My Prayer for the New School Year
The 20-21 School Year approaches and tension runs high. We are faced with loads of questions and very few answers. Parents, students, teachers, administrators all face new uncharted waters. We are going to need grace, empathy, and resilience to help…
How to Provide Freedom and Still Enforce Limits
We have a teenager in our house. The expression “It’s MY room” comes out often in daily conversation. To which I often reply, “It is MY house!” That being said, I want her to have a space that is hers,…
Why I HATE Bedtime and How I Fixed It
After thirteen years of motherhood, I can say with certainty – I HATE bedtime! I can see your faces, you are questioning my sanity, maybe thinking – Does she not like quiet? Bedtime is the most challenging time of the…
What is the Right Decision for our Children?
By my last count, it has been 136 days since my children entered a school building. We muddled our way through our first round of pandemic online schooling. Now we are facing the 20-21 school year wondering how it will…
The Ups, Downs, Ins, and Outs of Pandemic Schooling
On March 13th, 2020, our school was closed last minute so teachers could discuss and make plans for distance learning in case it became necessary due to COVID-19. Here we are two months later, in-classroom school is canceled for the…
Mother’s Day and All the Complicated Emotions With It
Complicated emotions abound this Mother’s Day. I am a mom, so this day is for me. The only problem is the realization that it has always been 25% about me and 75% about my mom on this day. I enjoy…
Schools are Closed – Grieving for the Loss of Normal
On April 2, 2020, Governor Whitmer announced an executive order to cease all K-12 in building school for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. The news hits me hard, though I knew in my heart that it was coming.…
How to Keep Your Sanity Working From Home
Over the last 8 years I worked at home a minimum of two days a week, all the way up to the full work week. You could say I have a love-hate relationship with working from home. I love the…
Days in Isolation – Middle School Mania
We find ourselves in strange times as we practice social distancing and self-isolation to contain the spread of COVID-19. Trying to find some sense of normalcy during a national pandemic is a challenging task. One of our biggest challenges is…
Days in Isolation – Birthdays are NOT Cancelled
As we practice social distancing in an attempt to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to find new ways to do “normal”. Our first test came on March 20th as our sweet and sassy seven year old…