Kristi Bothur
Kristi is a pastor’s wife, mother, writer, and former public school teacher for English for Speakers of Other Languages. She grew up all over the United States as an Air Force brat, but moved to Columbia in the 1990s to attend Columbia International University, and has called the Midlands “home” ever since. Her days are kept full with the antics and activities of her children - homeschooling, church activities, American Heritage Girls, and Trail Life - as well as writing and leading her Columbia-based pregnancy loss ministry, Naomi’s Circle. Kristi is a contributing editor for “Rainbows and Redemption: Encouragement for the Journey of Pregnancy After Loss” (www.rainbowsandredemption.weebly.com) and a co-author of “Sunshine After the Storm: A Survival Guide for the Grieving Mother“ (sunshineafterstorm.us). She shares her thoughts about faith, family, and femininity on her blog, This Side of Heaven (www.thissideofheavenblog.com).
10 Ways to Experience Peace in the Pews With Kids
The first time we brought our children to church, they were each less than a month old. Our daughter was just over a week, and our son was just five days old. I had all...
American Heritage Girls: What it is and why we love it!
It's a Monday night and I am crunched into a too-small wooden chair in a church in downtown Columbia watching a group of girls listening to rules of etiquette: no elbows on the table,...
Breastfeeding :: Overcoming the Struggles and Enjoying the Benefits
When my first child was born, I was determined to handle everything as naturally as possible. No pain medicine, thank you very much (until after she was born, then I was all about that!)....
11 Books to Nurture Your Child’s Love of Poetry at Any Age
I am a lover of words. I always have been, since I was nine and overjoyed that my parents bought me a typewriter for my birthday. This love continued through high school where I...
Surviving a Miscarriage
You wouldn't guess it from looking at me. I drive from place to place in our SUV with two car seats and two children in those seats. Our family of four fits very nicely...
“Choice” Season for Homeschoolers
Early in January, one of our contributors wrote about choice in our public schools. January is the big month for public schools, when parents can visit and peruse and consider which kind of program...
A Day in the Life of … a Homeschooling Mom
Hey, come on in! I'm glad you could stop in today. I would say "excuse the mess," but I've been learning more and more that toys all over the living room is pretty normal for...
15 Things Babyloss Parents Do When They Get Pregnant Again
I stared at the pregnancy test in disbelief. It was a digital one, so there wasn't even a need to figure out if there was a second line or not. Just one word that I...
How (and Why) We Should Nurture a Love of Letter Writing in the Digital...
When I was a child, I remember the excitement of waiting for the mail deliverer... of peeking out our window to see if the red flag was down to show that the outgoing mail...
5 Ways to Celebrate Advent With Your Children
It's December. Lights are up everywhere. You're buying and wrapping gifts like crazy. The Christmas season is well underway, right?
Wrong.
Actually, according to the traditional church calendar, the Christmas season doesn't begin until, well, Christmas!...
9 Things a Mom of a Type 1 Diabetes Child Won’t Tell You …...
Two summers ago, we got word that our 9-year-old nephew Timothy had been rushed to the emergency room, and then admitted to the hospital, with alarming symptoms. He was subsequently diagnosed with Type 1...
Celebrating Thanksgiving When Your Heart is Broken
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. In spite of the Black Friday craziness, in spite of stores being open on Thursday (seriously?!?), it has managed to mostly stay true to itself, our yearly reminder...
5 Ways to Support the Babyloss Mom in Your Life This October
Have you ever looked up how many "awareness" focuses there are in a given month? It can be overwhelming when you are told to be "aware" of so much, and very easy to tune out...
Naomi’s Circle :: The Legacy of a Baby Born to Heaven {Giveaway Included}
I sat in the kitchen at my laptop, determined to find help. While my one-year-old daughter played in our living room, I grimly typed "pregnancy loss support Columbia SC" in my Google search box...