Teach your kids these 3 genius responses to peer pressure.I grew up in the 80's, when Nancy Reagan's Just Say No to Drugs campaign was a total thing. Everyone seemed to be talking about peer pressure, and Just Say No applied to any and all kinds of it: Drinking, drugs, sex, you name it. There were posters and assemblies and after school specials. No question: it was a thing.Thinking about this today makes me wonder: Is peer pressure still a thing? I mean, of course it is a thing
Parenting and Family
Five Ways to Avoid Mother’s Day Disappointment
5 Tips for avoiding Mother's Day Disappointment Aloha Friends! So...I was not planning to publish this post again this year. Since I wrote it a couple of years ago, and shared it again last year, I thought I'd take a year off. :) But the Today Show Site just published it on their Parenting page, and I had a number of readers tell me they hadn't seen it before...So, I thought I better share it... It has been one of my most read and shared posts (top 10 at least), and it is truly
Why I Love the Enneagram, and How it has Helped my Family
Talking about the Enneagram Personality test, and how it has helped my familyHi Friends! I hope you're all well! :) I've enjoyed a little break from blogging for the past couple of weeks, during which time I:1. Watched Luke surf his way to 2nd place in the Hawaii State Surf Championship! (Woot woot!)2. Enjoyed a long weekend with my childhood BFF and her family in town (which means 6 boys were in my home for 3 straight days! So. Much.
What a Mom Needs Most from Her Family: 25 Things
This afternoon, just after giving my preschooler some quality one-on-one time, I sat down to get some work done. Playing letter-bingo, a floor puzzle, and a few rounds of CandyLand, I really felt like I had filled his little love tank. So, I set him up to work on a quiet activity, and I sat down to type a few words...Which clearly was his cue to find eight hundred reasons to interrupt me. You know, preschooler-edition of the basic human needs: "Can I use your
Tahiti: 4 take-home lessons from the Friendliest people on earth.
Though I've been working on this post a little at a time since Luke and I returned from Tahiti (nearly 2 weeks ago!) I realize it's coming out just in time for Easter weekend. That seems impossible since it was New Years like, last week, (right!?) but I guess the calendar doesn't lie. With that, let me begin by wishing you a Very Happy Easter! I hope you have a sweet and meaningful weekend. (Easter is my favorite holiday and I wish I were dedicating an entire post to it, but my little book
Signs of Life
I had been simultaneously sweeping the floor, boiling potatoes, and returning a text message to a friend when I heard the truck coming up the driveway. We have a gate and a long driveway, so it is rare that a car other than our family's pulls up unexpectedly. It was already 6:00 PM, but this was the FedEx man, delivering a package for my son.But wait, let me back up: Moments (ok seconds) before the truck drove up, I confess I was in a bad mood. I was feeling irritated. Irritated with the
Josiah’s Big College News…
Hey Friends...I posted some very special news on social media this week, but just had to share it here as well. I know some of you are not on social media, or if you are, those delightful (not) 'algorithms' (I'm looking at you Facebook and Instagram...) mean they pretty much control what we do and do not see... (don't get me started on this subject...)Regardless, YOU, my blog readers, mean the world to me, so I wanted to be sure you saw this too! Here's my very-good-news-post
Giving Your Kids the Tough Love they Need, and Getting the Respect you Deserve (A video)
This morning, as all of my guys were headed out the door to surf, I had a brief interaction with one of my boys in which I raised my voice justenough to make a point, and...well, got a little bossy. They were in a rush, so the two of us didn't exactly work through things or even have the chance to kiss and make up before he left, and for that -- I felt a little bad. But not that bad. The truth was: That son needed it, and he knew he needed it. I had no regrets over what I had said, or even