What is Hearts at Home?

I get asked all of the time, "what do you do for a living?" And while my first and foremost job is a stay-at-home mom to Caleb, I am also lucky enough to work for a wonderful organization called Hearts at Home. Now unless you live in the area, you might not have heard of Hearts at Home, so I'm taking this opportunity to not only let everyone know what I do there, but also to encourage you to check us out on the website and to get to know what Hearts is all about.

My Story:

At the end of last year Gabe and I were preparing to bring home our little bundle of joy. And as many of you know, that can bring a lot of anxiety around finances, insurance and all those other adult decisions of life. Both of us really wanted for me to stay home, but we weren't sure that it would be possible to cut it on one income. So we prayed. And wouldn't you know, the Lord provided. My friend Kathy came to me one day and told me that Hearts at Home was looking for a Director of Creative Services to be in charge of proofing and some graphic design for their organization. This was truly a clear answer to the many, many prayers that we sent up. While it wasn't going to be much, it was enough for us to confidently decide that I would stay home. And can I just say how awesome God is -not only did he provide a job, but he also provided a job where I am actually using my degree - the best of both worlds! So I have now been working for Hearts for 9 months, where I do 90% of my job sitting at my desk at home and when the other 10% calls me into the office, Caleb comes with me to light up those ladies' day. Thank you, Lord for providing such an awesome opportunity to provide for my family (on two levels), to love the work that I'm doing and to have met all of the wonderful coworkers that I now call friends.

The Hearts at Home Story:
Fifteen years ago Hearts at Home hosted their first conference in Normal, Illinois. They expected 400 women; eleven hundred showed up. What a testament to the need that mothers have to be encouraged, to learn and to simply enjoy the fellowship of other moms. Our goal is still the same after all of these years - helping moms love their lives. Being a mom is rewarding, but it is also challenging, and Hearts at Home is here to encourage you in your walk as a mom. I would like to personally encourage you to check out one of our upcoming conferences. A Hearts at Home conference is like going to “mommy school.” You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll be inspired to be the best mom you can be. Additionally, Hearts at Home offers books, an online mothering community, a bi-monthly magazine, and a free E-Newsletter. I strongly urge you to grab some girlfriends for a weekend of fun. Here is a list of where we'll be in the months to come:

October 3-4, 2008 Grand Rapids, Michigan
November 7-8, 2008 Rochester, Minnesota
March 13-14, 2009 Bloomington, Illinois

If I haven't done a good job at pumping you up about Hearts at Home, check out our website to find out all that Hearts at Home has to offer you! http://www.hearts-at-home.org/ If you've had the opportunity to go to one of our conferences or events, let me know what you loved about going (or maybe didn't love). I'd love to hear your Hearts at Home story!