“Gail Carson Levine is coming to Naperville,” my middle daughter Katherine said. “Can we go?” She’d read Ella Enchanted and The Princess Tales. I knew she liked Levine’s books, but when I saw the $25 ticket price, I flinched. It was too much, even with two autographed copies of Levine’s newest book and a chance…
fears
The One Where We Sat on the Roof and Ate Ice Cream
In July I dared readers to step out and conquer a bucket list goal that required them to let go. To be wildly free. Something like dancing in the rain. For me that expression of whimsical freedom came in the form of sitting out on my roof eating ice cream sandwiches with my kids –…
Why You Should Face Your Fears
I hate haunted houses. Actually, I’m adverse to anything scary. No horror pics, Stephen King novels, or Fright Fests for me. For one reason: I scare easily. When my daughters agreed to play the role of zombies at the big All Hallow’s Eve event at our city’s living history museum, I was asked to help…
The Secret to Fewer Regrets
Parenting requires so many decisions, it can sometimes become mind-numbing. How to respond to discipline issues, what to do about kids’ friendship struggles, which sports to encourage them toward and what other activities to enroll them in. We have so much information and so many opportunities at our fingertips, it can be hard to sort…
Why We Need the Courage to Admit When We’re Wrong
It’s hard to admit when we’ve done something wrong and hurt another person in the process. Really hard. In fact, it’s easier to point our finger at another source than to own up to our role in the matter. Have you ever noticed this tendency in yourself? You know you’ve got to apologize because it’s…
All In
This month I’m making a leap. I’m stepping off the edge. I’m diving into a new venture (or adventure). This month also marks the start of a year in which I’ve decided I’m going to stop holding back. I want to be all in. The new venture is a series for parents at my church….
Choice as an Action, Not a Reaction
I read an excellent guest post by Mary DeMuth today over on Michael Hyatt’s blog. In it she talks about being motivated by fear (stemming often from our past) versus being motivated by a future-facing goal. I find a lot of wisdom in her words. You can read what she said here. How about you?…