“The mom”

February 8, 2019February 8, 2019 stephhwilliamsChildren

#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 […]

A Kindness Filter

January 24, 2019January 24, 2019 stephhwilliamsKitchen Sink

#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

January 15, 2019January 15, 2019 stephhwilliamsChildren

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

January 10, 2019January 10, 2019 stephhwilliamsChildren

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

January 1, 2019January 1, 2019 stephhwilliamsChildren

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. […]

What I Learned from My 2018 Reader Survey

March 13, 2018March 12, 2018 stephhwilliamsBlogging

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

February 23, 2018 stephhwilliamsBlogging

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

February 7, 2018 stephhwilliamsChildren

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

October 2, 2017 stephhwilliamsLiving

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 […]

Help for Students Creating Portfolio and Blog Websites

September 4, 2017October 1, 2017 stephhwilliamsFirst-half First-year

This semester, Henderson State University students in Basic English, Freshman English A and Freshman English B will be creating final digital portfolios in lieu of an end-of-semester exam. These portfolios must contain all writing from the semester as well as a new reflective essay detailing the student’s learning during the course. To encourage students to […]