Author’s note: I wrote the following essay as a part of a class I’m taking on feedback and assessment in online writing courses. However, I decided to share it here on the blog since many of my readers are writers and/or teachers. Enjoy! A team of distinguished writing professors and education researchers conducted a national […]
Three Good Things About the Worst Travel Day of My Life
I had intended on blogging this week about our Captain Marvel viewing from the weekend. But then yesterday happened. Even though I’m an adjunct rather than full-time faculty, there’s this annual teaching/writing conference that I like to go to, whenever I can get grant money to cover my registration, that is. It’s the Conference on […]
Things That Make You Go Hmm 🤔
If you remember that song, sorry for the earworm. If you aren’t familiar with it, well here you go: But, honestly, it’s a bit of a red herring. This post should probably really be called Things That Make Me Go GRRR, 😠, or 😤. Or Things That Make Me Wish I’d Packed My Angry Eyes […]
“The mom”
#iwillpunchthefirstpersonwhosaysillmissthis “I will punch the first person who says I’ll miss this.†I saw that hashtag on a Facebook post yesterday and literally laughed out loud. The poster, you may have guessed, was a mom at her wit’s end. She’d taken to Facebook to vent about what we all face as moms – the constant […]
Recommended Reading
I’ve been really struggling this week with what to post. Basically, I’m censoring myself because a lot of what I want to talk about isn’t pretty. I’m talking toxic people, unsettling world events, and other such depressing stuff. So, until I have something more cheerful to share or am ready to stop biting my own […]
A Kindness Filter
#nofilter I’m sure you’ve seen this hashtag, right? It’s commonly used on social media, accompanying what the poster is claiming to be an untouched, unedited photograph. Sometimes the photo is of a beautiful sunset, or of someone being him/herself. I don’t know for sure – and didn’t even try to look this up – but […]
Fight the Monster
This past Sunday I was talking to a friend at church. It started out as a normal conversation about the funny things our kids do/say and how we know we’re so blessed but we’re also so tired. I have this thing I do, without realizing at the time that I’m doing it – all my […]
Revising the “Rules” of Parenting
If you’re even a semi-regular follower of this not-so-regular blog, then you know that I published a book a few years back. That book offered 5 rules, in a bit of a tongue-and-cheek sort of way, for being a good mom. The 5 rules: Rule #1: Don’t beat yourself up (even when you’re certain you […]
Celebrate the New Year with a Family Memories Time Capsule
It’s fun, easy, and doesn’t require any special supplies – seriously, just grab some paper, a pen/pencil, and any old envelope. Stash that envelope in a safe place (and one you’ll remember later). Then wait for the hilarity to ensue. On December 31, 2013, we’d been in the car for hours that felt like days. […]
And the winner is ….
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Book Birthday 2018 Swag Bag Giveaway celebrating the 1st birthday (or 1-year anniversary of the publication of my book, How to Be a Good Mom (Or at Least Not an Epic Failure). The winner, selected at random through Rafflecopter, is … a Rafflecopter giveaway Kathy wins a paperback […]
Book Birthday 2018 Swag Bag Giveaway
♩ Happy Birthday ♩ It’s my birthday month! Well, my book’s birthday (i.e., anniversary of its publication). And I want to give YOU a present! How to Be a Good Mom (Or at Least Not an Epic Failure) was published on June 16, 2017. I know I talk about this book a lot but that’s because, […]
What I Learned from My 2018 Reader Survey
My very-first-ever reader survey ended last week, and I’m so thankful to each and every one of you who participated! Conducting a reader survey was a new idea to me, though definitely one of those “why didn’t I think of this before” type of new ideas. Here’s what I learned from listening to you: Though […]
How to Get People to Actually Read Your Blog
Okay, I’ll admit that title is probably a bit misleading. Because I’m not going to tell you some magic formula that will make readers flock to your next blog post. I’m just going to tell you what I learned today because I think it’s pretty awesome. Pretty awesome in that “Duh, why didn’t I think […]
Down But Not Out
Let’s say life is like a boxing match, and last week nearly TKO’ed me. Actually, it felt more like a cage match from which I couldn’t escape – so I clung to the sides like Spider-Man and waited for the bell. Things started out just fine, albeit a little more hectic than usual. On Friday […]
We Can Be Heroes
I didn’t mean to give you a David Bowie earworm with that title, so sorry. Please read on nonetheless. In the kind of world we live in today – one where we wake up to news of crazed gunmen and mass murder – we need to champion the good in people. We need to acknowledge […]