(I’ve been blogging my way through my new book, Humpty Dumpty Just Needed a Nap: What Children’s Stories Teach Us About Life, Love, and Mothering. Last week we started with the first vignette in the book about Winnie-the-Pooh and being the kind of Hundred Acre mamas we were made to be. This week, we’re chugging right along to The Little Engine That Could…which is about staying the course on our mothering marathon when the blisters start, but, better yet, how... Read more
(Hi, Mamas…now that my book is out, I’m going to be doing something fun for those of you who have a copy. I’m going to be blogging my way through the book a couple times a week by writing ‘workbook’ posts for each vignette. If you read my previous post, you heard about the importance of having a big, fat, ‘mama journal,’ for all things motherly. Now’s the time to pull it out and get scribbling. Don’t feel pressured to... Read more
As with any non-fiction book, my new book, Humpty Dumpty Just Needed a Nap, will be much more meaningful to you if you journal your way through it. To help you, I am going to be writing for the next few weeks about practical ways to apply the things we are learning via the children’s stories featured in the book. But, to start with, let’s talk about WHERE to write your insights down. Other than my personal journal, where I write down... Read more
“The things that make me different are the things that make me.” ~A.A. Milne *** (Alert: No matter how it first appears, this post is NOT about home schooling) *** The woman said what so many have said to me over the last sixteen years when hearing that I home school my children. “You must be so patient…I could NEVER teach my own children, I’d go crazy!” Such comments are meant to be kind, but somehow I’m always left feeling... Read more
Some of the titles in Story Mama *** The Bible says that if we are to understand spiritual things, we are to be as children. I would like to adapt this concept for mamas: If we are to understand life, we must understand children’s books. Let me illustrate (not literally, of course): When you go to Barnes and Noble to buy a self-help book, you might pick a bestseller off the shelf that has the following chapter titles: 1. How... Read more
Some of the titles featured in Story Mama. *** Have you made the common mistake of thinking children’s stories are for children? Most adults have. But don’t feel bad because the secret has only recently been discovered: Children’s stories are really parenting manuals in disguise. Shhh… Yeah, yeah, the people who wrote these stories may not admit it, but it’s true: There’s a wealth of wisdom tucked into those half-eaten books cluttering your shelves. All you need is a guide,... Read more
1/2 of the likables *** Just one car is parked against the curb when I see her. The school bell has just rung and out she comes, pushing a stroller at breakneck speed. A tiny blond boy runs fifteen feet behind her, trying to catch up. Without looking behind her even once, she crosses the parking lot exit as her little one runs in the path of potentially exiting cars, still trying to catch her. ‘Mommy, mommy!’ he cries, running,... Read more
“Paul tells us this life is like a race…We cannot run our race if we are weighted down by our past. My anger over my losses was like a millstone around my neck. It slowed me to a standstill, especially as I grew older. It was only through yielding and looking ahead that the ropes on which those millstones hung were severed. Finally I was free. How I wish I had made these choices earlier…[God is] not intimidated or limited... Read more
I hate throwing up more than anything in the world. It’s hands-down my biggest fear, something I have long battled. And I’m not alone, it appears. Last week my daughter sent me a link to an article that said the secret to not throwing up was drinking lots of grape juice. The enlightening part of the article was not the grape juice part (although, believe me, I tucked that gem away), but the comments following. Woman after woman confessed that... Read more
“Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” ~William Thackeray (Photo credit to June Etta Photography) Read more
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