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Jen Merckling

life.unimaginable

Lifestyle

20 Lessons After 20 Years of Motherhood

This year I’ll be celebrating my 21st Mother’s Day as a mom…My oldest child is 20 years old–I became a mother at age 22. I’ve almost spent more of my life as a mom than not. But no matter how long you’ve been a mom, entering motherhood is a defining moment.  A bridge, that once…

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Filed Under: Family, Lifestyle Tagged With: Affiliate, Faith, Motherhood

Don’t Crash My Pity Party…Choosing Joy When It’s Hard

“Rejoice Always.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) Hmm…Sounds nice. But really–how do we do that?  How do we rejoice when the kids are sick, the house is a mess, or we’re fighting with our spouse…? (And that’s nothing compared to real tragedy…How do we choose joy in the face of death, abuse, destruction, and divorce?)  Sometimes I don’t…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Faith, Joyful Living, Prayer

The Vegans ARE Coming! (What do we feed them?)

When my daughter announced she was going vegan 3 years ago, a lot of things went through my mind. What will she eat?  Will she be healthy? Oh my Good. NESS!…Surely this is just a phase…Turns out it wasn’t a phase.  She’s still a vegan 3 years later–and has led our family in healthier eating….

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Favorite Recipes, Healthy Living, Recipes, Vegan

How to Clean Your House Fast

So the hard truth about house cleaning–it never ends.  But if you can build good habits and routines–it will “practically,” clean itself…And I know this sounds a little too Mary Poppins-ish to be comforting (now  “A Spoonful of Sugar” is stuck in my head).  But it’s really true… And what’s also true…habits and routines can take…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Affiliate, Crisis Cleaning, FlyLady, House Cleaning, Housekeeping, Housework

4th of July for Kids (FREE Printable)!

Aren’t we all a bit of a kid on the 4th of July?  Give me all the streamers, popsicles, black snakes, and hot dogs! The 4th of July is just plain fun–it isn’t fancy or stressful! (Except when 20 children are all doing arm circles with sparklers within inches of each other’s faces…) It will…

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Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Lifestyle Tagged With: 4th of July, Affiliate, Free Printable, kid activities

20 Cool Summertime Treats

Summer is when things slow down and the weather warms up…and icy sweet desserts are what we crave! It’s the perfect time to create cool treats to tantalize the tastebuds! I’ve got 20 Summertime Treat Recipes–perfect for every day or summer parties! These easy summer desserts are ready in a flash and most of them don’t…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Desserts, Easy Recipes, Recipes, Summer

Everything you need to know for your BEST vacation to the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort! #floridabeachresort #jwmarriottmarcoisland #jwmarriott #marcoisland #romanticvacation #beachvacation #beachretreat #familyvacation #bestfloridabeaches #traveltips #beachgetaway

Beach Getaway: JW Marriott Marco Island Review

I love Florida.  Maybe it’s because the first time I ever laid eyes on the ocean (and became completely enamored) was on Florida’s sunny coast.  The ocean is my happy place.  But for whatever reason, my life is firmly planted in the Midwest (about as land-locked as a girl can get).  So–I dream of vacation…And…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Affiliate, Florida, JW Marriott Marco Island, Marriage, Romantic Getaway, Travel, Vacation

The laundry piles are not going away! With 6 kids--I've learned some tricks for keeping it simple! Sharing My 5 Tips for Tackling the Laundry! #laundry #laundrytips #cleaning #homeorganization

5 Tips for Tackling the Laundry

Oh, the laundry!  There is literally no end in sight.  For years, I lived in denial of this fact.  I thought I could somehow get it all done. Visions of empty laundry baskets and spotless closet floors danced in my head…Until I accepted the truth.  Laundry is a constant work-in-progress. And that is okay–it’s just part…

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Filed Under: Family, Lifestyle, Organization Tagged With: FlyLady, Housekeeping, Laundry

Sometimes we wonder if God hears our prayers! We may even feel unworthy to come before Him in prayer. Here are biblical truths to help overcome your doubt!

Does God Hear Me?

Recently, I had the most interesting conversation…A new friend, curious about raising teenagers, asked, “How exactly does one survive that?  All the worries about drinking, drugs, sex, friends–you name it…” And I laughed (while pointing to my glass of wine)–but then dead serious, I explained that prayer is everything when raising teens.  That is how you…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Affiliate, Encouragement, Faith, How to Pray, Prayer, Prayer Life

After 21 years of marriage, I treasure romantic getaways! Here are 5 Reasons Romantic Getaways should be a Top Priority for you and your marriage!

5 Reasons You Need a Romantic Getaway

Here’s the scoop–if you’re married with kids, you need a couple’s getaway! I know this is entirely easier said than done when you have little people–and the littler they are, the harder it is to leave! But you need this! So get ready to call grandma and pack your bags–I’ve got 5 reasons you need a…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Affiliate, Marriage, Travel, Vacation

Here are 3 Amazing Apps for Preschoolers that seamlessly weave together open-ended play, preschool skills, and technology!

