Brianna Barrett | The Grit and Grace Project

How to Get Your Teen to Talk to You

As the year dwindles, I’m holding tightly to the moments in the car on the way to and from school each day. This is the last semester I will be driving him to school, not only will I not get to spend that added time with him, but I’m going to miss the talks we have in the car. When my teen gets in the car, he starts talking—not one-word answers or incomprehensible sounds, but full-on talking until we get home. We’ve worked on our relationship together to be able to communicate better. As a mom, there are times I want to fix all his problems, but I’ve found that most of the time he just wants a sounding board. He wants […]

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10 Screen-Free Activities to Spark Your Kids’ Creativity This Summer

By Brianna Barrett / Life & Culture

Summer is a time when all moms learn patience and understanding along with a new appreciation for teachers who dedicate their lives to educating our children. I’ve survived those summer days with my little ones. Now, with a teenager, things look different in the summer months. Rainy days make the house feel like it’s closing in, and we are trying to be “good” moms and not turn the nearest screen on. When life brings us storms, we need to learn to dance in the rain. Rainy days, or even those days when it is too hot to fathom going outside to play, seem to come abundantly this time of year. Here are a few screen-free activities to keep your young kids occupied—and save

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young man who learned to navigate love and finances playfully holding credit card away from smirking young woman

How to Navigate Love and Money: The Importance of Being Financially Saavy as a Couple

By Brianna Barrett / Relationships

When you get married, you are not only marrying that person, but you are also marrying their family and their credit score. We love our significant others and we need money to survive, but how do we talk about our finances together? Do you know what kind of spending habits you are marrying into? Is the person you’re marrying a saver or a spender? Those questions are all things that need to be considered before the wedding bells ring. Being a financially savvy couple takes open communication and hard conversations to avoid marriage pitfalls. What Money Mindsets Do We Value in Our Relationships? According to the Jimenez Law Firm, “Money is widely known as one of the leading causes of divorce in

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Is Your Teen Phubbing You? 4 Fixes to Try Now

By Brianna Barrett / Motherhood

When I was growing up, the family joke was that my parents would be able to identify me by my palm (because as a teen I would ask for money with my hand open). Now, we can say we can identify our children by the tops of their heads bent over their phones. Have you ever been talking to someone and noticed they are only half paying attention to you and are staring intently at their phones? If you have a teenager, I’m sure you’ve experienced it. The person is focused on their device while ignoring you—a person in close contact with them. Welcome to the season of phubbing. Phubbing is defined as “the act of ignoring someone you are with and

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three happy women in bathing suits taking a selfie on the beach and not worried about body image issues

The Airbrushed Bombshell: Brushing Back Body Image Issues

By Brianna Barrett / Faith

As I look through my Instagram feed, I’m greeted with numerous pictures of beach attire including the dreaded bathing suits. Every year or so, we ladies go on the adventure of finding the perfect swimsuit to accentuate our bodies. Maybe before the big shopping adventure, you go on that New Year’s resolution diet of low carbs and water, or maybe you have been going to the gym six times a week in anticipation of this forthcoming season. Maybe you are like me and getting close to 40 and don’t feel comfortable in your skin, much less with your skin showing for the entire world to see. Body Image Issues: Focused on the Imperfections When I gaze into that mirror, the first thing

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family members of different ages gathered around a table for Thanksgiving and the grandfather carving the turkey, exemplifying the power of intergenerational relationships

The Joy Series: The Overlooked Power of Intergenerational Relationships

By Brianna Barrett / Relationships

As we sit down to dinner and I look around at the faces looking back at me, several things resonate with me. There’s a span of 73 years between the oldest to the youngest at the table. The youngest just turned fifteen and started driving, while the oldest is barely driving anymore as he approaches his 89th birthday. The conversations range from what was on the news that day to stories from years ago. This isn’t a holiday or special celebration—it’s just our normal dinner. Four generations gather around the table to fellowship and break bread. I consider each one’s preferences when planning meals, and my parents share in the responsibilities of meal preparation even though we don’t live under the same

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teenage son hugging mother from behind outside

The Joy Series: Parenting a Teen Is Hard, But I’ve Found Gratitude Among the Grumbles

