parenting

Please Bless All the People

Every night since Sandy Hook, my 6 year old son has uttered essentially the same prayer. “Please bless all the people and all the earth that no bad things will happen and that everyone will be OK.” Clearly this last week (and many of the weeks prior) this prayer has not felt answered. He doesn’t know [...]

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How to Make Your Family More Resilient

In the 48 hours from our pre-wedding dinner with our families to arrival at the honeymoon destination, a series of unfortunate events that in my twenties I would have considered unmitigated disasters, were in my thirties great fodder for future family story-telling. As we went through the list with our kids over a wedding anniversary [...]

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Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus

We went to see the kindest, most gentle Santa I’ve ever met yesterday. He looked entirely the part. Every detail of his suit as it should be. A real bushy white beard and bright ruddy complexion. But he also felt the part. His spirit emanated love and all that Father Christmas in his purest form [...]

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Food As A Sign of Love

I grew up with one of those families. The kind with parents who are only satisfied if you’ve eaten everything on your plate and then some. The kind who shows their love by making sure you’re completely stuffed by the time you leave the table. Food as a sign of hospitality and love is a [...]

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Big Important Things I Am Grateful For, Including You

Possibly my very favorite thing about living in America is Thanksgiving. I may never understand sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, but that aside, it’s a wonderful day. Now I know the politics of pilgrims and Native Americans aren’t straight forward and that part of what this day represents is anchored in history we don’t like [...]

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What Following My Mother Through Graveyards Taught Me

My mother is a genealogist – she researches and writes family histories. I’ve tromped around graveyards since I was small and have learned they are not scary places. I feel peaceful and reverent as I let the markers reveal their stories. They are places of discovery, and yes, places of heartbreak. I have learned important [...]

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Us

I spent two days in Washington DC this week as part of my new role as Community Manager for the Million Moms Challenge attending the Shot@Life Volunteer Summit. It was an incredible experience and you can read all about it here. At the end of our second day together, we were asked for our key [...]

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Did you have the mumps, or measles or chicken pox as a kid?

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Eat Your Dinner!

My daughter threw a huge tantrum over dinner the other night. An out of control, screaming, monumental tantrum. I did what any tired over-wrought parent would do, and screamed back. I know. It was over food. You know, healthy nutritious food I had lovingly cooked that was delicious as well. She hated it. Made it [...]

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