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 could’ve 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
I’ve been called a lot of things over the years, but “Coach” has never been one of them… until recently. My 13-year-old daughter Katie signed up to play in a recreational volleyball league, and they needed coaches. Since I played…
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…
New Starts
It’s quite possible that I say this in every January issue, but it’s true. I love new starts! There is something so refreshing and inspiring about a new year, a new beginning. In fact, I love to think of each…
Trust – We’re Either Building It or Breaking It
We talk about trust a lot around our house. We believe that, pretty much all the time, we are either building or breaking trust with one another through our words and actions, whether we realize it or not. We stress…
I’ll Never…
There are probably many things that each of us thought/swore we’d never do when we became parents. It may have had to do with schedules or food or schools or housing or discipline or words or dress code or household…