Jolynn VanWienen

Pressing on with my faith, family, and a little chai tea

Jolynn VanWienen
  • Adoption
  • Faith & Family
  • Food
  • Grief
  • About Me
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  • GET INSPIRED!
  • Adoption
  • Faith & Family
  • Food
  • Grief
  • About Me
  • Disclaimer
  • GET INSPIRED!

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  • Faith & Family,  Main,  Uncategorized

    12 Bible verses for tweens to memorize

    May 20, 2019 / No Comments

    Had this idea to do with the kids over the summer I cannot believe that there are only a few weeks left of school this year!  I see some schools are already out, but here in Michigan, we’ve had so many snow days that some schools are having to stay in longer to make up those days!  Thankfully, our kid’s school waved the extra snow days and they will be done at the scheduled date (one of the benefits of being in a private parochial school! :)) With summer looming ahead, it makes me start planning on activities to do with our two youngest kids.  We only have one family…

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    jolynnkvw

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    Random Acts of Holiday Kindness can make a difference!

    November 20, 2018

    Touched by Adoption – Seth’s Story

    April 9, 2019

    Fall is finally here – and so are the many fall traditions!

    October 22, 2018
  • Faith & Family,  Main,  Uncategorized

    My Top 5 Favorite Things of the Month

    April 23, 2019 / No Comments

    April Edition I always love doing these posts each month!  I like sharing with you some of my favorite things I use or enjoy regularly around our home.  What are some of your favorite things you use around the house?  Would love to hear some of your favorites!  Comment below and share with me! 🙂  If you’d like to see what my favorites were some other months you can see them HERE, or  HERE, Onto this month’s list…. #1:  Grove Collective Soap Collection I just purchased and started using this about a month ago.  To be completely honest, I got it because I liked the LOOK of it!  The clean…

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    jolynnkvw

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    The MOST AMAZING chocolate chip cookie you have ever tasted!!!

    January 30, 2019

    5 Tips to enjoy Christmas – which is 3 months from today by the way!!

    September 25, 2018

    8 tips to help those who are thinking about adopting

    March 11, 2019
  • Faith & Family,  Grief,  Uncategorized

    The Power of the Cross

    April 15, 2019 / No Comments

    It’s Easter Week I don’t know about any of you….but Easter truly is my favorite holiday of the year!  For so many different reasons it means that spring is here or close (depending on when Easter falls) it means that the long winter is over and new life is coming I used to LOVE getting the older kids their new Easter outfits for church but most importantly, I love what Easter stands for – Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!  His overcoming death and Satan!  I’ll explain later why this is so important to me   Wow….looking back at those pictures brings back so many memories!  Such a busy time of…

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    How to surprise your husband for your anniversary

    August 21, 2018

    Protecting our children’s eyes when they’re online

    October 16, 2018

    What is the difference between a house and a home?

    September 10, 2018
  • Uncategorized

    Touched by Adoption – Seth’s Story

    April 9, 2019 / No Comments

    Several weeks ago, I shared with you the story of Grace’s adoption.  I received so much positive feedback from that post and I wanted to thank you for that!  Sharing your story can be super fun, super hard, and/or super vulnerable….more than likely all three!  As I’ve said before, Greg and I have 8 children – 5 adopted and 3 biological.  EACH ONE of their stories has God’s fingerprints all over them!  Whether adopted or not – each of our kids was hand chosen by God to be in our family.  This is such a reassurance to us – especially during the difficult seasons of life with children that we…

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    jolynnkvw

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    Protecting our children’s eyes when they’re online

    October 16, 2018
    mercies are new every morning

    If you love big….expect to grieve big.

    November 6, 2018

    12 Bible verses for tweens to memorize

    May 20, 2019
  • Faith & Family,  Uncategorized

    Spring is here!!

    March 25, 2019 / No Comments

    or so the calendar says So my family and I just returned from an early spring break to visit our son, daughter-in-love, and grandbaby! They live in New Mexico….we, on the other hand, live in Michigan. Temperatures were quite different! It is decidedly colder here today – but sunny and I will take the sun!! We went earlier than the scheduled spring break our little ones have because Greg has to work this spring break and we wanted our older daughters to be able to join us so we went during their spring break. What a great time having most of our family together! Grace couldn’t come until the day…

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    jolynnkvw

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    Fall is finally here – and so are the many fall traditions!

    October 22, 2018

    Welcome to my little space. Hope you stay awhile!

