With my younger son starting preschool today and my older son in his second week of first grade, I now have three mornings a week all to myself! Celebration time, right? You …
The Champion Grudge-Holder
As I was climbing back into my car after signing my son into dinosaur camp, a woman on foot called through my window, "Can you please let me through?" I wasn't even sure what she meant at first, …
A Very Boy Vacation
We just got home from a visit with my parents. Something I love (and miss) about the Midwest are the summer thunder showers. The boys loved lying in their beds and watching the lightning flashes and …
The Art of Housekeeping
A few months back I reported on my resolution to let my house be dirty. And to not care. So I thought I'd let you all know how that was going. And the answer is . . . pretty well, …
Raising Your Kids to Be Lifelong Readers
When I was a kid, I would rather read than do just about anything else. (The same is pretty much true for my adult self.) Many of my childhood memories involve books. I remember slumber parties …
The Writing Life: Why I Love (and Hate) Deadlines
When I was in college and thought I would go crazy with the stress of finishing up all the papers and studying for the exams at the end of my junior year, my father gave me some counter-intuitive …
The Best Lesson My Kids Ever Taught Me
Off the Hamster Wheel After I had my first son, my life was scheduled as it had never been scheduled before. Every three hours I would nurse him, but since I had trouble getting enough milk into him …
Prayer & the Laundry
It was Martin Luther who said, “Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” I always have the same reaction to this …
In Praise of the Uncool Church
Recently I helped out with my church's new member class. One of the best parts? Hearing their stories of just why they like our church and want to join. I just couldn't get enough of these …
My Mommy Social Media Anxiety
At book group a couple of weeks ago, one of the moms mentioned that her babysitter had taken a picture of her kids and posted it on a social media site along with their first and last names. Well, …
Getting Used to Dust Bunnies
I don't like to think of myself as the kind of person who lives according to TV commercial slogans. Yet I remember this particular one from a commercial many years ago: Get used to dust bunnies. I …
The Prayer of a Sick Child
A few days before Christmas my grandfather passed away, and so my dad, my sister, my two boys and I drove from my parents' house in Illinois to Ohio for the funeral and visitation. To break up the 8- …
My Catalog Problem
This time of year my mail seems to be mostly catalogs. For most people, this would probably be nothing more than a minor nuisance, but I've previously discovered that I have a teeny little …
Middle of the Night Mom
Years ago I read the book I Don't Know How She Does It. One scene stuck in my head, the one in which the chronically sleep-deprived main character (businesswoman/mom/wife/stress case Kate) is in her …
