School Years

I have two kids under the age of five and three children between the ages of 13 and 16. There are certain aspects of parenting that make me love the toddler stage and certain aspects that make me love...

I have a kid who is easy to love. Oh my gosh, she is SO easy to love. She is kind with an enormous heart. She is the first to jump in if you need help. She’s crazy empathetic and...

I seriously contemplated emailing my child's teacher this morning. I desperately wanted to let her know that I had strongly suggested (ahem, demanded) long pants, not shorts, as attire for this rainy-ish 47 degree South Carolina winter day. I...

With birthday parties approaching in our family, I've been paying special attention to ideas for party locations, themes, recipes, and ways to decrease the horde of gifts about to rain down on my home. Hey, I get it. There...

Motherhood introduced me to a lot of things. I was not surprised that it changed my book reading and television watching habits. But I was shocked that it opened up a whole new world of music. Thanks to my local library,...

I didn’t even realize my older kids were tweens until just recently. For some reason, in my head, I thought tween meant eleven and twelve years old - not, EIGHT to TWELVE! That means I’ve had tweens for a...

Not long ago in a land just like this There were two little girls who were on the nice list. They both wrote to Santa, so heartfelt and real And all his deliveries were met with a squeal. Every morn in December they'd...

Weight. “That’s a heavy subject.” Sorry – I couldn’t resist the bad joke. It’s what I do when I’m not sure what to do. I have always struggled with my weight. I was overweight as a child and didn’t exercise,...

Please stop. No really. Stop. A new phenomenon is happening at college campuses today, and it really needs to end. It is crippling your students and preventing them from becoming independent, self-sufficient adults. If your college-aged student is having an issue at school,...

I was in the middle of another post a when a "thing" happened here, so: plot twist. Allow me to set the scene… The Professor (my husband) and I are pretty conservative when it comes to technology (and therefore social...

I was listening to my seven-year-old son tell me how worried he was about our house catching on fire or someone breaking in and stealing our stuff. His thoughts spiraled in all directions, filled with worry and anxiety. I...

Thank heaven for little boys. They get to carry on the family name, live up to legacy of the men before them, and tend to be great protectors. Raising my son, everything is competitive; from who can vacuum the fastest,...

Every day she changes. Her hair gets just a little longer, her face gets a tad bit thinner, she grows just a smidge taller, she ages another day, she becomes a little more independent, and she gets just a...

They say the greatest gift you can give your children is roots and wings. And I get it – roots so they know where they’re from and wings so they know what they can become. In theory, this makes...