So here's a tough question. When was the last time you prayed for your wife? No, not that prayer that asks God to change your wife. A prayer FOR your wife?

I think if we were to be honest with ourselves, we might say that we aren't very good at praying for our wives. I don't know if it's a man thing, or just that we're not tuned into the idea of daily praying for our wives, but our prayer is lacking.

Amy and I have been married for 21 years. I have prayed for my wife many times through the years. Some seasons have been more consistent than others. And the reason for my prayers have varied. But unlike the seasons before, there is a new burden for prayer on her life.

This current season of ministry and life has come with a number of significant life-milestones; major changes and transitions for us as a couple and for our family. These milestones are causing us to rely on God in new ways. Being a wife and a mother, is a tough job, but more than just a job, it's a calling. And like any other call, God must be present and involved. On top of her calling, she has also had to return to work, way sooner than we expected. She has spent the last year working 6 part-time jobs so that we are able to make ends meet. This time has put considerable pressure on our marriage and our family, while slowly eating away at what we both believe is her first calling.

Now, maybe more than ever, my wife needs me to be praying for her. So I pray.

I want God to move in big ways in her life. I want her to know His love for her. I want her to be filled with the confidence of knowing that she is fully capable of accomplishing all that He has led her to. And I want her to rest in the assurance of God's amazing grace. I want her to once again be able to fulfill her true calling as a wife and a mother. I want her to know that I support her, treasure her, and will do anything for her. I want my wife to be able to do what she feels called to do, and know the great joy that comes when you know and live out your purpose.

So I pray. And I will continue to pray. And I will ask God to open the doors to opportunities so that she can fulfill her calling, that she will rest in God's perfect plan and that she will know that she is deeply loved.

So when was the last time you prayed FOR your wife?

Why not take a few minutes to pray for her right now. Pray for the things that you know matter to her; the things that she is praying for. By doing so, you take another step forward in deepening and enriching the intimacy of your relationship as husband and wife.

- the higham family

Welcome to this weeks Essentially Wednesday. Every Wednesday, we share about our journey with essential oils. As a Young Living Independent Distributor, we are learning all sorts of new things about essential oils and the benefits of healthier, chemical-free living.

Today we want to introduce you to a new oil for us, Manuka! Manuka is an oil that we are just starting to get to know. Young Living says that "Manuka essential oil supports the appearance of healthy-looking skin, reduces the appearance of blemishes, and can be added to your favorite skin care products."*
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*The proceeding is direct from the Young Living website and used for educational purposes only. We did not write the above description. To learn more about Manuka essential oil, visit the Young Living website at, Manuka Essential Oil  www.youngliving.com.
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Discover for yourself Manuka. Contact us to place an order for Manuka essential Oil. Or become a Young Living member and take advantage of discounted prices and great opportunities as a Young Living Independent Distributor. Email us to place an order, or click on the link to become a member.
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Hello friends and family, we are so glad that you have taken a few minutes to visit with us here on TheHighamFamily.com. We are blessed knowing that you are here, reading the blog and hanging out with us on our YouTube channel, Life in the Higham House. We hope that you are as equally blessed.

We wanted to take a few minutes to share our appreciation for your support as we walk this exciting journey of raising a family and sharing it here online with you. We realize that your time is important to you, and that  you could choose to visit any of the hundreds of blogs and vlogs that talk about family. That's why we want to update you with what we're doing when it comes to both the website and our YouTube channel.
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So what's happening with the Higham's?

Well, right out of the shoot life in the house is changing. This June, our oldest graduated from high school and will begin his college career in the fall. Our number two is now a senior and will graduate in June 2018. Then we'll have a freshman in high school, a 6th grader and a 3rd grader. That's a couple big milestones all happening in a short amount of time. Change this fast brings a lot of opportunities for life -lessons while spicing up the adventure of life.
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Let's talk about the blog first. We got serious about the blog in 2014, when we decided to relaunch our family blog as a ministry to families. Over the years we have tried to share both the personal lessons we're learning and our own families milestones, with posts that were written to help families grow stronger.

We are going to continue sharing our family milestones and helpful family posts. Starting next week, Monday, July 3, we will post the every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. These posts will be focused on what's happening in the Higham house as well as offering great helps for your family. Amy and I will share what God is teaching us and our family, while also posting helpful resources and fun family ideas.

Because we are also on a journey with essential oils, we will share a weekly post on what we are learning about essential oils and how their benefits are helping our family.

We really love vlogging; sharing our lives on video! This summer we are attempting to post a new vlog every day! That means you can look for our daily vlog, Life in the Higham House! Every Monday through Saturday, we will upload a new vlog at 7:00 p.m. Each vlog will run between 10 and 20 minutes.

If you haven't taken the time to visit our YouTube channel, we would like to invite you to take a few minutes and check it out. Our goal is to simply share our lives with our viewers. Sometimes it's crazy as we run around. Sometimes it's just us at home with the kids. But whether we're home or out for an adventure, you'll see the Higham's as they are.
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This year we are introducing two new web shows on our YouTube channel. The first we're calling KidsTalk. The second, ParentsTalk.

KidsTalk came as idea that Jay had one night after a fun day of just talking with the kids. We had so much fun talking and laughing about different things. The idea, let's sit the kids down in front of the camera and ask them to share what they think about different topics. So that's what we're going to do. New episodes of KidsTalk will post every Tuesday starting in just a couple of weeks. We will let you know when the next episode goes live.

ParentsTalk started in 2015, as a Q&A vlog where Amy and Jay talked about different parenting, marriage and family topics, along with answering questions that are submit through the website and our Facebook page. The problem we ran into was our relocation followed by two emotional and painful miscarriages. We decided to wait a while before coming back and recording any more episodes.

But we're looking to come back and begin recording again in just a couple of weeks. We are planning our topics and getting ready. In a couple of days we will post a blog that talks more about ParentsTalk and invite you to share your questions and topic ideas.

New episodes will post every Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. on our Life in the Higham House channel.
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Be sure to follow us on social media. Over the next couple of weeks we will be updating our social media platforms, combining and optimizing our reach to stay connect with you. So be sure to look for us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course YouTube. We will post an update on all social media next week.
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A lot. And we hope that you will continue to join us as we experience this journey! We love sharing our story with you and hope that you are encouraged and strengthened along the way! We love you and are so grateful for you!

​- the higham family

Summer is officially here! And with summer comes the question...

Yeah, it's coming, the question we all dread hearing, "What are we going to do today?" Summer's is awesome. We love the warm weather, lazy days, and the fact we get get to spend time with our families, but summer also comes with its share of challenges. It doesn't take long for kids to "run out" of things to occupy their time.

So to help you keep your children active while creating some great family memories, we've come up with a list of ideas to help you plan out your summer schedule! Here are 25 summer activities for your family!
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Don't be caught without a plan of something to do this summer. Keep your kids moving and create great memories this summer!

What summer activities would add to our list? Leave us a comment with some suggestions. If we get enough ideas, we create a new, readers list !

​- the higham family