3 Amazing Apps for Preschoolers That You Won’t Feel Guilty About

Often I get asked how I keep my littles (4 year old twins) busy while I’m homeschooling my daughter in high school and first grade son. (Honestly, it sounds harder than it actually is…twins have a way of entertaining each other!) But even if you’re not a homeschool mom, I’m guessing sometimes you could use…

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Filed Under: Early Learning, Family, Homeschooling, Lifestyle Tagged With: Activities for Young Kids, Affiliate, Apps for Kids, Homeschool Preschool, iPad, My PlayHome, Thinkrolls, Toca Boca, Using Technology With Kids

We are all looking for ways to keep Christmas stressfree and joyful! Here are 3 Simple Christmas Traditions to enjoy with your family throughout Advent!

3 Simple Christmas Traditions

  The Holidays.  Why is it that those two words can stir two completely opposite emotions: Joy and Stress? Oh how I want to grab all the joy and leave all the stress behind.  As kids–the holidays were all joy.   It was cousins and cookies and toy catalogs and Christmas carols.  As adults–I think…

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Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Homeschooling, Lifestyle Tagged With: Advent, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Faith

The Wise Men Journey Searching for The King is a perfect new Christmas tradition for your family! Countdown to Christmas with this exciting new devotional!

The Wise Men Journey — A New Advent Tradition

Hi Sweet Friends!  You know when God puts someone on your path and they just ooze Jesus–and you are flat out humbled and amazed by the whole thing to your core?  Well that is exactly what happened to me when I met Lynette Meintjes while waiting around for my kids at dance class!  She is amazing…

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Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Homeschooling, Lifestyle Tagged With: Advent, Christmas, Christmas Traditions, Countdown to Christmas, Faith, Family Traditions, Gifts, Wise Men Journey

After 21 years in the kitchen, I'm sharing my 21 kitchen essentials. These are the classic tools every home cook needs to make cooking and baking a joy!

21 Kitchen Essentials — Classics for Every Home Cook

When I got married at age 20, I had zero clues about cooking.  It was bad. I was burning frozen pizza and putting entire pot roasts down the garbage disposal (which to my horror, came back up through the drain in our laundry room)! Thankfully, I’ve come a long way the last 21 years!  And…

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Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Affiliate, Gift Guide, Homemaking, How to Cook, Kitchen, Kitchen Essentials, What Every Kitchen Needs

How old is too old for trick-or-treating? Here's why I let my teens go, and some thoughts about being kind to all trick-or-treaters this Halloween!

Aren’t You Too Old to be Trick-or-Treating?

I have three teenagers.  They all loved trick-or-treating with friends well into their teenage years–and I happily let them!  Initially, I questioned my judgement…Aren’t you too old to be trick-or-treating?  But I quickly realized, there are MUCH BIGGER FISH to fry with teenagers…this is not a battle worth fighting.  In fact, now I celebrate their…

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Filed Under: Family, Lifestyle Tagged With: Halloween, Parenting, Teens

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Hello! Welcome--I'm Jen! I've got 6 kiddos, twins, toddlers, teens--lots of laundry and always dirty dishes! I've been Jason's wife for 20 years, a mommy for 18 years, and a homeschooler for 14 years...I'd love to be friends. ♡

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Happy New Year!!🤩 Time to take down this tree Happy New Year!!🤩

Time to take down this tree & make some changes in 2021!🥳

{GIVEAWAY—Closed!! Winners have been notified —Congratulations to Sarah & Amy!}🎉❤️

But you still have time to join me for the Make Over Your Life Summit!🥰

We're covering all the things...in 8 individual tracks or grab the All-Access Pass:

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Starts Monday--but Early Bird Registration (and best price) is NOW!
{Link in My Bio!!}
This sweet little book is meant to be read with ou This sweet little book is meant to be read with our little ones! They love joining in & “reading” the pictures! ❤️ 
It’s part of The Story of Christmas product in my shop—which also includes a game, narration, & coloring pages. 
 
Link in my bio!!❤️
All dressed up & nowhere to go!😂 #2020life All dressed up & nowhere to go!😂 #2020life
Happy Halloween from Harry, Hermione, & Professor Happy Halloween from Harry, Hermione, & Professor McGonagall!🎃🧙‍♀️
Math can be cozy too!❤️ We’re loving The G Math can be cozy too!❤️ 

We’re loving The Good and The Beautiful Math 3!❤️ 

Decided to mix it up a bit & try something different for math...Have you found any curriculum gems this year?❤️
Learning + Play = Engaged Learners The twins hel Learning + Play = Engaged Learners 

The twins helped the shapes move into their new homes! They are still playing...😉 

So excited about Ready for Math...Coming  Spring of 2021!🎉💗

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