Here I will be starting a little audio essay series. This will be a space where I read my personal Substack essays, honest reflections, and devotionals for those who are not familiar with Substack or just prefer an audible experience.

My goal for the future is to create more long-form videos, but since I don’t currently have the bandwidth for that, I hope to build genuine connections in my digital community through audio and video alongside the written word.

Today, we are taking it back to one of my first articles, where we will talk about navigating deep burnout, managing ADHD and PCOS in motherhood, and the intersection of faith and mental health.

As I enter a slower summer season with my kids, I’m stepping away from the video screens to protect my time with my family, but I still want to encourage yours. So pour a cup of tea, leave the apps behind for a few minutes, and listen in. Let’s learn how to make our faith feel more sacred, our life feel slower, our wellness feel softer, and our motherhood feel completely savored. Pull up a chair; I’m so glad you’re here.

I started this year with an Analog Living experiment, and it’s evolved into more of a lifestyle now.

If you’re new here, I wrote an article on how I initially was an analog living trend skeptic but decided to lean into it by trying to 1) turn my phone back into a tool instead of a digital tyrant monopolizing my life and 2) build a life I loved so much OFFLINE that I didn’t feel the need to be ONLINE as much.

I was doing monthly updates, but now this experiment has become my current life journey of living intentionally and whimsically in a way that glorifies God!

At the start of my Analog Living experiment, I tried to actually have analog versions of the things I did on my phone (camera, books, planner, journals). While some things stuck (I have a magnetized note pad on my fridge now for jotting down quick thoughts or reminders and journals for different types of brain dumps), I found that for home and family management, it was crippling for me and my ADHD to have everything decentralized.

So if you are in the same boat, you’re not alone, sweet friend.

Here are 10 things you can do on your phone to make motherhood better that aren’t doomscrolling:

1. Show old pictures and videos OF your kids TO your kids! My kids love doing this, and it’s so sweet to relive those memories with them and explain why you love the memory so much.

2. FaceTime a long-distance friend or family member, or have long-distance family members record videos of themselves reading books to your kids; this is a personal favorite of ours since we have lots of out-of-state/out-of-country family.

3. Find a website that can turn a picture of your kids into their own coloring pages, or bring their silly ideas and caricatures to life

4. Record voice memos to compile for them (I want to do this to later put in a stuffed animal for them!)

5. Create a list of local events you want to attend as a family (I do so much of this in the fall and winter for Fall Fest and Christmas parties, but it’s also good for finding garage/estate sales to hunt through together!)

6. Look up local open houses (my kids love to explore homes for sale and dream up which room would be theirs, and it’s actually helpful for my husband and I to get a feel of what sort of things we would want in a new home or ways we can switch up our current home)

7. Use Canva or Pinterest to make a collage or carousel of all your favorite things about being a mom!

8. Have you and your kids make a video to send to another friend to ask for a playdate (it’s a little more whimsical than sending a plain ol’ text!)

9. Build a personal curriculum! I am working on creating a workbook of things I can learn or do instead of being on my phone when I’m with my kids (article coming soon!)

10. Curate a playlist using input from your kids to play in the car or during certain activities (I have one called Daughter Dance Party on Spotify that my girls and I love to rock out to in the car, and it helps keep everyone happy without constantly switching songs lol).

None of these things is necessarily groundbreaking, and you probably already do some of them anyway.

But I want to use this list to help us reframe how we view our phones.

I’ve been using a lot of things to create friction between me and my phone:

But it is still a very helpful tool I rely on, and I often think that moms in the past would love to have some of the tools we have now. I’m working on building out a family management tool in Notion to better help me care for my family, and I often use vocal shortcuts with Siri to add items to lists, set reminders and timers, or add items to my calendar. I want to do whatever I can do to reduce mental load so I can create and connect with my kids and family more.

What sorts of ways do you use your phone for the betterment of your family? I’d love to know!

Love,

Subscribe now

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. This resource includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming.

Hi sweet friends!

I have the smallest amount of free time to write right now (big thanks to my husband!), and I had this idea on my heart I wanted to share.

As a mom (and just an adult in general), I often feel frustrated that I have so many creative ideas and goals but never enough time to do it all. 8 hours of sleep, time with God/husband/kids, cooking good meals, being involved in family/church/community, working out, having hobbies, keeping the house clean, etc., etc. I have echoed this sentiment before and was met with many people who felt the same.

That is why I love a good habit stack! I am not the kind of person who has my hand in several things; I like to do a few things well. What I lack in breadth, I try to make up for in depth. So when I consider what I’m going to integrate into my life and where my time and energy go, I like to find things that can serve multiple goals or areas of my life instead of just one.

I love Substack for this reason: it has been a hobby that has fed my soul; it has brought friendship in a time when community was sparser; it has drawn me closer to God through its content; and so on.

So, for this little article, I wanted to offer a reframe for you to consider!

I’ve been really trying to pursue hobbies over the last 2 years so I could find things I like as an individual, and things to do with my husband, my kids, and as a family.

The world often pushes for moms to have hobbies as a means of self-care, which is important, yes, but I want to offer the reframe of hobbies as soul-care.

Lately, I've been trying to find ways to connect more with friends, church, and community, and to model that for my kids, while also making time to invest in the things I like after years of putting a little too much focus on being ‘mom’.

So I looked at what I was currently doing and how I could make my hobbies more relational.

I am currently loving knitting. I have made one or two things for my kids, but I have a few friends who are pregnant, so why not use that time to knit them a baby blanket?

I’ve been loving watercolor and letter writing (a hobby my oldest is developing alongside me!). Why not use the time together with my oldest when the toddler naps to paint watercolor cards that can be used to make birthday cards, thank-you cards, or encouraging notes for neighbors and friends?

I have been loving plants and growing zinnias; why not propagate some of my plants to give as small gifts, or use the zinnias as decor for our house instead of buying bouquets at the store and letting my kids make arrangements to drop off at a nursing home or give to neighbors?

These are all ideas I have had buzzing around in my mind for some time. It actually started with the zinnias! I knew a few months ago that, given how much my kids and I love flowers, it would be cheaper to grow some for our home, and what fun it would be to give them to others (but they are still growing, and I’m so impatient, haha).

This little reframe has made it so much sweeter to engage in hobbies. While it does feed my soul, having a purpose behind some of my hobbies (but not all) has made it easier to rest.

While some hobbies have more outward benefits, like Pilates for my physical health or listening to books and sermons while on a walk for my spiritual health, I have felt it harder to do other hobbies that turn my brain off because they feel frivolous. Reframing it as a means of soul care that brings me closer to Christ and community has been key to making room for what matters most.

While the world focuses more on pushing us to do what WE think best serves US, rooting things back in Jesus and reframing things through a biblical lens makes everything click so much more.

God had a perfect design for us and for the world. A perfect design for purposeful work and peaceful rest.

And the beautiful thing is this:

If you have found it hard to rest in your hobbies, what are some ways you can reframe them as a means of soul-care this week? I’d love to know!

Love,

Subscribe now

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

I am like this fiddle leaf fig tree of mine

She was dying when I got her, too much passage of time

Her previous owner was done, she was just too much to do

So I uprooted her from her home, maybe the only one she knew

I rinsed off her roots of the soil she was in

Did she think I was starving her? That soil had sustained her til then

I cut away the rotting roots, did she feel any pain?

All I knew was that I just couldn’t leave her the same

I put her in a new home and even new soil too

Put she still didn’t thrive…so I did the hard thing to do

I sterilized my shears and cut her down bare

And I did it all because of the love that was there

Then I started to cry because I knew it was true

God had done the same to me because He knew He had to

When I first came to Him, I was just trying to survive

But He cared for me like this tree so I could flourish and thrive

He uprooted me from the comforts that felt like my home

He did it with care but I felt so alone!

He washed away everything that sustained me before

He cut and He cut til I said

“Lord, I can’t take this anymore!”

How much more can You take?

This was all a mistake!

Surely I hadn’t been all THAT bad,

Lord, did you not see all the leaves I’d had?? ”

And as He gently placed me in my new pot,

He said, “It was inside your soul that lay all the rot.

Man looks at the outside, but I see the heart.

And I did what I did so you can have a fresh start.”

Then I looked down and saw not a pot,

But grafted to Him was my actual new spot

Then He said “I am the vine and you are the branches,

Don’t you know that I AM a God of second chances?”

Suddenly I was filled with a love I never knew

So big it filled all the rotted holes anew

Where I once felt so empty, now I was made whole

Because my God is the gardener of my soul

💚🪴💚🪴

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time 🫶🏼

As a younger millennial, I feel like it is well within my rights to call myself a pioneer of the social media space.

At 6 years old, I was bugging my uncles to let me chat with their friends on AOL (they are only 10 and 13 years older than me, so more like fun big brothers or cousins). At 12, I was spending hours on the family computer coding Myspace HTML backgrounds and fighting with my sister about whose turn it was to illegally download songs from Limewire to my iPod shuffle (sorry, Mom!). At 16, I made my debut on Facebook when status updates forced you to have the format of “Sarah is” so my statuses read something like “Sarah is ‘omg the new Twilight movie was soooooo good ;]]] team jacob 4 eva!’”. At 18, I fell into the black hole of Pinterest scrolling, which was a severe distraction from my college studies, and Instagram was a place where 5 likes on a picture of my froyo with a Valencia filter was “going viral”. At 21, I entered the workforce and was deemed the “social media coordinator” because I was the youngest in the office, and the rest was history.

