September 14
Count Your Dinners Before You Sign Anyone Up for Fall
Every fall sign-up sheet is for a good thing. Here's how I count the week's dinners on paper, and what that count tells me to turn down.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
Autumn · October
LDS Family Life
from a small garden south of Salt Lake
Family discipleship, honest motherhood, and the slow work of making a home, written at the kitchen table by Melissa Whitaker.
Lately on the kitchen table
read more →September 14
Count Your Dinners Before You Sign Anyone Up for Fall
September 13
Lily Has Two Lines and Says She Can't
September 12
I Counted My Food Storage and It Was Mostly Wheat
A note from Melissa
Faith that holds in ordinary rooms.
Words that hold on a hard one.
LDS Family Life is a publication about LDS family life, motherhood, marriage, homemaking, and practical gospel living for families who want faith at home to feel lived instead of staged. I write first-person essays on family discipleship, spiritual formation in ordinary routines, and the pressures families are trying to carry with steadiness and grace.
The sink full of mixing bowls. The garden row that finally came up. The child calling for one more glass of water. The prayer I whisper while scraping plates after dinner. Those are the things that hold a family, and they feel worth writing down before they slip past.
with love, Melissa
Essays
September 13
Lily Has Two Lines and Says She Can't
Lily has two lines in the Primary program and says she can't say them. Here is how I plan to help her learn them without making her dread them.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 12
I Counted My Food Storage and It Was Mostly Wheat
I took stock of our basement shelves this week. Here's what I found, what I'm buying instead, and why a bucket of wheat doesn't feed a two-year-old.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 11
I Praised a Sandwich and He Stopped Sharing
Cole gave a classmate half his sandwich in my third-grade class, and I thanked him out loud. He didn't pass food again that spring.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 10
How Many Peaches Does a Family Actually Need to Put Up?
Quantities for peaches, tomatoes and freezer jam in September, who in the family can do what, and what a shelf of labeled bags tells you in February.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 9
"He Shall Direct Thy Paths" Is Not a Map
A sister in Relief Society said the next step lights up if you trust enough. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes say something else, and children can hear it.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 8
My Sister Said Just Put a Mattress on Your Floor
Lily walks into our room at 2 a.m. and Ben calls for me over the monitor. Here's what I've tried, what did nothing, and what I whisper in the dark.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 7
Real Jobs for a Two-Year-Old, an Eight and an Eleven
On Labor Day I handed out real jobs to a two-year-old, an eight-year-old and an eleven-year-old, and took the old laminated chart off the fridge.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 6
I Don't Know Is a Fine Answer for About a Week
Saying "I don't know" to a child's gospel question is the easy half. A Sunday School teacher from my St. George years showed me the other half.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 5
They Groaned at My Dinner Praise Round
I tried a praise round before dinner on Wednesday. The church answer got a groan, and one small true thing did better.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
A few reader questions
FAQ
- What is LDS Family Life?
- LDS Family Life is an independent editorial publication about LDS family life, family discipleship, motherhood, marriage, homemaking, and practical gospel living at home for Latter-day Saint families and other Christian readers who want grounded faith in ordinary life.
- Who writes LDS Family Life?
- Melissa Whitaker is the sole author. Melissa is a 46-year-old former third-grade teacher, home cook, and mother of four writing from a kitchen table south of Salt Lake City.
- Is LDS Family Life an official Church publication?
- No. LDS Family Life is an independent editorial publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- What topics does the site cover?
- Melissa writes about family scripture study, Sabbath rhythms, marriage, parenting, homemaking, hospitality, emotional and spiritual life at home, and the slow work of building a faithful family culture. The voice still carries kitchen-table texture, but the core focus is faith and family life.
- How often does Melissa publish?
- Melissa publishes new essays throughout the week, with the archive updated regularly through both timely and evergreen pieces. Everything is announced on the homepage and in the archive.
- Does LDS Family Life focus on politics or church news?
- Not as a main lane. LDS Family Life focuses first on discipleship, family relationships, home rhythms, and practical gospel living. When public issues appear, they are handled only through the lens of family faithfulness and life at home.
- What does faith at home look like on this site?
- Faith at home means prayer, scripture, meals, service, repentance, and ordinary tenderness practiced inside a real family schedule. The site is built for readers who want discipleship that feels lived instead of staged.
- Who is LDS Family Life written for?
- LDS Family Life is written for busy families, especially mothers, who want honest encouragement, practical family discipleship, and a quieter, sturdier vision of gospel living in everyday rooms.