So, here’s the scoop on electronics and practicing… I hate, HATE, hate (and yes, I am aware that hate is a strong word) the way my children are so easily drawn into screens. Their eyes glaze over, their ears stop working, and they turn into little zombies while watching a movie or playing on the…
Asking your kids for good behavior means telling them exactly what you want them to do—not what you don’t want. One year ago yesterday, we ended our Caribbean cruise. I thought I should maybe start posting the rest of the pictures. This is the girls getting ready to go to the beach on Grand Cayman…
Last week I found myself in need of a new wreath for my front door. The one I made a couple years ago was pretty much destroyed in a windstorm last year, and there was no way to fix it. Nor did I feel much like making something. Instead, I quickly ordered an inexpensive one…
Last week, we got a little snow. Just a few inches that stayed around for 2 or 3 days. My husband took my youngest daughter out to the deck to inaugurate the season with the first snowman. I totally admit it, when it comes to playing with my children, I am not a very good…
I’ve been seeing quite a lot of hype about this book, so I was excited when I was asked to review it. I have devoured it. Devoured. And I am excited to implement the principles I’ve learned in my own household. In the introduction, The Eyres explain how entitlement is the “one reason parenting is…
This week, we introduced the Family Rule Book, which is part of my Project Walking Into a Hug. It took nearly two hours, but together we came up with about 30 family rules and their attached consequences. At first, the girls seemed to think that things like “not spitting on people” and “don’t slam doors”…
While we were in Chicago, we stayed at a hotel that was a considerable distance from downtown, and took the train in every day. This was (usually) fun for the children, and it saved us lots of money so that we could actually do more exciting things on vacation. The only downside was that we often found ourselves on…
For Mother’s Day this year, my mom gave me a book that is just what I needed right now. It is called Walking into a Hug: 52 weeks to a Home That’s More Embracing by Janene Ustach. It’s a workbook of sorts, and I really like it so far. I decided that I am going…