THE KID DID WHAT?

Mantras! I love empowering my kids. We start each morning by repeating a positive mantra! I have decks of affirmation cards and sometimes it's a fun game to let them pull a card and repeat a beautiful statement. Our favorite mantras are: "Expect Miracles" "I Am Enough" "I Am Safe" These affirmations set the tone for a productive day. The boys have just created their own powerful and favorite mantra... “BE STRONG! BE KIND! BE SMART! BE ME!” Dax and Gray start each day with the

Could have been a werewolf! My husband, Steve, and I were driving home one foggy fall evening. As we came around a bend close to home, something ran across the road in front of us. "There's a coyote!" Steve called out. I was looking the other way, so all I saw was something running up the hill into the bushes. "Could have been a werewolf," I said. "Ya, maybe," Steve smiled. We arrived home a few minutes later. Austin, our son, was busy with a TV show. "Hey, Austin," Steve sai

I Need a break! The fall season always fills me with gratitude... for all of the wonder and joy in my life. I am thankful for my family. I adore my kids. But today... I could not catch my breath! My five-year-old, Felicity, and two-year-old, Todd, were everywhere and I just needed a break. They were seriously going to drive me to drinking and I don't drink... but an afternoon cocktail was sounding good. "Here you go guys. Use these markers and paint anything... but just let m

Go Better with Ice Cream “M-m-m-m-m, good," Flynn purred. "I sure love ice cream." "Me too," I said. Ice cream dribbled down Flynn's chin onto his shirt. "It's just us boys today. Mommy's missing out." Flynn and I were busy with guy stuff while my wife, Cameron, was busy with work. “Dad, can I get some ear buds?" “Your birthday's coming. We'll talk to your mom." "That's far away," Flynn said. He dug deeper into his ice cream. Later that day, Flynn came running out of the play

NO BABY FOOD FOR ME Smith Alexander Boyd... otherwise known as Smitty B... skipped eating baby food altogether. Every spoonful of creamy veggies or fruit came right back out of his mouth. "Smitty B., what are you eating?" I asked. He grinned as my daughter, Morgan, gave him bites of guacamole. "Don't ask me why, but it's his favorite," Morgan said. "It's right up there with chocolate cake and ice cream." She giggled. Seeing food all over Smitty B.'s face melted my heart! Beco

did you know some bunnies are chocolate? “I love Easter! Don't you?" I asked. "I'm going on an Easter egg hunt," one of my first-grade students blurted to the class. Other kids joined in... "My mommy's going to dye eggs with me." "I love jelly-beans and chocolate bunnies." I had to laugh. The excitement was contagious. "Why don't we write letters to the Easter Bunny?" I asked. "You will get writing practice while doing something fun." Hands waved in the air. "How do we get ou

I want "BO-O-O-O-O" A huge package arrived at our house one morning. "Mama! Mama!" Shannon, my one-year-old, pointed to the box. "Let's see," I said. We opened the package to find a super-sized version of Pikachu from her Auntie Vivien. Shannon's eyes grew wide and she grabbed the toy while I read the card inside. It was a gift for her big brother, Ryan! Oops! Shannon had already taken ownership of the toy. Her attachment was immediate. "Bo... Bo... Bo," she cooed. She hugged

Did you know there's a new lion in the pride? "How would you like to go to a play and see The Lion King?" I asked my four-year-old granddaughter. "Yes, please! Yes, please!" Sophie jumped up and down clapping her hands. She had seen the movie over and over. "Do we get to dress up?" Sophie asked. "In fancy clothes," I replied. I decided to spring for the most expensive tickets on the aisle, so we could see the characters entering the theater during the production and cascading