Most of you know I’ve basically been taking this month off from writing. I magically wrote and scheduled all of the posts for our October series ahead of time, so with the exception of a couple of posts (one for all you planner people, and one for all my momma friends), I’ve been spending this month away from the blog and really just digging into my family.

(It turns out I planned that well, because the first two weeks of the month put me out of commission. Pneumonia. Fun stuff.)

When I’m writing more often, things at home can easily start to slide. Laundry piles up, we eat on paper plates more often than plates that need to be washed, I’ll count “water table time” in the backyard as a “bath”. (It’s all water, right?) Bottom line, there’s just not enough time for everything.

But this month, I’ve really been making homemaking a priority. Keeping the house clean, keeping home-cooked food on the table, keeping clean clothes in our closets. Homemaking is not my strength, but I’ll tell you something. This month, I’ve found a whole lot of joy there.

There’s something to be said for slowing down and working with your hands.

I’m usually a big fan of TV. I love to binge watch shows on Netflix while I do the dishes, or catch up on things I’ve DVRed while I fold laundry. But for the last few weeks, the TV in our bedroom has been busted (and I don’t think it’s getting replaced anytime soon. Mourn with me.), so TV hasn’t been an option.

So, I accidentally found my new favorite thing on the interwebs: Online conferences!!

That sounds so nerdy, I KNOW, but I’m being serious. Last week I attended the Influence and Impact Summit that Michael Hyatt put out, with tons of speakers who know all about building blogs and writing books and cultivating communities. And then as soon as that was done, I found a conference just for moms, and watched those videos on parenting and marriage and encouraging our mom-hearts.

I LEARNED SO MUCH!! All of these videos from speakers who truly knew what they were talking about, sharing their expertise and encouraging us regular people, I just loved it!!!! It was easy to watch while I was cooking, or folding laundry, or doing the dishes, or I could even just listen to the audio in the car.

The thing I learned most of all is that we have so much to learn from each other, you guys. We’ve all got those things we’re actually pretty gifted at, and we can teach and encourage each other in those areas. That’s what community is about, and it’s so very cool.

My Nerdy Announcement:

So, I’m both really excited and totally nervous to tell you that next week, I’M A PART OF AN ONLINE CONFERENCE!

Yes. That’s right. Yours truly, on video. Which has never been done outside of Periscope for obvious reasons. Like the fact that I’d rather write than talk ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.

When I was asked to participate in this conference, my immediate reaction was NO WAY. Nope, sorry, I don’t do video. But I knew a little about this conference from last year, and God kept bringing a topic to mind that I could speak on, and so eventually, I wrote back and said YES. I’ll do it. I might be crazy, but I’ll do it.

(Want a sneak peek of my session??) (Please ignore my hair. There has since been a glorious and miraculous haircut. Praise Jesus.)

So, I did it, and I’m really excited about my session, plus all the other ones, so I’m sharing the details with you all for two reasons. One, because I fully believe in this conference and think you will all LOVE it. And two, because this is the first time I’ve ever done anything on video and I NEED MY PEOPLE to tell me I’m not a complete dork. (You can lie to me. I’m totally okay with that.)

Here’s what you need to know:

The Homemaking Ministries Online Conference takes place October 27-29, 2015. (Psst… that’s next week!)
The speakers & sessions are relevant, practical, and inspirational. These women know what they are talking about, and their heart is for YOU and YOUR HOME. I’ve gotten to know them over the last few weeks, and they’re amazing. You’re gonna be so encouraged!! (See the schedule below!)
Everything is ONLINE, which means you can access the sessions in your own time, or follow along with the conference schedule.
The best part? After every session, the speaker will be online in the private Facebook group (for conference attendees only) to answer questions & chat for an hour! I’ve never been to or watched a conference with such direct access to the speakers, and I think that’s a HUGE deal!
One Word: FREEBIES. The conference comes with a ton of free bonuses, including:

