family building

I only gave it up last year. My darling little flip phone. I was so proud of how long I hung onto it. How capable I was of waiting in a line somewhere without pulling out a device. I put it off because I knew I'd fall hard for the iPhone. And we all know once you make the jump, there's no going …

Continue Reading about 5 WAYS AN IPHONE CAN BOOST YOUR FAMILY’S CONNECTEDNESS

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 4:55 p.m., the alarm on my phone goes off (playing Frozen's "Let It Go," because of course), and I gather three grinning kiddos in for a family hug. It's a time of day when we can all benefit from a quick reset—a reminder of how lucky we are to have each …

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A sweet friend of mine introduced me to Tiffany because she knew I'd like her family mantra. No surprise—she was right! Read this, and be prepared to want to do hard things!  Our family motto is "I can do hard things." I first heard it back in 2007. It was just a blip in an article I was …

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School is out, and I hope you too are knee deep in creating a slow, playful summer with your kids. I can think of so many reasons to let this summer go by with more fun and less fuss. I want to get back in touch with my ability to lose track of time. I want to teach my kids the lifelong value of …

Continue Reading about 8 Easy Ways to Celebrate Summer (All Summer Long)

They dance in kindergarten. Our son told me that only he and Alex don't really like to dance. I had music on in the background when he told me this, so I walked over and turned it up. Way up. (I'm sure the people I share walls with understood. I mean, teaching moment!) I said "let's dance" and …

Continue Reading about Wholehearted Living: Silly Parents, Silly Kids