Needless to say, as an almost 33-year-old mom of 2 in 2026, I feel like I’ve seen. it. all. The trends. The comparisons. The rebrands. The rise and fall of influencers. The overconsumption. The birth of the OG mommy bloggers. Nothing surprises me anymore, really.

I feel like I need an old tobacco pipe and rocking chair just thinking of the acceleration of social media and what it used to be like “back in my day” when a guy lip syncing to Numa Numa was peak internet comedy (still is for me but I digress.”

So, as someone who has not necessarily seen it all but has seen a lot, something that’s been on my heart is how Christians can reclaim some of the things we have seen online.

I swore I would never join TikTok until burnout, loneliness, and being a new mom in the pandemic drove me to seek out community there in the midst of isolation. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. I felt seen, understood, entertained, and like I was learning something new every day.

But as much as I loved (and still enjoy) the app, I was also learning of new lifestyles and parenting philosophies I should adhere to (clean girl, soft living, Pilates mom, gentle parenting, etc.)

For every new thing I learned that helped me in life, I also learned of something new to fear.

For every time I felt seen in one area, I found a new part of myself to critique.

Every time I felt like normal was finally being normalized, it felt like a new, unrealistic expectation was being set as the new normal.

I wasn’t sure how to handle the constant contradictions I felt as social media, TikTok in particular, seemed to make me both a better and worse wife, mom, and Christian person.

As I’ve spent the last few years processing things, I realized that a pattern was emerging: behind every trend or lifestyle or viral moment was a reflection of the needs and desires of the human heart.

I wrote a bit about this in my “psychology behind the 2026 analog living trend” article and how this specific trend “shouldn’t surprise us that, amid a striving, burnt-out, overly digital world, there is a rise in people seeking connection and greater purpose in things that feel safer and simpler” and how “it also shouldn’t surprise us that this world will never be able to give us things the way God intended, and so we will see God’s design butchered and repackaged in a lousy, lazy attempt at mimicry.”

As a mom who spent most of new motherhood as an avid TikTok consumer, the thing I have seen most often is “romanticizing life/romanticizing motherhood/whimsical parenting”. Videos of gentle moms in beautiful homes with flowy dresses and quietly playing kids with sunshine beaming through an open window overlooking a wildflower garden.

Yeah, I bet it’s easy to romanticize motherhood when it is portrayed like THAT.

“But but but Sarah, you post ALL the time about romanticizing life”.

I know, I know, that and “intentional living” are the primary things I post about. However, it is because of that kind of content that I am so passionate about reclaiming what romanticizing life as a biblical discipline. It’s easy to immediately hate on trends or prepackaged lifestyles, but what I want to do is go deeper and ask, “What is it that I’m seeing online making me feel? What is it that is inspiring me to do or not do? What need does this seek to fulfill? How does this line up with God’s design for life?”

So, in my journey to reclaim social media trends as a Christian mom, I have started with the trend of romanticizing life and how to do so through a biblical framework.

From what I have seen, it comes down to two things:

• Everything you see online and in life reflects the perfect design God had for the universe, and that design broke when sin entered the world.

• There’s always going to be a cheap imitation of God’s perfect design that overpromises and underdelivers.

The Framework: Contentment and Stewardship

So what can romanticizing life look like through the Christian framework? From my experience, it comes down to the disciplines of contentment and stewardship.

On Contentment

When you talk about romanticizing life, faith, and motherhood, I think people often get the misconception that it’s about an idealized version of a life you are aspiring to, rather than being inspired to see your life as ideal right now. “Romanticizing life” took on a whole new meaning when I made it a habit to find beauty where I was. And sometimes when there’s nothing beautiful around you, you find that beauty in God himself because he is the most beautiful thing in the world.

Philippians 4:11–12:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

On Stewardship:

Contentment and stewardship are two sides of the same coin of discipline. When you learn to be content, you are a better steward of what you have. When you are faithful in stewarding the small and unremarkable things you have now, it can not only help you grow in your appreciation of what you DO have but also prepare you to care for and appreciate the greater things you WILL have.

When I first got married, I struggled so much with discontent in how my home looked. It got to the point where I forced myself to stop watching HGTV and going on Pinterest because I was not only discontented and envious of what I saw, but also grew not to care very much about what we did have.

Over time, though, I learned to love thrifting and finding things second-hand, and made it like a scavenger hunt to collect items that resonated with me and fell under a common theme/color scheme. It’s been so fun seeing how I can bring all these random items together to decorate our home, and now, 5 years into living in our current home, I am so in love with it, and I know younger me would have loved it too. Faithful stewardship not only changes your mindset; it also shifts your heart posture.

Matthew 25:23: "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

Reclaiming the Mundane

Ultimately, what I’ve learned is that as Christians, we don’t have to be against every single thing that we see on social media, and that ultimately, there is a human yearning for a heavenly satisfaction behind whatever trend we see.

So the next time you see a trend or lifestyle online, I want to challenge you to see how you can reclaim and reframe it through the words of Jesus. We can do this by embracing the trend of “romanticizing life” and finding beauty in the mundane, viewing it as a biblical discipline of contentment and stewardship. This is the biggest takeaway that I’ve learned in my journey to dwell and delight in the Lord and in my life.

If you have your own thoughts, opinions, or realizations, I would love to know! I think life becomes much sweeter when God starts connecting the dots on what life is supposed to look like when you walk with Him, and how everything we do echoes the glory of our eternal and ethereal Creator.

Love,

Subscribe now

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time 🫶🏼

“Moms need hobbies, moms need self-care!”

Blah blah blah.

I mean yes I agree. But finding hobbies to do when your entire being has changed from the gift of children is like going on a journey to Narnia: magical, mystical, fun, and with some bumps along the way.

But when you’re in the middle of burnout or a heavy season, and people try to encourage you to take time doing something you love, oftentimes going on that journey in that season can make you feel like Frodo barely making it to Mordor.

If this is how it feels to make yet another decision, I got you girl.

Here are some of my favorite hobbies I’ve taken up as a hobby collector with ADHD.

15-MINUTE HOBBIES

• Keep a small notepad or sketchpad in a place you are frequently. Do a few quick doodles or write a few lines when inspired

• Keep a puzzle out and do a few pieces at a time

• Put a jade roller in the fridge or freezer and gua sha your face when you go to the fridge for the 5th snack for a refreshing self-care moment

Hobbies With Kids

• If you are a gardener, involve your kids as much as possible! If you have younger kids like me, guide them to an area that they can dig or “pretend garden,” or ask them to make floral arrangements using weeds, leaves, or whatever they find.

• Coloring is always a safe bet. Get an adult coloring book to do side by side with your kids, or print off coloring pages related to something your kids are learning about.

• Elevate your walks. Find nature preserves, trails, or green belts to explore and enjoy nature together.

SOLO HOBBIES (WITHOUT KIDS)

• Get Class Pass! I have found workout classes I enjoy (Pilates and dance) and also use my credits to save up for facials or lash lifts.

• For the gamers, unwinding with a low-stakes game can be restful. If you don’t have a gaming console, there are lots of cozy game apps for your phone

• Fiber arts. It is too complex for toddler hands, making it the perfect “after-bedtime” ritual to keep your hands busy and your mind quiet. I like to do it while watching shows with my husband.

I could make this longer, but the point is to just give a starting base of ideas so as not to overwhelm you with a plethora of information.

None of these are super niche or unheard of, but sometimes hobbies can take on a fresh new feeling through the lens of motherhood.

Whether your mom journey has you feeling more like Frodo Baggins or Lucy Pevensie, I hope this little list can help you find a place to start if you are looking for something new to enjoy on your own or with your kids!

Love,

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Hey sweet friend,

Welcome to the Dwell & Delight devotional!

I can’t believe it’s already basically halfway through May! My oldest is finishing up kindergarten, and with trying to keep up with school events, dance recitals, and prepping for summer, I feel like I can barely keep my head on straight!

If you’re feeling the same, let’s take a moment and slow down together. Grab your favorite beverage and get cozy, and let’s chat!

My hope is that these weekly letters will feel like receiving a sweet voice message or text from a friend who is letting you know about fun things she is doing with her family, what has been helping her improve her life in small and effective ways, and what God is teaching her. And just as you would listen to a message from your friend, I’m sure you would reply to her with messages of your own struggles, lessons, encouragement, and growth. As you read these letters, my desire is that you also share with me and others what God is doing in your life, whether you implemented an idea from a letter and how it went, or any advice you may be able to give if you have walked through a similar season.

Each week, I will share at least one way you can “dwell” or sit intentionally in your faith and motherhood based on things I have done or want to do, one way you can “delight” or find magic and beauty in your faith and motherhood, and one verse and application that God has shown me that week.

With that, let’s dive in!

If you aren’t familiar with Substack Notes, it is more of the “social media feed” aspect of Substack, similar to Threads or your Facebook newsfeed. The other day, I shared a tip in Notes on how I loosely structure time with my kids when I am solo parenting, and we don’t have any plans or outings on our schedule.

While my kids (5 and 2) play with each other more now and don’t need me to be the entertainment director of this crazy family cruise, I have found that acting as an entertainment facilitator and mediator.

I know people say to let your kids be bored, but if my kids are left to their own devices too much (even with plenty of toys, activities, and outdoor play readily accessible), it ends in chaos lol.

