September 28
Our Conference Weekend Setup, and the Parts That Never Work
Snack tins, listening sheets and a plan for a two-year-old, plus the things I've quit trying before General Conference this Saturday.
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 →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 27
A Refuge From the Storm Doesn't Mean the Storm Stops
This week's Come, Follow Me verse gets read to scared kids as a promise it never makes. What I told Lily after a Saturday night thunderstorm.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 26
Lily Put the Neighbor's Beagle on Our Prayer List
Our family prayer list lives under a fridge magnet. How it works with kids, and what my sister's nursing notebook taught me about noticing.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 25
My Friday Pizza Dough Recipe, and the Fridays It's Frozen
A same-day pizza dough with real weights, what I do on the Fridays it's frozen, and why one fixed dinner a week keeps the rest of our schedule steady.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 24
Talking to Kids About a Grandparent Who Is Slowing Down
Kids notice a slowing grandparent before any adult says so. What to tell them, how to shorten the Sunday call, and the small jobs they can do.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 23
I Don't Buy That Whispering a Testimony Is Just Practice
Feeding a child her lines at the pulpit gets you a nice moment and a borrowed sentence. Here's what I do now when mine want to stand up.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 22
A Principal Asked Me at Smith's If I'd Come Back and Sub
I haven't been in a classroom as the teacher in over a decade, and Ben is two. Here's how I'm weighing a question asked over the bagged apples.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 21
The Barcelona Temple Ceremony Was Livestreamed in Catalan
Ground was broken for the Barcelona Spain Temple on Saturday. What Caleb and Lily asked about the photos, and a neighbor I once had from Barcelona.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 20
Emma's Little Sister Asked About the Horse, Not the Baptisms
My oldest came home from Brazil and her younger brother and sister ask her things they'd never ask me. I'm trying to stay out of the way.
By Melissa Whitakerwith love, Melissa
September 19
A Hungry Eight-Year-Old at Noon on Fast Sunday
Three of you asked when to start a child fasting and what to do when she's cross by noon. Here's what I've settled on, and what I haven't.
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.