My friend Kevin Allen gets a donut and a drink at the local QT convenience store every morning, and has done so for years. Sometimes he writes about his encounters there, and they never fail to entertain, amuse, or inspire. Now, with his permission, I am excited to begin sharingContinue Reading
Sometimes we work so desperately hard to achieve a goal, pushing intensely, but it just won’t budge. It seems that the harder we try, the more nothing happens. And then as soon as we give up, it finally shifts. Why does this happen? This is a phenomena of nature thatContinue Reading
When dreams get shattered, we can still find joy by looking for a new normal. This young man inspires me: [affilinet_performance_ad size=728×90]Continue Reading
Over the years, I’ve gone from being excited about vision boards, to absolutely hating vision boards (as I explained in this podcast), and back to thinking vision boards are pretty great. As you can tell, my experience has been a love/hate relationship with vision boards. But regardless of how aContinue Reading
You may remember my previous article about Vanessa, and Tender Mercies. Even when we don’t get exactly what we want, noticing the little blessings can help us qualify for more. As I said before, she has suffered a run of unfortunate events, but notice her attitude. She notices, documents, andContinue Reading
“Weekly hiker wannabe, tortilla chip addict and aspiring housekeeper, Stephanie loves reading and deep conversations, avoids cooking when she can, may or may not play drums when feeling so inclined, excels on the shooting range, and has spent 26 years prepping her 7 kids for the counseling they might needContinue Reading
I broke my tailbone about 6 years ago. Suddenly I couldn’t be physically active, I was unable to do my regular duties, and quickly lost confidence in myself. In a short time, my house spiraled out of control. Add to that my family’s unconcern about its condition Occasionally, I like toContinue Reading
Parenting Transformation Journey – page 17 (click here for page 1) (Originally posted August 14, 2013) All day yesterday, my 11 year-old son hoped I would find time to take him fishing. I had already picked up some hooks and bait the day before with the money he gave me, andContinue Reading
We were newlyweds of only one year. My husband and I decided to drive twelve hours to attend a conference which would help us start a business. Tensions were high because we couldn’t afford the trip, and our disagreements left us both feeling hurt and misunderstood. Because of a previousContinue Reading
I was invited to speak at an LDS Homeschooler’s Conference hosted by Celestia Shumway (treeoflifemothering.com), attended by mothers who wanted to stay at home to raise their children but who sometimes struggled to make ends meet financially. In this program, I share more candidly my own struggle to be aContinue Reading
Parenting can be hard! So when difficult behaviors wreak havoc on the family, you might just need a few more tools in the toolbox. Finding the core principles that govern success in any area of life is absolutely key to succeeding in that area, and what you’ll find on this podcast is no exception. This … Continue reading #28: Parenting Principles PreviewContinue Reading
Back when all my kids still lived at home: Tonight was our weekly family night, an evening set aside to spend time with the kids and improve our family relationships through activities and instruction. However, more often than we’d like, it’s actually the only family argument to open and closeContinue Reading
Depression had gripped me throughout my second pregnancy. I was thrilled to be expecting another baby, but the hormones seemed to be causing some kind of imbalance that made it difficult for me to feel the happiness. When the time came, labor was long and complicated. By the time myContinue Reading
An actual message to one of my teenagers who was complaining too much about his responsibilities: You’re doing so well in so many areas. But it saddens me that you blame dad when you don’t feel like doing your duties. You’re old enough to govern yourself, so govern yourself or be governed. If you were … Continue reading Talking to teens
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