Seventeen years ago the skies were gray just as they are today. We kept waiting for the sun to break through the gloom, but it never did. Instead, it started to rain lightly just as we left the church. I remember turning my face up into the rain and laughing. I remember you smiling and shaking your head at my laughter. We were so very young then, and yet I had walked into that church an hour earlier completely sure... Read more

I woke up this morning to discover that I had become #1 overnight! Thank you to everyone who has purchased my book, and to all the great people who have told others about it. This would not have been possible without you. Read more

I have this secret fear I don’t really like to talk about. I don’t like driving my car alone when it’s dark because I fairly certain that some evil mobster is hiding in the back seat to slash my throat or strangle me or whatever. I blame it on an active imagination and lots of movies. Ever notice how bad guys hide behind the seat and then the hero is toast? Yeah. Me too. I’m not claiming to be any kind... Read more

My eldest daughter left Friday for a mission trip to South Dakota. She’s up in the frozen tundra (that’s what South Dakota is like in my mind…that’s right, isn’t it?) building houses with Habitat for Humanity and her Church youth group. It’s weird to not have her here. It’s even stranger to not be able to hear from her except in the occasional text message. (Spotty coverage and they don’t want them on their phones all the time) I miss... Read more

I really prefer a hand held microphone to the clip on kind.  If I have the clip on kind I will play with the cord. I will also fidget non-stop with the lanyard from a name tag. I like autographing books. It’s even better when it’s a book I wrote. I love new homeschoolers. They make me incredibly happy to be around. Nuns make me even happier. The restaurant on the San Antonio Riverwalk where we had dinner puts A... Read more

I was on the radio this morning! I chatted about homeschooling and bling and tiaras with Teresa Tomeo for 20 minutes that seemed to fly by. I was completely nervous and unsure how these things work. I had no idea that I was going to get thrown straight into the deep end of the swimming pool. My interview was set to begin at 7:35 my time. I kicked my husband and children out of the house at 7:20 (because he’s... Read more

When our first child was in the second grade, we began a unit sudy of the Dust Bowl. We lived in Oklahoma, and it seemed like an in depth look at such an important part of our state’s history was a great idea. We spent an amazing month traveling the state to look at the different kinds of terrain and to see a wide variety of museums. (If you’re in Oklahoma, the Sod House Museum in Aline is worth the... Read more

I finally did it! I jumped onto the box! For months I’ve been so afraid of those boxes. They looked like death to me, or at least pain. I’m not known for being especially graceful, so leaving the safety of the ground to hop onto a wooden box that’s almost two feet high? It didn’t seem like an especially good idea. Until today. Today we had our Saturday workout, and were competing for reps – one group against another –... Read more

Welcome to the roller-coaster that is my life. I hope you’ve brought your Dramamine. Today has gone from the high of having a book on the best-seller list, to the low of strep in my house, and then back up again when I got a request to be on Teresa Tomeo’s radio show on Monday morning. She’s going to be talking homeschooling with me during the 20 minute slot from 7:35-7:55 am. (That’s Dallas time. Adjust for where you live.)... Read more

The Weee-Haaaaa! Parade of excitement ended abruptly this morning in the usual way. #4 has a fever. 104.3 at its peak. A trip to the doctor confirmed what I had already smelled… she has strep throat. Again. Her doctor suspects that she may be a strep carrier which is why it blooms out every time she gets sick with something else. I’m not sure what they do for that. A carrier is always a carrier is what I’ve read. They... Read more