The best laid plans sometimes go awry. How should we respond when that happens? That's what we're discussing on Loving Life at Home this week: What should one do when things don't go as planned?

- Proverbs 16:9 - “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

- Matt 10:29-31 - “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

-James 4:13-15 - “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’”

-Philippians 2:4 - “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

- Proverbs 17:22 - “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

- Philippians 2:3 - “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility consider one another as more important than yourselves.”

- 1 Thessalonians 5:8-24 - "But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him...."

- Episode 23: A Hill Country Christmas

- Thai Lucky Sushi Bar

- Yanaguana Gardens & Playground

- Pioneer Museum of Fredricksburg

- FBC Mainstreet Bethlehem in Burnet, TX

It's Thanksgiving week, so I'm counting my blessings, and my 12 children are right up there at the top of the list.

Another thing I'm grateful for? The fact my husband didn't cut my childbearing years short by getting a vasectomy, though he definitely considered it at one point.

Listen to this week's episode to hear why, and to learn what stopped him from going through with it.

- Colossians 1:16-17 - "...all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

- Hebrews 1:3 - "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word."

- Revelation 4:11 - “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

- 1 Corinthians 8:6 - "...there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom all things came and through Whom we live."

- More than Meets the Eye - this is the book by Richard Swenson that made such an impression on my husband (I don't think I gave the title in the podcast)

- Always Open: 5 Reasons I Love Having My Tubes Intact - my response to an article from the other side of the issue, written by a woman who was grateful to have hers tied

- Postponing Motherhood: At What Cost? - my review of Holly Grigg-Spall's Sweetening the Pill

This week on Loving Life at Home, I'm tackling a question about early education for preschoolers: What can a mom of multiple toddlers do to make sure her little ones are getting what they need? Those were pressing thoughts on my mind, too, when I was a young mom, and in today's episode, I'm sharing the advice a wise mentor gave me at the time. It served me and my children well and will hopefully do the same for you and yours!

- Laying the Foundation for a LIfetime of Learning

- 50 Picture Books Every Child Should Read

- Cultivating Creativity in Young Children

- Raising Kids Who Love to Read

- Keeping Toddlers Occupied

- 50 Chapter Books to Read Aloud to Your Family

- Choosing Curricula Your Children Will Love