Family Meeting: Part 1

Jeff and I called a "family meeting" tonight. It was our first "official" one as a family of 5. The idea came about on our way home from our road trip to the west. All the kids had finally fallen asleep and that meant... we could finally talk about them! We had been on the road for the last 8 days driving from Chicago to Albuquerque, then Santa Fe, back to Albuquerque, and a quick stop in Roswell before finally heading to the Dallas area. For the most part, everything we shared was pretty good. They were very well behaved, polite and helpful, didn't ask for too much and they were actually appreciative of everything we did with them. However, there was one thing we noticed throughout the whole trip... our children's inability to deal with their own emotions calmly-especially when dealing with disappointment.

Team Spirit

In case you haven't heard, the Chicago Blackhawks brought home the Stanley Cup this week. It was an awesome season of hockey. There were ups and downs and moments where we didn't think we could do it for a third time in 6 seasons, but we did it! And when I say "we" I mean,…

Giving Yourself Grace

In this ugly moment, I can either persecute myself or I can practice self-grace. Today, I choose to practice giving myself grace.

Summer of Wonder

Summer is here! I finally get all three of my kids home! When I was teaching elementary school, I couldn't wait for summer to get here. It meant that I could be with my then 2 children, all day long! Now that I am a full-time mom, summer can't get here fast enough. It's not that I am looking forward to the fighting and the mess, but rather the memories we'll make making the messes and the lessons we'll learn from learning to disagree. More importantly, I am looking forward to not having a schedule and to doing what we want, when we want. This is the Summer of Wonder.

Find the JOY!

It's 3:02 am on the third day of summer vacation-no make that the fourth day- and I am not asleep. I am being me... up late, working on miscellaneous projects while my monkeys sleep, not being rushed, listening to the rain, and feeling inspired! To my husband, this usually means that I am planning something, and…