For a good part of my life, I struggled with the answer to this question. I mean, I knew that the quick and easy answer would always be, "Yes" however, if that was the truth, why did it seem to be such a struggle to discover what my purpose was? Finding the truths behind this question were and still are a big part of why The Adkins Highlight REAL was born. I still can't say I have this concrete answer for what my purpose is, but what I have discovered is that's ok, and I want you to know that too. Every day Corey and I are uncovering more answers on this journey, and this podcast is all about our updates, discoveries, and outlook on how each and everyone has a place and a purpose in this world. So what's the answer to the question, "Do we all have a purpose?" Here's our answer: If you woke up today you have a purpose. And that's a message that we are passionate about getting out to everyone we possibly can. We know life can be ......

I wrote this blog post in 2017 in the midst of a super chaotic season. Fast forward two years, and we're in the middle of yet another first week of school. If the me now could say anything to the me back then (and any other moms that can relate), it would be this: Life is still crazy...It's still messy and full of chaos, but believe it or not, you were right. It doesn't have to be full of unrealistic expectations. I promise you this because I am here now. You'll find happiness in the mess. You'll find peace in the chaos. You'll learn contentedness in the things that you do have, and you'll be so dang proud of how far you've come...even if it's not how you pictured it. You took a picture today, and it still wasn't Pinterest worthy. It didn't have the chalk board or anything else that the other moms so beautifully have, but you know now that none of that matters. What matters is that you were there. You soaked it in. Your child went......

Once upon a time, I had a dream to homeschool my kids. Our lives are anything but traditional and as my son entered into his first year of public school, our family felt super enslaved to the traditional school schedule. I dreamed about all of the amazing things we could learn together, and I craved the freedom that came along with all of it. I thought about all of the fun trips we'd take, and the memories we'd make, and I just knew that this journey would be amazing. And I lasted less than three weeks. It was a colossal fail.  I beat myself up for months about it. Today though, I'm going to explain why being a homeschool dropout made me a better mom. I grew up in a HUGE family. Between my siblings and my cousins, some of us were in public school all through high school, some of us did private and then public, some of us switched between homeschooling and traditional schooling, etc. Pretty much any combination that you can think of has been done. Since I w......

Alright, so I promised that I'd post updates of our cross-country move back to Ohio, so here is the first official post! I figured this would be the best way to post so that I can share the details, and post photos without blowing everyone up on social media. The kids and I pulled out of Lake Elsinore at about 9am yesterday, and we arrived safely in Dallas at about 6:45pm today. Overall, the trip went really smoothly...well except for the speeding ticket...oops. Anyways, the kids were amazing travelers. I'll be completely transparent and say that electronics were a lifesaver. While I try my hardest to keep my kids off of screens as much as possible, I figured a twenty hour car ride alone with them was not the time to implement this rule. That being said, I'm very happy that I chose my battles on this, because they were entertained and I was able to safely focus on the road. Our first pit stop was just on the border of California. The kids were able to run around f......

As you probably know, Corey and I are moving our family from California, back to our home state of Ohio. I will continue to elaborate on the move and all of the details as they come.  For the background story, feel free to read my post titled " When Life Doesn't Go My Way, " but for now, I'd like to talk about our decision making process when determining whether to rent or buy. Previously when we lived in Ohio, we owned our home. It was nice knowing that our mortgage was going toward something rather than "being thrown away" each month on a rental. We got a decent deal on our home because we bought it as a foreclosure. This really worked out for us when we decided to unexpectedly move cross-country eight months after we bought our house. Thankfully, we were able to sell it for a decent amount more than we bought it for and we came out on top. When we moved to California, we quickly realized the market is a lot different than Ohio. Homes are way mor......

Well, I'm writing this post with a lot of mixed emotions. Just a few days ago, this wall was filled with family photos, and now, the last sign that remains is the one above that states, "You are my Home." I bought it right after we moved to California as a reminder that my husband and my kids are what make our house a home. That being said, we are moving...again... I'm excited, confused, sad, and frustrated all at the same time, but I've been through enough seasons to know that at the end of the day, it's not about what I want...it's about what God wants. Let me back up... Corey and I have been married for almost seven years. About six months before we got married, I found out I was pregnant (more on that in Come To the Table ). When we got married, we lived with my parents for about one and a half years until we graduated college, and then one year after. Then I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, Liberty Rose, just before we ......

I took my kids for a two-hour walk today. We laughed, and played, and danced, and I was fully present. To you, that may not seem like a big deal, but for me that's huge. You see I have spent the first six years of motherhood barely surviving, and I honestly just believed that's the way this season went... On a typical week, my internal dialogue would sound a lot like this: "The house is a mess. I'll clean today, and play with my kids tomorrow." Then tomorrow would come, and the laundry would need to be done. "I'll get it all done today, and then tomorrow I'll take them to the park." The next day they might ask me just long enough to play a game with them that I cave. So, we'd settle for a quick card game, but the entire time I'd be thinking about how the kitchen was a disaster. You get the point. I'd constantly be trying to finish my to-do list so that I could finally be caught up and fully present with them, e......

"That's just life," they say as they try to validate your stress about being stretched too thin. "Welcome to being an adult," they say as you try to explain the burden you feel about being unable to pay the bills. "Welcome to parenthood," they say as your children backtalk and tell you they like being at their friend's house better than their own. These phrases are most commonly said while being tied to some type of negative connotation. Are we really just going to accept this? I'm sorry, I just can't. This isn't what we were designed for.... I thought life was designed to be enjoyed, adulthood a phase of life to embrace, and parenthood a title to take pride in and cherish. Am I wrong? --- Corey and I have been married for almost seven years, and in that short amount of time, we have seen many different seasons of life. I say that we like to keep people on their toes, and I think most people that know us would ......