As Proverbs 16:27 says, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop…” I like to provide my kids with a map to help kick-start their playtime through the 3 A’s of Play.

Here is a snippet of this framework from my digital resource library, where I am consolidating resources for intentional living, whimsical parenting, and biblical motherhood (free for paid subscribers or for purchase at pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10). If this resonates with you, check it out for more; I am always adding to it!

What I love is that it allows me to participate in their play without always having to come up with something or put something together, and gives them parameters to work within without being overwhelmed by options. I have noticed that my oldest really leans into the themes and comes up with other things to do as play time goes on, and my youngest will go off on her own to do something after a while, but with focused (not frantic) energy.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

This one I am so excited about!

I literally would not give a second thought to getting off Facebook if it weren’t for my amazing local Buy Nothing group.

If you aren’t familiar with the concept of a Buy Nothing group, it’s an organization that operates in many cities and establishes groups of cities (e.g., Facebook groups for specific areas, such as Buy Nothing Northwest Chicago, Buy Nothing Southeast Nashville, etc.). The point is that everyone lives in a few-mile radius of each other, and when you are done with an item you no longer want or need, you can post it on the page, and someone can come pick it up from your porch, easy peasy! Or you can check there if someone has something you want, but maybe doesn’t want to drop money on it yet.

I try to thrift as much as possible, but in my area, there is basically only one Goodwill, and the quality of items there has drastically declined while their prices have only gone up.

It is so sweet to see how things circulate in my group, and you often recognize a lot of the names.

Anyway, I posted in the group that I was looking for a playroom TV with a DVD player because 1) I want to be able to have something for when friends are over or our community group that is easier to work with than a projector, and 2) I wanted to make movie watching an EXPERIENCE like when I was a kid.

I grew up in the Blockbuster days, when my sisters and I would browse for ages for the perfect sleepover rental, make forts, and eat way too many snacks. I want that to be the same for my kids.

So a sweet neighbor saw my post and gifted us this TV, and while we haven’t used it yet, I think it will be the perfect addition to our summer. With my oldest going to be home more often (I’m so excited!), I plan on taking my kids to the library a lot to pick out movies or go thrift some DVDs and make it a while thing.

What I’m learning is that if you have everything accessible at your fingertips, it loses some of its magic. I want to bring that magic back to movie time for my kids.

(Granted, I guess things are not actually as accessible because every movie and show is now stuck behind ridiculous streaming service paywalls or littered with long commercials, but I digress lol).

I was reading Isaiah 30 the other day, and this stuck out to me in verses 20-22:

“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “‘Be gone!’”

God’s people were facing issues with Assyria and were trying to form an alliance with Egypt without asking God for direction, and this would ultimately be their shame.

I love how these verses indicate that though God doesn’t just “let” bad things happen but actually GIVES us the “bread of adversity”, He will not always hide Himself from us.

Verse 18 also says, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.”

As I read in Job last week, “though He slay me, I will hope in Him”.

I think that is beautiful.

Love,

Subscribe now

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Is “romanticizing your life” just a shallow social media trend, or is there a deeper, biblical way to find beauty in the mundane?

In this first video reflection for the Dwell & Delight community, I am diving into what it looks like to reclaim intentional living from a Christian perspective. We often see “slow living” or “cottage core” portrayed as a perfect, filtered lifestyle, but as believers, we know these are often just echoes of God’s original design for us.

Today, I am sharing how I moved from feeling defeated by social media standards to finding true joy through the biblical disciplines of Contentment and Stewardship.

Whether you are in a season of burnout or just trying to find God in the middle of a busy day, I hope this encourages you to dwell in delight right where you are.

✨ JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Read more weekly devotionals and join our intentional living journey at: bysarahsmith.com

Timestamps:

0:00 | Welcome to Dwell & Delight

0:45 | Reclaiming “Romanticizing Motherhood”

1:06 | God’s Design vs. Cheap Imitations

1:30 | The frustration with “Slow Living” trends

2:26 | Contentment: Finding beauty where you are

3:57 | Stewardship: Being faithful with the little

4:32 | My journey from social media defeat to joy

5:50 | Reclaiming the mundane as a biblical discipline

6:11 | Final thoughts: Connecting the dots with God

Resources:

• Dwell & Delight Newsletter: https://open.substack.com/pub/bysarahsmith

• Mom Burnout Digital Resource Library:

https://sarahelizsmith.gumroad.com/l/hvfxi

If this resonated with you, please leave a comment below!

How are you learning to steward the “small things” in your life today? 👇

#ChristianMotherhood #IntentionalLiving #Contentment #DwellAndDelight #FaithJourney #SlowLiving #BiblicalWomanhood #RomanticizeYourLife

Hey sweet friend,

Welcome to the Dwell & Delight devotional!

As a busy mom of 2 and an external processor, I love sending voice messages to my friends (especially my mom friends; sometimes it feels like a playdate without being a playdate!).

My hope is that these weekly letters will feel like receiving a sweet voice message or text from a friend who is letting you know about fun things she is doing with her family, what has been helping her improve her life in small and effective ways, and what God is teaching her. And just as you would listen to a message from your friend, I’m sure you would reply to her with messages of your own struggles, lessons, encouragement, and growth. As you read these letters, my desire is that you also share with me and others what God is doing in your life, whether you implemented an idea from a letter and how it went, or any advice you may be able to give if you have walked through a similar season.

Each week, I will share at least one way you can “dwell” or sit intentionally in your faith and motherhood based on things I have done or want to do, one way you can “delight” or find magic and beauty in your faith and motherhood, and one verse and application that God has shown me that week.

With that, let’s dive in!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how AI is everywhere. I remember how cool I thought it was when I first got ChatGPT in December of 2024, right before I started working on creating content and writing. Initially, it was really helpful because, as an external processor with ADHD who loves to research, I enjoyed having an assistant to aggregate all the “word vomit” I would give it and turn it into a coherent flow of ideas I could build on. It was like having a little creative assistant.

But over time, I have seen how it is now everywhere; even my healthcare apps have AI summaries and assistants. It is on every social media platform, and honestly, it is getting exhausting.

When I was originally creating content online, I used AI a little too much as a crutch in my creative process. But as I figured out my voice, my message, and what I wanted to say, I realized I am a writer at heart. Now, I have started thinking of ways I can use AI to help me with the mundane, day-to-day processes instead, so that I can spend more time on what matters: marriage, ministry, motherhood, and writing.

This past week, I’ve been taking stock of the areas where I’ve been overwhelmed. My husband has been working a lot lately, and even though things have slowed down a bit, I am still trying to find good rhythms for managing my family. Summer is coming, and it will be my first summer not having my oldest in a Mother’s Day Out program, even though my toddler will still be in one.

After months of doing almost everything on my own while my husband worked, I am just burnt out. We’ve been eating out a lot more, and I want to take control back so I can focus on faith, family, and fun hobbies.

One of my goals is to get these management systems out of my phone. As someone with ADHD, it is helpful to tell Siri to put something on a shared to-do list or grocery list, but I am moving toward more analog solutions. I am putting together a master grocery list, tips for my husband on putting together meals for the kids when I’m not around, and laminated routines and checklists to put up in our hallway. That way, if I need to put something in my phone, I can, but everything is also out in front for the whole family to see.

I’ve been using Gemini to help me develop a family cleaning routine to make it less “on me” and more about our family as a whole. I want even the mundane stuff to have a “quality time” feel.

Inside this week’s devotional, you’ll find:

• Our Master Grocery List

• Our Simple Eating Plan for May

• Our current Family Cleaning Routine

Next, I will be working on a wellness and beauty maintenance routine. I love looking nice and doing at-home treatments, especially since we are on a budget, but I still like to feel fancy from time to time. If you have anything that works for you and your family, please drop it in the comments below! This is definitely going to be a new trial-and-error things for me this month.

One "whimsy" thing bringing me delight is this pack of little mini fridge vases I found. They are so cute! They come with flowers already, which I love, but my plan is to use them for the flowers we grow or the tiny treasures my kids pick. Often, what they end up picking is too small, even for the"tiny" vase I do have, so these are perfect. My oldest is constantly rearranging them!

As far as what God is showing me, I have been reading through the book of Job. I have been really interested in how his friends talk to him. I feel like everyone I know, to some degree, is going through a hard time right now, and it is interesting how Job’s friends try to hold him “accountable.” I understand that impulse, but it makes me think of the verse about how if you do all these things but do not have love, you are just making noise.

I’ve been praying for a way to love my friends who are struggling, when I am not sure how to help beyond prayer and giving what I can. I feel like God answered that prayer by showing me one simple way to love them: by not talking like Job’s friends.

Thank you for being on this journey with me. I absolutely love getting to share, friend-to-friend, mom-to-mom, and sister-in-Christ-to-sister-in-Christ, about the work God is doing in my life and the fun things He’s teaching me. Now tell me, what are you dwelling on and delighting in this week?

Love,

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*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Hey sweet friend,

Welcome to the latest installment of the Dwell & Delight devotional - a weekly newsletter where I share what God is teaching me and small ways you can bring more presence & playfulness into your life as a mom.

It has been raining a lot where I am, and while I enjoy the rain for a little bit, I am a sunshine girlie through and through. That, plus being in my luteal phase, has made me a little more down, irritable, and moving at a slower pace.

But that isn’t stopping me from trying to find small ways to dwell & delight in my current season and daily life!

