One thing my kids beg me to make are waffles. We eat them for breakfast. We eat them for snacks. We eat them for dinner. We eat them leftover. They are so yummy! I will NEVER buy frozen waffles again. I just can't. These are made with all healthy ingredients, so you don't have to [...]
Category: Home
May I Have a Compromise?
Often people will hear our kids ask, "May I have a compromise?" and look at us quizzically when we respond as if this is normal! At our house it is very normal. In fact, we probably hear that question asked at least 10 times a day! We started teaching our kids to make a compromise [...]
Tell Me a Story
One of my favorite things we do as a family is eat dinner together every night. And by together I mean everyone (including babies) sitting around the table sharing food and each other's company. There was a time when we would sit on the couch and the kids would "picnic" on the floor while watching [...]
The IDEAL Response
One of the great advantages we all have is the wealth of research based resources available to us. A place we have gone to many times for these resources is Empowered to Connect. In this video Dr. Karyn Purvis discusses the IDEAL response we need to have to our kids. Immediate - If you want to [...]
Let’s Try that Again!
"Let's try that again" is a phrase heard daily at our house. With 6 kids in our home, we are always looking for simple ways to correct our children's unwanted behaviors without always seeming like we are correcting them. One great tool we use is to simply have our kids redo a behavior. It is [...]
Where is the Trust?
Have you ever had one of those moments when you needed to trust someone? Have you ever just needed someone to trust you? Trust is both beautiful and scary. Beautiful because there is peace and joy in having a relationship where trust is freely extended and received. Scary because for relationships to grow there will [...]
A Change of Plans
Often people will ask me when I knew I wanted to be a foster parent. They are usually quite surprised when I respond with...never! In fact, if you had asked me 10 years ago if I could/would ever be a foster parent I would have told you, "NO WAY!" I would get too attached. Adoption [...]
Homemade Granola Bars
I love to make homemade granola bars and am always adapting the recipe for what I have on hand. Recently a few people commented how good they looked, so I thought I would repost the recipe. I might add that my kids, who rarely get cereal since we started cutting processed foods, like to crumble [...]
5 Keys to Better Relationships
I want better relationships, don't you? Sometimes I feel like I spend more time thinking (or writing) about changing the way I interact with people than I actually spend changing the way I interact with people. I think some of you can relate. Change needs two things...ideas followed by actions. Our example of the balance [...]
Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
For years I have enjoyed my grandmother's banana nut bread. She always has a loaf waiting when we come to visit. My kids, one of whom claims to not like nuts, devour this nutty bread every time. Over the years, I have substituted a few healthier ingredients to make this recipe even better for you. [...]