Just Vicky G

I heard my daughter say she wasn’t going to homeschool her kids. Mind you, she was homeschooled from second grade through graduation. What surprised me most wasn’t what she said, but my reaction to hearing it. I wasn’t mad. I wasn’t sad. I wasn’t even disappointed. I was happy that she has made a decision for herself. Not just doing something because it’s what I did with her. And I keep thinking about that. Having adult children who make their own decisions is hard at first.

I took off my Apple Watch in January. I loved wearing it and had been for at least two years, maybe more. One night, as I sat on my bed taking it off before bed, I noticed myself doing something I had never paid attention to before. It stopped me in my tracks. I took the watch off that night—and I haven't worn it once since. I love information. I love learning. Information makes me feel like I can make wise, informed decisions instead of guessing. But lately I've been learnin

The other day I saw a post on Instagram asking for advice as a first-time homeschooler. I got really excited seeing the question, and before I even thought about it, I started typing out a list of things I wish I had known before starting homeschooling almost 10 years ago. The advice seemed to resonate with so many people, with others adding their own thoughts and encouragement, and it made me realize this probably needed a more permanent place than the comment section of an

I’ve heard something said a few times now that I can’t get out of my head: You can live life like a stopwatch, or you can live it like a timer. One is rushed, always counting, always aware of how much time is passing. The other allows space—time set aside, time to be present, time to just be. And I can’t stop thinking about it because, for most of my adult life, I’ve lived like a stopwatch. And I can’t help but wonder what I might have missed because of it. I became a mom at

I was out on a walk the other day, and my legs were burning from the pace.I remember looking down at my feet and hearing it clearly: You set the pace. (Thanks, God—I know that’s You, and I’m listening 🙂) So, I slowed down. My legs stopped burning so badly, and almost immediately my thoughts shifted to something deeper. All the times in my life when I’ve let other people set the pace for me.The times I saw someone doing something faster or better and decided I needed to match

“Coffee, God? Really?” I stood in my kitchen, about to make my morning cup, when I heard it clear as day: give up coffee. I’ve worked really hard to hear God in my life, so I listened. No arguing, no delaying—I stopped that day, cold turkey. And the biggest lesson I learned from it had nothing to do with coffee. Lent was always about giving something up for 40 days. But this year made me realize—it may not always be about giving something up. Sometimes God might ask me to pic

My husband said the other night at dinner, “This is one of my favorite meals you make.” It wasn’t anything special—just one of those meals passed down from my father. The kind I’ve made so many times I don’t even need to look at the recipe. The kind of meal that is comfort and makes you feel good after the first bite. I have fond memories of my father making this meal for us when we were kids. He was a truck driver, so he was gone sometimes for days at a time. We always liked

I just spent the last two weeks immersed in the winter Olympics, and it was every bit as wonderful as every other time I’ve watched. Since I was a little girl—tuning in for the Olympic gymnasts (I also wanted to be one!)—I’ve loved the games. The stories of the athletes, the amazing performances they put on, and the way they overcome so much, both personally and mentally, are just some of the things I love about watching. And I think, at its core, I love it because it reminds

He loved being at camp! I didn’t want a dog. I knew the house would always be covered in dog hair, and the responsibility of training the dog would fall on me since I worked from home. I also just really wanted to have another baby, but my husband was done; so, a dog it was. I can laugh at this story now, and honestly, it’s one of my favorites to tell, but we knew nothing about having a dog and I was nervous. Jacoby came from an interesting situation. His mom had complication

Years ago, I saw someone share a weeknight meal that her family loved. It looked good, it looked simple to put together, and that immediately caught my attention. I tried it myself, tweaked it a bit, and it quickly became one of those meals I come back to when I need dinner to be easy and dependable. Since we all need more of those kinds of meals, I knew I should share it too. Now, I honestly don’t remember what she called it, so I call it Kielbasa Veggie Bake, and its ingred

I stopped a few years ago really pushing hard right on January 1 st . It started to not feel right putting so much pressure on myself to change so many things right away when the world, at least where I live, is in a resting state. Winter brings rest and reflection, so it seems odd to me to push hard to plan goals and start implementing in a time of rest and reflection. So, I gave up the long list of things to change and gave myself permission to implement something if it fel

To the young mom I used to be: You are not alone. You have a God that loves you and wants to help you, and you have support around you, whether it be actual family, a pregnancy resource center or a trusted mentor. You are loved and please do not believe for one second that you are damaged goods. This situation does not define who you are or what you are capable of becoming. Believe in yourself and know that you have within you what you need to love and care for this baby. I

Overall twins 🙂 As I look back on the road that brought me here—the early days, the lessons learned, the quiet in-between moments, one thing stands out: gratitude. Even though all the hard that’s come my way, God has been there to carry me and guide me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without having to go through exactly what I have. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything. I still remember those early days—rocking a baby in the quiet hours of the night, wondering if I w

The whole family ❤️ I knew I wanted children right away and Kevin was on board. I never wanted there to be such a huge age gap between my children but here I was. It bothered me for a really long time but again, something I know that was God’s timing and not my own. And it has worked out. I would have gotten pregnant on my honeymoon, but we thought we needed to wait a month before I was covered by my husband’s insurance. We were wrong! So, as soon as we got that assurance, we

Our first dance. Kevin was an angel sent by God…. I just didn’t realize it for a little while. He genuinely cared about me, and he loved my daughter like she was his own. I knew how special that was, but I was so scared to let him in, and I was so worried about how my daughter would receive me being with someone that wasn’t her dad. It was a learning curve for all of us, but definitely one worth learning. Kevin and I met in 9 th grade. I was new to our high school and knew m

One of my favorite pictures of us. My twenties looked very different to most of my peers. While many were figuring out college, careers, and relationships, I was raising my daughter — and learning who I was along the way. While my friends worried about exams or weekend plans, I worried about bedtime schedules, grocery budgets, and making rent. Making all the parenting decisions with her dad, who I was no longer with, proved to be challenging as well. The 7 years before I got

My girl ❤️ After walking through the fears of becoming pregnant so young, I think it’s important to show you what my actual days looked like. Daily life as a young mom was all that you envision—work, school, taking care of my baby, rinse and repeat. I was so blessed to live with my mother, who watched her for me three days a week while I worked or attended classes at the local community college. That alone made the transition to motherhood so much more doable. Through this, I

My first Mother's Day. Holding my daughter for the first time was one of the most surreal moments of my life. Not even old enough to have an alcoholic beverage, but I was someone’s mom. I remember smiling for a really long time and having the feeling like I had known her for a really long time, yet we had just met. I was so happy at that moment. I had moved back home 3 months after I left. I was honestly so happy to be back where I knew my surroundings, and I had the support

Another senior picture. Telling your friends and family that you are pregnant is supposed to be a joyous occasion, unless you’re 18 and just graduated high school a month ago. The thought of telling people was terrifying to me, and I waited as long as I possibly could, and most of the reactions went exactly how I thought they would. I called my best friend back home almost immediately after talking to my boyfriend. I knew that conversation was safe. I also knew that she would

One of my senior pictures. I was sitting on the couch in my apartment I shared with my boyfriend then, when the phone rang. I had just gotten back from an appointment to get back onto birth control, but they couldn’t finish the appointment because all my records hadn’t transferred from my previous doctor back home. They did, however, have me take a pregnancy test before finding out they couldn’t complete the visit. When that phone rang, I had no idea it would be about that te