Family
ArchivesTwo Decades Means a Lot of Lemonade
My friend Elizabeth came over to my house after school to curl my hair. My little brother ironed the vest came with my skirt set - the one my mom suffered through a tortuous shopping trip to find. Yes, I was pretty in plaid well before Britney told us to hit her one...
On Getting More Sleep – and More Lemonade
Saturday was Annalyn's birthday party. I scheduled it for 4:00, so I had plenty of time to get the house cleaned up and decorated without stressing out. Or so I thought. Given the chaos of this year I knew I wasn't up for an elaborate party. My plans were lower than...
It’s a Birthday! Let’s Make Lemonade!
Today is my daughter's birthday. This girl ... This girl is amazing. She's so smart (and sometimes smart-mouthed). She's kind and quirky and funny (although her recent discovery of knock-knock jokes leaves much to be desired). She wants to be a scientist and a rock...
Monday, Monday, Can’t Trust That Day
It's well documented around these parts that Mondays pretty much never go as planned. [Ever.] This one was no different. I forgot until Sunday afternoon that today was a teacher work day. In other words, no school. In other words, I got to spend all day with both my...
Friends Don’t Let Friends Tell {Themselves} Lies
It's been a rough season for me in the friendship arena. I've felt rejected, disappointed, deserted and excluded. I've been certain that nobody likes me, nobody cares and if I were a couple decades younger I might just finish that little chant with, "I guess I'll just...
If You Build It: GoldieBlox and Girls
This summer Annalyn started saying the worst thing. I'm not referring to her sass-mouth that just about puts me over the edge in approximately 3.7 seconds. No, I'm talking about this phrase: "I'm not good at this." She's said this about dozens of different tasks, and...
28 SIMPLE After-School Snack Ideas
We have a snack problem at our house. Namely, we like them too much. And by "we," I mostly mean my six-year-old, but she learned it from me. [Cue the commercial flashback now: "I learned it from watching you, okay?!"] Given the choice between three meals and all-day...
When “Stubborn” is a Good Thing
A couple years ago Mark and I were eating lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Awkwardly, we were seated right behind my high school music teacher and his wife. (I say "awkwardly" because is there anything MORE awkward than being seated near someone you just...
Friends (in) Real Life
About 10 days ago, I hosted an (in)RL gathering at my church. It was part of a whirlwind weekend that included a whole lot more work than usual (tweeting on behalf of (in)courage until I was literally dizzy from switching from screen to screen!) and a rehearsal for...
10 Books About Safety for Children
10 Children’s Books About Stranger Danger and Safety Rules
Leaps of Faith
Few people understood the complicated feelings I had about having a baby after delivering a premature baby the first time around as well as my friend JessieLeigh, who also delivered a little girl more than 16 weeks early. Please welcome her as she shares a bit of what...
Rules schmules.
I'm a rule follower. As a child, I only ever got in trouble at school for talking too much (go figure.) - unless you count that one Saturday school my sophomore year for too many tardies (again. go figure.). I've been known to make the extremely persuasive argument,...