Cease Striving and know God is God
Today marks the 10-month anniversary of the accident that changed my life. I spent an hour of the day at vision therapy with all these gadgets and exercises to help my eyes track better together. My therapist says one of them is like a view-master, which I don't...
Stop what you’re doing and say Hello to your kids
When I write on my computer, I am either sitting on the couch in our living room or at the dining room table, which is right next to the living room. It is one big great room on the sunny side of our house. It is bright and open and a place where I can see the rest of...
Moms: We need to forgive ourselves
It was my husband’s birthday this week, and I wanted everything to be perfect. Not sure why I put those expectations on myself. I had just had minor surgery two days before and I am still recovering from the accident and will continue to recover from the accident and...
Sometimes it’s about the Mountain Dew
My 18-year-old son Wesley brings home a case of Mountain Dew and places it in front of his 12-year-old younger brother Augustin’s bedroom door. Wesley knew that his brother would walk out of his room in the morning and see his favorite soda before him. Wesley wanted his brother to know he remembered what his special drink was. It’s so important to recognize the individual tastes and favorite things of our children.
Teaching our Kids the Art of the Thank You
When I turned 8-years-old, I got 25 cents and a card for my birthday from my friend Jeanie’s Grandma Higgins, and my mom had me write a thank you note. Three times. To get my handwriting just right. When I gave Grandma Higgins the thank you card, the entire family...
Eagle Scout Projects: On Making Community Service a part of your Family
[This post also appeared on Today Show Parents Community] All four of our boys have been involved in the Boy Scouts of America over the years, something I am very thankful for. Three of our boys are still active. One of the big reasons that I appreciate Scouts is its...
Tell your kids you love them, no matter what.
Last Friday, I shared with the Mom To Mom group at Salem First Baptist Church lessons learned from my accident in January. One of those lessons is something I’ve struggled with for much of my life, but it hit home even more after my near-death experience and the...
Raising Culturally Engaged Kids
I grew up watching Good Morning America and reading The Oregonian and the Wall Street Journal newspapers in the mornings while eating my oatmeal in our southeast Portland home. And in the evenings, we watched the Nightly News with Walter Cronkite. Then, on Sunday...
Helping our Kids Make Siblings a Priority
On my daughter Rachel’s last day here before she headed back to Germany, we went on a short hike and then stopped for Happy Hour at one of our favorite eateries -- Gustavs -- for cheese fondue and potato pancakes. Some friends of my twins had texted them about...
Be Careful of your Words to your Kids
Last night we watched the movie Ragamuffin, the story of the late singer-songwriter Rich Mullins. The film takes us on his journey growing up as the oldest of five children living on a farm with an overbearing father through his years as a rising Contemporary...
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