I was reluctant to write this cheery blog, because I know that Mother’s Day brings pain to many. It is probably the day that is filled with the greatest emotional gut-punch. Although there are those of us whose mothers are still alive and who have secure and loving relationships with our mothers, there are also…
How to show appreciation to your child’s teacher
Teachers are hard-working, underpaid professionals, and the magnitude of their influence is immeasurable. During Teacher Appreciation week we recognize their dedication and show our gratitude. A few days ago, in preparation for Teacher Appreciation Week, I wrote a blog about how teachers don’t really want another coffee mug or paperweight. In that blog I suggested…
May baskets: the anonymous gifts
I lived most of my childhood in this home in a peaceful neighborhood in Minnesota where the mailman delivered letters to the box by the front door, the paper carrier gently placed the daily news inside the screen door, and a milkman brought glass bottles of milk to the doorstep. Maybe there was a hedgerow…
Inexpensive anytime art recipes to use with children
These child-tested, homemade materials will help keep your budding artists busy, happy, and creating. 1. Cornstarch fingerpaint 1/4 cup cornstarch3/4 cup cold waterFood coloring Combine cornstarch and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Divide fingerpaint into separate containers and add food coloring. Then create! This is…
Entrepreneurship rewarded and the value of money
When you’re three, four, or six years old and you have something you don’t want, what do you do with it? Sell it to a plumber! Open a store. The same week that we had plumbing repairs done in our laundry room, our young daughters set up a candy store on the kitchen counter, hoping…
Lifeblood
I work as Director of Family Ministry in my church, and I rely on others in order for our ministry to be fruitful. Above all, I depend on God, and the support of clergy and family are crucial, but without other people I could not be an effective leader. Who are those other people? VolunteerIf…
Dear Easter Bunny, Is your real name Shirley?
Because our daughters had a lot of questions about the Easter Bunny, they went straight to the source for some answers. One year they wrote a letter and left it on our coffee table the night before Easter, hoping the Easter Bunny would reply. Just in case you wonder these things, too, here are the…
Holy week in pictures
The week leading up to Easter is a special time in the Christian church called Holy Week. We remember the events preceding and surrounding Jesus’ death. It is a week filled with excitement, danger, and sadness, but it is mostly about love. In order to experience the joy of Easter, it is necessary to understand…
Jesus’ ministry in pictures
Children from my church drew these pictures to help tell the story of Jesus’ life and teaching. This collection of drawings does not include Jesus’ birth and childhood or his last week before he died and was resurrected, but it will depict some of the ministry and miracles of Christ. There is so much more…
Housework is dangerous.
This morning as I wiped the dust off the top of my bedside table, I thought about how much I really don’t like dusting. Or mopping. Or scrubbing toilets. Or washing windows. Pretty much all housework. “Where does all this dust come from?” I asked myself, collecting a dust bunny from the floor with the…
Ms. Marcia's Mom-ologues 