Hi, I’m Rebecca. I write books and I write here at This Joyful Mess to inspire everyone to find JOY in the everyday messes of life. Here you’ll find inspiration, educational resources, and so much more. Please explore and connect—I’d love to hear from you!
How do I get out of Reaction Mode?
I had dreams for my family life, for the kids education, for my own recreation time (which currently clocked in at daily total of zero minutes, zero seconds). I longed to do things like knit, read books with real pages, write for the joy of it. Instead, I was living life of reacting—not to God’s direction—but to people’s momentary expectations, urgent tasks all shoving and bickering to be FIRST on my list. I was desperate to get back to the most important focus of every day...
The Best Scented Playdough Recipe (Gluten Free!)
Holiday scented playdough? Beautiful consistency and long-lasting? Yes, please! We can’t make Christmas cookies every day (can we?!?), and many little hands don’t always make light work, as the proverb says. What do we do when it’s not cookie-making time, or littles are quite ready for the real thing?
A Sweet Slice of Thanksgiving: Some Resources to Enrich Celebration
As Thanksgiving approaches, I can't help but look for little things to do or add to make the holiday more meaningful and memorable. Especially since Thanksgiving is traditionally a day of gorging oneself before (finally!) turning on the Christmas music (actually, I start Christmas music in early November - can't help myself). Thanksgiving gets lost, slipped in between the fun of costumes and candy and the magic and mystery of Advent and Christ's birth.
A Family Christmas Resource You Won't Want to Miss!
Joy of Advent is a virtual daily devotional reading for children and adults. Each email also has curated music videos and classical (usually) works of art that are truly breathtaking. The Joy of Advent daily readings are structured around the Jesse Tree, in part because the Jesse Tree is a beautiful, ancient tradition, and because it gives us the opportunity to pull a scarlet thread from the tapestry of Scripture.
Walk Through Lent With JOY!
Those of you who are familiar with Lent and what it’s all about will understand why the title: Walk Through Lent with Joy, is surprising. Lent is a time of penance and repentance, of fasting, of giving up joy … isn’t it?
Starting the New Year Right: Happy Planner Goal Planning Printables
I created free printable goal planning pages that can easily be sized and printed to fit any planner including Happy Planner. Everything from monthly planning to year-end-review, and even project planning for those multi-faceted projects.
19 Ridiculously Easy Ways to Ignite Your Creativity
Here you’ll find my TOP FIVE easy ways to set your creativity ABLAZE. These ideas can be used by anyone—even if you (mistakenly) think you’re not creative. We’re all creative. It’s part of what it means to be human, but we each express our creativity in our own uniquely wonderful ways. Download the full list to find out more!
This One Hack Made My Mom-Life Better and My Kids Happier
It’s any random evening and I’m doling out the usual pre-bedtime chores. Pick up, put away, no, really put it away properly, not under the chair, all the pieces, oh whatever, just go brush your teeth. So. Many. Toys. Find the Ultimate Guide to creating your own Toy Rotation System. Reclaim your house and make all those old toys seem new again!
How Will I Plan for 2020? Try BOJO! (Bullet Journal)
Bullet journaling is a name for something developed to track the past, present, and future. Once you get started, you can tap into a whole community online for even more ideas. You can start with ideas and sections that include months in advance and also a daily log. Ready to get started on your bullet journaling journey? These graphics offer some creative ideas to use.
Need a Recommendation for Your Next Book Group? Try Poetry (Plus a Free Download!)
I’m violating my own risk aversion, my own dislike of wasting hours on a bad book (whatever that means) by suggesting this: if your book group wants to branch out, try poetry! And I suggest you try my new book, Sweetened Condensed, which I consider almost un-poetry, because it’s accessible, never once mentions Plato or Sophocles, and I hope is also relatable.