Ella and Emma were standing in front of the new release children’s book section of our local library. Their heads were tilted sideways, their ears almost touching their shoulders as they read the titles printed on the spines of the new books. I watched as...
I was running a few minutes late to meet a friend for coffee, so I decided to send her a quick text to let her know I was on the way. When I arrived at the coffee shop, we ordered lattes and settled into a cozy booth...
"Pause," instructed our teacher, a retired police officer. "Just for a moment before you move forward." We all nodded, hearing the warning for at least the tenth time. He spoke of the horrific accidents he'd witnessed when drivers zoomed ahead as soon as a traffic...
Jeff Permar, a gardener in Middletown, Delaware, discovered that his organic garden was being destroyed by an unknown culprit. The fresh vegetables he was carefully tending weren’t just being nibbled on; everything was being gobbled up. The farmer suspected it must be an animal living...
When Ella was a little girl, barely two years old, we decided to make a family vacation out of a conference I was attending out of town. Some toddlers carry dolls or blankets or stuffed animals for comfort, but Ella liked to carry a little pink...
I was craving a grapefruit. Maybe it was the warm, nearly-summer-like weather. Maybe it was noticing citrus blossoms were beginning to appear on the fruit trees in our backyard. But whatever it was, I decided I would treat myself to a delicious grapefruit on this Saturday afternoon....
There’s a sweet children’s book about a little girl named Sara whose teacher has chosen her to create the most important painting for the class art show. Sara agonizes over what to paint and decides that if it needs to be the most wonderful painting,...
“Way too spicy!” Emma said as she put her spoon down and pushed her bowl away. She reached for her glass and gulped down water. I had followed the recipe for the soup precisely, stirring in the exact, leveled amount of chili flakes along with the...
On one of the busiest streets in Phoenix, squished between two sprawling office complexes, is a little blue house. I pass it twice a day when taking the girls to school and picking them up. It stands out — a home nestled snugly on a street...
Last Saturday, taking full advantage of the beautiful weather in Phoenix, we decided to go on a family hike. We chose one called Tom’s Thumb, named for the unique rock formation that sticks up like a thumb from the top of the mountain range. It’s quite...