Once upon a time, I saw on Facebook that a friend was auditioning for the Listen to your Mother show in Chicago. You write an original piece about some aspect of motherhood and then you read it. The twinge of jealousy I felt as I read her post quickly grew into more than a twinge. "I…

**This post was originally published on the Indianapolis City Moms Blog** Once upon a time I was a proudly single, childless woman, living the dream in my downtown Indianapolis apartment. Then I met this charming, laid-back, handsome man named Tim whose passion for life was contagious. I was smitten and we began to plan for…

On a recent Saturday, we took the kids to visit my office in the Indiana Statehouse. They were as enamored of the beautiful building as we are! Undoubtedly one of their favorite parts was the candy I had squirreled away in a desk drawer. But a close runner up was easy access to the white board that hangs…

This week we started up morning devotions with the kids again. Just like in my personal life, sometimes I'm better about it than others. (Lately we've been using Jesus Today by Sarah Young) The kids aren't strangers to religion or discussions about faith. They attend Catholic school and when they're with us, we attend a growing multi-ethnic evangelical…

Work/Life balance, if there is such a thing, is a topic for many blogs. When you throw in only having kids half of the time, it adds a wrinkle. This week, for example, we have the kids on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. On Wednesday evening I have a long-scheduled meeting/event. Thursday evening was the only night…

I am not a permissive parent. You probably could guess that about me. There aren't a lot of sweets, the kids pick up after themselves, and bedtime is a pretty regular routine. Even though I am glad for the routine and structure, sometimes I worry. Should my role as a stepmom be less of a parent…

I saw this great idea for a Reverse Advent routine, where instead of opening a little gift in anticipation of Christmas, you donate a food item from your pantry every day. You gather them into a box and then donate to a food pantry to help feed the hungry. With my love of an unseasonably early…

Though Fergus has been a member of our family for a few months, I haven't shared the story of how he arrived.  Tim had long been ready to add a furry member to our family, but I was reluctant. I knew I would eventually relent and confronted with a summer in which I had more free…