Grief is something that we all must deal with at various times in our lives. Once you have experienced it, it never truly leaves you. For some of us it is something we once went through that shows up at unexpected times to remind us of its presence. For others it is an everyday companion. Regardless of where we [...]
If you have ever read a book by Tim Kimmel or heard him speak, then you already know that his views on parenting and family can be strikingly different than what you might encounter from other Christian experts. It seems obvious that the heart of the Christian parenting message should be grace, but unfortunately it often is not. I am always [...]
I love gift shops, online or brick and mortar, it really doesn’t matter. I especially love shops that celebrate family and focus on its importance. I am so pleased to be partnering with The Grandparent Gift Co. to offer my readers the chance to win a fantastic grandparent gift just in time for Mother’s Day. Don’t you love it when [...]
From the first time my family saw a preview for the movie The Croods, my kiddos wanted to see it. I, however, was not interested. I am not into the whole caveman dynamic, in fact I find it quite annoying. But when the opportunity to see this movie at an early screening came up, I decided to take the kiddos to [...]
“The beauty of being a sister is that when you connect with the people you grew up with, you can go back and be a kid again. You can laugh and giggle and just be crazy. You don’t have to be a dignified, responsible person because a sister knows who you really are.” – Helen Landrum, Fluffy, Funny, and [...]
March 14 is Pi Day, and no, I didn’t spell that wrong. We celebrated National Pie Day back in January but this Thursday is the day to celebrate pi, otherwise known as 3.14159265359… So while pi does not equal pie, heck, do we really need an excuse to eat pie? Of course not! We recently [...]
There are only a handful of people in the history of mankind who were masters of art, science, engineering, and music. We celebrate those who are gifted in any one of these disciplines, but sometimes a person is able to master several of these areas of wisdom. Leonardo Da Vinci was such a person and [...]
If you are like most parents, you do not allow your kiddos to play in the sun for an extended period of time without sunblock. As a desert dweller and skin cancer survivor myself, I always have sunblock handy and apply it to my kiddos often. However, that desire to protect my children’s skin from the Sun’s [...]
My family loves to eat out so when I got the chance to review Olive Garden’s new Lighter Fare Menu I said yes. To tell you the truth, I am often dragged out to eat against my will. It seems that a satisfying meal with a reasonable amount of calories can be hard to find. The fun of dining out can [...]
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love tea. While I grew up in an English family, my mom and grandma were primarily coffee drinkers. However, the tradition of tea was not lost to me. When I reached adulthood I gradually began to drink more and more tea and now I drink 2-3 cups everyday. My favorite cup of tea is the one I [...]
We take pudding seriously around here. My grandma taught me to make it from scratch and I never buy it pre-made or in instant form. However, during the last several years I have made a concerted effort to reduce my dairy intake. Although I am not dairy-free, I do use alternatives to cow’s milk regularly. One of my favorite milk alternatives [...]
What do you think of when you hear the word pie? I think of boiling down pumpkins with my kiddos in the fall, my grandma’s perfectly flaky pie crust, or eating mini pot pies with my mom as a child. Pies are delicious, usually easier to make than cakes, and they always seem to gather a crowd, [...]