By Brianna Barrett / Motherhood

Motherhood at any stage is a joyful experience, yet with each stage comes its own challenges. We’ve moved from diapers to building blocks to car keys in the blink of an eye. Parenting a teen is similar to dancing: the music changes often, and we can either change with the music or sit it out. I have found joy in choosing to adapt to the music, and meeting my son right where he is, in that moment. Meeting My Teenage Son Where He’s At Even though life seems to rush at us with so much to do, I love being able to share it with my son. Meeting him where he is has allowed me into his world. He shares his hurts

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mom helping little girl put christmas tree ornaments on their tree

Christmas Tree Ornaments: The Perfect Trip Down Memory Lane

By Brianna Barrett / Life & Culture

The last few years have felt weird to most of us. The holiday traditions that we once looked forward to have changed—some slightly, some dramatically. Gatherings moved outdoors or stopped altogether. In the chaos and crazy of the holidays, I always find a sense of peace during this time, especially in recent years. I have one family tradition that I just couldn’t stop and I plan to pass down through multiple generations: the collection of meaningful Christmas tree ornaments. Many years ago when I was a teenager, I started collecting ornaments, which was a huge improvement over the shot glass collection I had started. (In my defense, those were inexpensive gift store buys.) These ornaments came from places I had visited, people

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two middle aged women wearing sunglasses taking a selfie in the backseat of a vintage car

Is Your Relationship Healthy or Toxic? Use This 2-Acronym Guide

By Brianna Barrett / Relationships

In my three-plus decades of existence, I have had friendships and love interests, and have stepped into many different roles: mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister, and in-law. Some of the relationships in my life have been positive ones that have infused my life with encouragement, while others have been draining and detrimental to my health and wellbeing. Sometimes those same relationships that once brought life no longer do and they peter out, while others try to drag you down. Is Your Relationship Healthy or Toxic? God calls us to fellowship with others, but sometimes we have to love people from afar because we have to create healthy boundaries. We have to protect ourselves from toxic people. Here are five red flags to watch

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5 Ways to Stay Connected When a Family Member Is Traveling

By Brianna Barrett / Relationships

My husband has traveled the entire time we have been married. It was really hard when our son was little, trying to explain when Daddy would be home and trying to keep them connected over the phone was a major struggle. We have learned some helpful tips on how to stay connected when a family member is traveling and how to help little ones better understand when they will be back from their travels. 5 Ways to Stay Connected When a Family Member Is Traveling 1. Defining time with sleeps When our son was young, I defined the days Daddy would be away with sleeps. Daddy will be home in three sleeps. Since telling him Daddy would be home in four days

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4 Ways to Save Your Sanity In a New School Year

By Brianna Barrett / Motherhood

As the summer comes to a screeching halt, so does the school bus coming to pick up your child to start the new school year. The summer months were stress-free with no running from tennis to piano lessons to football practice to the doctor. There was peace in the summer. There is no reason you can’t find that same tranquility in the coming school year. 4 Easy Steps to Save Your Sanity In a New School Year 1. Plan meals ahead. On Saturday I take five to ten minutes to plan out our meals for the coming week. This includes going to the pantry to see what we have and what we need, then writing out a menu and a grocery list.

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5 Verses to Help You Survive the Teenage Years

By Brianna Barrett / Motherhood

This morning, during our 12-mile ride to school, my son shared with me some disturbing behavior that he witnessed at school. I let my son talk freely. One of my favorite times of the day is when we are in the car going to and from school. We have had the best conversations during those times, discussing situations and circumstances that we face. I treasure that time together; it’s a safe place to share and be an active listener. As a parent, it is sometimes hard to just listen. During that time, I strive to allow him to speak and share what he is wrestling with and things that are going on in his life and his friends’ lives. It’s been a

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Finding God In the Waiting Room

By Brianna Barrett / Faith

“Please have a seat in the waiting room, someone will be with you shortly,” replied the receptionist at the check-in desk. My husband and I went to sit down in the waiting room as directed. As we sat on the industrial chairs, I started to look around at my surroundings. I hadn’t eaten in almost a day and hadn’t consumed fluids in over 18 hours. I think I would have just been sick if only I had the energy at this point to even get sick. We may have only waited for almost an hour but it felt like days. Between the TV and the murmur of conversations, the waiting room was quiet but noisy at the same time. My husband worked

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