Our family took its first real vacation in nearly a decade. We traveled to Sevierville, Tennessee (located near Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg) with another family–our very good friends. This spring break getaway was the the most relaxed my husband and I have felt in a year or longer. We rented a cabin in the Smoky …
Today is Valentine’s day so I decided to write about love. I know, I know, what a cliche’. Maybe I should apply to work for Hallmark. (FYI, I applied there in my early twenties when I thought I wanted to be a greeting card writer…) Don’t vomit yet though. Most of what love means to …
Our family spent the entire Christmas holidays/winter break from school and work at home dealing with illness. From December 18 to 31, 2015. one or two people were sick in my household. For two weeks I stayed inside nursing fevers, chills, aches and pains, in addition to an itchy, red eye infection of my own. …
As I pulled apart the now taffy-like creature from my ironing board, I once again said to myself: “Oh well, I don’t have to be the crafty mom. I am creative in other ways.” Flash back to a few days prior: my two girls had made a beaded bird, butterfly and heart with these special …
On Tuesday morning, December 1, 2015, I backed into a mailbox with my van. I was in my friend’s neighborhood, dropping off my 8-year old like I do every weekday morning before school. I’m not proud of it. I was distracted and not paying attention (like I should have been). This was a first-time occurrence for …
“Smile, not the fake toothy smile,” I said to my oldest daughter. “Smooth your dress right there,” I pointed to my youngest daughter. “Okay, 1…2…3…!” SNAP! I took the photo. “Wait you blinked, let’s try again!” Does this sound familiar? We strive to capture that perfect family moment, the two kids smiling while wearing their …
During an employee conference break last week, I noticed I had voicemail blinking on my cell phone. I listened to the message. It said the following: “Thank you again for all the help you’ve given me with this project of ours. I took your words and thoughts into account. You made my story better. You’ve …
The lights were off. No glowing pumpkins sat on our home’s front porch. Zero candy bowls were gently placed at the door for children seeking chocolates. Darkness, fear and uncertainty filled the air inside my house instead. The eerie feelings grew with each breath I took. Continual screams blasted in my aching ears. I had …
I read an article recently suggesting that using the word “busy” or saying “I’ve been busy lately,” is not a good term or phrase to use. The implication does not share anything specific going on in your life with others. In fact, the word busy can even lead people to think you’re being ‘lazy’ and …
“Can I have just one more hug?” my three year old asked me this morning shyly. “Of course!” I replied. “You can always have one more hug from me. You can have as many hugs as you want,” I said. We embraced each other. I sure did appreciate my child’s extra affection and attention to …