Recently I was talking with a group of moms when the topic of dancing in the rain came up. “I have always wished I could do that,” one mom said. “But I just can’t seem to bring myself to go ahead.” Everyone agreed. We all yearned to be so carefree. But we all had to admit that…
Children
Family Bucket List Wall
Over the past year I’ve been working on my family’s bucket list wall – a pictorial commemoration of the goals we’ve reached and the fun we’ve had living out our bucket list dreams. Here’s the result: I collected these collage frames over time. I knew I wanted to be able to highlight the different types…
Bucket List Time Travel
Could something you loved as a kid (and then forgot about) be the source of a bucket list dream? Don’t neglect reviewing your childhood for ideas when you make your bucket list. You never know what might be possible! When I was a young girl, I loved the Little House on the Prairie series. I read…
Talk About It: Post-Adventure Family Conversations
What kind of conversations do you have with your kids after you’ve reached a bucket list goal? What does your “debriefing” look like? Over Spring Break our family took a few bucket list adventures. Our eldest daughter spent three weeks on a school-sponsored exchange trip to Spain. The rest of us visited the LEGO Discovery…
A Family Bucket List Achievement: Trying Middle Eastern Food
It was a chilly December night, but the place was already packed when we arrived with friends. We scrambled to grab two tables as diners cleared their trays to leave. Then our families made our way up to the front counter. Servers behind glass-topped stations took our orders. The chicken shawarma pita caught my attention…
A Crisis Self-Care Plan For Moms
During a recent months-long crisis in our household, I surprised myself with how much strength I had as a mom. I gave myself to caring for my family like never before. But I also stretched myself thin, emotionally and mentally. I went to bed drained more nights than not. When others reached out with offers…
The House is Empty. Now what?
It was the start of first grade for my youngest child. I remember standing among the other camera-wielding ‘mamarazzi’ waving to our children as their stubby legs, barely visible below bulging backpacks, stumped their way in a line behind their new teacher into school. We all lingered there, suspended for a few minutes. The swoosh…
Help for Spring Break, Spring Cleaning & More: March/April Articles
The kids are bickering, the house is a mess, and you’re just wishing you could get away from it all. Does that sound like your family’s spring break? No? Maybe yours goes more like this: the kids are bickering, your car/hotel room/suitcase is a mess, and you’re just wishing you could get away from it…
Why You Need to Rethink Social Media This Spring Break
We’re a connected society. Ellen DeGeneres’s record-breaking 2014 Oscars Twitter selfie is just one proof. We text, tweet, pin and post our way through our days. We browse, troll and read too. It keeps us in touch and informed. We can be supportive and get support. But there comes a time when social media usage can…
Why You Should Hang Out With People Who Like What You Like
“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…