You know what summertime means, don’t you? Summer reading. Hooray! If you need some book recommends for the beach or your back porch, this post is for you. After spending some time recalling (fiction) books I’ve loved, I crafted a list of the top 21-ish. The Help* by Kathryn Stockett My mother requested this book for Mother’s
By Jennifer Norstrom Silbert Exactly one year ago tonight, my brothers, their wives, and I were standing vigil over my dad’s hospice bed at my parents’ home in Wisconsin. We expected, but didn’t know for sure, that Dad wouldn’t make it through the night. His cancer had roared back into his life just three weeks
Last week I bought a new car for the first time since 1986. For decades I believed buying a new car was a really bad idea. Due to the tendency for a new vehicle’s value to drop 10% one month after you drive it home. But then a link in my Facebook feed began to
On my recent reader survey someone asked, “What kind of activities do you and Tony-Bear do with your adult kids now that your nest is empty?” I wonder if she really meant to ask: “How do you get your kids to come visit once they’re ‘grown and flown?’” Host “Family Suppers” This was actually our middle-child’s
Sometimes the best thing you can do for your weight is maintain the current number. For some people that means not gaining weight. For others, the goal is not to lose weight. For the last few years of her life, my mother fell into the second category. Every time we saw her doctor, he begged Mom to
So you want your Facebook experience to be better. Awesome, in fact…. For starters, make sure your bio is up-to-date. To do this, Go to the “Intro” area beneath your Facebook profile picture. Update both areas: the “Intro” field and the list below it which includes where you live, where you work, where you went
A meandering stream-of-consciousness-and-crowdsourced-mothering-advice. Childhood 101: Things every child should know To kick off my massive list of mothering advice, here are nine things every child should know how/why to do. Read (and hopefully love books) Swim Ride a bike Drive a car Shake hands firmly Speak clearly while making eye contact Do laundry Put 10%
For Karen…and Toby Note: If you can’t stand sad animal stories or if you’re at work, “x” out of here quick like a bunny. If on the other hand, you feel in need of a soul-soaking tear flood, read on. I’m running this post-from-the-past at the request of a dear friend. She recently lost her
(Anonymous) Guest Post As the mother of a child who was sexually abused by her father, I frequently find myself being asked questions that I consider…well… odd. But to the Foreigner [the word I use to describe someone who has no idea of the pain we’ve lived through, and praise the Lord, will never
On April 7, 2019 my blog turned two years old. Thanks to you. I’m so grateful you all show up every week to see what I have to say. To celebrate, here is an overview of year #2’s top 10 blog posts, based on reader views. If you’re new reader to my blog, or even a
