Parenting Through Gift Overload
Between our families, my wife and I have four sets of grandparents and three siblings on both sides. All of these people will be buying gifts for our two kids (ages six and eight), who are the only grandkids in…
Taste of Christmas
It was my first cookie swap, and I was ready to wow friends and co-workers with my culinary skills and creativity. Of course, I would bake my mother’s semi-famous, wholly delicious pineapple cookies. Of course, this would be a fantastic…
Heading for the New Year
Hi there, Tanya, it’s Tony. So sorry to wait until the last minute to call and leave a message. And listen, I know you did my wife a big favor by fitting me into your schedule this close to the…
Intentional Parenting Check-up
During every stage of parenting, it seems that some well-meaning stranger has stopped to tell me that these are the best times. When I had my new babies, more experienced mothers would tell me to treasure the sweet little snuggles.…
6 Strategies to Maximize Mealtime
Time for dinner!” is a phrase uttered nightly in homes across the country. And in this hurried culture, it’s more important than ever to make time for meals enjoyed together. When I was a child, it wasn’t a choice; it…
8 Things I’m Grateful for and Why
It’s that time of year again, the season of giving thanks. You might be making a mental inventory of blessings, jotting down ideas for Facebook statuses, or lining up pictures for Instagram posts that proclaim unceasing gratitude in the most…
Running Up Hill
All I wanted as a kid was some sort of vehicle that would move me up the highest hill in the neighborhood. I didn’t want to pedal, so I checked out books from the library on how to make a…
Keep the Party! Lose the Stress
My daughter turned five this year. As birthday milestones go, this was certainly a big one – for her and us. Any parent can attest to the bittersweet moment when a child starts kindergarten. Besides that, parents love to see…
Can Your Kids Be Pruned?
A friend of mine is what I call a pushover with her tween kids. It seems like she’s afraid to reign them in for some reason – like she’s worried about how they will respond. My oldest is seventeen, and…
All Together Now … Ten Years of RFM!
“I can’t imagine having a real job,” is a thing I used to say sometimes. Until my oldest daughter, who recently graduated from college and joined the workforce full-time, looked at me sternly and said, “Mom, stop saying that! You…
