Big Kids

How do we teach our daughters about true friendship when everywhere they turn, they are bombarded with messages of how important it is to have a BFF?  From TV shows for young girls to conversations at recess, there is a...

I was close to my son's age when I learned my first big lesson about hard work. We lived on a small farm with horses, goats and a big yard. A memory that will forever stick in my head...

As mothers of school-age children, we all experience morning chaos, but do we get a chance to connect with our kids before they go to school? I have learned that getting six kids out the door by 7:30 a.m. almost always...

Holy enchiladas, mamas! Eight is so much trickier than I thought it would be, and I've realized I need a new plan. My girl is busy copping an older-than-appropriate attitude, and sauntering out of the room with a GIGANTIC eye-roll, but I...

On a recent non-school day nine neighborhood kids, ranging in age from 2-11, played in my living room, jumped on our trampoline, and asked me for snacks. The day before, it was eight kids (all different, except for my...

I am a fraud. It pains me to admit this in a place where the people I have tricked may discover the truth. How is it possible that I am in charge of two children, I chaired our school's auction,...

My little girl wants to be Wonder Woman. She puts on that outfit and vanquishes bad guys and saves the world. She spins and jumps and lassos until she is stopped mid leap by the full length mirror in my...

When I was a kid, I spent many Sundays at my uncle's house listening to people yell excitedly at the television as football teams battled it out. I often sat there snacking with a book, and side-eyed them—like a...

Can you imagine your child getting as excited about reading as a Ducks or Beavers fan gets about the Civil War football game? Believe it or not, students all over Oregon are motivated to this level of excitement through the annual...

My kids suck at unstructured, inside play. They do this brand of play that is exactly what siblings have been doing since the dawn of time. It's called pick pick pick, poke poke poke, tickle, scream, repeat. I think...