I did not grow up in a hunting family, and frankly, venison was an acquired taste. After 16 years of experimentation, I’ve learned to “hide” the flavor. To celebrate the kick off of rifle season, here’s my open face venison steak & onion sandwiches.

It’s been six months since I worked outside the home.  In many ways, it feels like just yesterday that I was pulling into work.  In other ways, it feels as though I haven’t worked for years.  I am, by no means, an expert at being a stay-at-home mom.

Before the kids, my husband and I did everything together.  We went out to eat, saw concerts, stayed up late watching movies, and traveled.  I would have characterized our marriage as “easy.”  Then we had kids.

If you were to ask me in college, where my kids were going to go to school, homeschooling would have been my last option. I had so many preconceived notions about what homeschooling was and the families that chose to participate in it.

It is the 5 (10 on a good day) minutes of the day where I can stop, think, and not be “on”.  Don’t get me wrong. I have a job that I love. But being a teacher, I am “on” all day long.  It’s an honor and a blessing, but it’s also exhausting. 

During my twin pregnancy, I knew that carrying two babies increased my chances of going on bed rest. While it was always in the back of my mind, I prayed it wouldn’t actually happen. As my belly grew bigger and bigger, the possibility of bed rest seemed greater and greater. I made it to 28 weeks before my doctor told me it was time.

A few years back, I had one of my most memorable “mean mom” moments. We have a rule that each morning, the boys are to clean their room. For a few months, they started pushing back and playing with toys instead of cleaning up.

Every pregnancy is different, and most women have completely different experiences each time, regardless of how many babies are involved.  Having twins first, I naturally knew my next pregnancy would be different.  If you’re pregnant with twins and are curious how this marathon is going to play out, here are my stories.

That’s why I have been using Hyland’s since my children were babies.  Hyland’s brand has been serving all ages and ailments for over a century, and they do it without all of the chemicals and additives of their leading competitors.

No one is perfect. No mom or child is kind 100% of the time. But I feel like if I can keep these 3 things in mind, my kids will be kind most of the time. And when they’re not, they’ll hear my voice in their head tell them, “That wasn’t a kind way to behave. Can you try again, please?”