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

Several years ago, I read a book entitled Marriage to a Difficult Man. I felt a little self-conscious toting it around with me at the time, lest anyone assume it was a how-to book rather than recognizing it for what it was: a biography of the famous 18th-century revivalist preacher Jonathan Edwards in relation to his very patient and supportive wife.

I have a similar concern in publishing this week's episode, in which I offer advice to a reader who is looking for help in dealing with what she calls a "Jekyll and Hyde" husband. While nearly 40 years of marriage has taught me a lot about living in peace with a partner who can sometimes be difficult (a description he could rightly apply to me, as well), I would never go so far as to compare my own husband's mood swings to the infamous Dr. Jekyll.

Nevertheless, I've endeavored to answer this reader's question with tips that have been helpful in my own marriage and with ideas I've drawn from observing the marriages of those around me. I hope you'll listen in and be encouraged.

• 1 Peter 3:8 - "...be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."
• 1 Corinthians 7:5 - "Do not deprive each other, except by mutual consent and for a time...."
• Proverbs 13:12 - "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
• 1 Corinthians 13:15 - "When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But...."
• Romans 3:23 - "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
• Psalms 139:23-24 - "Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my anxious thoughts...."
• Galatians 6:9 - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if...."
• James 1:2-3 - " Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that....”
• Proverbs 15:1 - "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
• Colossians 4:6 - "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that....”
• Philippians 1:6 - "...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
• Philippians 4:8 - "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right...."

• EP 34: The #1 Rule for Building a Happy Marriage
• EP 31: How to Love Your Husband Well
• EP 12: When You're Married to a Problem Solver
• EP 2: Dealing with Difficult In-Laws
• Love Your Husband/Love Yourself (my book)

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -(weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, lots of free printables!)

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)

Today is my mom's 87th birthday, and this episode is in her honor. I'm immeasurably blessed to have the mother God gave me, and have learned so much from her over the years. Today I'm sharing 8 crucial things my mom did right, so you can benefit from her good example, too.

- Proverbs 31:15 - “She rises while yet it is night....”

- Proverbs 31:17 - “She sets about her work vigorously....”

- Proverbs 31:25 - "She is clothed with strength and dignity...."

- Proverbs 31:26 - "She opens her mouth with skillful and godly wisdom...."

- Proverbs 31:27-31 - “She looks well to how things go in her household...."

- James 5:16 - “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

- Ephesians 5:22 - “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.”

- Ephesians 5:33 - “...and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.”

- Colossians 3:8 - “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”

- John 15:13 - “Greater love has no one than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends.”

- Philippians 2:3-4 - “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind...."

- 1 Peter 4:9 - “Show hospitality to one another without complaining.”

- Ecclesiastes 12:12 - “...excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.”

- Proverbs 9:18 - “Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives."

- Proverbs 3:24 - “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.”

- Hebrews 10:24-25 - “…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some....”

- 1 Peter 3:15 - "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to....”

- Romans 12:15 - "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

- Free Printable Prayer Guides

- EP 1: How to Find a Good Mentor

- EP 38: Making the Most of Your Child's Learning Style

- Until the Streetlights Come On by Ginny Yurich

- Subscribe: Flanders Family Freebies -(weekly themed link lists of free resources)

- Instagram: follow @flanders_family for more great content

- Family Blog: Flanders Family Home Life (parenting tips, homeschool help, lots of free printables!)

- Marriage Blog: Loving Life at Home (encouragement in your roles as wife, mother, believer)