With that, let’s dive in!

I’m a firm believer that doing little things well over time adds up to greater change down the road. I love how it says in Luke 16:10 that “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” It’s easier for me to dream up big plans, but I lose interest or get overwhelmed easily by doing too much, so I end up doing nothing at all.

I have started building on the small routines and soft goals that I put in place a few years ago when I was coming out of burnout (more here on my testimony and why I am so passionate about intentional living and romanticizing motherhood). For example, I wanted to be the girl with some form of skincare routine. But social media and consumerism overwhelmed me until I realized that any repeated set of daily actions is a routine.

So my challenge to you for living more intentionally and sustainably this week is to come up with one simple routine you know you can be faithful to in your current season of life and with your present-day capacity.

When I was in burnout, my morning routine was simply taking my meds, washing my face, and using a moisturizer with SPF. Now it has evolved to include eye cream, tretinoin, and lash/brow serum.

Start small and watch the habits compound.

Over the last few months, my husband has been abnormally busy and burnt out at work which means almost all home management has been on me (he is such a big help when he is off work so I greatly felt his absence).

With that, I have been doing a lot more rearranging and reorganizing of my home because, as a mom with severe ADHD, if I don’t have some sort of organization system, I can’t find things. And if I can’t find things, I can’t parent well. And if I can’t parent well, then ain’t nothing or nobody feeling good about things lol.

But after the rearranging and reorganizing, I got to have fun and redecorate as alot of the decorations I had before got displaced from their original home.

I have had a lot of fun finding things on my local Buy Nothing group, thrift stores, and budget stores to make my newly arranged and organized home feel cozy and pretty.

However, I was struggling with our playroom up until this week. We have a formal living/dining room that we use as our playroom, and this giant wall with a window was giving me a hard time.

Any artwork big enough to fit would be pricey and cumbersome to hang, and I wanted something simple, inexpensive, and unlikely to fall off the walls and onto our toys or kids.

Then I remembered how I used decal stickers in my oldest room and so decided to try it in our playroom and it turned into a fun activitiy for all of us to do this past weekend! My girls are so proud of their work helping decorate and the playroom feels so much brighter (and my husband is glad he didn’t have to hang or paint anything lol!).

So my challenge for you this week, sweet friend, is to pick somewhere in your house that you can liven up to bring you and your family joy. This can include:

• fresh flowers from Trader Joe’s or Costco

• upgrading your containers for prettier versions that you can find at the dollar store

• adding stained glass decals to your windows (check out this list here for what I used in my kids’ rooms!)

Whatever you do, have fun with it and be sure to send me whatever it is you do for the week!

I’ve been very slowly working through a Bible-In-A-Year plan (albeit very slowly), and I struggle with the Old Testament a lot. It feels less like stories of grace and more like dusty crusty history lessons.

But this week, God really made the story of Deborah and Jael come to life for me in a new way (isn’t it amazing when He allows us to re-read something with fresh eyes??).

I’ve heard it before but I got chills. Maybe Jael was Tolkien’s inspiration for Eowyn? Maybe not but that is who I thought of when reading Judges 4.

I am simply amazed at how God has cared for and used women in His greater story of grace.

Loud women. Shy women. Women leaders. Women disciples. Rich women. Sick women. Old women. Young girls.

This week in my readings I am reminded that I have a place in His story, even if it feels small.

Though I may feel insignificant in my offerings, nothing is small when used by a big God.

I have a place in His story and in His heart.

And so do you, sweet friend.

All glory and honor and power to God, forever and ever, amen!

Love always,

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*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Hey sweet friend,

Welcome to the very first installation of the Dwell & Delight devotional!

As a busy mom of 2 and an external processor, I love sending voice messages to my friends (especially my mom friends; sometimes it feels like a playdate without being a playdate!).

My hope is that these weekly letters will feel like receiving a sweet voice message or text from a friend who is letting you know about fun things she is doing with her family, what has been helping her improve her life in small and effective ways, and what God is teaching her. And just as you would listen to a message from your friend, I’m sure you would reply to her with messages of your own struggles, lessons, encouragement, and growth. As you read these letters, my desire is that you also share with me and others what God is doing in your life, whether you implemented an idea from a letter and how it went, or any advice you may be able to give if you have walked through a similar season.

Each week, I will share at least one way you can “dwell” or sit intentionally in your faith and motherhood based on things I have done or want to do, one way you can “delight” or find magic and beauty in your faith and motherhood, and one verse and application that God has shown me that week.

With that, let’s dive in!

One thing I love about Substack moms is so many of us seem to share the same desire to live more intentionally and be more present and figuring that out in the constraints of a hectic external world and chaotic internal world (my mind feels like I am playing a game of dodgeball but they are all being thrown at once and and instead of dodging them, I am trying to catch and corral them all lol!).

So one way I have been trying to “dwell well” and be more present with God, with my family, and with myself is to look at the clouds. Yes, clouds.

I live in Texas, and one thing I have always loved is the big, open sky and how it can get decorated with fluffy white cotton-ball clouds.

Whenever I am driving my kids to and from school, I like to bring their attention to the clouds. Sometimes we try to guess what animals they remind us of, and sometimes we talk about how God made the clouds, and my oldest will usually make some dreamy comment about wanting to sleep on the clouds or something along those lines.

Something about fluffy white clouds brings me back to childhood and laying in the grass or on a friend’s trampoline and watching them roll slowly by.

Many people feel a sense of awe and peace when taking in a scene of mountains or the ocean. But for many of us, mountains and oceans are not accessible in daily life.

So this week, look at the clouds.

I became a mom in the middle of personal burnout and a brutal pandemic. So even though I wanted to have plants, I joked that was all I could do to keep myself and my kid alive, and there was no way I could also keep a plant alive. Thus, fake plants became a part of my interior design.

However, now my kids are 5 and 2, and we have much more stability, and my girls are kind and keen big helpers. We are spending a lot more time outdoors, so one way I am delighting in life more is by caring for and keeping plants.

Depending on your capacity, start small by displaying some cheap bouquets from Trader Joe’s or Costco. We also like to use the petals for crafts when they start wilting!

I recently picked up a few vegetable plants from Costco, and I have my kids help me water them. I have also replaced a few decorative plants with real ones from The Home Depot AND I even scored a beautiful fiddle tree from our local Buy Nothing Group. Basically, I am trying to make my home into a greenhouse lol.

We also have some very neglected garden beds filled with rocks and weeds that I have had my kids help me till and dig up so we can replace them with fresh soil, and since they have been spending so much time outside after school, it is has been a great bonding experience to work side by side with them and they have LOVED getting to dig.

So this week, try to find ways to bring nature indoors and allow your kids to take part in its care and keeping. Even if they die, the journey accounts for half the delight and opens great opportunities to talk about God’s power in creation and the responsibility of caring for something beyond ourselves.

And nature is just super pretty :)

I won’t always use a Substack note for the devotional section, but for this week, I think this note perfectly sums up my heart for this publication and the delight that God has for us and the subsequent delight He invites us to have with Him in return. I can’t think of anything more beautiful than that :).

Thank you for taking the time to be here for this first installation of the Dwell & Delight Devotional! May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His face shine upon you always, sweet friend.

Love,

Subscribe now

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing starting at $10, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Last year, I had the bright idea to sell flower bouquets my daughters arranged in our neighborhood, and, yes, it was as magical as it sounds!

When I was younger, I didn’t see the need for flowers. I enjoyed them, but never bought them for myself, and told people not to get them for me because “they just die anyway”.

I know, I know. I literally had no sense of whimsy.

This is also coming from a girl whose childhood heroine was Anne of Green Gables, and I just KNOW she would not consider me a kindred spirit if she heard me say that.

But then I had kids. And I started buying flowers because if I was going to be at home with my kids all the time, then dagumit I was going to have something pretty to look.

For months, I’ve loved buying flowers just because they make the house feel alive again. My oldest always helps me take the big Costco bouquets and turn them into smaller ones for each room. Lately, I’ve been seeing videos of people selling flowers from their own little stands, and I thought, “How sweet would that be to do together?” I don’t have a garden or anything fancy — just a few cheap store bouquets and some imagination — but I knew she’d love it. And she did.

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We made our bouquets the night before and set up a tiny stand outside the next day. I’ll be honest — she was tired and hungry, and I probably should’ve waited until the weekend. But once we got going, she lit up. She greeted every neighbor with her little confident smile and proudly told them how much each bouquet cost. My youngest sat in her stroller, eating snacks and waving to everyone who came by. By the time we sat down to eat dinner outside, I realized that what started as an ordinary weekday had turned into one of those golden-hour moments I’ll remember for a long time.

It reminded me that my kids can’t fully enjoy their childhood if I’m not enjoying my motherhood. The routine stuff will always be there — homework, baths, bedtime — but the magic is what we make space for.

Afterward, a few neighbors told us they loved seeing the stand or wished they hadn’t missed it. It made me think about that study that says time slows down when you do new and novel things with people you love. I felt that truth in my bones that day.

Needless to say, this was an activity that I will be repeating again this year and my hope is that this time, I can use flowers we grew ourselves! So if you’re looking for a whimsical little spring activity that builds connection with your kids and community and even a little lesson in entrepreneurship, make your own little family flower stand!

If you’ve been in a season that feels heavy or repetitive, maybe this is your reminder to do something small and whimsical this week — not to be productive, not to perform, but simply to delight in it. You might be surprised by how much beauty is waiting in the middle of your ordinary.

