“How was your day, honey?” My teen daughter and I have heart-to-heart conversations on a regular basis and they almost always start with me asking her that question, usually at pick-up time from junior high. From listening to my daughter’s worries about her grades to consoling her when she’s distraught over the complexities of female friendships, I prioritize being…
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New year, new you … right? We’re coming up on Spring, and it’s time to take a minute to refocus. How are you doing with the middle-of-the-winter activities? Are you getting ready to organize spring and summer activities? Now that the holidays have passed, there’s more time to get your life together. We’ve got some great ideas to help you…
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In a culture of likes, follows, instant gratification, cyberbullying, sex trafficking, and true crime documentaries in our Netflix queue just waiting to keep us up at night, keeping our kids safe seems like the highest of our priorities as parents. We are raising kids in a world that is more scary and intimidating than lighthearted and fun; imagine how our…
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I woke up with that painful pressure building in my head again, my ears were popping and I was dizzy and weak. I hoped it would go away but day after day, I still felt miserable. Over the last few weeks, I took care of my sick kids who had a terrible virus. As soon as they went back…
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A running theme I’ve noticed is that when one of my daughters maintains a friendship with a “friend” caught gossiping about her, the “friend” returns to gossiping as soon as the dust settles. An equally rattling trend I’ve noticed is that when my older daughter continues friendships with kids who persuade her to belittle her younger sister, these “friends”…
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This month, and leading up to Valentine’s Day, we are going to provide you with ideas, inspiration, and tips that can help you to connect with your tween and teen’s heart. We challenge you to cut out 14 hearts and write an affirmation or message of love on each heart. Every morning from February 1st to February 14th stick one…
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We love Valentine’s Day! Surprising your kids with a gift or two always helps beat the winter blues and helps to remind us that spring is coming. What are your traditions? Do you do gifts? I’m so happy you’re here, I just want you to know that this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click and purchase…
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Rarely do we talk about how painful it is as a mom when our sons begin to put some necessary distance between us and we realize that we need to begin to let go in order for our sons to become young men. When my son began to inch towards high-school I became increasingly aware that our relationship…
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This past week, I’ve been reflecting on where I want to grow in 2020. For the last 3 years, I’ve chosen one word at the beginning of the year. And I’ve invited Moms that I work with to do the same. I’ve found it to be a meaningful and powerful process. Every new year reveals an over-arching…
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It seems inevitable that we will fight about homework, or is it? Here are some ideas to end the battle! Choose to Disengage In order to stop the nightly homework fight with your kids, simply disengage. Choose to not fight. Choose to let the homework relationship stay where it belongs – between the teacher and the student. Your job is…
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Dear Moms~ You’ve done it. Another semester is wrapping up and all eyes are focused on Christmas break. My high-school daughter is in the middle of finals; my middle schooler is stressed to the max; I am balancing all of the things in my own classroom. I’m in the middle of my 26th year of teaching 8th-grade reading and writing….
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Are you still looking for some awesome gifts? These Etsy gifts are ready to ship, and are sure winners under your tree. Etsy is a fantastic company that supports small business owners, and we LOVE that! I’m so happy you’re here, I just want you to know that this post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click and…
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