“Pick a card,” my daughter says. She holds the deck out, fanned between her hands. Gamely I pull one. “Look at it. Don’t forget which one it is,” she instructs. “Now put it back.” I place the card on top of a pile she holds out and watch as she shuffles them. A handful cards…
bucket lists
Seasonal Bucket List… Or Activity List?
Are you working your way through a “Winter Bucket List” right now? Have you been putting ideas down for a “Spring Bucket List”? It’s time we set the record straight on seasonal lists and what we call them. Because the name really does make a difference – in what goes on the list and in…
It’s Time
One question for you as we approach the new year: what is it time for? Instead of setting yourself a list of self-improvement goals that are bound to produce more guilt than change (if the statistics are right), take an optimistic approach. Think about the different goals or outings or classes you’ve had in mind…
Miracles Amidst Devastation
Midmorning on November 17th, 12 tornadoes tore through the Midwest, ripping homes off of foundations, tossing cars into fields, and causing chaos for hundreds of families. Our city suffered only heavy winds and rain. But the local television stations ran continuous footage of devastation not far away. When our church put out a call for…
[Guest Post] Celebrate the Wins
I’ve known Christa Melnyk Hines for a few years now. As a fellow journalist, she has always impressed me with her compassionate professionalism. Christa leverages her background in communication to help moms, dads, and kids to relate well. Her e-book Confidently Connected: A Mom’s Guide to a Satisfying Social Life is an excellent example of…
Why Bucket Lists Make Me Grateful (Mom to Mom Gratitude Gala Week 1)
Sunlight radiated off a nearby hill. Below us a small lake rippled in the gentle breeze. My daughter and I ate our lunches at a shady picnic table, watching archers arrange targets in the range across the parking lot. It gave us just enough time to observe the local protocol before pulling her bow and…
Permission to Think of Yourself, Mom
What do you want to do? What is your biggest dream, your highest hope? No really. What do you, mom, want to do most in life – today, tomorrow, next month? Can you tell me off the top of your head, without needing to hear other people’s answers first? I ask this question because I…
One Way to Improve Your Kids’ Decision Making Skills
So much to do. So little time. But do you ever make your children choose? And could making them choose under the pressure of “not enough time for it all” backfire? It’s easy to want to avoid making our kids choose between activities. We don’t want them to miss out. We don’t want to shortchange…
When “Super Moms” Make You Feel Small
I’m waiting at a stoplight when I see one again: that oval sticker on the back of a minivan that says “26.2” (or sometimes “13.1″). Are you tired of those yet? Because I am. And not because I think those who have completed a marathon don’t deserve to boast. They do. Completing a 26.2 mile…
Living Into Your Longings
Sometimes as parents, and especially as moms, we deny ourselves the fulfillment of our longings. We mistake being a good parent with making life all about our kids, as if every one of our hopes has (or will) come true in them. Or we believe we don’t have or don’t deserve the space, time, energy,…