Moments with MarLo

My family and I just returned from a great mini-vacation in the mountains of Tennessee. Boy did we need it! Why is it we put off taking off? Accepting our frenzied state of day-to-day rather than planning time for refueling and refreshing? I know it’s difficult enough in today’s tough economy to find money in the budget to do the smaller things like attend the movies or eat dinner out but sometimes you just need to get away! I’d been telling others how much my family needed time away all while fretting over the cost. I sensed what we needed but I let the thought of the cost throw up caution flags at every possibility. It took a while to find something that worked for us but it was well worth it! It meant having to cook some of our own meals, driving not quite as far as we would have liked to go (we were thinking beach) and not being able to do any of the “fun” attractions once we arrived at our destination (museums and such). Rather than focus on what we couldn’t do, we focused on w...

Today I'd like to welcome Jill and Mark Savage. Jill and Mark's newest book Living with Less so your Family has More just released and I've invited them to share a little bit about this great resource! Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. We have been married for 27 years…17 of them happily. After finding ourselves in a marriage counselor’s office around year 8 or so, we realized that we really didn’t know how to be married. We worked hard to turn things around and now we like to share that hope with other couples. We have five children ranging from 13 to 25. Our oldest three are married. Anne (25) and her husband, Matt, live in Zion, IL, and are expecting our first grandchild in April. (We are very excited!) Evan (22) and his wife, Julie, have been married a year and a half and they live just a few miles from us. Erica (19) married her husband Kendall last September. They live in Augusta, GA, and wherever else the Army takes them. We have two teen...

Mom, do you know how valuable you are? Do you want to be inspired and encouraged? Are you in need of refreshment or rejuvenation? Do you want to laugh? A Hearts at Home conference gives moms the unique opportunity to pause along their mothering journey to refresh, refocus, and renew themselves. The 2010 National Conference, Mom’s the Word , is being held at the Bone Student Center of Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois on March 12-13 . See what others are saying about a Hearts at Home conference: “I attended the conference this year for the first time. I enjoyed it immensely. I was lifted up, instructed, convicted, encouraged, and brought to tears, sometimes all at the same time.” “I loved it. I feel so full of information. I need to sit and read my notes and just process it. It was really encouraging to hear all the speakers and be with all of those moms. Thanks so much! “ “This past weekend was awesome and life changing. This was my first Hearts at Home Conf...

Today I'd like to welcome author and speaker Susie Larson. Susie's new book Growing Grateful Kids has just released and I've invited her to share a little bit about this great resource. I can't wait to pick up my own copy and see Susie at this year's Hearts at Home National Conference for moms! It's not too late for you to join me. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. My husband and I have been married 25 years and have three grown sons (all in their early twenties). Our oldest son Jake works on the business side of the Christian music industry. Our middle son Luke is married to his beautiful wife Kristen; he works full time at a bank and part time as a worship pastor. Our youngest son Jordan is studying to become a surgical nurse. My husband Kevin is a commercial construction manager by day and manages my ministry by night (and weekends). Bless his heart. I am an author, speaker, and an on-call radio host for Christian talk radio. Together...