reading as my nightly routine.

8. Romance is one of my favorite genres, but mostly because I know the couple will always end up together. I love how authors often make the relationship seem impossible but always find a way to get the main characters together despite the circumstances. Happy endings are the best!

9. When I’m not feeling gushy, happy feelings reading a romance, I like mysteries and thrillers, literary fiction, and memoirs the most. I’ll sometimes pick up a fantasy or nonfiction. Honestly, not much is off-limits in the book world for me.

10. I earned a degree in Child and Adolescent Development in college. I worked in schools for four years, but now I use that hard-earned degree in my everyday life as a mom.

When I started this post, I honestly didn’t think I’d have ten things to fill this list, but now I feel like there’s so much more I could say! If you’d like to connect more, feel free to email me at hello@intentionallyordinary.com or follow me using the social links in the header/footer of this website. I can’t wait to get to know you and join you on this journey of intentional ordinariness.

Intentionally Ordinary Gift Guides 2023

We’re back again with some intentional gift guides! We’re all about shopping purposefully and buying high quality gifts that last a long time and can be used for any occasion! Though we make these gift guides around the Christmas season, feel free to reference back to these anytime (birthdays, Valentine’s Day, etc).

Everything will be linked below for easy shopping & many of the links will be affiliate links. This just means we get a small percentage back when you shop through our link — and we so appreciate it when you do! We hope you find some inspiration in these guides.

scalloped glasses//Hatch Restore sound machine & alarm clock//Caraway ceramic pots & pans//Alabaster Co Bible study//Blue Bottle coffee set//Allbirds slippers (my favorite!)//Kindle//diffuser//Apple Watch//Crosley record player

cute lunch box//spacious but minimal bag//Lululemon belt bag//Our favorite candles//Instax photo printer (links to your phone!)//live-in earrings//beautycounter gift sets//Holy Hygge//Lessons in Chemistry//Daisy Jones & the Six

Yoto player (screen-free audio book player)ages 2+//Lovevery Montessori playkits age birth to 4 years//Tubby Todd bath bubbles & lotion//Lego set age 4+//Magnatiles age 2+//PaperPie books all ages//Sarah’s silks pretend play (check out all of the items, we love lots of different products from here!)//Montessori toy for babies//scooter (linked for 2-5 year olds, but this brand has all ages)

AirTag (for keys, wallet, luggage, etc)//ooni pizza oven//Apple headphones//cocktail set//travel bag//meat thermometer with app//merch for car guys

The Importance of Praise and Thanksgiving

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for His faithful love and His wonderful works for the human race. For He has satisfied the thirsty and filled the hungry with good things.”

— Psalm 107:8-9 CSB

In September 1620, 102 men, women, and children left England to sail to the new land known as America. By the Spring of the following year, over half of those people had died from illness and deprivation. The next Fall, after a successful harvest, the remaining pilgrims celebrated a three-day feast to thank God for his faithfulness and goodness to them. This is the origin of what we celebrate every 4th Thursday in November- Thanksgiving.

One of those pilgrims, William Bradford, who sailed on the Mayflower to America, quotes portions of several Psalms, including Psalm 107, in his journal regarding the journey that he had experienced. His journal entry is a praise and thanksgiving for God and what he had provided for them, even amid struggles and loss.

As we approach Thanksgiving 2023, over 400 years from the story of the pilgrims and our country’s beginnings, it seems like a good time to consider the importance of praise and thanksgiving, specifically to our creator, God.

Both praise and thanksgiving are commanded in the Bible, but there is an important difference. Prayer, worship, praise, and thanksgiving are often intertwined, but at its simplest, praise can be described as acknowledging and appreciating who God is, and thanksgiving is thanking God for things he has done.

Psalm 145:3 tells us, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. (ESV) 

We are commanded to praise God and know he is worthy of praise, but how often do we do it? Right now, can you think of any attributes of God worthy of praise? His faithfulness, provision, generosity, and patience are a few that come to my mind. The Bible is full of verses telling us of his attributes, and thinking about these is a wonderful way to know him better and grow in faith. When we take the time each day to praise him, it helps remind us that we are merely human and that He is a great God for us and with us. Sending this message to our souls is reassuring and can bring peace even in distress.

