by Stephanie | Articles, Blended Life
Her words hit me in the gut. “Mom, I don’t care if it’s my birthday and Christmas presents for the next five years. The greatest gift I could ever receive is knowing who I am.” My daughter is talking about a DNA test. Over the summer we had hoped the state...
by Stephanie | Articles, Blended Life, Negotiations & Lullabies
Notes get sent home in her backpack. Notes from her teacher asking me to please help her speed up the process of writing; encourage her to move more quickly. I get assessment reports saying she is lagging behind the momentum of her class in her short moment story, and...
by Stephanie | Articles, Blended Life
Last week my daughter came home from middle school full of energy and with a look on her face that I recognized. She had connected with someone at school in a significant way. But you know tweens, I didn’t want to push too hard, so I began guessing in my head...
by Stephanie | Articles, Blended Life, Book Reviews
Book-smitten. A word I coined with my kids when we fall in love with a book. For me, that book must contribute to our bookshelf – in story, diversity, and beauty. The power of diversifying your bookshelf is found both in your children seeing themselves on the...
by Stephanie | Articles, Blended Life
The day of Michael Brown’s funeral I stood in the bereavement card aisle. My three children danced and swirled about me pulling open cards that loudly played “We Are the Champions” or “Celebration” as I stood frozen, hands sweaty, with a card that read ‘We lost...