Much love,

Sarah

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here! You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library. It’s designed to be a calm, one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Hey sweet friend,

If you haven’t noticed already, I have changed the name of this publication to Dwell & Delight, and I have found it to be such a fitting name for where I’m at and what I’m doing here on Substack, as well as in my personal life.

I really want my articles and notes to all read as if they are texts or letters to a friend about what God is doing in my life, what He is teaching me, and the things I’m loving or learning as I grow as a woman of God, as a wife, and as a mom.

I have been very passionate about soft and slow living over the last few years, and that has morphed into an intentional approach across all areas of my life. After burnout brought me to the feet of Jesus, I have found that my only desire in this season of my life is to be faithful with where I’m at and learn how to slow down and dwell in the good AND hard seasons, and to find or create delight no matter the circumstances.

I will say it was a lot easier to do this in March because January and February brought bleak weather to Texas, with ice storms, dark yet early evenings, and a busier work schedule for my husband. Things have since lightened up a little bit with my husband’s job (and literally with daylight saving time), and the weather in Texas has brought longer days and more beautiful weather. I’ve been trying to soak it all in before it gets super hot here in Texas and stays hot for the next seven months lol.

Without further ado, here are the things I did in March to dive deeper into my faith and find joy in motherhood that did NOT include endless scrolling.

What the Analog Experiment Looked Like This Month

Seasonally Themed Activities

The first thing I did to kick off my joy campaign was to plan and execute seasonal activities for my kids and me to enjoy together.

I LOVE flowers (basically everything I have is some sort of floral print), so this was an easy season to plan for.

Here’s the list of activities that I made, some of which we have done and some which are still in the works:

1. make a fairy garden

2. ID plants on nature walks

3. make flower crowns

4. press flowers and turn them into decorations

5. make decorative paper chains

6. raise and release butterflies

We just finished our fairy garden adventure (here is an article on how I turned it into a fun scavenger hunt and what it taught me about faith!), and now we are in the chrysalis phase of raising our butterflies for release, which was a favorite activity from last year.

Over the last year and a half, I’ve really focused on creating seasonal baskets I can do with my kids, or themed crafts and activities that would be fun for all of us, so this next week I will be working on affordable bunny baskets for Easter!

Spending Time Outside

The second thing I have been implementing is being outside as much as possible. We finally got our back porch cleaned up after not touching it over the winter, and we were able to score some amazing patio furniture for free from a neighbor who had put it on the curb.

I have also made it a little game to try to find things for our backyard as affordably as possible, such as getting a few things like bubbles and a new kiddie pool from Dollar General, and checking out our Buy Nothing group for more things that we could use to play outside.

Because of the nice weather, our after-school time has been so sweet and intentional, where we eat outside, play outside, and read our Bible outside, and our family has been loving that intentional time. Along with that, for myself personally, I’ve been enjoying going on a lot of walks.

We live near a greenbelt, so just being able to listen to my Bible or go on a prayer walk around our neighborhood or in the greenbelt has been such a fulfilling, holy habit for me.

Following the Liturgical Calendar

The third thing is following the liturgical calendar. While I grew up Southern Baptist and currently attend a non-denominational church, I’ve had many sweet friends in the Anglican and Catholic traditions who have taught me about the beauty and traditions of liturgy and the rhythms of incorporating the liturgical calendar into seasonal activities.

We have been loving going through the book Sacred Seasons, and it offers wonderful ideas for adapting different rhythms and disciplines into daily life with the kids. It has also been interesting for us to learn about different saints, and there are also wonderful recipes and activity suggestions to follow, so it is something I highly recommend.

What March Revealed

This month showed me that when life slows down even just a little, it’s so much easier to notice what’s truly important. The extra light in the evenings, the warmer weather, and just being able to breathe outside with my kids reminded me how much joy is in simple, intentional moments.

Living more “analog” and “offline” has become much more second nature now than it was right around Christmas, as a lot of my focus has shifted from trying to find happiness in my phone to getting dopamine hits by putting things together for the joy of my family. As it turns out, it is way more fun to create moments of delight than it is to consume megabytes of dopamine. Who knew??

A Gentle Encouragement

If any of this resonates with you, let this be your sign to try your own analog experiment. It doesn’t have to look like mine, or like what you see online. It doesn’t even have to look the same month to month.

Making it an experiment gives so much more freedom. It lets you find sustainable ways to use your phone as a tool while also building a life you love offline.

I would love to hear what that looks like for you.

Thank you for being part of this. ✨

Much love,
Sarah

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here! You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library . It’s designed to be a calm, one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

This may be a hot take (or maybe not, you tell me), but getting my nails done is not relaxing.

I love partaking in beauty services, but in this economy, I’ve had to become a bit of a DIY girly. I tend to do my hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes at home, but as someone who has tried and failed continuously at doing my own nails (and as a chronic nail biter since childhood), getting my nails done is my little splurge.

I do have a sweet friend who does my nails sometimes, and she is amazing! I adore the quality time with her, but our schedules don’t always align and, hey, it’s been a bit of a stressful week, so why not go get a little fancy? And so I went, feeling all whimsical and full of glee.

But as the service went on, I became just so acutely aware of how many things I would rather be doing than sitting there fighting for my life to not accidentally play footsie with the tech. I also never realize just how bad I am at relaxing my hands. Anyone else?? And I don’t know if it’s just me, but I always have to itch my face when one hand is in the dryer and the other one is being done.

It’s just a boring sensory nightmare all the way around—unless you get a pedicure with the massage chair lol.

It’s one of those places where, in a way, you are forced to deal with the boredom because you can’t use your hands or move a lot. Also, sometimes if I am trying to listen to something in an AirPod, I can get a little overstimulated because there are conversations happening around me, there’s background music on, sometimes there’s a TV, and it’s just a lot for my ADHD mind.

But while I was sitting there the other day, just looking around and taking everything in, my mind started to get frantic—thinking about what else I needed to get done or how I could use the 10 seconds of one hand being free to try to entertain myself. And I honestly just got the ick with myself. Like, why couldn’t I just be CHILL?

So while I did have an AirPod and tried to listen to an audiobook, I ended up taking it out and turning it off and just sitting there.

I started looking at all the colors of nail polishes and powders and just admiring the diversity of colors that there were and thanking God for such a wonderful display. That train of thought led to praising Him in my head and then praying for certain people as they came to mind.

Then I started feeling uncomfortable from slouching, so I sat up a little straighter and started doing some core exercises—simply engaging my core for a few seconds and then letting it go, and doing the same with my glutes. I added in some heel raises as well as some neck rolls to stretch out my body and basically got in a little chair workout.

In between sets of these little stretches and exercises, I practiced some deep breathing, and it hit me that I hadn’t actually taken a good breath all morning.

It was so fascinating to me how, since my hands were trapped and I couldn’t sit there scrolling, I was actually able to do things that I usually feel like I don’t have time to do, like stretches or core exercises. I realized, too, that while I engage in passive prayers throughout the day for the things I want and need, I am not always intentional about actively praying for other people or praising the little details of creativity and love God leaves for us to notice.

Heck, I was even able to think through some ideas for articles I wanted to write, notes I wanted to post on Substack, and plot points for the second children’s book that I’m working on!

It felt a little weird not to immediately put everything down in my phone because a lot of times, if I don’t write it down, I will forget. But just being purposeful with my thoughts, prayers, and body in the little bit of time that I was nail-trapped was actually such a good exercise in mindfulness.

Being present and being intentional is a discipline, and that’s something I’m learning more and more every day—and something I’m trying to get better at, because honestly, I’m not really good at it. Even if you don’t have your phone on you, it can sometimes be hard to be present if you’re just letting your mind wander all the time. It really does take a lot of spiritual and mental strength to take thoughts captive and be purposeful with how you are breathing in a moment, moving through a moment, and engaging in a moment.

So in a way, getting my nails done wasn’t just this little treat. It actually felt really good not to be rushing to get things done or rushing to try to entertain myself before I drown in my own thoughts.

So the next time you want to get your nails done and you need a way to justify the experience to yourself or to someone else, just say it’s good practice at being present 😉.

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For The Reader

What’s one small, ordinary moment this week that you can turn into an opportunity to practice presence and intention?

Hi sweet friend!

Let me ask you a question.

Do you delight in your life? Not just enjoy it or like it, but actually delight in it?

I recently renamed this newsletter to Dwell & Delight because that is essentially the focus of my life right now, as I learn to slow down and settle in (dwell) and find or make beauty (delight) in faith and in motherhood after a period of burnout and rebuilding.

I realized this week that I actually HAVE been finding delight in my attempts to create it, and that has been a wonderful revelation because I have not always been able to see the goodness of God in the midst of the hard or try to appreciate what I had in the way I’m learning to do now.

Before Motherhood

The first time I got pregnant was in 2019, less than a year into my marriage. Around that time, I had just been diagnosed with PCOS and generalized anxiety, lost my grandmother to cancer, and left a job I had enjoyed but felt like I was underperforming in. Looking back, I realize much of it was likely my undiagnosed ADHD, which was becoming hard to manage alongside the pressures of planning a wedding, starting a new chapter in my career, moving, and going through deep personal counseling for the first time.