“We can always find a reason to praise. Situations change for better and for worse, but God’s worth never changes.”

— Matt Redman

We are also commanded to thank God for all he has done. Right now, can you think of things God has done or is doing in your life? Giving me breath to live, unlimited forgiveness, and hearing and answering my prayers are a few things that come to mind. Humans are forgetful, and it’s important that we remember to thank God for the things he has done for ourselves, others, and our world. 

When we accept the invitation to praise and thank God, our thoughts focus on His power and goodness, among other things. In a world that is so often calling our attention to things that bring worry, anxiety, and distress, you can see how obeying these simple commands can bring good things to your mental health and the health of your very soul.

Entering into and participating in praise and thanksgiving is simply a choice. God’s commands are for our flourishing, but we are given the freedom to participate or not. When I look at the responses of people like William Bradford, who endured great hardship and yet are able to respond with praise and thanksgiving, I can see that being intentional to make these a part of my daily life is not only easy but they are also very valuable for a life well lived.

Here’s to a journey filled with praise and thanksgiving!

The Best Gift to Give your Neighbors this Holiday Season

Just today, I was talking to a sweet mom who was starting to feel the pangs of anxiety regarding the holiday season. Halloween is days away, Thanksgiving is weeks away, and Christmas is only two months away. Shopping, travel, health, work, family gatherings, extra cleaning, cooking, and expenses are just a few things that are on many of our minds. All these extras, many that we love and some that we dread, cause us extra stress and even perhaps anxiety. And guess what? We are not alone. Many others around us are feeling the same. Other feelings around the holidays include depression and increased grief for those missing loved ones, especially during this time of year.

As we communally enter the holiday season filled with joy, laughter, stress, sadness, and so much more, we can give ourselves and one another a beautiful gift. A gift that is truly a gift as it is free and brings with it no expectation, shame, or judgment. What is this gift? It is the gift of grace. 

In Christianity, grace is defined as undeserved favor. It cannot be earned; it is something that is freely given. Grace is a kindness — to ourselves and others.

For this holiday season, I would like to encourage you to start each of your days with the gift of grace first to yourself. One way you might give yourself grace is to remind yourself of the first stanza of the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can; 

and wisdom to know the difference.

Grace for yourself might be forgiveness for mistakes or harsh words spoken and remembering Lamentations 3:22-23:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Grace for yourself might look like remembering it’s okay to say no, and it is more than okay that your life doesn’t look like the Instagram post that sent your heart and mind into comparison and discontent.

As you give yourself grace, you can extend it to your family and loved ones, remembering they probably feel their version of holiday stress and demands.

As you continue giving yourself grace, you can extend that grace to your neighbors on the road, at the grocery stores, post offices, and other places you may frequent during the holiday season. The places where grace will be received and appreciated are unending! How about grace for your local barista, table server, gas station attendant, or salon worker? Where can you give away undeserved favor and kindness?

This season, finances may be tight, time may feel stretched, and bodies may be tired, but grace can always be given away for free without adding more stress to your life. Giving grace to yourself and giving it away to others can bring refreshment and joy to your soul.

Matthew 22:37-39 reminds us to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, this holiday season, intentionally show yourself some love by giving yourself grace and then giving it to others!

The Best Parenting Books I’ve Read (So Far)

I’m an avid reader and love to soak up nonfiction books in addition to my frequent fiction reads. Since becoming a mom almost five years ago, I’ve picked up a fair share of parenting books that have helped shape my parenting philosophy. As a Christian mom, many of the titles I’ve picked up have been encouraging in raising children with a foundation of faith, but I’ve found many non-Christian resources extremely helpful as well!

Also, just a reminder that the links below are affiliate links — we get a small commission when you purchase after clicking on the link. A little goes a long way, and we’d appreciate your support!

