Kids in the Kitchen with Cranberry Chicken Salad
My sons arrived home from Boy Scout camp this afternoon, sunburned and happy. They had a great time! My youngest was telling me about the fried chicken he prepared on a camp stove as part of the Cooking merit badge. Yes, fried chicken…on a camp stove! (Maybe for teenagers frying anything in oil is best…
Read MoreMarriage Magazine…on Newsstands Now!
Here’s a special treat for you and your spouse. Marriage Magazine! The magazine was relaunched this month with a brand new look. Lori Wildenberg, my coauthor, and I are very excited as we are blessed to be a part of this new venture as regular columnists. Look for “Parenting Prose” in this issue. May God…
Read MoreThe Father's Day Tree
My favorite symbol of Father’s Day is the maple tree in my family’s backyard. It reminds me of my dad because it was planted in his memory. Everyone told me to be prepared for “firsts”: the first Easter, birthday, Christmas after my dad passed away following a courageous battle with multiple myeloma, cancer of the…
Read MoreUnity in Your Family
Thank you! I’m grateful for all of you who subscribe to this blog. Today I’m embarking on a new adventure, vlogging (video blogging). I hope you enjoy the first vlog post! This week’s topic is Unity in the Family. Everyone desires a tranquil, peaceful home. Chaos and unrest are created by disunity. How are you…
Read MoreThe Strawberry Patch
As many of you know, my happy spot is in my kitchen garden. With an early spring this year there are already strawberries, ripe to be picked. These particular strawberry plants amaze me. Growing in a raised bed, I really thought they would be one season wonders. Instead, this is the fifth year these tiny plants…
Read MoreRhubarb Cake with Whipped Cream
As a child I remember picking stalks of rhubarb from my mom’s garden, snapping off the massive leaves, and heading to the house to rinse off the dirt. My mom would pour sugar into a small paper cup. I’d head outside to savor my treat. Okay, in kid terms it was a treat, raw rhubarb…
Read MorePlease Listen to Me
As a former kindergarten and first grade teacher, listening was one of the skills five and six-year-old students worked on often. You’ve heard the old adage, “With two ears and one mouth, listen twice as often as you speak.” The older I get, the more I realize this skill is one not easily mastered by…
Read MoreMother’s Day Wishes
Have you ever been so surprised by someone’s thoughtfulness you were reduced to tears? I remember my first Mother’s Day. I was really looking forward to the celebration, my first as a mom after years of infertility. On the day before Mother’s Day, I found an envelope addressed to me in the mailbox. I tore…
Read MoreRaising a Bookworm
The summer months are a great time to dig into books, just for the joy of reading. What better way to spend sultry summer afternoons than with a good book in a backyard hammock? The local library is a great source of endless adventures to entice the imagination in children of all ages. Give your…
Read MoreA Time for Everything?
May and September, the busiest months of the year for families with school-age children. September begins with endless forms to fill out, new activities and classes. May is the ending, the culmination of the year’s events. That said summer activities are just around the corner. After the busyness of the past nine months, why not…
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