Parenting a Puppy
Several weeks ago, my family decided that two dogs just weren’t enough for our family of seven humans. And so we added a third dog. A Golden Retriever puppy, to be precise. His name is Dallas, and he’s just about…
How Does Your Garden Grow?
My husband Kevin has maintained a vegetable garden in our backyard for several years now. Some seasons it has gotten more attention than others. One summerโs garden was particularly great and produced an abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers, lettuce,…
And Just Like That…
Note: This post is from my "Growth Spurts" column, which runs in Parents & Kids Magazine. I often see social media posts, from moms especially, that begin with the words โAnd just like thatโฆโ And then they finish with phrases…
Along the Road
These are pictures of my two adopted sons, Carlos and Brandon. The picture on the left was taken around four years ago, before they even knew there was a family ready to adopt them. The picture on the right was…
Cultivating Self-Control: It Takes the Spirit Plus Some Effort
Note: I wrote this as a guest post for Mary Kathryn Tiller: Cultivating a Faithful Heart Amid a Frenzied World. When I caught my son sneaking Netflix after he was supposed to be in bed, I couldโve used some self-control.…
Doing What We Need to Do Isn’t Always Easy
I started writing for Parents & Kids Magazine in 2008, and I joined the office staff in 2011. I had been a stay-at-home mom for ten years before taking this part-time job. Since my youngest child was starting kindergarten at that time,…
Purging
Every once in a while, I get the urge to purge. I start feeling overwhelmed by all the clutter and excess of stuff in our home, and the longing to pare down overtakes me. Some things are easy to get…
IDK
I told my husband that what I really needed to put in place of my column this month is a big question mark. Because it seems that the older I get and the longer I parent, the more I feel…
The Last Year
Back-to-school time brings with it a bit of a different feel for me this year. You see, my firstborn is starting her senior year of high school. Already many of you parents are nodding your heads in understanding. Some of…
Coach
Iโve been called a lot of things over the years, but โCoachโ has never been one of themโฆ until recently. My 13-year-old daughter Katie signed up to play in a recreational volleyball league, and they needed coaches. Since I played…
