Octavia would meet someone new and want to draw them a picture or “make them a card.” When kindergarten started, the bus driver was the first recipient to whom my bubbly 5-year-old presented her with a piece of paper with crunchy, brown leaves taped to it.

Check out all the ways I have been failing at life, motherhood, wifehood, and more these days. Maybe you can relate!

While I was filled in on many things, there were still so many things that came as a surprise to me about having a baby.

So what can we do to help kids learn kindness?  What can we do to make sure they are being kind even when others aren’t looking?  I tried to put together some resources to help you.

We expect our children to have good manners, and we also try to emphasize gratitude. It can be absolutely exhausting. But I believe it takes a village, so I asked for advice from the masses on Facebook.

I love fall – sweater weather, fires, chili, the leaves changing, what’s not to love? What a beautiful time to improve your children’s language skills while enjoying fall activities and creating memories.

Some books just stick with you after you finish reading them. You remember the characters, the storyline, and the message long after you put it down.  Wonder is one of those books. 

I lamented over the fact that her little girl days were numbered. Well, you guys, it’s happening. She’s growing up.

I’m now 33, which is not a big milestone by any means. It actually takes me a beat lately to remember my age. Nonetheless, it feels like I’m entering that interesting age range titled “mid-thirties.”

My husband always felt super competitive against his brother, which led to a lot of sibling rivalry as well. Because of this, my husband and I always said that we would work hard to make sure our kids are not competitive with each other!