Birth – 5 years

Birth - 5 years | Celebrations | Create A Rhythm

The Wonder of Christmas – Setting the Stage for Preschoolers

“I want the other one!” my two-year declared as I took his usual favorite, Little Blue Truck, off the bookshelf. “I want the one in the attic!” I knew exactly what he was referring to: Little Blue Truck’s Christmas. We’d loaded it upstairs with all the tubs of... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Make It Personal

If You’re a New Parent, You Might Be Asking What You Have Gotten Yourself Into?

When you have a baby, your world changes in an instant, and you may begin to wonder WHAT HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO? We all start out with a picture of what we think family should look like. Then we actually have a family. And we discover it’s... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Celebrations | Imagine The End

What Your Preschooler Really Needs for Christmas

My “baby” is now 20-years-old. I consider myself to be a fairly good gift-giver, but his 20th birthday had me stumped. He is living in an apartment at college, semi-independent, cooking his own food and cleaning his own bathroom. He doesn’t need “things” from me, and he is... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Imagine The End | Social Life

How to Coach Friendship in the Preschool Years

Making friends and keeping them are important life skills. Just like learning to walk, talk, self-feed, and potty-train, there are steps that babies, toddlers, and preschoolers will master as they learn the skill of making and keeping friends. It takes a long time to learn these skills. I... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Fight For The Heart

What to Do With the Curiosity of a Three-Year-Old

If you ask me, any phase that involves sleeping through the night is far superior to any that don’t. Add uninterrupted REM to the fact that most three-year-olds are beginning to learn how to dress themselves, go to the bathroom in an actual toilet, and tell you what... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Make It Personal

Does My Child Measure Up? A Milestone Comparison Trap

Google “developmental milestones” and you may be surprised to see 1.5 million results. Are there that many milestones in the 18-year lifespan of a child from birth until they graduate from high school? No, definitely not. 1.5 million results tells us that common milestones happen at different times,... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Fight For The Heart

Messy One-Year-Olds

I’m not sure what captivates me more . . . the spontaneous belly laugh or the drool-mouthed wonder on their angelic faces. I can fall in love with a one-year-old faster than they can stink up a room with a saggy diaper. The cherub cheeks and adorable fat... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Imagine The End

The Best Way to Help Your Four-Year-Old Learn

Who really knows what provokes that mischievous glint in the eye of a four-year-old just moments before they deliver the kick that makes the block tower tumble? I suspect it’s something about the thrill of destruction combined with the wondrous spectacle of discovery. Four-year-olds blend the reckless abandon... Read More

Birth - 5 years | Fight For The Heart

What Your New Baby Needs Most From You

Regardless of how many friends, family members, and perfect strangers try to paint an accurate picture of parenthood, there’s nothing anyone can say that adequately prepares you for that heart-stretching moment you hold your newborn for the first time. Read More

Birth - 5 years | Family Life | Make It Personal

Confessions of an Insecure Mom

I’m doing my best. I’m trying to care for my child the best I know how. Aren’t we all? I’m trying to raise him well, make informed decisions, love him to the very ends of my human limits. And somehow it’s not enough. And too much. All at... Read More