Car Conversations and Teen Talks

She climbed into the back seat of my car two weeks ago. “How was your day?” I asked. Short brown hair falling into her eyes, she buckled her seat belt as we drove away. After a few minutes of conversation, my teen daughter burst out, the story tumbling from her lips. Someone had made barbed…

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5 Sure Signs You Haven’t Been Working Out Consistently

1.) You have to introduce yourself to the new childcare staff when you drop off your son. 2.) The baby diapers in your work out bag are two sizes too small. 3.) Your locker lock is still at home in your “Let’s go to the outdoor pool!” bag alongside sunscreen bottles.  4.) Counting laps around…

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Autumn is Here: Children’s Homework and Pumpkin Pies

Are your windows flung wide open too? Crisp autumn air streams through my windows, almost making us cold. Navy storm clouds hover in the horizon teasing with their threat of storm. My two teens lean over the kitchen table, working on a history project together, speaking of the Mayflower, William Bradford and the New Plymouth…

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Potty Trips and Persistance

He reached down and with one flash flip of his hand, he sprinkled me and the wall behind me with wet droplets. Euuuh! It was my fault. Trying to be efficient, I had left an old pull up in the potty chair, to act as a sponge for fast clean up.  My preschooler, surprised by…

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A Peek into a Last Summery Weekend

My brother flew in from out of state this last week and stayed with our family for five days. With my parents and sister, we were the “Original Five” again, sharing laughter, conversation, endless games of Rook, bike rides, picnics, and boccee ball with our extended families. One day, we drove up to a rural…

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Playing Phone Tag With the Police

Nine or ten days ago, the local paper posted a cryptic one-liner in its Police Beat section. “A camera and video recorder, reported stolen from a garage in the 2400 block of _______, were later returned to the owners with a note.” The freelance writer in me perked up instantly. A mystery! Who took the…

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You Had Me at …Avocados

He was waiting outside the bathroom door for me, flowers in one hand and two avocados in the other hand. I grinned and kissed him, pulling him close. It was our wedding anniversary, and my husband was speaking romance to me in my own language. Having lived overseas for many years as a kid, I…

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