A New Name for Me!

An exciting day is fast approaching. I’ll soon be adding a new name! I have a fancy new dress, ballet slippers for the inevitable point when the heels get to be too much, and several lists of details to take care of before the big day. Along with my family and friends, I’m looking forward to what will be (at […]

I Don’t Want to Intrude, Just Send Me Proof of Life

Proof of life. Any message, no matter how goofy is acceptable. Since parts of my heart first went off without me (aka my kids going to college), I have had an internal struggle. I want them to stretch and learn and grow as human beings, but also have an almost primal need to know they are okay. I know the […]

A Parenting Milestone, Your Kids Encourage YOU to Persevere

My kids push me – in a good way. Over the years, ‘I’ve tried many new things because of them. Sometimes it’s been something I’ve long wanted to do, other times it’s something they’ve chosen. A couple years ago, my daughter and I tried stand up paddle boarding. While I did take an unexpected swim in the process of learning, […]

My Daughter Graduated, I’m Not Sure Who Grew More

As I watched my baby graduate college, I thought about how four years before, I hid behind sunglasses, watching her walk across the high school stadium. I knew then that this milestone would change both our lives, yet was unsure of what exactly that meant. In those four years we both grew. We grew apart. We grew together. We both […]

Parenting Teens Is My Sweet Spot – It May Not Be Yours

Without meaning to, I may have suggested that parenting teens is all unicorns and roses. It’s not. Parenting teens is my sweet spot. I know it’s not the same for everyone, but it’s the stage I’ve found easiest and most rewarding. While there’s much I loved about the baby phase, babies really don’t do much. I got excited when my […]

Commencement Looks Different from the Other Side

I’ll be honest; I remember almost nothing from my college commencement speech. In fact, I had to look up who the speaker was. I remember the sights of the day: the chairs lined up on the grassy area between academic buildings, the stage in front of me, the crowds filling the folding chairs and standing behind them, small children running […]

Teens and Toddlers Have More in Common Than One Might Think

When I was expecting my third child, I read that children enter a new, but similar stage every three to three and a half years. During this time they strongly assert their independence and challenge the status quo.  When I learned this, my kids were seven and three and a half (I wish I had gotten that memo sooner.) Over […]

When Simple Acts (Like Doing a Jigsaw Puzzle) Become a Way to Connect

Yes, this is a beautiful image. It reminds me of our trip to Greece and looking at it, I think that maybe I’d rather be there. But this is so much more. I bought this puzzle a year ago, thinking that a puzzle would be a good distraction from all the disturbing and scary news outside our home. For a […]

There’s Something Magical About Watching Our Kids’ Creative Process

Like other parents, I have always loved watching my kids perform. I know many of us have had those heart-leaping-out-of-the-body moments as they accomplish something that perhaps they couldn’t (or thought they couldn’t) do at an earlier time, or when they have accomplished things far beyond our own abilities. But it wasn’t until recently that I discovered the joy of […]