C: “Mommy, today at school I said that I wanted to date with Hannah and Rebecca” Me: “Christopher, where did you hear about going on dates?!” C: “From you and daddy!”  Me: “Oh, right, because daddy and mommy go on dates…Well, you need to be a little bit older to go on dates, Christopher. But you can have playdates.” C: “Yeah, okay. Mommy, can I date with Lauren?” Read more

I love you when you empty the dishwasher, and, what is more, when you don’t. Read more

While watching Charlotte’s Web– Charlie (age 3) says in a sad whiny voice, “Charlotte died.” Gianna (almost 5) — “That’s ok Charlie, when bugs die, they don’t go to heaven. They are just dead.” Charlie — “Yeah.” Read more

When I sat down to read Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages a couple of months ago, I must admit that I was skeptical. Coming from a background in psychology (a field which I believe often mis- or over-uses categories and labels),  I wasn’t so sure about the idea that each of us speaks a “primary love language” and that once we figure out this love language (and that of our spouse) we will find ourselves in a healthier, happier marriage... Read more

In addition to our school curriculum, we usually have a themed read aloud unit going in our house, following the cycle of the year, so while we are officially learning about the Ancient World in history, in February we also learn about the presidents. Today we celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday. For homeschoolers, or those wishing to supplement their children’s education, I thought I would share some of the resources that my family is using to get to know the... Read more

My husband and I met in the fall semester of our freshman year at Princeton during the first meeting of our small-group lab of Civil Engineering 102. CIV102 was the “gut” science class that many all-out humanities types used to fill our science field requirement. If you’d told me I had just entered the same room as my husband for the first time, I would’ve been THRILLED… this particular class had more than its fair share of handsome, good men.... Read more

“Be All You Can Be” never really motivated me. I was not a born-to-be-a-soldier type. In fact, I wasn’t even overly patriotic when I chose to participate in Army ROTC at Princeton back in 1999. I just needed a way to pay for such an expensive degree and didn’t feel right leaving it solely up to my parents. So there I was, in fatigues, on one of the more liberal campuses in the country. They had even moved our little... Read more

Over the next seven days, as we approach Valentines Day next Saturday, I would like to invite our readers to post the story of how they met and fell in love with their husbands.In the bedlam of diapers and teething I think it is easy to forget the intense love that started it all. This week should provide us a great chance to collectively remember and enjoy one another’s stories. I promise, I will go first. Give me one hour. Read more

Yesterday our cabin fever, my winter blues, and misbehaving children necessitated my taking a brief retreat with baby Angelina into the bedroom to get a few minutes of space and quiet from Bella and Bean. Bella and Bean knew they were on thin ice. Angelina nursed as we enjoyed the peacefulness… and I may or may not have been daydreaming about a vacation to the warm, fresh beaches of Mexico alone with my husband. (Thanks for planting these seeds, Red... Read more