“I’m glad you don’t listen to me.” Yes, I really said that, and believe it or not, I meant it. (Feel free to sympathize with my poor husband who had to figure out what I meant.) If I had my
Why I’m Glad my Husband Disagrees with Me
5 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Melt-downs
Parents Beware! Melt-down season is upon us. Holidays are the mortal enemy of routine, and when kids get stressed by all of the extras of the holidays, melt-downs, sometimes of epic proportions, are the inevitable result. This time of year is
Making Room for the Mess
In this month’s issue of Impart Magazine (which, by the way, is being offered for free at the moment) I wrote about The Dirty, Messy Truth About Lesson Planning. Planning makes me happy, but you know what? Our lesson reality
Bye-bye thumb
First night not sucking her thumb to fall asleep. Sigh … Is it wrong that I kinda’ wish I could keep her little forever?
The Importance of Imagination
I’m lousy at pretending. Sad, but true. My husband loves to crawl around on the floor pretending to be “mousey” with the kids, and my oldest has a passion for storytelling that causes her to fall asleep and wake again
Yelling Silently
Words I never thought I’d hear myself say: “You may NOT yell at your sister in sign. Apologize immediately!” For the record, I didn’t even know you could yell in sign-language until today. It isn’t as hard to recognize as
Persistence Really Does Pay Off
My daughter has taught me a lot about persistence, diligence, and even obstinance – the good kind, that keeps you working on a difficult task even when everyone else has given up. I grew up as a teacher’s dream. Learning
God’s Practical Gifts
I have been learning a lot about God’s gifts recently. I have this weird tendency to try to put all of God’s gifts in tidy categories that sound lofty, intimidating and unreachable, but I am learning that God is much
Grammar according to Elmo
Have you ever heard Elmo? Elmo loves flowers! Elmo is going to the shoe store. Elmo wants a carrot. My youngest speaks just like Elmo – including the tiny up-swing in the pitch of her voice each time she mentions
Morning Routine
I love lists. They are full of good intentions and order.I love my kids too … but the kids will never be mistaken for being orderly. They are, after all, kids. And second to speaking at ear-drum bursting decibels, they