Beyond Just Mom

At his happiest, my middle son gets goofy.  He always has. 
As an infant, we would tickle him over and over to hear his infectious giggle.  As he grew, he’d entertain us with dramatic antics, and at night you can still hear him laughing with his brother until they collapse into slumber.  He’s eleven. 
I have to admit, the controlling [...]

How do you get young teens to pack for an international trip without waiting until the last minute?
Schedule a one mile “luggage walk” with their fully packed travel gear a week before departure:

Might seem silly, but it’s a very effective way to ensure they can carry all of their stuff.  
Sometimes the most brilliant strategies are the simplest.  
How [...]

My inspired friend Annie has launched a really cool project:
30daysofgratitude.org
It’s so simple, yet so powerful.  Just challenge yourself to submit one daily gratitude through the month of November.  You’ll receive helpful reminder emails and be inspired by other folks’ gratitudes along the way.  If it sounds like too much, you can choose “gratitude light” (weekly) or do it with [...]

Our church is launching a simple theme this fall: 
 
These words from a recent message keep echoing through my mind:

The past is not ours to change. 
The future is not ours to see.
There is only one call that God extends.
It is here.
And it is now.
–Rev. J. Douglas Paterson

Makes me wonder, regardless of our faith tradition:
Are we [...]

 
 
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” — Mark Twain
Or, as my teen son summed it up on Facebook (not quite as eloquently, but I must admit, it captured the sentiment): 
“There’s a [...]

It’s been a great week and I’ve missed you all.  I’ve got time to just post a few quick updates and then I’ll be back:
1) Last week we hosted our young visitor from Japan and he was amazing!   We couldn’t have ordered up a more friendly, engaging, appreciative and English-speaking (whew!) fourteen year old.   We said [...]