Valentines Day Boxes and Crafts

Valentine’s Day Boxes and Tired Moms

Moms. We love our kids. We are anxious. And we are ready to meddle.

Pain with a Purpose (and the perils of Spring sports season)

This week I have driven one thousand miles in three afternoons without ever leaving the boundaries of my small town (or at least it feels like it). What I do … Continue reading Pain with a Purpose (and the perils of Spring sports season)

Dear Moms…

It is 5:37am and I am sitting on the porch waiting for my tea to kick in and my brain to get going so that I can do a bit … Continue reading Dear Moms…

Hey, Dr. Who… I Need to Go Back to 1995

If I could hop into the Tardis with The Doctor and go back twenty years to give myself one piece of parenting advice, it would be this: Delight in your … Continue reading Hey, Dr. Who… I Need to Go Back to 1995

Why My Kids Are Afraid of the Word “Bored”

It is summer, the season of childhood bliss and parental…I suppose “misery” is too strong a word. I don’t know, maybe not.  I am looking around at all the other … Continue reading Why My Kids Are Afraid of the Word “Bored”

Peace in the Pressure Cooker

We have been into this summer thing for two and a half days now and I am already losing my mind. As a rule, my work/parenting goal is to keep … Continue reading Peace in the Pressure Cooker

Mercy is like…

Some questions are heavy. Soul stirring. They speak to the depth of who we are and our place in the world. The first time I remember feeling this was as … Continue reading Mercy is like…

Laughing Into The Abyss (Don’t Mess With Me- I’m CRAZY)

It has been a rotten week so far at the Gragg house- major damage was discovered from a long simmering chimney leak. Now, there is a big hole in my … Continue reading Laughing Into The Abyss (Don’t Mess With Me- I’m CRAZY)

Mt. Vesuvius in a Onesie…and a Prayer for Mother’s of Newborns

My oldest daughter entered the world on a cold, early spring day. In the middle of the grueling work of late labor, I looked up from my hospital bed to … Continue reading Mt. Vesuvius in a Onesie…and a Prayer for Mother’s of Newborns

Introvert + 5 Kids= Conflict

I am an introvert…who had five children.  There is a conflict here. This year, I am pretty sure there was a Doctor Who worthy “wibbly wobbly timey wimey” thing that … Continue reading Introvert + 5 Kids= Conflict

How Adoption Changed My Biological Son

I sat on the porch swing sipping coffee this morning as I watched my three middle school kids wait for the bus at the end of the driveway. Girl, Boy, … Continue reading How Adoption Changed My Biological Son

A Prayer for the Mom Who Blew It Today

I have a friend who is the kind of mom I always thought I should be. She is soft-spoken, patient and sweet. I, well…I am just..not. She home schools her … Continue reading A Prayer for the Mom Who Blew It Today