We are BACK!

After the longest break I’ve ever taken from the podcast since starting back in 2015, I’m finally back behind the mic — and back on video too!

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In this episode, I’m sharing where I’ve been, why I unintentionally took a six-month break, and how this season offline has been one of the most life-giving and needed seasons for our family.

The last two years have held a lot for us: moving out of Oklahoma, living nomadically in our RV again, spending a sweet season on Jason’s parents’ property, walking through Radley’s burn accident and recovery, moving to a new town in North Carolina, settling into a new house, Jason starting a new job, and slowly rebuilding our family rhythms.

Somewhere in the middle of all of that, the podcast got quiet.

I didn’t plan it, I didn’t announce it and I kept thinking I would jump back in “next week.” But the quiet kept stretching, and I began to realize how much I needed to step back and breathe.

It was an unintended season I really needed. My brain, my creativity, my content creation engine were all TIRED. I felt like I didn’t have a whole lot to say and I didn’t want to add more noise to the internet. And for the first time in a decade-plus, I just needed to take a beat.

In January, I asked for a dumb phone for my birthday, and getting social media off my phone has been a huge turning point. I thought I would still use my old phone for work and posting, but once social media wasn’t in my pocket anymore, I realized I didn’t really miss it. I didn’t want it. I would hop on for a minute to check messages and quickly exit because it just felt useless to me. And kinda icky.

This offline season has slowly been reshaping my brain. I’ve been reading more, creating again, dreaming again, and falling in love with the life right in front of me.

So as I come back to the podcast, I’m kicking off a little series on transitioning into new seasons.

For years, I’ve shared from the trenches of young motherhood — two sets of twins back to back, five babies in four years (then later adding 3 more babies), survival mode, overwhelm, homemaking, homeschooling, and looking to Christ in the middle of it all.

That will always be part of my story.

But our family is growing and changing. We have two teenagers now, and in two years we’ll have four teens and a twelve-year-old. The challenges are different. The rhythms are different. The needs are different.

But the core question is still the same and will always be the same: How do we glorify God in the everyday?

Whether you have tiny babies, teenagers, grown kids, or no kids at all, I hope you’ll join me in this new series as we talk about faithfulness, rhythms, motherhood, homemaking, social media, rest, rebuilding, and learning to follow the Lord into new seasons.

In this episode, I’m sharing:

• Why I took an unplanned six-month break from the podcast
• What the last two years have looked like for our family
• How Radley’s burn accident, moving, and settling into a new town shaped this season
• Why stepping back from the business and podcast was exactly what we needed
• How getting a dumb phone helped me disconnect from social media (and get my brain back!)
• What I’ve learned from falling in love with life offline
• Why I’m excited to come back — but not in the same rushed, pressured way
• How our family is moving into a new season with older kids and teenagers
• What this new “transitioning into new seasons” series will be about

Thank you for being here, for checking in, for praying for our family, and for sticking around. I’m so excited to be back!

Links and Resources:

• Watch the podcast on YouTube if you want! Finding Joy in Your Home on YouTube
• Check out our amazing new app at https://joyfulhomeapp.com/
• We are undergoing a huge website redesign. We will be moving things up a ton and will have a super fun relaunch soon – big giveaways and other fun stuff. Stay tuned!
• Our Sponsor: Machine Washable Rugs, Made Better. For a limited time only, our listeners get 10% off + free shipping at tumbleliving.com/HOME #Tumble #ad