A few weeks before my son left for college, he pulled me aside and said, “I’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo.” I was shocked and surprised. I used to believe that tattoos were bad. I used to believe our bodies were sacred and getting a tattoo was like putting graffiti on a beautiful building.… Read More The Astronaut Tattoo
Is anger bad? Two years ago, when my son told me that he wanted to commit suicide, I was confused. When he told me that he hated the fact that he was gay, I was sad. When I understood that his impetus for suicide came from our religion’s teachings about homosexuals, I was angry. I… Read More Anger
I like camping… sort-of. I like being out in nature, smelling the pine trees and cooking over a crackling fire. I like relaxing in a camp chair, away from computers, phones, traffic and to-do lists. I like spending the entire day outside, watching my kids explore rivers, rocks and trails. I like making foil dinners… Read More Camping
I hated my high school graduation. I didn’t hate the actual ceremony, that part was great. What bothered me, was the lack of something amazing afterwards. I wanted to celebrate my graduation. I had just completed four years of high school; going to class, learning, studying and taking tests. I had played sports, worked out… Read More Senior Trips
I grew up in a big family. (Side note: There is an extra person in our family picture. My brother’s friend came to live with us for over a year and earned a place in our family picture) I loved growing up in a big family. I loved going on long road trips in our… Read More My big family
How the middle school running club ruined my dream- I love to run. I grew up running with my father. He was a long distance runner, who completed several marathons (26 miles) and ultra marathons (50 to 100 mile races). Growing up, I admired him and wanted to be like him. When… Read More Running Club and Ruined Dreams
One of my very favorite books is called, It is a book about a mother’s love for her son. It details the numerous messy stages from childhood to adulthood. Throughout the book, despite the child’s total disregard for cleanliness and order, the mother still loves her son. I admire this mother. I am currently in… Read More 11 year old boys
Parenting is really fun, but also very challenging. One of the most challenging things, is figuring out how to teach my kids all of the important information that they need to know to be happy, successful, well-adjusted adults. I compiled a short list of the basic conversations that I have had (or still need to… Read More Parenting Conversations
My husband comes from a very large Mormon family (he has 84 first cousins- just on his dad’s side). They are like a giant group of friends that love each other and enjoy getting together. I worked very hard to get to know them and they made me feel like a part of the family. Over… Read More Real friendships
2017 has been a banner year for my family with injuries, broken bones, and visits to the urgent care. Just this year we have had- A broken collar bone and subsequent surgery (16 year old, skiing through obstacles… didn’t work out as planned) Second degree burns on two legs (15 year old, riding a motorcycle,… Read More Injuries and pain
I accidentally got a job. I know normally, getting a job is not something that happens accidentally, but my life is not very normal. It all started when my husband and I went to dinner with some new friends. As we got to know each other, my friend (Jennie Sue), encouraged me to start a… Read More Accidental blogger
My husband and I love designing and building homes. We built our first home shortly after we moved to Idaho. We didn’t have a lot of money or very many kids (at the time), but we knew what kind of house we wanted to build. We picked a small town outside of Boise (mostly because… Read More Almost a perfect house
I love fixing my girl’s hair. Sometimes they tell me what they want. Sometimes I just figure it out as I go. I always use a squirt bottle to soften the tangles and to help it lay smoother. I have also found that medium sized elastics work best on my kids hair.
I like having a clean house. It makes me happy. It makes me feel like my life is wonderful and orderly. When my house is clean, I feel like I can conquer the world. The problem is, I have kids. Kids are terribly messy. No matter what I do, keeping the house clean is… Read More Sand castles on the beach
I wish that I could say that leaving the church has brought me increased happiness. I wish that I could say that my life has deeper meaning and purpose. I with that I could say that I have found a new set of beliefs to teach my children. For a long time, I even wished that… Read More Leaving the church sucks