General Blog Posts
The Yuletide carols say this is the “most wonderful time of the year”. It is true that Christmas is a beautiful time with colorful lights, joyful music, and generous giving; but it is also a very stressful time of the year if we lose sight of the true meaning of the holiday. If I’m not…
Recently, I learned that my daughters enjoy whipping me down to the mat and testing me to see if I can get myself out of potentially dangerous situations. Their enthusiasm causes the instructors to chuckle and me to warn them not to hurt anyone, especially their “old” mama. The loud thwack as I hit the…
Betty Vetterli’s Matterhorn CD yodeled from my laptop. As the accordion pumped and the singer let out an echoing call, I was transported back to my childhood, sitting on my grandparents’ porch listening to the local radio station’s Swiss Hour. My maternal grandfather, 100 percent Swiss, tolerated my teenage self when I whined about whether…
It is Thanksgiving, the day we count our blessings. Our church has a Thanksgiving service on the eve before. During this service, people often give testimonies for things for which they are thankful. I remember one Thanksgiving service when my boys were very young and my husband had just lost his job because the work…
After years of trying to lose weight and failing, I had a break through last year. I lost over 40 pounds and went down five sizes in six months. This journey was surprising, and in the end, satisfying because I did it with simple adjustments, and all it cost me was some time. You can…
You know that you have small children in your home if . . . • You notice that there are raisins on your table, and you set out chocolate covered raisins. • You notice your walls are gray three feet from the floor instead of white, and no matter how much you scrub, it keeps…
Some days as a stay-at-home mom can be more challenging than others. Take the day that Tyler insisted that he was a dog, for example. I’m sure my neighbors think I’m a tad strange as I go out to call my children in for lunch: “Here, puppy, puppy, puppy. Puppies, it is time to eat.”…
Life as a mother of young children can never be dull. Children are always saying or doing something funny or curious. A few months ago, my sons toured the Brodhead Wastewater Treatment Facility on a school trip. Afterward, they were preoccupied with building their own plant. They got quite elaborate with all their buckets and…
“Mama, come see my invention!” is a normal cry at our house. So is, “Hey, Mama, come quick and see this bug I caught!” Yes, it is a rare treat to be able to live with an inventor and a bug scientist. What occupations are your children currently practicing? Children can be very creative, can’t…
“See, that wasn’t so bad, was it? Whoa, I need sunglasses. Your teeth are really clean,” said the dental hygienist to my four-year-old son, Tyler. Tyler’s smile was broad as he looked over to me for approval and then back at the dental hygienist. She handed him a mirror, and he studied his pearly white…