In honor of February, the month of L-O-V-E, I am sharing an updated, two-part, version of a post I wrote last year. I have added resources in the hope that you are more easily able to find more successful ways to communicate with your husband. Did you know that there is an entire […]
The BEAGLE Theory of Life
November 5, 2012 By 29 Comments
Life’s lessons come to us in some unusual ways, but more often than not through rubbing up against those hard and unyielding sharp edges of the world. Such is the case with the B.E.A.G.L.E. Theory of Life. There was a pistol of a young man—Charlie Marston—who attended high school with my daughter. He had […]
A bridge too far and a bar too high
September 19, 2012 By 23 Comments
Giving is something you love to do. You give of your time, your money, and yourself. This is a wonderful thing, as you love to bring joy to those you care about. Whether you realize it or not, every time you give, you set the bar and pay a price. This may go exactly as […]
When there’s a fork in the road, eat croissants
July 9, 2012 By 50 Comments
Don’t you just delight in the sweet, sweet taste of summer family vacations, where joy and laughter are generously slathered over every moment of the day and sprinkled with children playing happily together, their delightful voices adding perfectly delectable notes to each and every deeply satisfying day? What’s that? Are you saying that […]
“I saw the lake first!”
and other treasured family traditions
July 2, 2012 By 17 Comments
“I see the lake, I see the lake!” Every year, my six siblings and I would crowd and elbow one another as we jockeyed for the coveted spot in the Volkswagon bus so we would be the first to see Shadow Lake as we drove the final stretch of narrow, winding road to my grandparent’s summer […]
3 Simple changes to grow a happier family
June 25, 2012 By 36 Comments
You carefully prepare the soil and plant two identical gardens. In the first, the little seedlings are nurtured, fertilized, mulched and weeded with an abundance of love, patience and attention. The other plot gets nothing from you except for an occasional condemnation: “Why can’t you grow up big and strong like your sibling?” Oh, fine. […]
10 Lessons in happiness from a yard sale
June 18, 2012 By 39 Comments
Have you ever thought that your idea of happiness would be to spend a week’s vacation preparing for and holding a yard sale? That you would be just beside yourself with delight at digging through boxes that hold years of foolish purchases, projects you were going to do, and clothes you bought and never wore? […]
When little is big
June 11, 2012 By 22 Comments
It’s a conundrum, really. How can something little actually be bigger than it initially appears? Well, consider this: Have you ever helped a friend with something simple, perhaps picking up something at the grocery store, and they gushed with appreciation? Have you ever given a small gift that the recipient treasured more than it’s actual […]
The Secret to choosing a Mother’s Day gift that hits the heart
May 7, 2012 By 7 Comments
Tell me if you’ve been here before. You spend a great deal of time, energy, thought, and money to pick out the absolute perfect gift for your mother. Just a note here for husbands: this could equally apply to how you choose the gift for your wife. To keep this simple, however, we will […]
Five Minute Friday-Loud
March 23, 2012 By 14 Comments
Shhhh. Can’t you just be quiet? Are you sure you want to wear that outfit? Don’t you want to be pretty? Don’t you want to be liked? Do you really think that joining that group is a good idea? Uh oh. I can hear my inner child ramping up the volume in response. But I’m […]
