Learning To Put My Own Oxygen Mask On First
Last week I did something unheard of during my first 32 years as a camp director. I took a full day off during the very first week of camp. On my day off, I did several things that “refueled” me: I took a long hike by myself. I took some long, deep breaths. I finished…
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11 Ways to Help Kids Create REAL Connections
A 75 year longitudinal study of adult development at Harvard Medical School had two main findings. Researchers George Vaillant and Sheldon Glueck determined that “good relationships”—not wealth or accolades or privilege—“keep us happier and healthier.” Their second, almost tongue-in-cheek finding was that “if alcoholism is not the root of all evil, it is closely correlated…
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The Uncool Mom
One of the numerous times I’ve made my son mad this year was the day I told him he had to go to school when a bunch of other parents were not making their kids go. Here’s the story: My son’s soccer team had a tournament on the last Friday of school before a break.…
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The Perils of Perfectionism
When we can let go of what other people think and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness — the feeling that we are enough just as we are and that we are worthy of love and belonging. -Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection Several months ago I was having coffee with a…
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My 2016 Reading List
If you read my post last week, you know that I’m planning to refill my parenting “toolbox” this year (especially my teen boy parenting skills). In addition to listening to podcasts and attending speaking events, I plan to do some reading. I’ve spent time researching books that interest me and have received good reviews. I’m…
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10 Life-Changing Books
Are you looking for some inspirational reads to help you switch some things up? Over the past few years, I have been drawn more and more to books that make me stop, reassess my life and how I’m living it, and make small changes—or at least think about making them! While some of the “aha”…
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5 Mid-Life Lessons
“Every laugh line on your face made you who you are today.” This One’s for the Girls (Martina McBride) In April, I read a post on Anne Lamott’s Facebook page where she compiled a list of “every single thing” she knows after living on this planet for 61 years. Her 14 observations (#2 was my…
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Super Mom or Super Bomb? Modeling a Balanced Life for our Kids
“First and foremost, we need to be the adults we want our children to be.” Brené Brown Books have an amazing way of dropping into my life at exactly the right moment. There’s usually one thing that really stands out to me, even from books that offer more than just one tip. Maybe it’s my…
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