A beautiful home management binder (Not gonna lie, this one is cuter than mine. Conference is worth it just for this beauty. It’s gorgeous.)
Beautifully designed printable calendars
Six bonus eBooks or kits (like a yearly meal planner and printables for praying with your kids!) if you get your tickets this week!
A set of 5 Scripture art prints and 2 sets of Scripture memory cards actually MAILED to you FOR FREE if you get your tickets before tomorrow night! (These aren’t printable – they are physical products!!)
The price? Just $29.95 if you preregister (which means get your ticket before the 27th), and $34.95 if you wait till the 27th (or after).

If there’s one thing I’ve learned this month, it’s that the things we do in our homes are significant. The people we raise, the food we prepare, the clothes we clean, the millions of things we wash – it all FEELS like a whole lot of nothing, but it’s really a pretty big something. And if you’re anything like me, this conference will be just the encouragement you need to keep building a home and a family that’s founded in God’s Word and full of His love.

Join me for three days of encouragement & practical inspiration. Goodness knows we could all use more of that! Pre-register today!! (And check out the session schedule below!)

Session Schedule

Tuesday, October 27

Session #1: The Ministry of Homemaking – Jami Balmet

Do you need some help in your homemaking? What does it mean to glorify God from within your home? In this first session, we are going to cover what it means to have a ministry of homemaking. With all the different things we have to juggle day in and day out, it can be really hard to know what we need to set as priorities within our days. We don’t want to look back in 30 years and regret the way we’ve spent our time. To kick off the conference, join Jami as she dives in deep to discover what it means to view our homemaking as a ministry and how this an affect our homes, our families, and our lives – all for God’s glory!

Session #2: Recovering Biblical Homemaking – Marci Ferrell

The position of a wife, mother, and homemaking is not one that is treasured in our culture. In this session, Marci takes a look at Scripture to discover what it really means to be Christian wives, mothers, and homemakers. How can we rediscover the joy and calling of a Biblical homemaker? What does Titus 2 mean when it calls us to be “keepers of our homes”? Is there a greater purpose in mopping our floors and washing dishes? Join Marci as she takes a journey to find out.

Session #3: Homemaking and Working from Home – Is it Possible to Do Both? – Caroline Allen

Are you interested in working from home, or do you currently balance working from home and being a wife, mom, or homemaker? Caroline knows what it means to be a busy work-at-home-mom. Together with her husband Sean, they have six children, they homeschool, and manage several businesses together. So how do they balance it all? Is it even possible to be a homemaker and work from home? In this session, Caroline gives some really practical advice on managing it all, encouragement for the tough days, and even ideas for some ways you can work from home.

Session #4: Homemaking – The Juggling Act – Jennifer Ross

As homemakers – we juggle SO much. From cooking, to cleaning, to raising kids, to nurturing a marriage and more! It’s so easy to get overwhelmed and feel like we are constantly playing catch up. Join Jennifer in this session as she shares the secrets to learning how to juggle it all! As a mom of 11 kids, a wife, and a busy homemaker, Jennifer knows what it means to be torn in a hundred different directions. She walks us through how to set priorities within our days and how we can start to learn what this juggling act looks like!

Wednesday, October 28

Session #5: Saving Time and Money in the Kitchen – Jami Balmet

The kitchen is an area in our home that can really make or break our budget and send us over the edge on feeling overwhelmed. It’s so easy to let our grocery and eating out budget get out of control and we can quickly spend large amounts of our time in the kitchen. It often feels like we are just spinning our wheels with the same chores over and over again – cook, clean up, cook, clean up, go grocery shopping, cook some more, clean up some more… Jami is not an expert chef, but she has learned a few tricks within her kitchen that allow her to save both time and money within her kitchen while still feeding her family healthy, from-scratch meals. In this session, she shares tips on buying in bulk, shopping online, freezer cooking, meal planning, and more!

