Moms tend to be preoccupied with time. Or more precisely, with time management. The moms in the MOPS group I coordinate ask for a time management speaker every semester, worried by the way the days …
You Don’t Have to Do It All. Nor Should You.
The night before the first day of school I was lying in the bathtub, indulging in a minor panic attack about all the things I needed to do before everyone headed out in the morning. Someone knocked …
How to Do Nothing
All three of my kids are now in school (!) and so sometimes I really look forward to Monday mornings, when I can finally GET THINGS DONE. Anyone else relate? Recently, I had a week planned where I was …
My Trick to Banish Anxiety
At times in the past year it seemed like we would all be here in this house, occasionally seeing other people in the yard, forever, and that didn't seem like an entirely bad thing. Life had a peculiar …
Back to School, Back to Work
Embracing the Rhythm of the School Year As much as I anticipate and love summer, by the time we get to about mid-August I am looking forward to the start of the school year. I don't exactly throw …
One Easy Way to Simplify Family Life
This time of year many of us start to think about simplicity. Practicing Christian simplicity is about doing less or having less in order to focus more on God. I think many of us want to better …
Have You Affirmed Your Family Today?
Last week at dinner my younger son casually turned to me and said, “These are the things I like about you, Mommy, that you play Legos with me, that you play puppies with me, that you hug me and that …
Driving Like a Christian
Today I actually stuck out my tongue at another driver. He blew around me and then cut into my lane, and I was so annoyed that’s how I responded. It could have been worse, I know, but …
Confessions of a Soccer Mom
Over Thanksgiving weekend we all got up crazy early, not to engage in Black Friday shopping, but to drive my son many miles away to a Thanksgiving soccer tournament. Such a practice was not …
Are You (And Your Kids) Looking for Silence?
A couple of weeks ago, I was on carpool duty for summer camp. So I had my 7-year-old son, my 4-year-old son, and then two spare 7-year old boys in the back of my car as we drove to pirate camp. One, …
The Joy of Parenting
I've seen A LOT of Shamu shows. Living as we do in San Diego, we often find ourselves stopping in at Sea World to feed the seals and sea lions, check out the sharks, and of course, see the …
Why Writing about My Family Makes Me a Better Mom
I recently saw the new movie Mom’s Night Out and loved it. Very funny and a great expression of what so many moms struggle with—the meaning of all the stuff we do, the way we feel that we’re not very …
Moving Past “Good Enough”
Last month the first grade project was building a diorama to display an animal of the student's choice. My son came home all fired up to get started, and after I got him a shoebox, he pretty much went …
Everything Is Awesome
We went to see The Lego Movie at the drive-in a few weeks ago. Popcorn, Reese's Pieces, beanbags and blankets in the back of the car--it was a sublime evening. The whole way home, …
Three Ways to Keep You (and Your Family) Sane on Road Trips
Learning to Enjoy the Journey We just got back from a road trip to Yosemite. On the way out it was just the boys and me for the roughly 8 hour journey. (My husband met us there.) I was more than a …
Three Ways to Keep You (and Your Family) Sane on Road TripsRead More
Ending the “What’s For Dinner?” Stress: Family Meal Planning Made Easy
When I was growing up, I remember my mom picking us up from school and turning to my sister and me in the backseat, "What are we going to have for dinner, girls?" she would ask. We would look at each …
Ending the “What’s For Dinner?” Stress: Family Meal Planning Made EasyRead More
Goodbye to the Diaper Bag
I've been carrying a diaper bag around for a long time now, almost seven years to be exact. I've gotten used to hauling this monster around-- to the …
Four Tips for Potty Training
My three-year-old just ran past me, chanting, "Pee-pee, don't come out yet! Don't come out yet, Pee-pee!" He's in the bathroom now, and hopefully all is going well. His recent …
“You Will Miss It”: The Back-to-School Blues
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 …
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 …
