We were driving in the car, Deanna singing along to all the songs – like usual – and a song comes on the radio. It starts like this: “My friends hate you and I hate them too.” I immediately say, “I don’t think so.” I quickly change the channel to one of our family’s favorite… Read More
This year I am committing that any time I bring something new into the house, something else must go. It is a one-for-one swap. I recently took the girls shopping for two very specific items. When we got to the store, they found clothes they loved and “had to have”. I thought about saying, “we… Read More
I met an older gentleman on the plane this week. He was a wealth of information, sharing his career journey as an attorney and executive with a few companies. He also shared his family blessings with me, how sweet and smart his wife is and the boy they raised to become a well-rounded man. He… Read More
Children are easily influenced by those around them. What others have, what others are doing, where others are going, etc. I notice it with both my girls. It just happens. They need to be reminded of what they have, they need to have your influence constantly touching them. My kids roll their eyes as they… Read More
We did a family challenge a few Sundays ago. We all agreed it would add some spice to our life and surely give us something to share as a family unit. The challenge was no electronics one whole day- yup- I said it- One Whole Day. No TV, no texting, no Facebook, no gaming, no… Read More
My brother in law is heading out of the country again on another 9-month deployment. This time is extra hard because he is the dad of sweet Gwen, who is only 3 months old. He will miss many firsts, including any holiday from mid-October through July. My sister was really bummed about it, and I… Read More
There is a funny thing called shame. When it creeps up, it can shift how you feel inside. One of my girls recently gave in to some peer pressure and did something unkind to another friend (although nothing earth-shattering). When she came into the house, her whole demeanor was off. I knew something was up.… Read More
We were recently having dinner and talking about work and sharing team challenges, whether it is project team dynamics, or helping new team members get up to speed on the job. Delaney lingered at the dinner table that night, listening to Jarrod and I share stories, and at one point, I turned to her and… Read More
For Delaney, she has waited four years to be part of the big kids, the ones in charge at school. Her have fun goal includes being a bus safety monitor, which means she is a leader who manages the chaos. It also entails playing an active role in the student council, leading the school to… Read More
As adults we discuss our goals on a frequent basis, whether they are family goals, financial goals, or business goals. We recently asked Delaney at dinner if she had given any thoughts to specific goals for the new school year. It became very clear that not only had she thought about it, she was very… Read More