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
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
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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…