Last week Missouri held a special severe weather test day and sirens blared in sync across the state. There is a notification tower next to my son's school and he has commented that the sirens are super loud during normal weekly tests, but this was a surprise drill, so I thought it might catch the kids off guard. When I picked up my tornado-skittish son from school that afternoon, I offhandedly asked him if that day's siren was loud. I thought the extra warning may have startled him a bit because the entire school did the full-press severe weather run-through. I didn't expect the response he gave, but we both…
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Clutter Begone: 40 Bags in 40 Days
Today is the first day of Lent, which consists of 40 days leading up to Good Friday and Easter. People “celebrate” this time of sacrifice by letting go of something they value, improving upon an aspect of life or, as is my case this year, getting rid of 40 bags of clutter that is weighing down my house and weighing down my life. Forty bags. That’s one bag or box of clutter for each day of Lent. It’s such a simple idea, but one that can make such a difference in your family’s life. This concept comes from Marie at White House Black Shutters, and she rallies the masses for this project…
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When Your Child is Not Your Child
I absolutely love it when I catch a glimpse of my child. . . well, not being my child. It sounds harsh, but I bet you mamas know of what I speak. At home my six-year-old son burps at the table and laughs, he ignores instruction on a whim, “please” and” thank you” are apparently optional and an occasional meltdown for no apparent reason is deemed normal. So imagine my delight when his “other self” appears, usually in public, and he becomes the dearest, most considerate, polite and helpful child you have ever seen. What? It’s on these occasions that I realize, contrary to my popular parenting belief, that my…