Here’s a list of my favorites:

1. Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley - this book centers on creating habits for yourself and your home. It offers easy-to-implement practices that you can start right away. It’s an easy read with simple applications after each chapter. We’ve already implemented many of the suggested practices - most recently, saying a prayer of blessing over our kids before bed. I’d highly recommend the read as a Christian parent.

2. Raising Passionate Jesus Followers by Phil and Diane Comer - I’ve gone to conferences that Phil and Diane have led and listened to numerous podcasts through their ministry, Intentional Parents. They have incredible wisdom from what they learned as young parents and are encouraging to listen to and learn from. This book is divided into stages (birth through early adulthood) and offers practical advice tailored to each stage. They’ve encouraged me to embrace more fun in parenting, as I tend more towards expecting rules to be followed above having fun. There’s totally a place for both, but this book has helped me lean into fun more than I naturally would have. This book is another fantastic resource for Christian parents!

3. Hunt, Gather, Parent, by Michaeleen Doucleff - this book changed how I view parenting! Michaeleen travels around the world to learn more about how different cultures parent, challenging the modern/Western parenting norms. And I was intrigued and inspired by the principles these non-Western families held. I’m probably due for another read-through!

4. The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies - I went to a Montessori school, trained as a Montessori teacher, and worked for many years at a Montessori preschool, so I’m a huge fan of all things Montessori! This book helps break down many of Maria Montessori’s philosophies that can be used directly with toddlers. The author also has a book for babies and school-aged children! As a random bonus, the book's formatting is beautiful, too.

5. Satisfied by Alyssa Joy Bethke - this one may not be directly for parenting, but I found many of the stories to be so encouraging along the journey of motherhood. The chapters are short and easy to read. I read this with some mom friends and found it encouraging to discuss each chapter topic together.

6. Risen Motherhood by Emily Jensen and Laura Wifler - this book helps view motherhood through the lens of the gospel. It tackles topics like community, income-producing work, schooling choices, and more. I read this book with my community and found it more insightful when we read and discussed it together.

7. The Six Needs of Every Child— this book examines children's innate needs and how parents can meet them where they are developmentally. Each chapter has space for reflecting on current wins and struggles in each area (delight, support, boundaries, protection, comfort, and equipping) and how to grow and improve. It's a great scientific-based Christian perspective!

8. Take Back Your Family - this book reframes our current culture of family and individualism and analyzes what it would look like to treat family as a team. This book offers a fun, different perspective of support and camaraderie within families instead of typical sibling “me-against-you” mentalities.

9. Tech-Wise Family—this book is an incredible guide for properly utilizing technology with children and the importance of prioritizing high-quality, non-screen, hands-on activities instead. I highly recommend this read!

10. The Anxious Generation— while this isn’t specifically a parenting book, it is packed with helpful ideas on how and when to introduce smartphones and social media to kids. Most of the book covers how Gen X has become one of the most anxious generations of modern times, but the practical tips are parenting GOLD!

I’ll be adding to this list as I read more! I have so many on my list, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

(updated 8/24!)

My Best Tips for Traveling with Young Kids

This past year has been a busy travel year for us. We’ve traveled to a few faraway places with young kids (between 2-4 years old) and learned a lot of things along the way. Today’s blog post contains a few of my best tips for maintaining sanity and enjoying travel with young kids!

As a young adult, I had the opportunity to travel internationally with my grandparents, and especially recently, I’ve been itching to expose my kids to travel, too.

But traveling with young kids is not all rainbows and sunshine. It takes quite a bit of work, patience, flexibility, and stress management. Spending a lot of time traveling, whether in a car, bus, plane, or train, paired with limited familiar food options, a new environment, little sleep, and a departure from routines can really throw young children off (and adults, too). Managing all of those things on top of everyday management, like what to wear and eat and breaking up sibling arguments, is a lot, simply put.

