Parenting
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Thankful Moments with My Kids
I’m continuing my Thankful Moments with my Kids posts. This is week three. Click on the links to read thankful moments week one and week two. Talking with My Kids After School Sitting at the table, eating pita and hummus, listening to Arielle and Kai talk about their day at school or talk about music, politics, religion, potential colleges…those days were the best! For an hour or so I had an opportunity to glimpse into their teenage world. Whether I spent my day writing or substitute teaching I always tried to make sure I was here when they got home just in case they felt like talking. Most days they did. I’m lucky that Arielle has…
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Thankful Moments with My Kids
Last Sunday I began my Thankful Moments with My Kids, posts. I bet you thought I forgot and was going to miss this week. Nope. I’ve been working on MYSTIC all day. Now, I get to relax and remember all the great times our family shared traveling together. We started going on adventures when the kids were two and six years old. Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, we planned trips every summer. Then in 2007 we decided it was time for the kids to see different cultures. We flew to Europe. I have to say the highlight of that trip for me was Zermatt, Switzerland. The train ride to get there…
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Thankful Magic Moments With My Kids
Every morning I wake a half hour early in order to begin my day in thankfulness. I grab my coffee, climb the stairs to my writing room and sit in my grandmother’s old lazy boy chair facing the window with a view of our canal. In front of me are a collection of books. The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, The Magic by Rhonda Byrne, Manifesting Change by Mike Dooley, Firstlight by Sue Monk Kidd, and The Book of AWESOME by Neil Pasricha. I choose one or two of the books open to a random page and begin reading. Just like I go to the gym to keep…
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Is Homework Helping or Hurting Our Children?
Is Homework Helping or Hurting Our Children? What does homework teach? There was a phrase I was taught to use as a new teacher when speaking with students. Every day I asked, “Did you do your personal best?” It was our way of trying to teach the kids to put effort into their work and not just slop something down to get it done. I’ve been thinking a lot about this phrase and my early years of parenting. When my children started school, it was extremely important to me that they were enrolled in a gifted program. I suppose it was partly due to my own insecurities about my school performance as a…
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4 Step Pumpkin Pie Bites
I may not have taught my children to be great cooks but I did teach them the joy of making yummy desserts. From the research to the baking and photos both kids have watched me fail and succeed and laugh through the entire process. The other night I darted around the disaster that was my kitchen making these pumpkin bites, texting Arielle at college, and cooking a pot of spaghetti for Kai. I had exactly fifteen minutes before I was going out again and Kai could see my stress. He took the spoon from my hand. “I’ll help, mom.” And began scooping the pumpkin pie mixture into the mini muffin tin. Meanwhile, Arielle called just to make…
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An Author’s Journey Part II
In 2006 I learned of the Rehabiltation Institute of Michigan. Eric and I decided we needed to give Arielle the opportunity to have intense physical therapy to see if any changes would occur; maybe she could walk again. I was still figuring out the best way to parent Arielle. We wanted to do everything we could for her but we also wanted her to be happy with the way she was. We finally decided to give therapy a try. We left for Michigan in March of Arielle’s sixth grade year. Our family split. I stayed here with Kai until the end of May and then Eric and I switched. I…