I had also only been following Jesus intentionally for a few years, diving deeply into theology, while navigating that awkward transition after college. I had moved away from my friends, was still new to the area, and was still relatively new to the church my husband and I were a part of. I was unsettled in every area of life, trying to figure out who I was after college, adjusting to marriage, moving again, and building new routines. It was a lot all at once.

Loss and Grief

In July 2019, I started a new job about nine months after leaving my previous one. I had been looking for full-time work the whole time. I had an IUD and was not trying to get pregnant, but somehow it happened. I experienced an ectopic pregnancy in my fallopian tube. I was terrified and had almost no knowledge about what was happening. I was told I could not continue the pregnancy and that it could be fatal if left untreated.

I ended up losing the baby, and I was completely wrecked. Even now, years later, I do not think I have fully processed everything.

Trying Again

Once we were cleared to start trying for kids, we decided to let go and let God. I had only recently been diagnosed with PCOS and had learned that it could take months, if not years, to get pregnant. Somehow, it only took about two months. I was sick and throwing up the whole time, and then the pandemic hit. My anxiety skyrocketed, and I struggled with horrible anxiety during both of my pregnancies.

Motherhood in Survival Mode

When I had my daughter in July 2020, the world as I knew it was gone. Everything had been completely overturned again and again. In the five short years between graduating college and having my oldest, I was new to faith, new to motherhood, new to church, new to my town, and new to marriage. God had to do a lot of rebuilding on the blank slate that I was.

Between 2020 and 2023, I learned a lot about finding slow and intentional rhythms and how to evolve them based on the stage I was in and the capacity I had, which was often next to nothing. While I absolutely loved being a mom and adored my daughter, I was completely at the end of myself multiple times a day. I was wrecked by my limitations and found myself leaning heavily into God.

Looking back at the mom I was then versus the mom I am now, I can see that while I loved being a mom, I did not always delight in it. I never wanted to be away from my daughter, but I constantly needed breaks—not because of her, but because of me and my own limitations.

Growing Capacity And Making Things Magical

When I got pregnant with my second, it took a lot longer. We needed some external medical help, and while the pregnancy was still challenging, I felt like I had a solid foundation underneath me. My world did not completely change, and my love, my capacity, and my trust in myself and in God were so much stronger. I felt more capable and competent.

Having my second child and watching my oldest grow into the most amazing big sister brought so much joy. Seeing the delight that my youngest brought—and continues to bring—added a little bow on our family that filled me with so much happiness.

Now, as they get older and develop their personalities and quirks, their interactions are more involved and engaging. I am truly finding that while I have always had joy in life, I can now dwell in delight.

I saw that today while doing a fairy garden activity. A few weeks ago, I bought some things from the Dollar Tree to make a little fairy garden. Last year, I had just let my kids play with the supplies themselves, and it only lasted a few minutes. But this year, I spent the past few weeks working on themes to make it an intentional, fun, and beautiful activity.

I picked up all the materials during the spring decor sale, then got pretty envelopes with heart-shaped seals. I even had AI help me craft a letter from the fairies, asking my daughters for help to create a new fairy garden. Their old garden had been destroyed in a storm, and the letter explained that only children with the magic of love could rebuild something so magical.

I set up the envelopes with the letters next to little plush fairies and hid the fairy garden items around the yard. I read the letter to my kids and invited them on a scavenger hunt to find the pieces and assemble the garden. My youngest was a little distracted, but my oldest loved it. She is in kindergarten, practicing reading and writing, and she adored writing a letter back to the fairies. It was just so sweet to watch.

The Discipline of Delight

It became my goal to intentionally talk about Jesus and what He is doing in my life, even when it is hard. I also began looking for beauty and meaning even when it seems like there is none, and creating intentional, joyful moments with my family. Even though life still has its ups and downs, it has become a habit for me to make and savor these little moments. I am not a crafty mom, a Pinterest mom, or an aesthetic mom, but I find so much delight in simply spending time with my family and dwelling in the sweetness of God.

Now my girls are starting to talk more about the Bible and Jesus, wanting to read and share that time together. It reminds me of the sweetness in my own relationship with God, and that life does not have to be all rigid structure or discipline. It can also be about living intentionally and connecting meaningfully, something I am consistently learning and working on.

This is why I have this new name for my newsletter. My goal is to cultivate the discipline of delight in my faith and in my motherhood. I hope to encourage others to do the same. I started my motherhood journey feeling like a shell of who I used to be, unsure of who I was, and like a stranger in my own body, mind, and world. The discipline of delight has been key in reminding me that Christ is the solid rock I stand on, and all other ground is sinking sand, just like the hymn says.

Learning to delight in God, remembering that He delights in me, and delighting in what and who He has given me, and who He has made me to be, has helped me grow closer to my faith and my family. Even when I am hanging on by a thread, the discipline of delighting in the Lord has kept me going. I pray the same for you. Keep going, sweet friend. You are not alone.

Love,

Sarah

A Question For You

What is one way you can either slow down and dwell in your current season or one way you can create magic and delight in your life this week?

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here! You can also support me by checking out my growing digital resource library . It’s designed to be a calm, one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Oh look, it’s another rebrand lol!

And by rebrand, I mainly just mean a new title on Substack and maybe a new logo and color scheme. But in all seriousness, I just wanted to make a little note about what is going on over here and what this change actually means.

A Quick Backstory

If you are new to this newsletter, I originally had a previous publication here on Substack that was doing really well and that I was having a lot of fun with.

But in 2025, most of my focus was on trying to grow and learn how to create on short form platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

I used to work in social media marketing, and as a stay at home mom who was spending way too much time doom scrolling, I told myself that I either needed to get creative and start making things or just stop being on social media altogether.

All of last year I had so much fun learning the ins and outs of those platforms from a creator standpoint instead of just being a consumer.

But like anything good in this life, a good thing can become a god thing if you are not careful. I really was not writing as much. I was just trying to grow instead of bring glory to God.

The Substack Accident

Then I fell in love with the Substack community and began to take it more seriously.

However, right when I started taking it more seriously, I accidentally deleted my newsletter when I was trying to update my email.

I even got in touch with Substack support and they said there was nothing they could do. When something is deleted, it is gone. They could not even figure out how it happened. I think it was a glitch on the mobile app, but I lost all of my articles along with everyone who was subscribed to me and everyone I was subscribed to.

So in October I had to start fresh.

Trying to Do Too Much

I was feeling really overwhelmed trying to come up with a schedule that would work for me because I had so many ideas but not really enough time or bandwidth to post them.

I came out with a few different series and started repurposing some of my old content that I had backed up, even though I lost most of everything.

At the same time I also started working on my second children’s book and a digital product.

And in the midst of all of that, I started trying to make myself more into a brand.

I love the idea of personal branding and coming up with a way to cohesively tell a story through colors and fonts and images and things like that, especially as someone who used to work in marketing and branding.

I was trying to learn all these skills and eventually figure out how to make a little money through my writing and my creative work.

When Branding Started to Feel Like Pressure

But in the midst of it all, I started to feel like I was drifting away from my authentic voice because I was getting too focused on making myself into a brand instead of just being a person.

I wanted people who came across my work to feel like I had something valuable to offer.

But eventually it started to feel less like me sharing the things I have learned while rebuilding a softer, more intentional life after burnout and seeing how God has worked in my life and is still working in my life.

Instead, it started to feel more like I was trying to prove to others that there would be something worthwhile for them if I could just package and market my stories and my content more effectively.

I began to feel out of touch with how I was writing because I was so focused on making sure it would be useful to someone else instead of just sharing it like I would if I were texting a friend.

Why I’m Pivoting

Because on Substack, while you absolutely can build a business here and many people do, and I would love to do that someday, at the end of the day what I really love is connecting with people.

I love reading other people's journeys and learning from them through personal storytelling instead of branded marketing.

That is not to say that I did not learn a lot or that I did not have fun while I was doing it, because I really did.

But anything can slowly drift in a different direction if you are not paying attention.

So I want to reel it back in a little bit and refresh this newsletter.

Honestly, as a creative person, if you are not doing little refreshes every once in a while, you can start to lose your passion.

And since this is a personal newsletter and not really a business that I am running, I am realizing it is not that serious.

I want to take it seriously enough that it could lead to something more serious one day. But at the end of the day, this is a community building outlet.

What I Actually Want This Space to Be

While I do want to encourage others through my writing and my stories, I want to do it from the heart.

I want to share with you the way I would share with a friend, not the way I would share if I were the CEO of a nonprofit telling my story in order to get you to buy my product.

Even though I genuinely stand by what I have written and shared before, and even though I do have a digital product that I have been working on, I do not want to spend all of my time and energy marketing myself.

I want to connect.

And that is honestly the whole reason why I majored in public relations in the first place. At its core, it is about connection, and that really is the essence of who I am on a deeper level.

The New Direction

So with that, I am pivoting the newsletter away from trying to be this digital magazine that I was building and bringing it back to something that feels more like a little snail mail newsletter.

Something simple where I can share and encourage other moms and women.

All the advice I have heard from content creator coaches says that you should not create selfish content or content that focuses too much on yourself.

But at the same time, I lost my own voice when I kept trying to make everything about everyone else.

I just want to be open and share my journey and what God is doing in my life. I do hope it encourages others.

I also have a digital resource that I have been working on that gathers together themes that helped me when I was in the midst of burnout. These are themes I learned from other women, things I learned personally, ideas rooted in biblical principles, and practical and sometimes fun ideas that I have gathered along the way.

