Gratitude When Others Are “Winning”…and We Aren’t
As adults, we know how bad it can feel when it seems like everyone else is winning or thriving, and we just…aren’t. This is hard for our kids, too. They might see other kids get awards and recognition, when they…
Gratitude When We Are Faced with Tragedy
On Wednesdays this month, I’m making a point of addressing having gratitude even when it is difficult to do so. Weeks ago I planned out what I was going to post every day in November, and today I had planned…
Gratitude for Seasons
Spring is my favorite season. Winter is my least favorite. But I have appreciation for all of the seasons, because each contains something good and something necessary. New life, growth, change, death, new life, growth… The cycle is as it…
Summertime Challenges and Rewards
Last year my husband Kevin came up with a great strategy for encouraging our kids to make good use of their free time in the summer. He posted a list of various challenges and offered a monetary award to anyone…
Avoid the Summer Slump with Teachable Moments
Just as teachers want children to avoid the “summer slump” of digressing academically June through August, we as parents don’t want our children to forget what WE have taught them either. That’s why it’s so important for us to look…
Teachable Moments in the Lenten Season
The season of Lent has already begun. If you and your family are getting a late start on this observance, or if you’ve never actually observed Lent before, it’s not too late to start. For families who profess faith in…
Let Them Witness the Fitness: Getting Your Kids Involved
It’s February now, so how is everyone doing on their New Year’s resolutions for health and fitness?! If you’re not where you’d like to be, I’m sure you’re not alone. Sometimes family life can be what makes it difficult for…
The Vault
“I have this thing I call ‘the vault,'” the pastor said as an introduction to the personal story he was about to share. I’m not sure why, but I immediately pictured the kind of vault that is a gymnastics apparatus.…
2020: Let’s Not Leave It ALL Behind
Without a doubt, 2020 has been an unforgettable year. I think I’ve heard the word “unprecedented” used more this year than I’ve heard in all the previous years of my life combined. A worldwide pandemic would’ve been quite enough to…
An Education in Life: Taking Advantage of Teachable Moments During the School Years
Not all lessons taught during the school years involve textbooks. And they’re not all taught by teachers in classrooms. In fact, most important lessons are taught by us parents, and we do our teaching at home, in the car, in…