About six weeks ago, our daughter Mae heard the words she never expected to hear. “We’re getting a puppy!” I know this because after the shock and excitement wore off she said, “I didn’t think this would ever happen.” She was quite surprised. You see, she’d lived with a dog her whole life—Joey (a dog […]
Read MoreI could hardly sleep on Christmas Eve because I knew what awaited my sleeping daughter. A few weeks before Christmas, I found an online sale for the new LOL house. She’d mentioned that the toymaker LOL was releasing a new model several times throughout the year, but she didn’t add it to her wish list […]
Read MoreWe had a wild idea when we sat down to write our goals for the year in January, which in and of itself felt like a victory. Me, I love goals. Mike, not so much, although he’s begun to embrace them. But, we recognized that over the years, they’ve helped guide our finances and calendar. […]
Read MoreI hated to face the truth about what I’d done. After I preached to my daughter about the importance of a healthy diet and offered her only eggs, yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast, I turned around and dunked a few Oreos into my coffee once she walked out the door to the bus stop. I […]
Read MoreMy daughter danced into my room as a way to say “good morning.” I looked over expecting to see the same sight I do most days, an 8-year-old with disheveled pajamas and crazy hair. But that’s not what I saw. Instead, she was prancing around wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a wide smile. […]
Read MoreWhen I transitioned out of my full-time role in May, one big goal was to visit a few family members at their homes. My brother and his family live in Iowa, and some of my extended family members live in Nebraska. So we found a week that worked for everyone, I planned a route and […]
Read MoreI seriously feared Mae would be a teenager who didn’t know how to use a spoon or straw. Instead of being teased over acne or the uniqueness of her name – I thought my child would be the one sitting in the middle of the lunch room unable to sip on soup or scoop up […]
Read MoreLadies and gents, my girl has made it through 1st grade! As summer hits, and as an enneagram 1 mom, I can’t help but set some summer goals. I’ll let your mind wander and guess what it was like to get a 7-going-on-17-year-old to sit down on her last day of school and set summertime […]
Read More“White girls on the bus told me my bad skin was black and another mixed girl said her skin was lighter and her hair was better, and that mine looked like a cat’s fur ball or poop.” That’s the top story from my daughter’s day at school. She drug her feet and nearly missed the […]
Read MoreTalking to kids about cancer isn’t easy, but if a close friend or relative has been diagnosed, it’s a critical conversation. Kids are observant and if cancer has entered your inner circle, I guarantee it’s on their minds in one way or another, especially if they’re preschool age and up. I learned this when my […]
Read More