Category: Family Culture Series

My husband and I are both avid hikers. We met on a snowshoe hike; our first anniversary was spent hiking the West Highland Way, a 100-mile trail in Scotland; our pre-kid days were filled with rambles through the mountains of Colorado. So, when we found out we were pregnant, we dreamt about raising outdoorsy kids […]

My husband crouches low to bring the big stainless steel cooking pot and lid up from the lower cabinet and sets it on the stove with a clank. Our children buzz about his feet in great anticipation while he moves through the kitchen, retrieving supplies. With excitement, the boys hustle to the other room and […]

The first time I stopped to pick up a stranger on the side of the road, my 4-year-old daughter Abigail and I were on our way to the grocery store. I saw Rosemary walking alongside a busy highway holding the hand of her 18-month-old, Elijah, whose toddling legs wobbled precariously close to the traffic surging […]

Today, like most days, my kids have been tugging at my clothes and talking nonstop over each other and me. When I’m trying to write out what needs to be done in my planner, my oldest comes to get my attention by bumping my right elbow, sending an errant swoop of ink across the page. […]

I shove a letter E block and a bouncy ball with the side of my foot, clearing a path between the door and her crib, so I don’t cripple myself later tonight in the dark. My eyelids feel like those heavy hotel drapes that require every muscle mustered to push them open but then keep […]

The gray morning drained all my joy. My kids, playing Baby Bear and Mommy Bear, sounded too loud and annoying while I fried eggs like a short-order cook. I wanted an escape. Between pouring more milk, and cutting twelve more strawberries, I noticed the chore list laying on the counter. Suddenly, the day off from […]