About

Meet Ashley and Her Family

Welcome to Tips4Mom!

I’m so glad we can be on this journey together! Motherhood is thrilling, rewarding and sometimes exhausting. My prayer is that this blog will contain information, ideas and resources that will help us THRIVE in motherhood!

I’m not in this just to survive…I want to really soar!

Overcoming Childhood Obstacles

Growing up, I always knew I’d be a stay-at-home mom. I was raised by a divorced, single mom who had to work full-time. Because I always wished she could be home, from a young age, I determined to do things differently when I grew up. While my brother and I came home to an empty house after school, I wanted to be home as a stable presence for my children. My resolve to being a devoted mother grew out of my childhood experiences and out of a love for children.

Even though I had convictions about mothering, I didn’t have the consistent model or training to make it happen. I thank God for bringing role models of motherhood and homemaking into my life to help shape how I care for my children and home today.

Today, I seek out books and other resources to teach and inspire me in my mothering. I learn from my friends’ ideas and solutions for my everyday mothering challenges.

Most importantly, I am awed by how much God wants to share with me in my mothering journey, equipping me with grace and inner healing for this monumental and joyous job!

All this I want to share with you.

Before Motherhood

At the age of six, I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior. My Christian faith is the foundation for how I live and who I am. I was an enterprising child with a business sense. At age 7, I applied for a business license to run a soccer concession stand. At age 12, I started a small business for a craft fair called “Sugar & Spice.” I ran imaginary businesses for fun!

I did radio and television commercials from childhood into my early twenties. I then received my BA in Sociology (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Washington. After earning my 4-year degree, all I wanted for my graduation present was a Kitchen Aid mixer. Although I loved learning, my heart wasn’t so much in the books as it was in the heart of the home-the kitchen!

I also worked managing the private dining rooms of a fine dining restaurant in Seattle. I spent two years directing a Children’s ministry for a Christian church in Wheaton, IL. It was during this time that I met my husband, Eric, and we married in 2001. I was instantly drawn to Eric’s light-hearted personality, his deep laugh, and his adventurous approach to life. He is so gentle yet masculine and so quiet yet profound. I loved the way he valued children, his passion for sharing Christ and how I saw Jesus just oozing out of him! He has taught me so much about the heart of God by the way he lives, makes decisions, and responds to circumstances! I am so thankful God brought us together!

Homemaking Abroad

Sharing a love for France and the French language, we began our married life in Corsica, France as Christian missionaries. We spent almost 4 years living in a little mountain village in the heart of the island. Our first two sons were born there in an outdated hospital.

I basically learned to cook in Corsica. The kind, older women in the village, who took great pride in what they were making for their noontime meal, took me under their wings. Using fresh, local ingredients like vegetables straight from our garden to artisan cheese sold down the road gave me a great love and regard for cooking.

Corsica held a refreshing pace of life with hours spent sharing and eating around the table. It was a place that taught me that the simple tasks of life like preparing a meal and doing laundry were well worth all the time and effort and could be an art in itself. However, in spite of the wonderful homemaking tips I learned, I felt isolated from other moms who shared my heart for Christ-centered, “natural mothering”.

From Corsica, we moved to England where I found the refuge of a kindred mothering community. We shared the ups and downs of everyday life and I finally felt my world reconnecting. Here, I relished the simplicity of walking home from the grocery store with my stroller loaded with my newborn, two year old and grocery bags. Although not much fun in the rain, it was a creative solution to being a one-car family. With a friend, I started a neighborhood health food co-op. I am thankful for my diverse overseas experiences that have added to the richness of our home and family life today.

Family Life Today

We currently reside in Oregon. After being overseas, we eventually headed west to Redding, California where we spent almost 5 years. We had the awesome privilege of being involved at Bethel Church where my husband attended the first year of their school of ministry. We grew so much and I am truly thankful for our season there.

Recently, we moved north to farm country in pursuit of a dream. We want to develop a pasture-based livestock farm using organic practices. We want to invest in future generations. With all the testosterone we have around here raising 6 boys, a little manual labor will do everyone good!

The current make-up of my family: 6 boys age 9 and under (we were blessed with twins in 2008), 1 tall, dark and handsome husband, and an assortment of farm animals. I just love being a mama!

Let’s enjoy the journey!

Love from our home to yours,

Ashley Brendle

Side Note- A Disclosure: Anything I choose to review, giveaway, or advertise on my site is a product or service that I would use, or consider using, even when not being compensated. My reviews are always my honest opinion. I share products and services with you because I believe they would be useful resources for you as a mom as well.

A disclaimer on the post will clearly state when I have received some form of compensation for a review or giveaway. If you choose to purchase a product through an Amazon link or my Amazon store, I do receive 6% of the purchase price. This helps support Tips4Mom.com! In addition, 15% of the earnings we donate to Compassion who are committed to releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.