Creating a haven at home for teens in a noisy world

Creating a haven at home for teens in a noisy world

I set down four alarm clocks next to the cash register. The young cashier squinted at my purchases, as if to say, “You know nobody uses these…


Grateful in the small moments

Grateful in the small moments

Cranberry sauce may not be the star of the Thanksgiving table, but it is still an integral part of the dinner. This simple unassuming side can also…


Four ways to connect with your kids this Thanksgiving

Four ways to connect with your kids this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving evokes lots of wonderful memories for me. As a kid, my family would gather at my grandmother’s where the cousins would watch the…


Eight easy gratitude activities for families

Eight easy gratitude activities for families

Thanksgiving - the holiday of gratitude and thankfulness!  The call to gratitude existed long before the first Thanksgiving meal between pilgrims…


Responding to teen parenting challenges with courage and grace

Responding to teen parenting challenges with courage and grace

As a pediatric nurse practitioner, I often meet families behind closed doors at a point of crisis they never saw coming. No parent walks into my…


Dear moms, boundaries aren’t selfish

Dear moms, boundaries aren’t selfish

Modern mothers are eaten up with guilt over things that mothers from previous generations wouldn’t have given a second thought to. After all, as kids…


How do I make friends as an adult?

How do I make friends as an adult?

We believe friendship matters, right? But how do we make friends as adults? It’s not as easy as it was in elementary school, high school, or even in…


How to help friends parenting a child with special needs

How to help friends parenting a child with special needs

As special-needs parents, the demands our children sometimes require of us cause us to muster up a superhero type of strength and independence. Over…


Making family memories this fall

Making family memories this fall

If you are anything like me, you’ve been anxiously awaiting the day when you can put away your shorts and sundresses and live in cozy sweatshirts and…