Dealing with Stress and Anxiety
True story. Call from our booking agent: "I know you're set to leave for your month-long European tour with the band tomorrow, but we've just discovered there's a problem with your passport." What?!?!?! Not exactly what I wanted to hear 24 hours before I was supposed to board a plane for New York and then another one to Dublin. "Your passport expires ten days after you return, but the last country on your tour is Belgium, and they require your passport to be valid for at leas
The Unexpected Joys of Volunteering
Six of my children recently returned from a week of volunteering for Catholic Heart Work Camp in Memphis, TN. It would be tempting to think that you can't do much in a week, but when you have 300 young adults descend on an inner city area, divide into groups, and tackle 40 different projects, it's clear that Catholic Heart Work Camp makes a big impact wherever they go. What's equally interesting to me is the impact the experience has on the volunteers. My kids came home with
The Gift of a Unique and Wonderful Dad
My dad has been gone for almost 28 years now, and yet there still isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him. At only 60 years old, he died way too young, but his faith and love of family, as well as his humor and daredevil spirit, have proven to be a powerful and lasting influence in my life. I am particularly grateful for the fact that he chose a job that not only fulfilled his dream of how he wanted to earn his keep but also allowed him a great deal of free time
Getting Started with Homeschooling
Curious about homeschooling? How to get started? What's it like? Does it work? Will I ruin my kids? Can I handle it? So many questions, so let's get to it! I've been homeschooling for 22 years officially, 28 years unofficially. My oldest is 28; in California, you don't have to legally start until the child is 6 years old. However, like a lot of homeschoolers, I see homeschooling as an extension of what I was already doing as soon as each child was born. One of my jobs as a mo
8 Awesome Family Traditions to Build Stronger Families
One of the keys to having a strong family is to have strong family traditions. The rituals we develop together with our spouses, kids, and extended family become the anchors that keep us grounded through the storms of life. For example, Mike and I have moved six times since we started having children, but we have a certain rhythm to our life, which makes anywhere feel like "home". I realized just how important this was when we moved 2000 miles from California to Tennessee a c
