Sustain Summer! That's my theme over here. So what if school started Weeks Ago? So what if it's Raining in Cali today (yippee! SO happy it's raining, and yet, I still maintain... It. Is. Summertime)? Fall officially begins September 23rd, which means No Matter What the activity calendars have decided, summer reigns until September 22nd. And that … Continue reading Summer Reading – Non-fiction
Category: Parenting
The Kids are Okay
We have completed Week 2 of the school year and I can happily report that we are all doing OK! At least mostly. I think. We've only had... ...one lost backpack, ...one slept-through alarm clock, ...one forgotten bike lock combination, ...one forgotten lunch box, ...one "oops, I forgot to turn it in" homework assignment, ...a couple "oops, … Continue reading The Kids are Okay
Diary of a Confused Kid, Day 1
It felt like we had become stick figures living out a chapter from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Tween rode his bike home from his first day of 6th grade - his first day ever of middle school. He beat me home from work by just a few minutes, long enough to dump his bike … Continue reading Diary of a Confused Kid, Day 1
Moms’ and Kids’ End-of-Summer Camp Out
A queue of 40 email responses filled my inbox before I saw Email #1 inviting me to participate in an end-of-summer overnight camp out with moms and kids, and by then the sites had been booked. Besides, I expected (hoped!) to be just returning from a sixteen-day family camping trip, so the timing wouldn't work … Continue reading Moms’ and Kids’ End-of-Summer Camp Out
Jumbled
My kids don't do transitions well. I know this, and sometimes it still surprises me. During a still-early fall hallway conversation with Tween's then-2nd grade teacher, she commented that Tween didn't seem to be taking school seriously. Without missing a beat I responded, "Give him until Thanksgiving and he'll be great!" She looked at me … Continue reading Jumbled
Leaning In to a Plant-Based Lifestyle
I’ve had two conversations just this week with women who want to eat healthier, one a stay-at-home mom and the other a college student. While they couldn’t be more different, both have recognized that their eating habits have not been optimal and they admit they don’t know where to start in changing their habits. Guy … Continue reading Leaning In to a Plant-Based Lifestyle
Slow Down
An ordinary afternoon dog-walk around the neighborhood turned gruesome. A car passed just as I noticed a squirrel hunkered in the middle of the lane. Car 1 slowed down, paused until two cars were directly opposite in the other lane, and then blared its horn. Horn terrified Squirrel who leaped sideways under the tire of Car 2, followed by … Continue reading Slow Down
The #Day Challenge
I've picked up an odd habit this year: I have said Yes! to an assortment of (mostly) online challenges, all for a set number of days: The 30 Day Power Purge Soulful Spring Cleaning: A 30-Day Life Reboot Lenten disciplines, an annual 40 day adventure The Body Love Experiment 21 Day Challenge 40 Days of Prayer … Continue reading The #Day Challenge
Books – The Recent Round-Up
Even though May might just be my favorite month - days slightly brighter and longer and birds and flowers singing and springing - the end of school year seems always to twist me up and set me spinning. Not enough time! Too much to do! You have a what project that requires what supplies and you … Continue reading Books – The Recent Round-Up
The Final Fieldtrip
Tween's amazing teacher asked me to chaperone the last field trip of the year. And of Tween's elementary school career. I said yes. Fortunately, Tween kicked to the curb his vomiting cycle just in time and awoke on field trip day feeling back to normal. Destination: The County Courthouse and Detention Facility. As field trips … Continue reading The Final Fieldtrip