Hi Friends!I love to stop in occasionally for what I like to call a Virtual Coffee date. (like this one in January, and one from last fall.) These are for times when I just wish I could sit down with you over a cuppa, share some photos, links you might love, and in general catch up on life. There are so many little (and big) things that tend to get lost in the shuffle of a busy life and busy blogging.And coffee dates feel a little more personal like that.So, thanks for being
Parenting and Family
A Strong Indicator of a Healthy (and Lasting) Marriage
Remember when you first fell in love with your spouse...And you found everything about him (or her) so fascinating? Whatever interested the one you loved...interested you. If they wanted to watch a game, or run errands, or eat pizza, you were happy to do it. Even the most boring topics or projects came to life if you were together.Unfortunately, those feelings don't always last.A few years later, you might find your spouse's interests mostly uninteresting. Their hobbies? Time
Targeting Character Issues in Teens
When it comes to parenting, there is nothing I care more about than character.And thankfully, I don't think I'm alone in this. Yesterday on my Facebook page I asked what character qualities readers hoped to instill in their kids. Comments came flooding in: "Empathy, kindness, resilience, respect, honesty, integrity, gratitude, humility, thoughtfulness..." and the list went on. People mentioned the challenge of raising kids of character in a world often promoting selfishness,
A Chore System, and Money Management for Kids: Our System, and a Video
I hear from a lot of families who struggle to find a simple AND effective system for getting their kids to do chores consistently. We would all love to find a system that does not involve constant nagging, or inconsistencies. (Or just giving up and doing it all ourselves because sometimes that's just easier, right?)Well, I spent years trying...and failing...to find a system that would work for my boys. And since by nature I'm not the most organized person, I was beginning to blame myself
5 Favorite Moments in our Homeschool Life
Our homeschool life is not perfect, but I can say that most of the time, I'm really happy with it. Most of the time I am so glad we do it. Most of the time I really love our daily groove. (If you read this post, you'll know that our schedule can be a little nuts, but much of that is due to surf, not homeschooling, so that's another subject.)I have come to terms with the fact that there is no ideal school situation. With the pros will come the cons, and though I believe that homeschooling
The Fastest Way to Re-Ignite a Spark in Your Marriage
A while back I said that I wanted to share some short/sweet posts related to marriage this year...Some encouragement for all of us, because when we're in this season of raising kids and doing a gazillion other things, sometimes we lose focus on that most important relationship.Mostly I just want to share with you some of the things that I am working on. Not preaching, but encouraging.And let's start with a reminder: Marriage has seasons. It's normal to go through times where you feel
Teens and Instagram (and Youtube): Tips for Navigating Wisely
Last week I shared a post with some of the steps you can take to make the internet and social media safe(r) for your teens.Then I promised to come back to talk about how our boys are using Instagram. I've decided to include a mention of YouTube in this as well, though I won't go in-depth on YouTube today.Both YouTube and Instagram are apps that can be accessed by a computer or any device with internet access.And this is where things can get tricky. Last week I urged parents to get
Teens, The Internet, & Social Media: Seven Steps that might Save your Kid
If you've been around for a while, you probably know that this is the stuff that gets me really fired up. I touched on computer filters in my teenage boy series, and I've gotten on my porn-proof soap box more than once. I am pretty passionate about wanting to help protect families in this way. Today I want to talk about -- Teens: Seven steps to a safer internet and social media experience. Before I begin though, I need you to know that I never want to come across like I have it