Before throwing clothes into the washing machine, I usually do a quick check in the pockets to remove forgotten odds and ends. Yesterday, in the pocket of Ella’s yellow sweater, I found a rock, a stick, a marble, two leaves and a penny.As I held...
There are so many tiny joys we skip right over throughout the day. My girls are much better at recognizing these than I am. Just yesterday, they noticed and were nearly overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude about an extra bright star in the sky, a...
I’m going to contradict the typical New Year’s message – you actually don’t need to become a whole new you in 2020. Sometimes we focus so much on what should be fixed – especially in ourselves. And all that ruminating on the not-so-good can make us...
For the past few Christmases, I have been playing a little game with Amazon. Each year, as the 25th of December nears, I place my orders closer and closer to the two-day Prime shipping deadline to see just how last-minute I can get to having packages delivered free....
Doubt had crept into Emma’s enchantment with Santa. As we stood in line at the mall, I could see her eyes scanning Santa’s enchanted village of candy canes and elves. She glanced toward the jolly, bearded man who was sitting in the big, red chair. I...
We were in Costco, browsing, which is my husband’s idea of a nightmare. He likes to race through the store with a map in mind, barely stopping as he grabs detergent to toss it in the cart. I often feel like I’m jogging to keep...
In Walter Mischel’s famous 1960s marshmallow experiment, hungry 4-year-old children were brought into rooms and seated in small chairs at a table. A single, perfect marshmallow was put on a plate in front of them. The researchers told the children if they could wait 10 minutes without eating the tempting...
Every week, moments after my blog goes out Thursday morning, my inbox fills with auto-replies from people who are out of the office. I’m anticipating that on this day, when most of us have a day off to be with family and loved ones, I...
I’m slowly teaching my husband the skill of reflective listening. The essence of this skill is to take a guess about what someone means and offer it in the form of a statement. It’s a way to demonstrate accurate empathy, stepping outside your own perspective...
A few weeks ago, it was school picture day. After unloading the dishwasher that morning, I went back to the bedroom to see how Emma was coming along with getting dressed. There was just enough time left to help her pick an outfit and do...