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About the Author

Hi friends! Welcome to Mama Needs a Manual. I am so glad you stopped by.
    I am Ashley. Wife to Bryan, Mama to Caleb, David and Ethan (yes, we are ABCDE). I am also a daughter of God, saved by His grace alone. I love coffee, crafting, baking, and curling up on the couch with a good book. Most days are spent chasing our kiddos around and being active whenever I get the chance. I am a professional problem-solver by trade.
A former Calculus teacher turned stay-at-home mom, this blog has become my new “classroom” where I share practical trouble-shooting advice, tips and encouragement. May this be a grace-filled space where you know you are not alone in the trenches!
Read the rest of my story here

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discipline, toddler 101

The Ultimate Tantrum Survival Guide- Part 1: T is for Training

“My child throws tantrums all day long. What do I do? How do I make them stop?” I uttered words similar to these in desperation to our pediatrician at our…

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May 21, 2018
encouragement, motherhood, Reflections on Motherhood, truth

Prescription for Contentment

“Prescription for contentment: never allow yourself to complain about anything-even the weather, never picture yourself in any other circumstance or someplace else, never compare your lot with another’s, never allow…

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May 10, 2018
discipline, toddler 101

The Ultimate Tantrum Survival Guide, Part 8: S is for Silliness, Shift Language and Stick to what you say

  Hello there! Welcome to the last day of the Ultimate Tantrum Survival Guide Series. You can check out the other days here (which are all PACKED full of practical…

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May 29, 2018
  • celebrate,  encouragement,  family traditions,  motherhood,  truth

    Summer Activities for Moms of Littles- How to Savor and Survive with 3 Under 5

    May 31, 2019 /

    Sweet Summer Time- Tips for Savoring these fleeting little years and Saving Mama’s Sanity It’s summer time! “What are you going to do with your kids?” I have gotten this question a lot lately, and although at first, I was like, what do you mean? How is the school year any different, they are all 3 mostly with me, but…

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    Ashley
  • encouragement,  truth

    Four Lessons from the Book of Acts

    May 9, 2019 /

    This year we studied the book of Acts in Community Bible Study (find one near you: here). To say the Lord has used these words penned by Luke, inspired by His Spirit to profoundly impact me, yet again wouldn’t do them justice. In preparation for “share day”, I sought to review the year’s lectures and notes. With so much meat,…

    Read More
    Ashley
  • encouragement,  Reflections on Motherhood,  trials,  truth

    Gospel Hope for the Good Mom: Freedom from the Shoulds of Motherhood

    April 26, 2019 /

    My favorite Christmas present was a Baby Shivers doll. I got her when I was 6 years old and I was beyond excited to have a doll that looked so real. From a young age, I was always quite concerned with appearances. My mom amiably let me use some of my little sister’s diapers and baby clothes to dress her.…

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    Ashley
  • celebrate,  Easter,  favorite things

    Favorite things, Monthly Round Up

    April 23, 2019 /

    I’m a huge fan of the Happy Hour Podcast and Jamie Ivey always ends the show with asking her guest what they are loving right now. Since I’ve been off of social media for the last 40 days, I thought I’d share some of my favorite things from the last month or so. Bluebonnet Pictures. This is a tradition in…

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    Ashley
  • celebrate,  family traditions,  holidays

    David’s Three-Rex Birthday Party

    April 18, 2019 /

    David has been talking about having a dinosaur birthday for months! There are so many fun ideas floating around out there on the huge world wide web, so I was super excited to execute some of them for him. **this post contains some affiliate links at no additional cost to you, which simply means a small percentage of items purchased…

    Read More
    Ashley
  • Birthday Party Ideas,  celebrate,  family traditions,  favorite things

    3 year Old’s Wish List- 100 Purposeful Ideas from a Mom of Three

    April 18, 2019 /

    (I would put a 3 year old picture of our littlest man too, but he’s only 15 months old at this time).  We have had three boys in a little over three years, so to say we’ve been gifted many gifts for boys ages 3 and under would be an understatement! We are so thankful for our generous friends and…

    Read More
    Ashley
  • comparison,  Easter,  encouragement

    Why I’m Going on a Social Media Fast

    March 6, 2019 /

    I vividly remember the first time I laid eyes on an iPhone in the summer of 2008. I got my first one a few years later, in 2010, which means for almost a decade I’ve had this handy device almost always with me wherever I go. I am old enough to have experienced my college years pre-smart phone era (PSPE…can…

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    Ashley
  • Birthday Party Ideas,  celebrate

    David’s Wild ONE First Birthday Party

    March 2, 2019 /

    I love birthday parties! When it came time for David’s we brainstormed (and by we I mean me and by brainstorm I mean search Pinterest) looking for the perfect theme. Since he attempted to crawl out of me (true story), dove head first into everything his first year of life (I mean what 7 month old figures out how to…

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    Ashley
  • comparison,  encouragement,  truth

    If Only

    January 18, 2019 /

    It happened again. Over the last few days I’ve been around a lot of other moms with young sweet babies…babies that sleep in public and don’t make a peep, babies that let their moms enjoy some adult conversation and participate in bible studies and help ease the transition from one to two or two to three children. No matter how…

    Read More
    Ashley
  • encouragement,  gratitude,  holidays,  mom lessons,  truth

    What my 4 Year Old Taught Me About Work and New Years Resolutions

    January 3, 2019 /

      We got the boys a play set for Christmas (with the generous support of their grandparents). Unfortunately it was not without hiccups along the way. In an effort to prepare for installation (our backyard is extremely unlevel), my sweet husband and father took almost a full day to frame a small area and level it with dirt. After the…

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    Ashley
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About the Author

Hi friends! Welcome to Mama Needs a Manual. I am so glad you stopped by.
    I am Ashley. Wife to Bryan, Mama to Caleb, David and Ethan (yes, we are ABCDE). I am also a daughter of God, saved by His grace alone. I love coffee, crafting, baking, and curling up on the couch with a good book. Most days are spent chasing our kiddos around and being active whenever I get the chance. I am a professional problem-solver by trade.
A former Calculus teacher turned stay-at-home mom, this blog has become my new “classroom” where I share practical trouble-shooting advice, tips and encouragement. May this be a grace-filled space where you know you are not alone in the trenches!
Read the rest of my story here
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