But in my year of traveling, I’ve learned that it was incredibly, undoubtedly worth it. The night we all didn’t go to sleep until almost four in the morning — it was worth it to see the beauty of the Cotswolds the next day. The constant complaining and tantrums about not getting a toy from the Maui aquarium — it was worth it to get to experience the island before the fires in Lahaina this year and to see the places where my husband’s family grew up.

If you have the ability or opportunity to travel with your kids, I say do it. Don’t wait until they’re older. These experiences are learning experiences for them, too. Both of you grow in the process and get to see the beauty and diversity of the world we live in.

Tips for traveling with young kids:

1. Allow unlimited screen time during travel. We’re pretty intentional about limiting screen time at home, but the minute we get on an airplane, our kids get unlimited screen time. We take the time to download games and shows that we approve of, but other than that, they’re welcome to play games and watch movies and shows until we land. When we traveled internationally, they did have a few hours to sleep on the plane, but other than that, they had headphones on and a show queued up. We do a similar thing with long car trips but try to put off the screen time as long as we can by playing eye spy or listening to music and reading books. We generally don’t allow screen time for the rest of the trip (not at restaurants or in the hotel room), so they get to look forward to a fun few hours on the plane.

2. Hold plans loosely. Sometimes, you have a reservation to be somewhere at a specific time, otherwise, I think it’s best to be willing to change plans at a moment’s notice. Maybe the kids are starting to get hangry, so stopping for a snack or meal should be the next move. Or maybe they’ve been in the car all day, so googling the nearest park or beach will help them expend their energy. Or maybe they only got five hours of sleep the night before, and taking the scenic drive will help them get a much needed nap. Be ready to adapt to your kids’ needs.

3. Bring screen-free activities to enjoy at restaurants. Books, coloring pages, pop-its, and table games help keep kids busy when they need to wait. Pack whatever it is that keeps them busy in your carry-on and lug it around to outings where you might have a long car ride or a wait at a restaurant. If they’re not enjoying what you’ve packed, find a local Target and have them pick out a few things to keep them busy. I speak from experience here, haha.

4. Buy tickets to places where kids get in free. Many tours and museums offer tickets free to children under two or three years of age (sometimes even up to five years old!). Take advantage of the free ticket if it’s a place your kids might enjoy coming along with you to. Our kids got into Windsor Castle and the Tower of London for free and were so excited to see where a queen used to live.

5. Buy familiar snacks if possible, or pack enough in your carry-on to last the length of the trip. For picky kids or kids averse to trying different foods, it’s so important to keep familiar foods on hand. We’ve flown with fruit pouches, crackers, oatmeal packets, and protein bars with no problem both within the US and internationally. Either pack up a big assortment to carry with you during the duration of your trip (we packed an entire backpack full when we flew internationally) or be ready to do a grocery store run soon after landing.

6. Save money by purchasing breakfast or lunch items at grocery stores. Travel often means eating out for every meal, but if you have a refrigerator or kitchenette in your room, buying easy breakfast and lunch items from the grocery store can help save a ton of money! This is also key for picky eaters, as noted above. Grab yogurt and granola or lunch meat/cheese or peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches. Or even grab a frozen dinner to heat up if your room has a microwave. It’s not glamorous, but sometimes it’s necessary!

7. Try to maintain some parts of your home routines. Even though routines are completely thrown off during travel, I think having some kind of invisible landmark to a child’s day is helpful in maintaining a sense of safety and comfort in a new environment. We like to pack the kids’ vitamins and serve them with their breakfast just like at home and bring along our Jesus Storybook Bible so that their nighttime routine follows a familiar cadence as well. Bringing along a familiar toy can be a big comfort for kids, too.

8. Pay a little bit extra to book a flight at a normal time of day. We really learned our lesson with this one when we flew from Cyprus to England. There were a lot of valid reasons that went into why we picked the flight time we did (it landed at 10:30 pm London time, but 12:30 am Cyprus time and left us WRECKED), but now, after experiencing it, we’d go back and pay the extra money in a heartbeat to land at our destination earlier in the day. Very early or very late flights can throw off children’s sleep routines and make it harder to go to sleep at night or harder to stay awake during the day if they are up too early. Even though very early or very late flights are cheaper, purchasing tickets for a flight that takes off or lands during a child’s normal waking hours will save both you and the children the mental and emotional exhaustion of losing precious sleep.

