I’m back after a week long “brain break”. A little over a week ago, I noticed myself snarking and snapping at my family - verbally, with laser eyes, or through embittered thoughts that released themselves as breathy, exasperated sighs. RED FLAG ALERT! I don’t want to be an exasperated person.

Chris just went back to work at Southpoint Church after two weeks of much needed time off. He joyfully poured him heart and soul into the church six days a week for a year without taking a day off. He made a really wise decision to take some downtime for himself so he wouldn’t run dry physically, spiritually, mentally or emotionally. Chris is very happy to be back at work, and I find myself longing for a vacation! I snapped and snarled at my family last week because I was just too tired to manage my reactions.

One thing I love about the Help Club for Moms is that it’s practical. Mom or not, we all need help knowing how to live out God’s Word daily. The world is only getting louder and more erratic. God’s Truth is sure and steady. His voice often comes gently. So how do we live out quiet, steadfast Truth in a busy world - or in my busy house!?! You break it down. Small changes will change you.

Tomorrow we celebrate our 5 year anniversary! If you’re new to the Ladd Family - we are so glad you are here!!!!! Here is a fun little rendition our story I wrote right after we were married. I hope you enjoy the flashback as much as I did!

A week or so ago, I dipped low into that pit of desperation that every mom has probably known- the one where the only thought you can think is: “I’ll do anything to make this kid sleeeeep”. Forget the baby books. Forget the sleep training and the “they says”. I put Benjamin in the car, and we drove for a loooong time. FINALLY, he slept. I parked in a safe, guarded parking lot. I had planned for this. I even brought my work along with me. Instead, I sat there in crazy-eyed silence and sent equally crazy pictures to Chris. My work stayed untouched, and I stared through the windshield while my thoughts shredded my last remnants of sanity.

I am so thankful for these beautiful men and this beautiful life. Every day isn’t sunshine and roses… in fact, there was such an extraordinary toddler meltdown all the way home I ended the day with a migraine. BUT it’s these photos, these glistening moments in a flowery field, I will turn to on the cloudier days to remind me I am loved deeply and fully by this fantastic, flowery family of mine.

True love looks like a (very handsome) man who did the opposite of everything he would normally do for a day to make his wife’s dream come true. I love, love, love new places, exploring beauty and family outings.

Yesterday while I was trying to cook and clean, Benjamin was next to me pulling everything out of the cabinets to throw around the kitchen. It’s our working agreement. I handed him a shopping bag and empty granola bar box to add the to mix and kept working around him. The next time I looked down, he had swung that shopping bag over his head and created a cape, which he kept on for the rest of the evening. (The most adorable choking hazard.) Benjamin is too young to know he created a cape, but it stopped me in my tracks.

It’s 5:23am... I’ve had the whole house to myself for an hour. I’m full of coffee, worship music, and a good old fashioned quiet time. All by myself. In actual quiet. This one little power hour (plus about 9,000mg of caffeine) has me all jazzed up. I started by reading a devotion from the Help Club for Moms book ( If you’re a mom, any kind of mom, click that link and get that book!) I was re-inspired to create life-giving prayer habits and then read about faith heroes in Hebrews 11. I ended up with a long list of things I want to do and want to be...

There are so many voices, so many versions of the “truth” out there. But the REAL Truth, the truth of Jesus, will set you free. I have so many thoughts in a day... in a minute. Right before I sat down to write this, I took a shower to wake up my tired eyes and felt a thousand untested thoughts wash over me instead.

The Two Oceans Aquarium has re-opened! Benjamin and I are annual pass holders, and I was thrilled to go back this morning. It was so good for my soul on a dark, rainy day to walk into a world of wonder. There were larger than life sea creatures that only the King of Glory could have imagined and spoken into existence.

It’s a big birthday week! I turned 36 on Sunday, and my NaNa would have been 83 today. I did what every responsible grown woman would do on the first birthday without her NaNa: yelled at two strangers, ate birthday chocolate, made enough chili to feed Africa - all of Africa, looked at every NaNa picture I could find, and cried until my eyes were swollen shut.

I had a GREAT birthday yesterday! Thank you for all the messages and kindness! I woke up to my handsome husband asking me how it feels to be 28. (I turned 36, so that was the perfect question.) And the day only went up from there!

It’s Friday! It’s been a BUSY week of ministry, changes, growth and work. But as the week comes to an end, I’m looking back with a happy heart at the little moments with my family. Have a beautiful, wonderful weekend, friends. And snap a pic of a moment you want to savor!a

Today, I broadcasted a teaching for Help Club for Moms all over the world. I wanted to speak specifically to those of us who feel like it’s hard to “get it right”, there’s always something slipping away from us, there’s never enough of us to get it all done. I wanted to speak truth and some practical real life into dismantling, chaotic thoughts. You don’t have to be a mama to relate to that!

Brag session: Chris Ladd was looking goooood on Sunday morning at Southpoint Church online. I’ve been hitting on him ever since. There’s just something so right about a man who has walked through the deepest, darkest of times and climbs out of it to tell others about the faithfulness of Jesus. Am I right?

Last week, I wrote a short, silly blog about hunting rainbows. We were up to our ears in laundry because the rain had been relentless. In that blog, I celebrated the end of the drought, Benjamin’s love for mud puddles, and mentioned that we don’t have a tumble dryer.

GUESS WHAT!?!…

The Ladd house has been hustling! Chris has preached for Southpoint’s Church Online for the last 3 weeks in a row. (Click here to see messages!) And we have kicked off the 15x15 Worship Challenge, Virtual Book Study, and online community for Help Club for Moms South Africa. Every day, Chris and I are more blown away that God is giving us platforms to do the things we love to do so much.

In 2014, I was a single missionary living in the African bush. At one stage, every other leader of the ministry I was working with had to travel out of the country, and I was singlehandedly leading a local staff, missions staff, hosting international missions teams, facilitating all ministry and running the missions base. At that same time, I heard the popular speaker, Christine Caine, share her amazing life’s accomplishments. She said when she started to feel like she had too much on her plate, she’d ask God for a bigger plate. I started to pray that same prayer, and God was so faithful.

There’s something magical about the earliest morning hours for me. Tiptoeing through the dark to make coffee, cracking open God’s Word, and getting your head and heart in the right place before the day begins. Benjamin also loves that time of day and doesn’t want to miss anything. When I wake up extra early to get ahead of him, so does he! So... we got a Fun Box.