A heap of photos and some favorite memories from the very best day!

3/21/2026, Camarillo, California ❤️

Jonah, Taylor, and her family planned and hosted what seemed to me to be an ideal wedding. I legit think it was the best day of my life! There is so much I could say about the ceremony, reception, and all the details, but I’ll simply share five of my personal highlights below!
(See bottom for a list of vendors!)

1. The venue was stunning and peaceful, and the owner of the property was onsite all day, and such a joyful, incredible host! God provided a heat wave so my fear of being cold was for nothing. 😉 It was truly an ideal location!
2. The ceremony was so heartfelt, and God-honoring. Jonah and Taylor had a private vow ceremony before the wedding, which means they could simplify the public ceremony. This gave the Pastor a chance to give a truly meaningful and inspiring message and kept the service brief, but beautiful.
3. Jonah and Taylor led a worship song during the service (My Living Hope) and wow, that was probably most people’s favorite part about the whole day.

As we wrap up yet another school year, I wanted to share the opening chapter to my book: Becoming Homeschoolers: Give Your Kids a Great Education, a Strong Family, and a Life They’ll Thank You for Later.

It’s a short read with a little quiz that will help you know if the book would be helpful to you! At the bottom of this post you can answer a question and be entered to win a GIVEAWAY of the book next week! Hope you enjoy…

Homeschooling was not even on my radar twenty-four years ago when I started parenting. A younger Monica would be most surprised of all that one day she would be authoring a book with the word homeschool in the title. There are a lot of good reasons to consider homeschooling. I think we can agree that our world has been undergoing a lot of change in the past few years (#understatement). As
intentional parents, we want to navigate our children’s education with eyes wide open.

I don’t want to bash the public school system here or suggest that there is only one right way to educate your kids.

You know what’s really special? When one of your favorite authors is truly one of your favorite friends! My friend, Jessica Smartt, writes in a style that just gets me. Or I get her. I don’t know — but I love all of her books. And her most recent, COME ON HOME, may be my very favorite. Enjoy this honest, funny, heart-warming excerpt — then enter to win a copy below!

An excerpt from Come On Home, by Jessica Smartt

The last time we were at a concert of our favorite singer, Andrew Peterson, he said, “Now I’m going to play you a song I wrote for my wife.” That piqued my interest. He rarely mentions his wife in his songs, so I thought, “Wow! I can’t wait to hear this. I wonder what sort of love song this will be.” I was a little bummed to realize the name of the song was “Planting Trees.” This is not a great start, I thought. Is there anything more un-sexy than tree-planting? Planting anything is the worst. It looks good in Magnolia Magazine but when you (and not Joanna Gaines) are the one out there getting ridiculously hot and sticky and dirty, trying to hack away at ground that is suddenly the density of a bowling ball, you realize what God meant when he told Adam the ground was cursed.

Hey Friends!
I am super honored to share an excerpt and a GIVEAWAY from the sweetest devotional by my friend, Sarah Molitor. It is called ​Any Given Moment.

Sarah is the amazing mom to 7 (6 of whom are BOYS!) over on ​Modern Farmhouse Family.​ She also wrote a fabulous book called ​Well Said​ (and we chatted about it ​on this podcast episode​.) Her newest book will for sure bless you! 

(Another fun fact: Sarah wrote the beautiful Foreword to my book, ​Becoming Homeschoolers.!)

See the bottom of this post to enter the giveaway!

New Vision: an excerpt from Any Given Moment, by Sarah Molitor

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” -Jeremiah 29:11-13

This day was years in the making. Like seven or eight years. I was probably turning thirty when I first desired to get surgery to correct my vision.

An excerpt from Moms of the Bible, by Rhonda Stoppe

Note from Monica:

I am so excited to share another amazing excerpt from a favorite book that just released! (I’m doing this each week for the month of April, and if you missed last week’s chat about Mornings (!), you can find it here.)

