Parenting
On Medals, Awards and a Rock Named Stretch
My husband was frustrated with the amount of clutter and debris piled into our closets and drawers. “Every single thing you open has a bunch of junk in it,” he said, disgustedly. “I mean, just take a look at this drawer,” he pulled open a drawer from a small desk in our bedroom. In it…
What Speaks Love to a Writer?
A very special Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all! Hope you’ll both say and hear some special words of love today. Let me be among the first to do just that…. If you’re a writer and parent, please know you are appreciated! I thank you for your words and for following the Lord’s call to…
Parenting Power in the Early Years by Brenda Nixon
Growing up, as the middle child, in Ohio, Brenda worked as a nanny and preschool teacher following college. She moved to Missouri where she married, had her first daughter, earned a Masters Degree in Religious Education, had her second daughter, worked as a hospital chaplain, parent educator, and then served as the parenting expert on…
Resolved: I will aspire!
At the New Year’s Eve party that my daughter Em gave for her friends, my son (age 12) was asked if he had any New Year’s resolutions. He thought a moment and then said, “Yeah. Eat a high fiber diet!” Wait a sec. Unless Pop Tarts are now considered a health food, I pretty much…
Our Radical Sabbatical Part II
There are only twenty-four hours in a day. Why was it then that I felt like I was spending twenty-three of those hours behind my steering wheel? Last January, in an attempt to regain control of our busy and sometimes chaotic lives, my husband and I decided to give our four children (ages 6-16) an…
Writing Letters to Jesus
Years ago I started something with my children that has now turned into a Christmas tradition. We write letters to Jesus. I started writing these letters out of a desire to give a gift to Jesus on Christmas. After all, it is HIS birthday. When my kids were too little to write, I wrote for…
Close Your Eyes, Say a Prayer, and Kick It
I truly love how many life-changing lessons from God are brought home in the simplest of situations. Recently one such situation was related to me from my younger sister. Her son is playing soccer for the first time this year. Being a natural athlete, he took to this sport with his usual grace and ease.…
Writer Off Schedule!
I thought I’d have more time to write when my kids were in school. I thought I’d be able to crank out pages of perfect prose now that I wasn’t homeschooling. I thought I’d be finished editing my WIP by now. I was wrong. When I was homeshooling, I used to hire a babysitter to…
A Central Park Writing Lesson
I sometimes sit down to write and make the mistake of “just checking a few things” before I start attacking my own work. I check email and see a note from my sister — so I write her back (real quick). Then I skim through a yahoo loop. I’m in the zone, inspired to get…
The Best Medicine
It’s that time of year again. School. Awanas. Colds. Flu. Allergies. Humidifiers. Soup. My childhood sicknesses always involved flat 7-Up, homemade chicken and dumplings, and sometimes milk toast for breakfast–a tradition handed down by my mom’s mom. In my newlywed days, my hubby fussed over me with a mug of hot Campbell’s soup. He even…