Start Your Family

FamilyMaking.com

2013-02-10T04:55:33-08:00

We've consolidated our blogs and are now posting everything at FamilyMaking.com. Come visit us there.

What's Your Story?

2012-03-29T11:51:22-07:00

What's your story? We can all learn from the experiences of others—from both successes and failures. If you've started your family, what challenges did you have to overcome? What worked for you and what didn't? Even if you haven't been able to start your family yet, what have you learned along the way?

What can other couples learn from your story? Share your story by emailing it to us at watters@startyourfamily.com.

Pregnant in the First Year of Marriage

"My husband and I were not planning on getting pregnant this early. Selfishly we really wanted a year to adjust to each other, process life together, transition into a new life together in a new city without the 'added strain' of a pregnancy and a new baby. Even now being pregnant the hard part isn't, 'Oh no we aren't out of debt yet,' or 'Shoot I was wanting to go back to school.' Instead it has been hard just thinking about giving up some freedoms. We were planning a trip to Colorado in the fall and now because I will be 7 months pregnant that probably won't be happening and that is hard to think about." read more

Fears and Anxieties

"We agonized over how we could afford to be responsible for a tiny human. I remember this anxiousness hovered over all my waking moments and clouded my faith that God would provide for us and financially honor our commitment to stay home. To be honest, I can't say that I ever really had true faith that God would provide. I hoped He would. I prayed He would. But, I stayed unsettled and worried right through my maternity leave with my employer. " read more

Read the rest of the stories here.

Measuring Time

2010-09-20T10:26:00-07:00

Randy Stinson counts time with marbles. He doesn't multiply them for moments passed — that would require A LOT of marbles — he subtracts. At the start of every week, he throws a round orb into the trash. The number of marbles in his desk-top jar shrinks by one each Monday. And the few that remain mark time: one marble for each week he has with his eldest daughter before she goes off to college.

The plink, plink of a marble dropping to the bottom of a pail is an audible reminder, as tangible as the progressively lower level in his marble jar. Both remind him to make the most of what time remains.

Keep Reading

Spring is Finally Here

2010-05-26T07:37:58-07:00

Mere days separate us from the freezing temperatures that brought us hail and ice as recently as two weeks ago. But it does seem that spring has finally sprung here in Colorado.

Along with these dandies.

Which aren't really dandy after all.

Unless they're sitting in a vase by the window. Handpicked and delivered with a crooked smile and lots of love.

Spring's the perfect time to remember we're raising kids. Not grass.

The Pill Turns 50--Who's Celebrating?

2010-05-05T10:32:29-07:00

A new week, a new opportunity to win a copy of Start Your Family! Jennie Chancey is giving away one copy over at LAF. Entering is easy as pie. Read all about it here.

In other news, I wrote a blog post on Boundless about the 50th anniversary of the introduction of The Pill, and specifically, Dr. Albert Mohler's commentary about it. In "I Think I'll Skip the Party," I quoted Mohler's commentary. He said,

The idea that sex would be severed from childbearing is a very modern concept — and a concept made meaningful only by the development of the Pill and its successor birth control technologies. The severing of this relationship represents a quantum change in human life and relationships, not to mention morality.

Nancy Gibbs [in TIME magazine] is fair and accurate in her use of my words and arguments. I do indeed believe that the development of the Pill “has done more to reorder human life than any event since Adam and Eve ate the apple.” Why? Because sex, sexuality, and reproduction are so central to human life, to marriage, and to the future of humanity.

The Pill turned pregnancy — and thus children — into elective choices, rather than natural gifts of the marital union. But then again, the marital union was itself weakened by the Pill, because the avoidance of pregnancy facilitated adultery and other forms of non-marital sex. In some hands, the Pill became a human pesticide.

The post, and his commentary, are stirring up a hearty debate — 155 comments and counting. If you're up for a good conversation, and especially if you have thoughts about the pros and cons of hormonal birth control, please join the discussion here.

Two Reviews and a Giveaway

2010-04-23T11:06:07-07:00

It's been a full couple of weeks for our book. First came the review by our friend Jennie Chancey at the LAF website.

Then, the unexpected news that Start Your Family is being published in another language, in a country we would never have expected. More on that as we get closer to the release.

Today, another review and giveaway by The Modest Mom, blogger Caroline Allen. About SYF she wrote,

"I was excited that there actually might be a book out there that explains why we started our family so soon. I was not disappointed! After tearing open the package, I spent the next few days reading the book every chance I got. How refreshing and invigorating this book was for me!"

I especially appreciated that Allen captured the heart of our message, and our whole reason for writing it, when she said,

Steve and Candice do not ignore the fact that having children is hard work. They simply want to come alongside you and encourage you in the path of choosing parenthood. [They provide] encouragement to keep pressing on in bearing and raising your children for the glory of God.

There are several easy ways to enter The Modest Mom's giveaway of SYF. Details here. The contest is open till next Friday, April 30.

Now, back to the unbelievable snowstorm we're enjoying on this spring day in Colorado!