To cap off 2020 and ring in the new year, we wanted to share our top 10 most-read articles from this year. They are stories of motherhood, daily life in the midst of a pandemic, real experiences, and making the most of this great city we live in during unprecedented times. We hope you enjoy revisiting them as much as we did.
10. 4 Neighborhood Activities to Organize (Social Distancing Style) in April
By: Carey Scofner
9. Returning to the School Classroom :: A Teacher’s Perspective
By: Valerie McGee
8. I Can’t Even :: A Code to Decoding Teen Slang in 2020
By: Kelly Barbrey
7. Stay-at-Home Summer Bucket List
By: Tasheena Ticer
6. What I Learned From the SC Drive Through State Fair
By: Kristi Bothur
When I heard that the SC State Fair would be a “drive through” this year, I confess that I scoffed at the whole idea. My husband is ever the optimist and a great own for tradition. Besides, he reminded me, this is unprecedented, very likely (hopefully) the only time we will ever have a drive-through fair. How can we miss it when we have the opportunity? One our way home, I gave my husband a sheepish smile and thanked him for getting us to go to the fair this year. It was fun, after all, and actually taught me some important lessons.
5. Am I Still Pro-Life?
By: Anonymous
I grew up supporting the pro-life movement, but after my work at a Crisis Pregnancy Center, I realized the abortion debate may not be as black and white as I always believed it to be.
4. Day Trips From Columbia :: Eudora Farms Drive-Thru Safari Park
By: Marissa Evans
3. The Seven Year Itch
By: Anonymous
At night sometimes I sit in the silence and wonder how we got here. How we become the couple who barely talks over dinner. The couple who after putting the kids to bed goes their separate ways; one to play video games, and the other to write or watch mindless reality television. The kids are always the topic of conversation, and our love and devotion to them seems like one of the only commonalities we share these days; our time and focus is on them. I’d heard of the seven year itch in marriage, but I never thought it would happen to us.
2. No One Warned Me About What Happens When Your Child Turns Nine…
By: Leah Shuler
Everyone tells you about the “terrible twos.” If you’re lucky, you’ll even get warned about “threenagers.” And we all know the teenage years can be challenging. But, no one warned me about nine. Who would have thought that a random year in the middle would prove challenging?
1. The Great Backpack Debate :: Why I Support In-Person Learning As An Option This Fall
By: Kelly Barbrey
I didn’t want to write about this. I said I wouldn’t write about this. Too controversial. Too polarizing. Not my scene. I’m talking about my feelings on the upcoming school year, a topic which has ignited sparks, produced claws and churned out buckets of tears in otherwise sane and composed mamas everywhere. Getting the mail is what changed my mind…
Worth a Read :: Other Top Posts From our Team in 2020
Education
Back to School Blues :: Brought to You by COVID-19 by Sarah Cain
Back to School in SC :: One Mom’s Perspective by Brooke Moore
Why We Chose to Homeschool :: COVID-19 Edition by Simone Praylow
5 Rules for Educating Your Kids at Home and the Resources to Help You Do It by Hannah Gunning
Home Life
When Family Time is Too Much by Katrina Siron
Siblings in Quarantine by Caitlyn Viviano
10 Simple and Fun Activities to Bond With Your Kids While Stuck at Home by Mona Verma
How to Survive an Election Year and Keep Your Friends and Family by Alexa Bigwarfe
Parenting Perspectives
UPS or Daddy First Responder? by Paige Phillips
The Effects of an “Empty Chair” by Charlita Bowman
How a Puppy Cured Our Pandemic Boredom by Melanie McGehee
Health & Wellness
I Tested Positive :: When COVID-19 Hits Home by Kelsey Arender
Anxiety With All.The.Things by Valerie Byrd-Fort
A Celiac Disease Diagnosis at 14 by Kathy Ferguson
Local
I’m a Small Business Owner and I Closed My Doors Because of the Coronavirus by Tamayah Goodwin
2020 Summer Bucket List :: Social Distancing Style by Mee-Jean Sasine
Recipes
How to Make Your Favorite Coffee Drinks at Home by Lisa Freeburg
The Three-Ingredient Pie Recipe That Will Change Your Life by Vickey Finkley-Brown
Special Events & Holiday Ideas
Hosting a Drive-Through Baby Shower by Ronisha Jones
Easy Ideas for Filling Up an Easter Basket :: COVID-19 Edition by Kate Rhea