Why “Dwell & Delight”

So with that, I am calling this newsletter the Dwell & Delight newsletter.

And honestly, it might change again later. But right now it feels like the best way to describe the season I am in.

It captures my personal journey of learning to slow down and dwell with God in the mundane and savor the moments that I am in while I am in them.

It also means sitting with my feelings and actually feeling them instead of trying to rush past them. A few years ago my therapist told me that I do not really feel my feelings. I tend to intellectualize them instead.

So the content probably will not change all that much, but the delivery will. And I am hoping that this shift creates more connection between me and you, sweet friend.

Learning to Dwell & Delight

I am learning to dwell and delight in motherhood and in my faith instead of constantly rushing past things.

Sometimes it is hard to dwell when you are feeling burnt out. It takes intentional effort.

And sometimes it is hard to delight when life feels heavy or when you are walking through difficult seasons.

But that is my goal. That is the journey I am on as I try to live more intentionally, and I cannot wait to share more of it with you.

A Small Creative Refresh

I am also thinking about changing the color scheme a little bit and incorporating more yellow.

Yellow is not even my favorite color, but lately I have felt drawn to it now that it is spring. It just feels joyful and bright, and I want to bring a little more joy and lightness into this space and not take things quite so seriously all the time.

Delight as a Discipline

Because God delights in us. And we can delight in His law and His word.

Those things can sometimes feel challenging, and sometimes I think I have made the Christian walk feel so serious that it begins to feel like something I have to do instead of something I get to delight in.

Sometimes I even feel like God does not delight in me.

But I want to remind myself, and anyone reading this, that delight is actually a discipline.

And the discipline of delight brings us more in line with God’s design for our lives. When we engage in intentional rhythms, when we do the hard things now so we can enjoy the fruit later, and when we obey God’s commands, there is actually so much freedom in that.

We just do not always remember it.

So I hope you enjoy this little pivot for the newsletter and that we can learn to dwell and delight in the Lord and in life together, sweet friend.

Much love,

Sarah

Ok, please tell me I’m not alone is feeling like January felt like 10 years but Febrary felt like 10 seconds because what the heck do you mean it’s March??

Well, anyway, here is the analog update for February, but in March lol! I feel like “going analog” in February didn't really turn out the way I planned. But does anything in life ever go according to plan?

I had originally hoped to have a set schedule with my analog experiment updates coming out at the end of each month, but I actually think it works out better to have the first article of the month be my analog experiment update for the prior month. I hope you feel the same!

February was a blur. It was full of so many sweet memories, but I am honestly a little glad it is over.

When the year first started, we did not expect to have everything going on that we did. We had signed my daughter up for basketball practice with a classmate and ended up finding out that other people we knew, and their families, were doing the same league. It was so sweet and fun because she really enjoyed her Thursday night practices.

I was very nervous about having an extracurricular during the week. I had said I was not going to do an extracurricular during the week, and I did that for the first semester of her being in kindergarten. But she was adjusting well, and as much as I am a homebody, my children and my husband like to be out and doing things and being around people.

So it actually ended up being a really sweet bonding moment for all of our family to be able to go to her practices. It was at a wonderful church with amazing facilities and playgrounds for kids, and we got to see some friends more regularly during the eight-week period than we had before.

Then getting to get up and go to her games and have family come to her games on Saturday mornings for the eight-week season was so sweet.

On top of that, we had my husband’s birthday in the first week, my youngest's, who turned two, and I was also checking out a few moms’ groups and Bible studies. My husband’s work schedule unexpectedly became much busier than usual around this time of year, and he has been on and off sick. So we have had a lot of sickness and teething, and I have been managing a lot more at home because my husband has been focusing on work and just recovering.

Needless to say, we have had so many wonderful things going on, but overall, life in February gave me multiple more little balls to juggle. It didn’t seem like too much but you can only juggle so much before things start to drop like deadlines, assignments, and maybe even sanity.

What’s the phrase? “Not my circus, not my monkeys"? Well, it definitely WAS my circus and it felt like my monkeys kept throwing stuff at me while trying to juggle.

Let’s just say, I don’t think I would make a good clown.

Taking a Step Back

I stepped back from content strategy, personal branding, and growth on other platforms around the holidays so I could focus on writing from the heart and building my community here on Substack. I have also been trying to find ways to organize my Substack in a way that is sustainable and life-giving to me while being valuable to you and glorifying to God. I am so grateful I took that step back because it not only gave me space to focus on my family and not feel overwhelmed when things get progressively busier after the holidays, but also led to a deeper introspection of my heart.

This analog experiment has been a very humbling thing. I am honestly surprised that I have even kind of kept up with it this long, but it has been a wonderful way to focus, prioritize, and actually do some hard work.

Because the month of February, I was not really the best about being off my phone. Like…at all.

What the Analog Experiment Is

If you are new to the series, or if this is the first post you are reading, and you are wondering what the heck an “analog experiment” is, don’t worry, I got you.

Around Christmas 2025, I was inspired by the analog trend that started appearing on my social media around that time.

Initially, I thought it was silly. I thought it was going to be another trend of people using slow living and the idea of being offline to their advantage, while essentially posting a bunch online about living offline.

But I really took it to heart because it revealed my own insecurity about how much time I was spending on my phone and online, even though it was for financial and creative hobby purposes.

So I turned my insecurity into inspiration with two goals in mind.

The first goal was to make my phone a tool again, rather than a tyrant that consumed my whole life.

The second goal was to find more ways to enjoy life offline. More offline hobbies, and not just writing online or creating content online and connecting with people online, even though those are good things.

Essentially, I wanted to build a life I loved offline.

What February Revealed

In January, I did a bunch of small changes. Some of them stuck, and some of them were not sustainable shifts.

February ended up being more of an eye-opening journey into how I handle stress that I did not plan for and how I handle overwhelm.

Because there were so many wonderful events and things going on in February, and because I was handling more at home with the kids while my husband focused on work, I noticed something about myself.

When I felt out of control in my day-to-day life, I tried to double down on the things I could control like the cleanliness of my home (hello rage cleaning!). But I also noticed that the temptation to retreat into my phone instead of pressing into God and my family was at an ALL-TIME high. Like" “plate-of-brownies-and-no one-around-while-you’re-on a-diet” high.

Even though it was not doom scrolling, I was retreating into writing, social media, content creation, and building a platform. It turned into this frantic energy that was burning me out, even though I was already the equivalent of a snuffed-out pile of ash. Not a great look.

It is not something I would have noticed before, because this time last year I was putting about the same amount of time and energy into building my personal brand and figuring out content strategy.

Since I was not doomscrolling or wasting time, I thought it was fine. I thought I was fine (disclaimer: I was in fact not fine lol).

But I noticed that I would get overwhelmed by my real life and just want to retreat into my online writing life. I would even get annoyed if someone interrupted that time.

It was not a life-giving hobby so much as my pacifier. I was handing myself the adult version of Cocomelon on an iPad and wondering why I wasn’t feeling any more regulated.

A Heart Issue

I have played around with different limitations for my phone, but overall I realized in the month of February that it was really a heart issue.

And honestly, how fitting is that, because February is the love month. The heart month.

I forced myself to lean into the discomfort of that realization.

At first, I felt really bad and like I was a horrible mom because I was retreating into my phone and my online life. Even though it was not doomscrolling, I tried to justify it.

But I realized I was making that my comfort.

That was the place I was running to instead of retreating into where true comfort comes from, which is God, or even retreating into being more present with my family.

It was a humbling realization, but it was also a beautiful one.

So I just let myself sit in that discomfort, gave myself grace, and started thinking through how I could make a plan for handling times of unexpected or long-term stress.

I am honestly very grateful for this experiment because I would not have been open to noticing it before. I really feel like God has been very gracious through this process and using a social media trend to lead to gentle conviction.

Analog Moments from February

So this month’s update is not really about all the ways I stayed off my phone. Instead, it was more about realizing what I actually turn to when things get stressful or feel out of control.

But I did have some really fun analog moments.

One of them was taking a class called Moms with Poms, which was basically an adult cheer style pom pom workout class. We learned routines and performed them for friends and family at the end.

As someone who played volleyball and basketball growing up but was always interested in cheerleading and dance and gymnastics, it was really fun to finally try something like that!

I also did more watercolor painting, started knitting again, and have been dreaming up lots of spring activities with my kids.

Because the weather has been so nice here in Texas, we have been eating outside more and playing outside more. I have been planning things like making a fairy garden, chaos gardening, growing butterflies, and just enjoying the spring weather together.

February felt like a month of dreaming and planning more than executing and I truly believe this experiment has made it so much easier and fun to dream of intentional activities for my offline life.

A Gentle Encouragement

If any of this resonates with you, let this be your sign to try your own analog experiment!

It does not have to look like mine or the what you see online. Heck, it doesn’t even have to look the same month to month!

Making it an experiment gives so much more freedom. It lets you find sustainable ways to use your phone as a tool while also building a life you love offline.

I would love to hear what that looks like for you.

Thank you for being part of this. ✨

Much love,

Sarah

*If you’ve been encouraged by this and want to support my writing, I have set up a “buy me a coffee” link to make a one-time donation. This honors the time and resources that go into me creating gentle, faith-filled content. While it is greatly appreciated, it is not expected. I am deeply thankful to simply have your presence here!

Motherhood has a way of humbling us.

One week, we are full of plans and purpose.

