Growing Up

{For just this week, we are handing over our computers to the men in our lives and turning this little piece of the world wide web into Red Stick DADS Blog!  Read along with their joys and their struggles, and find out why we are so very thankful to have these awesome dads in our lives.} As a parent, life is full of new and daunting challenges. Some of which we tackle head on, some we reluctantly work through, and some we tend to avoid as long as possible. Unfortunately, “the sex talk” often falls under the latter category. As a counselor who deals with parents and children alike, I don’t think this is because of a general distaste for the subject matter...

My oldest daughter is graduating kindergarten. She has been homeschooled from day one. Our Co-Op had a lovely graduation ceremony in April. (No, we are not yet done with our schoolwork!) I apologetically invited our family to this event. I mean, kindergarten graduation? Come on! If anyone deserves a ceremony, it’s me! What are they really graduating from? Learning their letters and colors? When I sat back for a minute, I started thinking about what these young children had accomplished. Not only had my daughter mastered her colors and the alphabet, she is a budding reader and is quickly learning mathematics. Then, I started thinking about all she had accomplished in her short life: She has graduated from breastfeeding to whole milk. From...

The storm came in hard and fast rolling right over our yard and house and disappeared just as quickly. All that was left was the menacing cloud hanging overhead like in a cartoon. The afternoon sun was already peeking out from its edge, illuminating the last rain drops and rendering the world in HDR. (High Dynamic Range, i.e. super colorful and detailed, for all you non - photography nerds). Inside, Jake was giving me grief. His pitiful cries were not quite so pitiful after 30 minutes straight, and my frustration level had reached a climax. I snatched him up and walked outside to sit with him on the swing on our patio. I knew that being outside always calmed him...

If you know me, you might laugh at the idea of me writing a post about gray hair.  Mine certainly isn't too noticeable to anyone but me.  However, my mousey brownish blonde days are slowly but surely coming to an end.  I started noticing the random grays in my early twenties. I will never forget the stylist who was fixing my hair for my wedding making sure to pluck out a gray sticking straight up on top of my head (why do they always do that???). And between motherhood and entering my 30s, the ratio of salt to pepper has quickly moved closer and closer to salt.  Margaritas anyone? So, what's a girl to do? My original plan was to pick...

Dear Mom, I know I've probably told you thousands of times, but thanks.  Since becoming a mother myself I realize how much this short little word means, and I know it can never be said enough.  You see, as a child I knew that I had a great mom, but I had no idea what being a great mom involved.  I'll admit that at times, I took for granted perfectly made beds, warm, delicious suppers, new shoes, and the constant driving around you did to get me to whatever sport or activity I was into at that moment.  If you were exhausted, I never knew it.  You always seemed to have boundless energy to care for your children and our...