Relationships Archives - Outrageously Wonderful

Category: Relationships (page 1 of 3)

Picking one little word for the year is such a hopeful adventure, setting your intentions for the year, planning, praying, dreaming. This year's word is delightful, but it has me more than a little bit nervous. Read more at OutrageouslyWonderful.com

My one little word for 2018, and why it scares me

Picking one little word for the year is a tricky thing, a personal thing, for me, a prayerful thing.

I often begin reflecting on how the current word of the year has been meaningful in late November or early December. I think back to the different ways the word impacted my hopes, thoughts, reactions, and plans throughout the year. How it has guided and directed me, reminded me of grace and brought me peace.

By mid-December, I find myself thinking about the year ahead. Thinking about my hopes and dreams, setting goals and milestones. Throughout it all, there is prayer, conversations with God about His hopes, desires, plans for the year ahead. Requests for that one little word that will guide and direct, bring grace and peace.

I’m not okay and I bet you aren’t either

July 8, 2016 / Jenna / 4 Comments

This site is supposed to be a safe place where we can bear our hearts to each other, lift each other up, comfort and encourage one another. And as the Chief Cheerleader, it’s my job to create that space. It’s my job to start the healing with confessions of my own, with honesty, vulnerability and brokenness. It’s my job to talk about hard things and share how I find joy and hope in any situation.

And I’ve been silent.

I’ve been silent because I simply didn’t have the words. The news of the world had just become too much. I was left stunned and broken and completely mute.

Until last night.

Playing the questions game has changed the way I connect with my kids and allows me to peek into their hearts. It teaches our kids that we are interested in them, that we want to know what makes them tick and we want them to know what makes us tick.

40 questions to foster connection with your kids and free printable download

May 5, 2016 / Jenna / 3 Comments

I don’t know about you, but getting my kids to open up can sometimes be difficult. Simple prompts like, “Tell me about your day” or “What did you do at school today?” are often met with one-word responses. “Nothing,” “It was boring,” and “I don’t remember” are all frequent replies.

Then one day I was finishing up a Simple Show podcast just as Wild Man got in the car after school. At the end of each podcast, Tsh asks her guest a series of 10 short questions. Wild Man LOVED this idea and asked if we could “do questions” too.

So we each answered the questions Tsh asked her guest and all of a sudden I was getting all sorts of interesting information from my child. Wild Man even asked, “Can we continue on with our questions?” once we got home. Never one to skip an opportunity to connect, I said “Of course!” and quickly searched the internet for more questions. We happily spent the rest of the evening asking each other questions.

Since then, at least once a week Wild Man or Bunny will ask if we can “continue on with our questions”. They especially like to do this over dinner or in the car.

Sometimes it's the littlest things that mean the most. Over the past few months, simple moments of kindness have gotten my family through a lot of muck and mire. I've started and stopped writing this post 10 times now (Wordpress keeps count) and I'm still not sure I have the right words to express my gratitude. Let me begin by telling you a little about the amazing ways people loved us with their actions.

Kindness and thanks

April 21, 2016 / Jenna / 0 Comments

Sometimes it’s the littlest things that mean the most.

Over the past few months, simple moments of kindness have gotten my family through a lot of muck and mire. I’ve started and stopped writing this post 10 times now (WordPress keeps count) and I’m still not sure I have the right words to express my gratitude.

Let me begin by telling you a little about the amazing ways people loved us with their actions.
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Friday Finds

April 15, 2016 / Jenna / 4 Comments

Hi, friends! I hope you have had a great week and are ready for the weekend!

We are changing things up a bit and sharing favorites on Friday instead of Sunday. It seemed to fit better with the rhythm of the week and will give you all some fun things to check out over the weekend. This week we are talking about affordable art, finding peace in hectic times, hospitality and cruising (the boat kind, not the car kind). I also share what I’m looking forward to most in the coming days.