In case you missed it this past week… I’ve been keeping a secret… and I got to share the news last week! For over a year and a half, I’ve been working on something very close to my heart…

I’m thrilled to introduce my 6th book: The 7 Habits of Financially Healthy Women: How to Stop Stressing, Begin Where You Are, and Build the Future You Want. Of all my books, it’s definitely the book I’ve poured the most time, effort, thought, and intention into.

You can read more about it here. THANK YOU to so many of you who pre-ordered this past week! I set what I felt was an audacious goal for pre-orders and we exceeded that by a LOT!

I just learned last week that how I breathe when I run really matters. Apparently only mouth-breathing and gasping for breath is not the best thing to do while running.

After lots of googling to figure out why I had laryngitis and my chest hurt after two intense runs, I discovered it is possible to experience laryngitis-like symptoms—such as a hoarse voice, throat tightness, cough, and wheezing—from breathing incorrectly while running.

So, this week, I’ve been focusing on learning how to breathe. I’m trying mouth-taping at night (which I had thought was crazy but it’s actually making a huge difference for me!) plus I’m working on intentionally inhaling through my nose while running and while doing every day activities.

I’m also practicing slower runs and not pushing myself so hard — especially on longer runs.

I finished my first 5-mile run last week! I had to take two short walking breaks and it wasn’t very pretty, but I DID IT! You can watch a video of my running progress from this past week here.

I shared this on Instagram this week and I thought I’d share it here, too:

We have a 17-year age gap between our oldest and our youngest. People often ask me if that’s hard…

I’m going to shoot it straight to you today, because I get asked about this so often and I wish I had heard this more when I was shocked to find out I was pregnant at almost 40 years old…

Parenting is hard. Period. It’s a continual learning and growing and stretching experience. It’s needing Jesus in a whole new way.

It exposes our weaknesses. It shines a light on our dysfunctional believes. Our fear. Our pride. Our selfishness. All of it comes to the forefront when we have a person we are fully responsible to train and nurture and care for and raise.

The beautiful thing about parenting a wide age gap is that you get to bring experience to the table that you didn’t before. You have wisdom and insight and perspective that comes with doing something for a lot of years.

I was a really insecure, anxious parent for the first seven or so years. I felt so in over my head. I wanted to do everything right. And I stressed myself out constantly and beat myself up for failing regularly.

I look back at the woman I was in my 20’s when I was learning how to parent and have so much grace for that woman. She was doing her best and trying so hard.

But getting to parent young kids as an “older mom” has been so much easier. I’m so much calmer and less uptight. I know that we’ll have hard days and seasons and it won’t be the end of the world. We will make it through.

And I know Jesus is faithful. That’s not just a phrase I say; it’s a time-tested and proved fact. He’s carried me through so much as a parent and never once left me. He’s a good, good Father.

Yes, there are new challenges with age gap parenting. It can feel like whiplash to toggle constantly between ACT’s and ABC’s, nursing and new drivers, potty training and college applications, preschool enrollment and high school graduations… it pushes you to rely upon Jesus in a whole new way.

But it’s also incredibly beautiful! Watching your older kids laugh over the antics of the little ones. Having your college kid call home just because they miss the toddler. Your 16-year-old son who towers over you coming home to wrestle with his little brother first thing.

The best part is that there is so much love and laughter to go around. Our older kids get so many hugs and cuddles and I love you’s from their little siblings. And the younger kids get so much attention and interaction from all the big people in their life. Also, our family group chat is filled with pics and videos of the funny things the younger ones have done!

Life is never dull. It’s always full. It’s loud. It’s sometimes chaotic. But it’s so wonderful and wonder-filled.

And I wouldn’t trade it for the world!

Another huge milestone in our David’s feeding journey — being willing to touch food!! See the video here.

For the first five years of his life, David (our son who was born at 27 weeks and has Down syndrome, a cleft lip and palate, a feeding tube, and food trauma), was unwilling to even touch food. Any time it would get close to his hands, he would push it away and get upset.

Thanks to an amazing feeding therapist who has worked with him for years and thanks to lots and lots of exposure to watching other people interact with food, in the last few months, he started being willing to touch food! And now he’s picking it up and holding it and feeding us!!!!

This is a HUGE milestone in his journey of hopefully someday being able (and feeling confident) to feed himself independently instead of always being spoon fed or tube fed!!!!

We are so proud of this boy! He is such a wonder — always amazing us with new things he is learning, even if it takes him months or years to get it! And he teaches us to notice and appreciate so many milestones we didn’t with out other kids.

Friday was such a juxtaposition of emotions. I went to a funeral for the father/FIL of dear friends of ours and to the hospital to meet a friend’s brand-new baby.

Life and death. Sadness and joy.

The older I get, the more I realize that life is about learning to hold two very differing emotions at once.

Also? Show up for your friends. I remember how many people showed up for my parents when my grandma suddenly died. It’s the reason I try to always go to funerals when a loved one of a good friend has died — even if I didn’t know them.

Q&A’s From This Week:

Question: Things you are NOT doing in this season. And summer screen free ideas.

Answer: Oh! I love the question of what I’m NOT doing – so, so much!

It’s school ball season so Jesse is coaching (assistant coach of Varsity team) and that’s around 20 hours a week extra on his plate and it’s during the times when he’s often watching the kids. So a lot more on my plate, too, with either watching the kids instead of working then or at the games with the three younger kids.

