Growing up I was fearful of roller coasters, bees, and thunderstorms. Our children are growing up scared of being shot or blown up while at school, the movies, church or at an entertainment venue. When I was young we used to practice tornado and fire drills at school. Today, kids are taught to silently hide […]
How does this… Turn into this… in a few blinks of an eye. I’m not sure how we’re already at this stage in our family, but I have to say these guys are way more fun now than they ever were 16 years ago! The big question I’m asked is did we buy them three […]
We know it’s our kids’ work to do, but we remind them constantly of what needs to be accomplished before school starts back up. We see no hope for our child to get their reading and math work done if we don’t help them along. Helpful, not helpful. Our high schoolers just picked up their […]
Teach your kids how to sort, separate and put their dirty clothes in the wash now. Show your children how to treat stains, measure detergent and explain the importance of removing lint from the dryer vent after every cycle. Don’t turn your son’s sports socks right side out, since you aren’t the one who took […]
There’s nothing I love more than the week after my kids get home from sleep away summer camp. Our kids hang around home reminiscing about their few weeks away in the Missouri humidity while we tend to their bug bites, bumps, and bruises. One is nursing a painful ingrown toenail; one is peeling profusely from […]
If the house goes up in flames, I want my people, my scrapbooks and my sand bottles. Forget the jewelry, just grab the sand. My sand bottle collection represents memories I’ve gathered over the past decade of my life. The 46 unique bottles grace our master bedroom fireplace mantel and represent travels I’ve made near […]
In a few days our kids will shut down their technology. All Snapchat streaks must come to an end. They will bid farewell to their normally scheduled academic and athletic programming and head to the woods. Our four teenagers will go live amongst strangers and bugs and humidity and uncomfortable beds. I’m going to assume they […]
If witnessing your kids laying around on devices after school and on weekends is making you crazy now, how are you going to feel this summer when the time off beckons constant screen usage? Become your child’s media mentor and make a plan to intentionally decrease screen use in your family this summer.
What if we really looked around our homes and saw the precious moments and memories inside of the clutter. What if we really looked for blessings disguised as chaos. What if we really looked beyond the mess and saw meaning instead. I walked around decluttering on a quiet school day and This caught my eye and I […]
You are raising your kids and you think your family is complete. But, there are many children living in foster care who need you. These kids have no stable place to lay their heads at night and are living in the midst of uncertainty. There are many older children waiting and wondering if they will […]
