How we choose to start our day matters. My husband and I have an unwritten rule that whoever gets up last is in charge of making up the bed. The entire bed. Decorative pillows and all. For a long time, I would get up and contemplate if anyone was coming over during the day who […]
As parents, we should continuously seek out ways to live out the values that we deem most important. Several years ago I read a blog post about the Christmas Jars and knew this tradition would be a perfect way to teach our children about the power of generosity and giving more than you receive. What […]
It can be difficult to figure out what in the world to buy for our favorite female tweens and teens for Christmas. Here are some of my favorites! These links are Amazon affiliate links. 7 Gift Ideas for Your Tween-Teen Daughter! 1. ALARM CLOCK – $31.99 If you know me, you know I am all about […]
No parent sets out to raise an entitled kid, yet it’s happening. Our sons and daughters are growing up in a culture that tells them that they should get what they want when they want it, and they don’t have to do a whole heck of a lot in return either. Gratitude is the antidote […]
We know that strength of character is built by learning through setbacks, mistakes, and miscalculations, so why is it so difficult to allow our kids to experience failure today? We can thank our child’s school online parent portal app for starters. As a loving and helpful parent, we open the grade portal to check in […]
When did it become okay for moms and dads to rant and rave in the stands and feel entitled to text, email and call up their child’s coaches about anything that rubs them wrong? I recently read this article about a high school coach who left her coaching position because of the overinvolvement of parents. […]
Growing up, I hung out at my best friend Mary’s house a lot, and, every once in a while, Mary’s mom would tell me it was time for their family conference and that I was going to need to leave. As my two feet carried me home, I thought about how their family ritual seemed […]
As a parent of three sons on the verge of adulthood, one daughter right behind them and one son in middle school, Grown & Flown is one of my favorite websites for all things parenting older kids. Not only have I gained wisdom and insight from this popular online parenting resource, but I have also been […]
Five years ago, we were traveling around our country in an RV with our four middle schoolers in tow. In honor of that epic trip, we headed north to touch base with the campground life once again. We chose to get out of the Phoenix heat and camp at the Circle Pines KOA Holiday in […]
Our family spent part of our summer vacation exploring our home state of Arizona. We headed up north a couple of hours and visited Bearizona for the first time. Bearizona is a wildlife park featuring a wide variety of North American animals. You can experience a scenic 3 mile drive through the Ponderosa Pine Forest […]