The next week, someone is sick, the house is in shambles, and we are simply trying to make it through.

For the past few months, I have been writing about how God has put the pieces of my life back together after burnout by teaching me to slow down, heal, and establish rhythms for my family and home that were rooted in biblical principles. As it turns out, God’s design for things is better than my own design for my life. Who knew? Lol.

Healing was slow and definitely not linear, but over time, something beautiful began to grow from the seeds God planted in the soil of survival mode.

A New Creation

Motherhood changed me at the most fundamental level. Cracks began to appear in my life leading up to getting married in 2018, but my unexpected and traumatic ectopic pregnancy in 2019 shattered me. Prior to that pregnancy, I started to question whether I really did want to become a mom. While I am still grieving and processing that pain from 6 years ago, I can see how that part of my life altered me.

The things I used to care about, I no longer do.
And now I care deeply about things I never did before.

Prior to motherhood, I didn’t have much ambition or passion. I liked working out and writing, but I struggled so much with my desire to be seen and loved, and it led to alcohol abuse, toxic relationships, disordered eating, and chasing after whatever I could to fill the emptiness inside. I didn’t know who I was because I was so busy trying to become whatever version I thought would make me accepted or, at the very least, tolerated. The sanctification process of marriage and motherhood has helped me stand on the truth of who God says I am, not who I think I am, or the world says I should be.

I do not need to find fulfillment outside of being “Mom.”
And I do not find my sole identity in being “Mom.”

Because first and foremost, I am a daughter of God.

And I believe God continues writing new chapters within us, even as the chapters of wife and mother unfold.

Our God is the master storyteller, after all, and I have been enjoying discovering new and different parts of me through the character development He has written into my story (well, mostly!).

Introducing The Magical Motherhood Series

In honor of my post-burnout character arc, I want to start a new series called Magical Motherhood as a companion to Rooted Rhythms.

Rooted Rhythms is about the development of stability and spiritual depth that occurred within and directly following burnout. Magical Motherhood is about building on that foundation of wisdom and finding beauty and wonder in God, life, and motherhood. One is the cake, one is the icing. Neither part can be enjoyed as well without the other.

In this series, I will talk about my current journey toward romanticizing life in the real world. Not in an aesthetic, unattainable way, but in a way that breathes beauty into dishes, school pickup, sick days, and ordinary afternoons.

Sometimes this will look like little side quests of exploring fun hobbies or themed days with my kids. Other days it may look like simply treating myself to something for the joy of it and sharing my ideas and the inspiration I have gotten from others.

These are not personality overhauls but soft, sustainable acts of stewardship that I want to help me bring beauty into motherhood instead of waiting for life to feel perfect before enjoying it.

God designed us to have an abundant life through walking in a constant closeness with Him and I want to enjoy what He has made, the gifts He has given me, the dreams He put in me, and most of all, the love He pours out on me.

A Gentle Invitation

If you have been craving more joy in your ordinary days, this series is for you.

You do not need elaborate plans or massive rebrand.

You need small, faithful choices that remind you life is still beautiful here.

What is one small way you could romanticize your life this week?

Love always,
Sarah

If you’ve been encouraged by this post and want to support my writing, you can “buy me a coffee” to help me keep creating gentle, faith-filled content.

Trigger Warning: Pregnancy Loss

This is a letter I wrote after a surprise pregnancy while on an IUD led to a traumatic ectopic pregnancy in 2019. If you have experienced pregnancy loss no matter how recent or far back, you are not alone

___________________________________

To the baby I didn’t get to have:

You were a complete surprise.

You were not planned but you were far from being unwanted or unloved.

You were a miracle.

Just as quickly as we found out about you, we found out we weren’t going to be able to have you.

My sweet angel baby, we didn’t want to let you go.

The Lord knit you in my womb but decided to finish His masterpiece in heaven.

You may not have been alive by our world’s standards but you were a life to me.

Thank you, my angel baby, because you changed me.

You made me a mama, even for the shortest time.

You taught me how to be selfless in a way I didn’t know I could.

For the first few days after I found out about you, I thought about all the things I would lose. Then I found out about how I was losing you and a part of me was lost with you that day.

I don’t know why God decided to keep you but I promise He can love you better than I can and heaven is a whole lot better than earth.

We love you angel baby. We will see you someday.

Let’s address the elephant in the room.

It’s been almost a month since my first post announcing my experiment to live more offline and make my phone a tool again. I said I’d share updates every two weeks, and here we are almost four weeks later 😅.

But honestly, I think that’s kind of the point. And probably a sign that the experiment is working.

So, what even is the Analog Experiment?

It’s not a detox. It’s not me going off the grid. It’s not a set of rules I’m trying to follow perfectly.

It’s really just me noticing that after burnout, my phone slowly became the place I went for everything. Work. Creativity. Connection. Regulation. Distraction. Rest. All of it lived in one place and that started to feel really heavy.

Instead of doing a dramatic digital detox, I wanted to try something slower and more sustainable for my life. Then I became inspired by the analog living trend online.

The Analog Experiment is me trying to make my phone a tool again instead of the default center of my life. And at the same time, slowly reintroducing offline rhythms that support creativity, connection, and presence.

It’s me experimenting in real time and each month, I’m sharing what I tried, what worked, what didn’t, and what I’m learning as I go.

What I Did This Month to Make My Phone a Tool Again

This month, I wasn’t trying to use my phone less just for the sake of it. I was trying to be more intentional about how and why I was using it.

So I put some boundaries in place.

I used a Brick device to add friction around social media. I deactivated and deleted apps. I set clearer rules for myself around when I check my phone, especially in the mornings and during family time.

Ultimately , I wanted to interrupt the muscle memory of reaching for my phone when I was bored, overwhelmed, or overstimulated.

I also realized that if I didn’t give myself alternatives, I would just default right back to my phone. So I started creating what I think of as analog and digital stations around my house. Basically, places where specific tools live so my phone isn’t always the easiest option.

That looked like keeping a journal nearby. Carrying a notebook instead of relying on notes apps. Having a digital camera with me so I wasn’t always using my phone to capture moments. And experimenting with both a physical planner and the planner on my phone.

How I Lived More Offline This Month

This was honestly my favorite part.

The habits around my phone were previously effortless. Adding little checkpoints of friction acted like spreading nails all over the road of smooth sailing, pricking the habit until it overall deflated. When I couldn’t access the things that had become second nature, the phone lost a lot of its appeal.

Once I stopped automatically reaching for my phone, I had all this weird in between space. And I needed something to do with it.

So I leaned into offline dopamine and hobbies in a way that felt gentle and fun, not productive!

My dad and I started writing letters to each other. He lives about seven hours away, and there was something really grounding and sweet about slowing down enough to write by hand. My daughter and I watercolored stationery together, then wrote letters to my dad and mailed them off. A few weeks later, we got our first letters back, and it felt genuinely special in a way texts just don’t.

My dad also gave me an embroidery kit, so I started learning how to embroider. While it was a good hour for me to get started, it was such a cool experience to learn something new and not give up just because I wasn’t immediately good at it. It was a different kind of dopamine hit from trying something new and initially challenging!

I also made a really intentional shift to use my laptop more for writing instead of trying to write everything on my phone. Having a designated space and tool for writing has helped my thoughts feel less scattered.

None of these things replaced my phone perfectly. But they gave my brain somewhere else to land.

What Worked and What Didn’t

Not everything worked. And that’s actually been really helpful to notice.

Some things worked better than I expected. Having a digital camera has been genuinely fun. I love taking pictures of my kids without immediately editing, sharing, or posting them. It’s something I want to keep leaning into.

Offline hobbies like watercolor and embroidery have also been a big win. They’ve given me simple ways to decompress that don’t involve consuming anything.

Other things did not work the way I hoped, though.

I really wanted a physical planner to be part of my analog life. But the truth is, it stressed me out more than it helped. As someone with ADHD, I actually function better when my calendar, reminders, and grocery lists live on my phone where they sync with my husband’s and support how our household runs.

Having to find a planner, write things down, and then remember to transfer them later just wasn’t sustainable for me. Instead of making life feel slower, it made it feel heavier.

That was a really good reminder that living more analog doesn’t mean rejecting digital tools altogether. It means choosing the right tool for the job and being honest about what actually works for your brain and your family.

Where I’m Headed Next

Next month, I want to keep refining what stays digital and what moves offline. I want to keep letter writing. Keep my hobbies slow and simple. And keep letting go of systems that look good on paper but don’t support my real life.

If you’re feeling pulled toward slower rhythms but overwhelmed by the idea of doing it perfectly, I’ve created a growing digital resource library that brings many tools and ideas together in one place. It’s designed to be a calm, one-stop companion to the ideas I share here—something you can revisit whenever life feels heavy or overwhelming. This resource is optional, offered with pay-what-you-want pricing, and includes lifetime access as new tools and reflections are added over time.

Closing

I am not sure if I am doing “analog living” the right way as defined by social media but I don’t really care to. It’s been a wonderful way to gain inspiration for intentional living and I am ALL for anything that brings me closer to God and the way He calls us to live.

The whole premise behind this publication, The Selah Project, is to find God in the pause. “Selah” was observed as both a musical and literary pause when used in the Bible and I want to live a life slowly and intentionally enough where I can be still and know the presence of God (Ps. 46:10).

Thank you for being here with me in the pause, sweet friend.

Much love,

Sarah

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