How to Support Someone Through Grief
Chances are, you’ve got a friend or family member who is stumbling along their own personal journey of grief. In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, here are five ways, according to Stephanie, to best support them during tough seasons.
Developing Character and Responsibility in Your Teen
We must go through the process of releasing control over our teens so they can move toward responsibility. A person who never learns to take full responsibility for their own life and actions will never have the chance to develop healthy character, or to be fully alive, and happy.
Planting Seeds of Truth for Your Kids
I was always extremely skinny as a child. Adults would consistently made jokes about my size. They referred to me as a “string bean,” said I was “nothing but skin and bones” and “25 pounds soaking wet.” One windy day, I remember an adult telling me I needed to put...
7 Undeniable Characteristics of Middle Schoolers Parents Should Know
If there is one common theme that surfaces every time I talk with parents of middle schoolers it’s this: it’s really confusing and really hard. Why? Because change is what marks this phase of life, and change isn’t easy for anyone. I have worked with middle school...
How to Read Better Bedtime Stories
When my wife and I told people that we were going to have a baby, they often asked what I was most looking forward to about being a new parent. My answer? The tax exemptions. I’m only kidding; my wife is a CPA, so that was always her answer. No, I most looked forward...
Why You Should Let Your Kids See You Do Something You Love
I can count on one hand the amount of things I love more than I love Zumba. Zumba and me go way back: I started taking the fitness class at a point in my life when I was the most downtrodden I’d ever felt—I had been laid off from my first job after college and had...
The One Thing That Will Help You Survive Parenting as an Introvert
Confessions of an Introvert I am an introvert through and through. Although I love authentic relationships and conversations, people, no matter how much I love them, drain my energy. Do you know who else is a person (albeit little)? My three-year-old daughter, Arden....
Does Your Summer Have a Rhythm?
Summertime is here—and that means more free time for the little people in my home. Between pools, playdates, camps, and finding the right time to just relax, summer can be another full time job. I don’t know about your kiddos, but mine are out of school for exactly 10 weeks which can seem like an eternity if not properly planned out. So here are some ways I create summer rhythms in my house.
I first start off by breaking the summer down into two week sections. This way I can plan more efficiently and do not feel as overwhelmed as I would if I lumped the whole time together. So here is an example of what our summer entails:
The Humility of Connection
Connection takes humility.
Connection takes work.
And connection takes time, cultivated in many invisible acts.
How No-Drama Discipline Helps Me Communicate With My Toddler
My toddler daughter, Arden, is very toddlery these days. And by toddlery, I mean I can’t help but look at the clock and wonder how in the world I’m supposed to make it to bedtime without us both collapsing in a puddle of tears. I’ve always been told the age of three...
Why You Should Go on an Adventure with Your Family
I come from a family of campers. Tent campers, to be exact. I suppose it’s always been in my DNA, with parents who loved National Parks and toured us all around the great American West. I can still vividly remember that cold, foggy campsite on the Sonoma coast, with...
High Hopes
We all have high hopes for our future, especially for our kid’s future. We all want the “perfect” family and we even try to fake it to the world through social media. But the truth is, we are not perfect. Our lives are filled with imperfect moments. But even in the...