So I’m basically rotating the same super easy dinners every night, I put the decluttering of the house on hold until May, I’m not committing to anything that is ongoing, and I’m saying no to most nonessential business opportunities (endorsing books, speaking, teaching online classes, coaching, etc). And I’m not launching anything but my book this year which is HUGE for me – since most years in the past I’ve launched at least 4-6 things (sometimes more!)

My executive assistant and my team also work hard to try to keep my workload manageable so that I’m not working much more than 40 hours a week most weeks – which has felt amazing this year!!

One of the biggest things that helps me be able to do what I do and have a lot less stress in my life is that our kids are very independent – we teach them to cook and make basic meals and put away laundry and get themselves ready in the morning and do their homework by themselves from an early age. If they have an issue at school, we teach them how to talk to a teacher on their own. They are fully in charge of their projects and it’s their responsibility to let me know if they need help or supplies.

So I get to spend time hanging out with my kids and enjoying them more instead of worrying whether they finished an assignment or took care of getting everything ready to head out the door. This has been amazing to see play out as they head into adulthood!

It also has downsides, like Kierstyn or Micah wanting to just get on Amazon and order something if we need to buy it.

Jesse and I went on a date on Friday morning to The Flower Kitchen and then to Costco. We’ve been trying to do a morning date every Friday morning that we can (we found a sweet girl who is helping with babysitting with David!) and it has been so good and fun!

For the first time this week, I got my hair highlighted by Kaitlynn! She gives me regular blowouts but this was my first time for her to highlight it and she did SUCH a great job!!

You can see more before and after pics of my hair over on Kaitlynn’s instagram account.

Books I Finished This Past Week

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. This was a very light read compared to last week’s The Nightingale but it was engaging and kept me reading. It was fluffy in parts but had depth in other parts so overall I enjoyed it. It is definitely not a Christian novel and had some language in it, but there was nothing graphic in it.

I started this book this week – Mists Over the Channel Islands. Can you believe I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel by Sarah Sundin? (Also, I found out *after* I had started it that apparently it’s book 3 in a series — oops! So far, I’m enjoying it and it seems like it’s okay that I didn’t read the other books.)

What I’m Watching

I’ve been watching the CrossFit competition in Cookeville, TN this weekend — not only because I love watching CrossFit, but also because Kaitlynn’s boyfriend (RJ Mestre) is competing in the elite male division, at only 18 years old. He did so well for being so young!

What I’m Listening To

I listened to a great podcast episode on your future self and who you are becoming by Alli Worthington. Unfortunately, it’s only available for people in her membership group or I’d share the link!

What I’m Loving

I got this tank top recently and love it! It is so cute with skirts, shorts, or jeans.

Podcast Episode This Week: Discovering Your Communication Type with Jason VanRuler

This episode is one of my favorites that I’ve recorded in quite a long while and it felt like a therapy session for me. But I really hope that it gives you some great food for thought, too! I am talking with Jason VanRuler about his book Discovering Your Communication Type: The Five Paths to Deeper Connections and Stronger Relationships, and right from the start as I read it, I was hooked. I could see how the insights would help me with my husband, my kids, and my friendships because it’s practical, relatable, and so surprisingly accessible – like someone finally saying, “Here’s how this actually works,” without all the jargon!

Jason walks us through the five communication styles that make up his PATHS model – Peacemaker, Advocate, Thinker, Harbor, and Spark – and he explains how our words are driven by different motivations: maintaining peace, standing up for what’s right, being logically correct, protecting feelings, or bringing energy and momentum.

He and I get into how knowing your style (as well as the styles of those around you) can truly change your conversations, especially when conflict or stress shows up. I had one of those aha moments when I realized that I have been showing up in relationships in ways I think are expected of me, instead of who I am actually wired to be, and yes, that includes my husband and me missing each other mid-conversation more than I’d like to admit.

We also discuss how these patterns can also have strong impacts on parenting, friendships, and even self-care, and one story that hit me hard was realizing that holding out my “I got this, let me help you” sign often keeps people at arm’s length because vulnerability feels too risky.

Learning to express my needs without fear has been such a huge game-changer. Listen as Jason shares some practical tips for seeing differences as gifts, understanding where misunderstandings come from, and how intentional awareness can make every conversation more meaningful.

By the end, I felt so inspired to rethink how I show up, listen, and allow people in without expecting them to mirror me exactly. If you have ever wanted a roadmap for connecting more authentically with the people in your life (family, friends, colleagues, or even yourself), then this episode is full of insights that really stick, and be sure to grab a copy of Discovering Your Communication Type!

In Case You Missed It – Links From This Week

Cottage Cheese Pancakes Recipe — This recipe is SO easy to make and packed with protein. If you’re looking for a healthier alternative to traditional pancakes, be sure to try these! (And, no, you can’t taste the cottage cheese!) 

Our First Ever Glamping Adventure — Jesse and I went on our first ever glamping trip recently and had the BEST time! There’s nothing quite like sleeping under the stars while also having a beautiful bathroom and air conditioning. Read all the details here!

Chicken Burgers and Baked Fries ($10 Dinner Idea) — If you love burgers but want to eat less red meat, try Brigette’s chicken burgers! Add some easy oven-baked fries and you’ll have a quick, frugal meal the whole family will love.

Hire A Registered Dietitian for $0 Out of Pocket: My Honest Review of Nourish — Meeting with a Nourish dietitian these last few months has truly changed my life. I’m stronger, running more, feeling great, AND not stressing about food — and my appointments have been 100% covered by my insurance! Check out this post for all the details and to see if your insurance covers your appointments!