Session #6: Having a Plan for Keeping Your Home Clean – Marci Ferrell

There’s nothing like the advice of a seasoned homemaker in developing a plan for keeping your home clean. That’s the biggest thing that so many of us struggle with in our homes – how do we balance all of our responsibilities while also trying to keep up on our homes? Marci shares her experience and wisdom in this area as she walks us through her housekeeping routines and goes from room to room explaining how she keeps up on everything while also giving ourselves grace and remembering to focus on the truly important things in life.

Session #7: Prayer in Homemaking – Gaining Vision, Finding Time, and Praying with our Children – Katie Bennett

One of the most important things we can do as homemakers is set the Spiritual climate within our homes. And the best way we can do that is by really pushing into a deep relationship with the Lord. In this session, Katie shares her wisdom into how we can have a deeper relationship with God through our activities within our homes and especially in our prayer life. She shares the Biblical basis for prayer, how to find the time (and motivation) to pray, and how you can pray with your children.

Session #8: Finding Joy in Homemaking – Hilary Bernstein

We all know the feeling of being bogged down by running and managing our home. Especially when it comes to the tasks that we don’t love – like cleaning toilets or sorting through the mountains of laundry. Hilary is familiar with feelings of getting overwhelmed and losing her joy in homemaking. In this session, she explores some reasons why we might lose that joy in homemaking and then also takes a heart look at how we can rediscover our joy in homemaking. Coupled with practical ideas on finding joy within our days, Hilary provides some much needed encouragement to all women!

Thursday, October 29

Session #9: Spiritual Disciplines for the Busy Homemaker – Jami Balmet

Often the very last things on our to-do lists each day (those to-do’s that never seem to get done) are the most important ones: our Spiritual Disciplines. Jami is no stranger to being a busy homemaker – as a wife, mom to 4 kids under 3 years old, homemaker, and blogger, she knows what it means to neglect the Spiritual Disciplines that are so important to the Christian life – specifically those of daily Bible reading, prayer, and memorizing Scripture. Join Jami as she covers Biblical wisdom from far wiser Christians and some practical ways that we can make Bible reading, prayer, and Scripture memorization a priority amidst our busy days – the importance of doing so!

Session #10: Calm Your Chaos – Kayse Pratt

Does your house ever feel like it’s in chaos? Or like you just need a little extra help in know how to plan your days? Kayse has been working for years trying to figure out the key to effectively planning – and the tools you might need to accomplish this. Join her as she shares what this looks like within her home and the systems she has put into place to help her plan so that she can wisely use her time and organize their lives to live the life God has called them to.

Session #11: Unrealistic Expectations, Communicating Your Needs, and Dealing with Differences – Marlene Griffith

Marriage is really hard work sometimes! Amidst a sea of unrealistic and unmet expectations, not communicating our needs, and have difficulty dealing with our differences – so days (and seasons) are just plain hard! In this session, Marlene gets REAL about what marriage really looks like sometimes between two sinners. How can we deal with selfishness, impatience, and other sins in our lives when it relates to our marriage? Join Marlene to discuss how we should handle all of this and more!

Session #12: Bible Memorization- 5 Minutes a Day, Lifetime Benefits for the Entire Family – Trisha Gilkerson

Most of us know that we should be memorizing Scripture – or maybe we’ve never really thought about it much before? In this session, Trisha covers the benefits of memorizing Scripture, choosing which scripture we should memorize, and different memory techniques. Memorizing Scripture is important for all believer’s lives, but especially as Christian parents it’s important to focus on and teach our children. This is one of the biggest questions we had from last year’s conference: How can we focus on the Gospel more within our homes and teach our children? One answer: Memorizing Scripture!

(In case you’re wondering… I am the most excited about sessions 2, 3, 8, & 11! And I heard that girl who’s teaching session 10 isn’t so bad either. Just ignore her hair – she should have waited to make the video till AFTER her super cute new haircut.)