My younger daughter came home from school recently with a library book. It was called “The Book with No Pictures.” She requested that I read it immediately, and I’m not proud to say that I tried to blow her off.

Eating at a restaurant with a child (or multiple children!) can be a challenge. Time ticks about 10x slower when you’re awaiting the food for a hungry child. I put together these Restaurant Busy Kits and keep them right in my car. They’ve been a real sanity saver and have made dinners out actually enjoyable again!

Just about every birthday from age 5-30 was included, with mostly every other year of their twenties. The idea was that my daughters would read the letters on that particular birthday. So, on their 10th birthday, they would read the letter for that year (one letter from one person for each of my daughters per birthday).

One of the ways that you might consider me “old-fashioned” is regarding thank-yous and showing gratitude.  I am a HUGE proponent of thank-yous, but especially written thank-you cards.  You might disagree.  Some of my close friends do.

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.

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.

We recently asked our pediatrician to get in the battle, asking him to very clearly point out how important fruits and vegetables are to eat.  While his recommendation helped, ultimately it is still up to me and my husband to get our four-year-old, Elsie, to eat well.  So, I have enlisted some of my favorite kitchen gadgets to make fruits and vegetables more appealing.

I love story time.  Story time was one of the first activities I brought my girls to when I became a stay-at-home mom.  I have only had the opportunity to attend the story time at the Weyers Hilliard Library in Howard. But, there are many different story times offered throughout the Brown County Library System.

What if your child couldn’t eat candy? That would take away a HUGE chunk of Halloween. This was the problem Becky Basalone, a mom in Tennessee, faced in 2012. At a local Trunk-or-Treat event sponsored by her local food allergy group FACET, she offered non-food treats out of her car’s trunk.

Meet Karen DeBaker, a local mom whose mission is to spread good.  Take a moment to read how she is changing the world with one random act of kindness at a time and learn how you can become part of the movement!