My friend Rhonda Stoppe is someone I personally look to as a mentor. We have yet to meet in person, but she’s one of the few women I will call to ask for wisdom and prayer! 🥰 I respect her so much! And, she also makes me laugh! I think you’ll enjoy the excerpt from this powerful new book. (It’s not short, but I promise it will bless you!)

Be sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom of this post!

The Perfect Woman Who Made a Not So Perfect Choice: Eve
Genesis 3 -Excerpt from Chapter 9

If someone offered you the opportunity to become the best possible version of yourself would you take it?

an excerpt from How to Love Your Morning: Faith-filled Habits to Build a Life of Joy and Purpose, One Day at a Time, by Jennifer Dukes Lee

Note from Monica: Hey friends! I am honored to get to share an excerpt from a brand-new book that I think will encourage and inspire you. My friend Jennifer wrote it, and I’m pretty sure she had me (and you) in mind as she wrote. 😉 Jennifer is relatable and funny, yet has a way of speaking to our hearts with Truth and grace. What a gift! Her new book is excellent — and one I think we all need — whether you consider yourself a #morningperson or not.

Be sure to ENTER the GIVEAWAY at the bottom of this post!

If you’re a mom, you already know this: mornings are rarely quiet.

There are cereal spills, missing shoes, and sibling squabbles. Sometimes? Your morning starts when a tiny, pajama-clad child materializes at the edge of your bed, staring into your soul, until you wake up in terror, questioning if you are in a horror movie or just parenting.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this “What Moms Need Most” series so far! (Read the Intro to learn more about the series HERE.) Last week’s post was as far as I got in this series when I originally wrote it in 2020. At that time, COVID was shutting down the world. My two oldest boys came home from college, life felt uncertain, and everything shifted overnight. I quietly put this series on the back burner.

But I had a few topics left on my list — and I didn’t want to leave this one unfinished! Because I was honestly just getting to some of the things I believe moms need the very most! 🥰. And today we are diving into part VII:

Moms need clarity and confidence in parenting.

Because it’s good for us, and also because:

Kids need clear and confident parents. 💖

I admit: When my boys were young, much of my parenting was driven by emotion. My approach changed depending on the day — our circumstances, my mood, and what seemed to be working.

alkjskjdkf

Friends!! Isn’t this just so typical!? Coffee dates are my absolute favorite and yet somehow they get pushed behind all of the other things. Yet, right about now, in the midst of the holiday lights and shopping and never-ending to-do lists, is when I most crave a cozy coffee date with a friend. So, got a minute?

Grab your favorite holiday beverage and pull up a chair on my front lanai!

First, a quick look back:
-Fall came and went. How was yours?
Kids’ sports?
Fall leaves?
Cozy soups?
I want to hear it all.

Our fall went by quick! But it was so good! We had a fantastic trip to Portugal where we watched Luke surf in a contest and celebrated my parents’ 61st anniversary! (see a few photos below!) Then we came home to my favorite season in Hawaii. It’s been beautiful, and the big waves always add an exciting vibe to our North Shore. And we love having Luke around this time of the year!

I had hoped to write a fall Coffee Date, but we were busy behind the scenes, and I wanted to wait until I had definitive news to share.

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m sharing some gratitude-inspiring ideas, quotes and Bible verses!

I love Thanksgiving! I love the simplicity of a holiday focused on gratitude, family, friends, and food(!!) It’s a sweet time before the more hectic (though also wonderful) Christmas season ahead.

Though we should all be grateful year-round, I see nothing wrong with going all in for at least one week a year. I encourage you to model a thankful heart. Speak out your gratitude in front of your kids. Play songs of praise. And yes, encourage your kids to be grateful, too.

There are plenty of ways to help your kids cultivate a grateful heart at Thanksgiving. Below are just a few favorites we have enjoyed over the years. I also like to share inspiring quotes and Bible verses with my family as a way to meditate on the importance of gratitude, so I am including a short list below.

Ways to Help Your Kids Cultivate Gratitude –

Gratitude Jar-

Gratitude jars are a sweet way to help your family focus on gratitude at Thanksgiving, and all year long. You simply leave a jar with slips of colorful paper and a pen in a special place.