Like most of you, I absolutely love the holidays. Here in Hawaii, we will never have a white Christmas, and it takes a bit of imagination to get into the holiday spirit, but (maybe because of all of that--) our family is ALL IN. We love everything about the holiday season, and (don't be judging, but...) we are already playing Christmas music and diving into our favorite Christmas movies. (Life is too short to limit the best holiday to just one little month a year.)
Parenting and Family
14 Snack Ideas your kids will love (and you’ll feel good about.)
Sharing after school snacks for your kids on those days when you just. can't. think. of. anything. else. I love to hear from blog readers, and especially enjoy emails from new subscribers after I send them a welcome email. They respond to my questions, sharing a little about themselves, then telling me what kind of posts they are most interested in. Some topics come up a lot: communicating with your teenager, boy-related posts, and recently, a lot of requests for the Life in our 40's
How Brothers Become Best Friends
This is the last school year all four of my boys will be around on a daily basis. Change is in the air.My oldest, who just graduated high school, is currently taking a gap year to work, and work out the details of his college plans. He's in and out of the house, mostly independent, but still spending a lot of time with his brothers. Meanwhile, the younger three are just beginning to face the reality that their big brother -- the one they've never known life without -- is slowly on his
10 Small Changes that will Improve your Family’s Health Right Now.
small lifestyle changes that will impact your family's health this yearI hear it, friends: Some of you are exhausted, and the school year has hardly begun. Summer may have left you frazzled, and already the fall calendar is filling up. I've heard from plenty of people who are facing this season feeling more fluffy than fit...and the thought of holidays can be downright overwhelming.Then there is the rest of the family...Perhaps your whole family is not as healthy as they ought to
7 Books to Encourage you (and your Family) Now
A list of books to encourage your family now (Psst: A special book giveaway at the end!!) When it comes to reading great books, most women I know (including me!!) only wish they had more time. I have some blurry memories of days curled up with a great novel; days when I couldn't put the book down it was so good....Anyone else have distant memories like that?But when it comes to books about parenting and family life, I find time. I can't imagine life without them! I may not lose
7 Attitudes that Will Sabotage Your Marriage, and 7 to Replace Them.
For those of you who are married: I want to encourage you today. (for those of you who are not married, I hope you'll tuck a few nuggets away, and perhaps share this post with a married friend. ;))As much as I love talking about parenting, I am equally enthusiastic about the topic of marriage. I suppose it's really the whole family unit thing; I happen to think family was one of God's greatest ideas.A strong family gives strength to every member. A strong family gives kids a secure
How Fifteen Minutes could Save your Relationship with Your Teen
15 minutes that just might save your relationship with your teenagerToday I am sharing one more favorite post from the archives...If you missed this one, I hope it inspires you to parent with thoughtfulness this week. If you've read it before, then perhaps it's a healthy reminder.*****This weekend something came up...once again...with one of our sons. It was an incident related to the way he treats one of his brothers, and honestly--we've all gotten pretty fed up with this
How to Teach Teenagers About Money so They Become Financially Prosperous Young Adults
Today I share a guest post from a high school math teacher who I recently met (online.) As you might imagine, I get a lot of offers for guest posts, and as a rule I generally don't accept them. No offense to anyone, but this is my little space and I really try to hoard it keep it consistently in my voice...However.However: it's summer, so things are different here. And: I like this guy, and appreciate what he's doing. And finally: This topic happens to be a BIG ONE in my house