Parenting
Writer…Interrupted By Summer
School has been out for a couple of weeks and I’m THRILLED that for a short season I’m free from all the trappings of the school year. For the next couple of months, I won’t have to: help with any Algebra homework drag any children out of bed scrounge through the kitchen to find something…
To Sleep or Write?
by Tanya Dennis The kids are finally asleep. I just kicked off a second load of laundry, straightened the living room (for the fourteenth time today) and cleaned the bathroom. Exhausted, I ignored the dirty dishes in the sink. It’s 9:27 PM, but it feels like 11. I should write. I should work on that…
How to Write Without an Office
Does the lack of privacy keep you from writing? In a recent web class I learned more about the unique way I learn, write and study. I had to laugh but I’m in a stage of life where my natural needs in the way of office space (private, quiet, creatively decorated) aren’t an option. With five…
Back to School … and Work
FROM THE ARCHIVES Something absolutely amazing happened this week. My youngest child started preschool. For the first time in over eleven years of stay-home momhood, I have the house to myself. The dog and cats are outside. The TV is off, radio is off. I can hear the refrigerator running as I type. And that…
When You’re Not the Only One in Your Family with a Dream
From the Editor: I’ve been thinking a lot about my personal goals, my children’s dreams, and what I want my family to look like. Unfortunately, all three are often in conflict with one another at different times. I knew from a young age that I wanted to write, and I’ve never doubted the calling, though…
Life’s Little Interruptions
“We all become frustrated when seemingly meaningless interruptions interfere with plans we have for our careers, families, finances, or ministries. Are we missing God’s interventions as He seeks to divert us to His will?”
Five Tips for the Writing Dad (or Mom)
My alarm goes off at five. I get up. Flip on the coffee, stumble to the computer, and blink myself awake while the computer hums through its startup. I read a little of my work from the previous day and begin to fall into the clicking rhythm of creation. When the coffee burbles, I go…
Learning to play
I want to be like my daughters when I grow up. To many that makes no sense because children are supposed to grow up and be like us.But most kids do a few things we grown ups have forgotten…Kids play hard.They fall down, dust themselves off and try again.They laugh. A lot. They marvel at…
Waiting Game
Lately, it seems I’m spending quite a bit of time waiting. Waiting for projects to get finished. Waiting in carpool lines. Waiting for a letter to arrive. Waiting for a page to load. Waiting for the Next Thing. I’m not a very good “wait-er.” I feel impatience start rising from my toes and hit my…
Writing Thanks
Maybe it’s a lost art. Maybe folks are too busy. But I wonder if the reason so many don’t write a simple thank you note is because we’ve forgotten something important. Being thankful. So here’s a short holiday challenge… Think of five people who’ve done something to encourage you this year. Got that list? Now here’s…