Symbolically, the heart has long been identified as the center of the body. It holds wisdom, reason, emotion. Islam, Judaism and Christianity all share an understanding of the heart being a temple of God. Whatever we believe symbolically about the …
How Parenting Changed my Marriage
Derek held our baby first. I couldn’t. I was shaking from the labor and the, oh so many drugs that had been pumped into my body. Besides I was leaning over the side of the hospital bed puking into a …
The Powerful Seed of Kindness
“I want to help him mom. It seems like he’s depressed. I’ve never seen somebody who acts like how I used to feel.” He was talking about another boy we’d just seen at the playground who had gone home sad …
Simple Ways of Encouraging Cognitive Development in Young Children
As parents of young children, we are always seeking the most effective ways to interact with them, either through a bonding experience or with a new activity that might keep them happy and entertained. But as we try to select …
Helping Your Kids Develop a Love of Learning
Helping your kids develop a love of learning is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. What better way to do it than with an activity that kids naturally love, like play? We are all …
DIY Candles
“How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.” ― William Shakespeare Candles are warm and bright reminders of the goodness that surrounds us, even when things feel dark and cold. …
Raising Great Kids: Dealing With Selfishness
Preschoolers are all about “me first.” They only look at reality in terms of how it affects them: I need all the cookies. I want to watch this TV show. Mine, mine, mine. It’s a self-absorbed time of life. Part …
Messy Goodness
I am not the kind of mom who likes disorder. Seeing items scattered around the house instead of in their assigned space makes me break into a cold sweat. Frequent usages of my time include organizing the fridge, discarding clothes …
The Unfurling
He’s looking at me with that look in his eyes, the one that holds the monsoon. The tears are coming, the fit, the fight. I think about just giving in, giving him another snack before dinner. I see his lips …
I Am a Slacker Mom
I knew I was in trouble when I was in labor with my first daughter. I tried to go the med-free route, but it didn’t take long for me to realize the pain management technique I was using was a …