Your Home: A Powerful Arena
This quote on this actual same piece of paper has been hanging in my kitchen for more than 15 years. In fact, it has hung in three different kitchens now. With each move, I’ve packed this piece of paper as…
Adoption: Is It an Option for You?
Adopting a child was not something I dreamed about my whole life, and it wasn’t something that my husband and I ever even talked about until seven years ago. We had heard a lot of adoption stories and were always…
Photos and Perspectives
Sometimes I have a hard time deciding what to write for this monthly column. It’s not that I’m not still growing through motherhood; I think that motherhood just keeps me so busy and scattered that it’s often difficult to nail…
Do-Overs
Remember when we were kids, and there would be a disagreement over a game, and we would end up calling “Do-over!”? Well, we are trying to do more of that in our home. Specifically, we have been using this method…
I’ll Never… (Part 2)
If you read my column back in September, you might remember that I discussed various things I said I’d never do as a parent… and have ended up doing, of course. And you might remember that one of the items…
A Year
Carlos and Brandon have been part of our family for a year now. These boys, who grew up in Colombia, have quickly made Mississippi their home and have fully embraced being Partridges. They have bonded incredibly well with the members…
The Mixed Emotions of Mother’s Day
Since this is the month of Mother’s Day, I wanted to write something about the greatness of all of our mothers. But as I sat down to write, I couldn’t stop thinking about the hard truth that the second Sunday…
Not the First, But the First of Many More
My adopted sons have been with us for about three months now, and they have been adjusting beautifully. There have been lots of firsts–first time for us to see each other face to face, first meal together as a family,…
Home for Christmas
This is an article I have been looking forward to writing for a very long time. As I type this, I am sitting in an apartment in Bogotá, Colombia, with my husband and our two sons, whom we have just…
I Need to Explain.
One of the hardest things for me as a parent is wanting to explain myself and be understood by (Read: approved by) others all the time–especially by other parents. When my babies were actually babies, I wanted to be ready with…
