Recently my 7-year-old has started voicing concern over our schedule. During his free blocks of time, he has been building complex machines out of Legos, and he wants more time to engineer his creations. He’s worried that on any particular day he won’t have enough time for his own projects.
In order to help him to see how we allocate our time each week, I’ve started making a Family Calendar that I post on the refrigerator. … Continue reading
Our lives are full of things to be thankful for. This little list brought a few everyday items to mind that we frequently overlook. It also suggests a perspective that the world has shrouded everything in love.
“It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes.… Continue reading
There is a lot of value in doing things well. And often throughout our lives, and especially as children, we’re admonished to “Always Do your Best.”
I think this is great advice. Except for when it’s not.
Some of us have walked away from a lifetime’s worth of such encouragement with the notion that every single thing we do needs to be representative of our best work.… Continue reading
I am fortunate to have several wonderful women in my life with whom I have shared friendship and guidance over the years. My parenting and my heart have been blessed by their wisdom, love, honesty, and good humor. Last week my friend Lainie wrote about using Lines to teach kids how to clean up (see HERE). This week, Donna, true heart-friend of 18 years and mother of 3 lovely girls (ages range from 1 to 16), writes about Grazing Trays. … Continue reading
A friend recently pointed me toward Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. (You can find Gretchen’s website HERE.), saying it reminded her of my little efforts and endeavors.
I took a look, felt very flattered by the comparison, and then sat musing on how – while we can’t always control our circumstances – we can create our own happiness, or lack thereof, within our life circumstances.… Continue reading
Yesterday my boys decorated two dozen Spring Eggs so they would be ready for today’s scavenger hunt. (We use THIS simple recipe for Homemade Egg Dye).
Today I’ll hide the eggs, and the boys will follow their set of clues until they have found them all. We find this is a great way to keep things fun while also making it so the older one doesn’t wind up with most of the eggs.… Continue reading
This last month has held a fair share of stresses. It’s taken me over a month to recover from the severe concussion that occurred as a result of a fainting spell (see HERE). Add to the stress of injury and recovery the fact that life does not stop so I can recover, and that as I’m feeling better there are seemingly mountains of things that need to be done, and the pressure grows.… Continue reading
Today is the one day we have. Yesterday is past. Tomorrow isn’t yet here. We have today. And today can be anything we choose to make of it.
Today is THE day. Let’s embrace it fully, and live it with intention.
“What day is it?”
“It’s today,” squeaked Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.
― A.A. Milne
What are you planning to do with today?… Continue reading
This post comes from my long-time dear friend, Lainie. Her ideas about practical ways to help a household run smoothly even with small children underfoot (as well as so many other things) have encouraged me over the years. I hope you find the idea she writes about here helpful as well. I certainly plan to give Lines a try with my boys.… Continue reading
Our credit card number was just hacked for the third time in the last year. While this isn’t a problem for our day-to-day purchases, it’s a huge inconvenience for all of the bills we have set on auto-pay with this card.
The last time this happened, I made a list of all the bills we pay automatically along with their contact numbers (see HERE).… Continue reading