By Mary Rarick

After reading a blog entry by Stephanie Partridge, Letters to your Child: A Gift of Love from the Heart, I was reminded of the letter writing that goes on in our household.

My husband writes me a lot of letters: always for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays, and sometimes for no reason in particular except to tell me he loves me. He started writing letters to the kids when they were mere infants, priceless letters expressing his hopes for their futures. (more…)

By Mary Rarick

Do you have a goal (or several) that you’re trying to achieve? Perhaps you’re trying to pay down some debt, save for a vacation, fund raising for your elementary school or train for a half marathon. Long term goals are difficult because the results of a little work take a long time to show. (more…)

By Mary Rarick

You know what I’m talking about. Flagrant disobedience. Not a care for the rules.

So when you’re out in public and you see this kind of reckless behavior, what do you do? Do you intervene or let it go? (more…)

By Mary Rarick

Now I remember why I hate sleepovers. Yes, there’s the noise, and the inconvenience of not having use of my house, and the feeling of being held captive in my house babysitting other people’s children. And the noise. But that’s not the worst part of sleepovers. (more…)

By: Linda Cohen

What is it about little boys and bathing?

In our family, my husband, daughter and I love to bathe. My nine-year-old son,  however,  hates the idea of taking a bath or a shower. In fact,  it is an ongoing battle. Once he is actually in the bath or shower he seems to enjoy himself. Often he’ll even stay in the tub for quite a while, but coaxing him to do this is exacerbating. (more…)

By Mary Rarick

An evening of jazz and a delicious dinner at Jimmy Mak’s with the love of my life. Doesn’t it sound divine? And yet, believe it or not, I’ve never taken the time to do it. Until now. (more…)

By Karen Donaldson Kuzmack

January 2010 brings a new year and also with it a new decade. During this time of resolutions to change habits and behaviors, I’ve decided to look at what I’d like to incorporate into my life this year.

I was raised a Catholic. The Catholic Church played a strong role in my growing up. Along with the Church and guidance of my parents I received a strong sense of self, strong values and was taught the importance of service towards others. I actively practiced Catholicism until I reached my late 20’s when for a host of reasons I left the Church. I’ve chosen not to embrace any type of organized religion and am at peace with my decision. (more…)

By: Ute Mitchell

You know the picture of the beautiful, glowing, oh so perfect pregnant woman on television and in magazines, don’t you? Her skin is clear, her hair thick and shiny, and of course at 30 weeks she has gained 5lbs. Her clothes are white and ironed, and she wears a wreath of flowers in her hair, as she lovingly pats her picture perfect belly… you know the one that has never and will never see even a trace of a stretch mark. (more…)

By Mary Rarick

For those of you just beginning to listen to drums, cellos, trumpets or, dare-I-say-it, bagpipes being practiced, you’ve probably been told by your child that her instructor would like you to purchase a metronome. If your child is young and still in what I refer to kindly as the trial phase, you may not be up for spending $60 on one of these pricey little time pieces. So what’s a mom or dad to do? (more…)

By Tammy Ellingson

I think we’ve taken technology and automation a bit too far. Now, I’m not a complete Luddite, I appreciate automatic doors, soap dispensers, faucets, hand dryers, towel dispensers and the like; mostly because I am still in control to an extent. I can step in front of the door when I want it to open. I put my hands under the dispenser or faucet when I am ready to wash and in front of the hand dryer, or towel dispenser, when I’m ready to dry. The key lies in being able to make the decision – be the determiner of my own timing and fate. That is one of the problems with automatically flushing toilets – the timing; timing, and potential job obsolescence. (more…)