I believe that most people would love to serve those in need in our community. But where to start? How do you know that it would be a right fit for you? How can you help out with your busy schedule? Can you bring your family?

The annual Red Kettle Campaign goes a long way toward making sure families in need can still have a merry Christmas, says Robert J. Mueller, the Salvation Army’s greater Green Bay area coordinator. “As less fortunate families struggle to keep food on the table and roofs over their heads, we believe coming alongside these families during this time of year will matter.”

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.

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.

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.

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?”

Stepping up to the plate isn’t always easy when it comes to volunteering your time for anything. Most moms are busier than ever nowadays and are professional jugglers. The fear of dropping the ball or taking a misstep at any time can be worrisome to most moms. Have no fear, you can do it.

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.

What do you do to take care of yourself, or how do you choose to spend your quiet moments? Wishing you plenty of quiet moments to yourself that make you thankful for your noise.