    August 7, 2018

    The Power of the Cross

    April 15, 2019
  • Adoption,  Faith & Family,  Grief,  Main

    8 tips to help those who are thinking about adopting

    March 11, 2019 / No Comments

    Advice on Adoption from a 5 time Adoptive Mom     The complex makeup of our family Our family is a large, complicated, much loved, and diverse one.  We have a total of 8 children – 5 are adopted and 3 are biological.  Each one of these childeren were meant to be in our family.  God has gifted our family with all its highs and lows.  His fingerprints were over each and everyone of their stories.  It has been 22 years since we adopted our first child and 11 since our last.   How we became a family: Caleb is our oldest and born with the help of months of infertility treatments. …

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    jolynnkvw

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    Spring is here!!

    March 25, 2019

    My Top 5 Favorite Things of the Month

    April 23, 2019

    My favorite things – January edition

    January 7, 2019
  • Faith & Family,  Food,  Main,  Uncategorized

    Favorite things – March edition

    March 4, 2019 / No Comments

    Time for another month of my favorite things! Wow I know that February is the shortest month of the year – but WHERE’D IT GO!?!?!!?  It’s the first Monday of the month and it’s time to share my top 5 favorite things! It is still brutally cold here in Michigan so one of my top items is still being used frequently! 🙂   Let’s get started! #1:  Ikea Fintorp storage caddy I’ve seen this storage caddy used in SO many ways!  I personally use it in 2 different places in our home – one in our office and another at our coffee bar.  You could use it in a craft…

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    jolynnkvw

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    The Power of the Cross

    April 15, 2019

    Favorite things – february edition

    February 5, 2019

    Fall is finally here – and so are the many fall traditions!

    October 22, 2018
  • Food,  Main

    5 step guide to Meal planning

    February 19, 2019 / No Comments

    Meal planning – or wing it method? Which one are you? How many of you get busy with your day only to come to what I call the “witching hour” and try to figure out what you’re going to make for supper?!? First of all….how many people call it supper anymore? 🙂 I think the average person refers to their evening meal as dinner now, but I was raised with Breakfast – Dinner – Supper.  It’s funny because I’ve changed my noontime meal to lunch, it’s just the evening meal has always been supper. Is that a Dutch thing? Ok SQUIRREL!! (I always seem to do that – go one…

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    jolynnkvw

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    Spring is here!!

    March 25, 2019

    Favorite things – March edition

    March 4, 2019

    Touched by Adoption – Seth’s Story

    April 9, 2019
  • Faith & Family,  Grief,  Main

    How do you talk to your child about death?

    February 11, 2019 / No Comments

    Do you have to tell your child someone in their life has died and don’t know how to do it? Is your child grieving the death of someone and you don’t know how to help them?  Today’s topic is quite a serious one, but one that I think alot of people wonder about – children and grief. We’ll look at several topics related to  children and grief such as: what age a child begins to understand death how do you tell a child that someone has died how do you explain death to a child How do you help support a grieving child Should your child attend the funeral A…

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    jolynnkvw

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    Fall is finally here – and so are the many fall traditions!

    October 22, 2018

    5 Tips to enjoy Christmas – which is 3 months from today by the way!!

    September 25, 2018

    Motivational Music Mondays

    August 27, 2018
  • Faith & Family,  Main

    Favorite things – february edition

    February 5, 2019 / 2 Comments

    It’s that time again!  Time to share my favorite things! I love reading people’s favorite things lists.  My hope by doing my favorite things list  you will get to know me better and maybe I can share about something you’ve never heard of or tried before.  So let’s dive right in! Favorite Thing #1:  Gracefully Wrapped Jewelry I found THE CUTEST Etsy shop recently.  The jewelry maker’s name is Marianne and she is the sweetest woman with 3 beautiful children and one on the way.  She is a Godly soul and her entire shop and jewlery are based on the fact that we are all wrapped in the grace of…

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    jolynnkvw

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    Fall is finally here – and so are the many fall traditions!

    October 22, 2018

    Spring is here!!

    March 25, 2019

    Motivational Music Mondays

    August 27, 2018
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About Me…

Hi! I’m Jolynn.  I love big… I cry big… I laugh big…

I’m married to my very best friend and love dating him even after 27 years of being married.

We have 8 children.  We have adopted 5 times from 3 different countries.  Yikes!  One child is in Heaven.  The older are grown and we have 2 littles left at home with us.  We call it our “empty nest – phase 1”. 🙂

Looking forward to getting to know each other a little better through my blog.

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Recent Posts

  • 12 Bible verses for tweens to memorize
  • My Top 5 Favorite Things of the Month
  • The Power of the Cross
  • Touched by Adoption – Seth’s Story
  • Spring is here!!

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