9. Create memories. Most of all, have fun. See the wonder of a new place through your child’s eyes. Take pictures. Laugh at the hard things so that you don’t cry. Do the fun things and the picture-worthy things or just the small things that mean the most to your children.

Resources for traveling with young kids:

We’ve found a few foolproof travel items that have been key for our family in this season of travel. Try these things out next time you’re traveling with your children to make the trip a little less stressful:

1. Travel car seats - these travel car seats from Wayb are pricey but worth their weight in gold. They come with a backpack to carry them in and they’re super lightweight. Rolling your kids’ suitcases, your suitcase, and their car seat(s), plus all the carry-on items, is A LOT. So save yourself the hassle and buy or borrow one of these!

2. Crayola color wonder sheets - my kids went to town on these at restaurants during our Maui trip. They were not at all entertained by any of the cute things I packed — the princess/Paw Patrol brightly colored paper is what kept them busy. At least I tried haha.

3. This carry-on bag and packing organizers - this style of suitcase paired with the packing organizers makes my organizational heart so happy and keeps the kids’ clothes well organized during travel. A carry-on fits both my girl’s essentials perfectly!

4. Yoto Player Mini - we love this compact audiobook player for nighttime stories or for car & plane travel.

If you’re off to travel with your kids, I wish you the best! I hope you’ll enjoy the good times and let the rough times roll off your back. You’re gonna do great, mama!

The Benefits of Sabbath for our Bodies

“The Sabbath day was made to help people; they (people) were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day”

— Mark 2:27 NSV

Alisa and I have been intentionally practicing Sabbath for several years now. It is a habit that took time to create, has looked different over the months and years, and, at its best, is a time of soul rest and time of worship. At some point in our lives, we decided to accept this good gift from God—a gift for our benefit and flourishing. And as is so often true in God’s economy, as he blesses us, we are in a better posture to bless others. Sabbath keeping benefits me as well as the world around me.

Sabbath is a time of rest and worship. Ideally, it is a 24-hour period where we stop or cease from the usual things we do in our work week. This can include working (and thinking about) our professions, cleaning, errands, list making, meal preparing, email, and social media. It is a time to intentionally focus our hearts and minds on our creator and lover of our souls. It is a time of refreshing and renewal. As Ray Ortland notes, “What sets us apart is this. We rest, in order to work; we do not work, in order to rest.” Humanity is divinely designed to work out of rest instead of the other way around.

There are so many benefits of taking Sabbath that I could tell you about, but for today, I will focus on some of the ways that Sabbath is good for your body.

Studies show that those who regularly keep Sabbath benefit from the following:

1. A dramatic decrease in the rate of coronary artery disease.

2. Fewer feelings of stress in their body

3. Improved immune health

4. Healing and recovering faster from injuries and illness

5. A longer life expectancy of up to 10 years. 

In addition to these physical bodily benefits, there are mental health and spiritual health benefits.

If you do not keep Sabbath, I hope these facts encourage you to accept this gift created for you and your flourishing. I have included some resources below if you would like to learn more about the practice of keeping Sabbath.

• www.practicingtheway.org

• www.soulshepherding.org/sabbath/

• Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest by Ruth Haley Barton

• The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

Enjoy the journey!

Valerie

Check out our e-books and experience the benefits of Sabbath!

We’ve created two guides to help you rest in God’s presence and experience the five benefits shared above.

Download our Half-Day Spiritual Retreat Guide as a perfect way to spend time with God during your Sabbath rest. You’ll walk through various spiritual practices like Lectio Divina, silence and solitude, and more. This guide aims to anchor you in God’s love—what better way to spend a day of rest?!

Or grab our Habit Workbook, filled with practices and rhythms that support your body’s well-being (including a section on Sabbath!)