Valentine’s Day Cards Valentine’s Day is all love, hugs, and kisses until your kids hit the middle school when all sweet feelings unravel to the point of national scandal. I mean, you need a team of analyst to sift through Valentines and sort the friends from the foes from the secret crushes. There’s candy, red [...]
This is Part 2 of Raising Readers. If you haven’t read Part 1, go on over and then come right back. Kids are amazing. They can learn and comprehend so much more than we give them credit for. Building good habits young will benefit them throughout their entire lives. One of the habits I’ve tried [...]
I love to read and I wanted to raise my children to be readers. My husband isn’t a big reader. He always opts to watch the movie, but the movie is never as good as the book. Ever. Reading doesn’t come naturally to him, so he reserves it for the Bible. I honestly don’t think [...]
When I look back over 2013, I am surprised by the sheer quantity of posts. Seems like my husband is right. I do have a lot of words! It’s always fun for me to look back through the posts I wrote, especially the ones about my family. That’s what I absolutely love about blogging – [...]
She’s in an antique bank vault and it has nothing to do with today’s story. Of course it doesn’t. I’ve got this award girls, so quit trying. I am well on my way to winning the Worst Mother-of-the-Year Award. I think it’s December. I seem to have troubles in this month. Perhaps there’s just [...]
Frugal Living Sparks Debate 31 Days of Cheap Tricks began with a bit of controversy, or perhaps questioning more adequately describes the Facebook chatter. It caught me off guard, because I didn’t expect frugal living to stir debate. My goal throughout this series has been to help you live for less. Frugality is not controversial. [...]
Hand-me-down clothes are hand-me-down love, and I love me some hand-me-down. Did you follow that? I’m not even sure it makes sense, but I’m a little tired and weary of writing about money. It’s not my first or even second love. If you’ve been around here for any length of time, you know I wear [...]
This afternoon a child came over to play with my daughter. She’s never been to my house before today. After about ten minutes, she and my daughter had explored and conquered the entire space that we call home, all twelve hundred and fifty-odd square feet. “This place is awesome!” She exclaimed. I looked around and [...]
Living in The Now – a look at life in the present Five thirty is being very unkind to me. I’m not a morning person by nature (you would know that if you saw me stumbling around with my eyes half-open) and my husband works odd hours. This summer when the kids and I [...]
My kids haven’t been on a playdate in years. You see, in my neighborhood, kids are still free to play in the day time. They usually don’t have schedules that keep them running from activity to activity until they fall into bed exhausted. For the most part, they must entertain themselves. You know, find [...]
This was the biggest weekend of the year in our town. Most of the towns situated along the Erie Canal have a town wide celebration each summer. It’s like a block party on steroids. Last year, because my husband had a preaching schedule that brought us down south for most of the summer, we missed [...]
It’s been difficult to write much this summer and the truth is, I haven’t really felt like writing. I’ve let funny moments go undocumented, just because. In some ways, I’ve felt like I needed some space this summer. Moods are such curious things. My kids are out at a hunter safety class tonight. [...]
This Minimalist Parenting book review is Part 2. Read Part 1 HERE. Minimalist Parenting In Part 1 of this two part series, I painted a picture of the pressures put on both moms and dads. I’ve felt it myself in varying degrees throughout the thirteen years I’ve been a mom. Often there’s the nagging feeling [...]
This is Part 1 in a two part series on Minimalist Parenting. Don’t you think there’s a lot of pressure on parents today? I mean, for goodness sake… Read to your children. Sing to your unborn children. Prepare healthy, nutritious, range free, sustainable, renewable, organic, local meals. Organize your home. Let the dishes [...]
Yesterday began early, very early. So early that I had to stop for coffee on my way out of town. I wasn’t going out of town, like in we’re headed for some sort of vacation or voyage or anything. I was just headed to a neighboring town to visit the community college. My daughter was [...]
My daughter’s hair always looks messy. I love it long and it’s pretty when it’s combed, but it stays combed for 2.52 seconds before going back to a tangled mop. Her hair, much to her delight, is also beginning to change. It’s becoming a bit frizzy and on especially humid days, it will wave and [...]
