The Remembering: Reflections on My Pregnancy Loss
by Ellen Mecholsky on
It starts the first week of December, the remembering. I had felt her move for the first time in the car driving home from a Thanksgiving trip to Florida, which is why I suspect my anniversary grief stress begins so early. I subsequently gave birth t... Read full article
A Bright Future After Darker Times
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You will never meet a nicer girl than Carissa Murray. The 11-year-old is sweet, kind and caring, with an inquisitive mind and an ear for languages and music. She also has faced unique medical challenges throughout her young life. ... Read full article
Play! Create! Imagine! (and then Clean. It. Up.)
by Ellen Mecholsky on
I walk a very fine line between wanting my children to play and create and imagine...and wanting/NEEDING a tidy house to function at my best. I need order around me to feel relaxed and productive. If I wake up in the morning and I am greeted by a tra... Read full article
Understanding and Coping with the Holiday Blues
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When I was a child, I was obsessed with Christmas, like I suppose most kids are. But, I knew that when the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” came on, things would get sad very quickly. As a first generation American, all I knew were small celebratio... Read full article
Defined by Faith
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During the 22nd week of pregnancy, Beau and Sara Dantin discovered that their baby girl, Isabel, had a brain abnormality.... Read full article
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
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After word had spread about the “healing” waters in the local springs, Eureka Springs, Arkansas was founded on July 4, 1879. Thousands soon flocked to the town in order to build shanties for the expected guests, and now, there are many places to visi... Read full article
A Playdate-Style Birthday Party
by Mari Walker on
Birthday parties for littles can add up fast. For a few Benjamins, you can take them and a few friends to a bounce place or rent a bounce house for your backyard. We didn’t start big parties like that for my older daughter until she was about five.... Read full article
Filling Hearts with Kindness, Starting with Her Own
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Kindness is the keyword for eight-year-old Tiva Thyssen, and she’s involved in several efforts to spread it. Specifically, since losing her older brother Traeh to suicide in 2019, Tiva works to bring awareness to and prevent bullying and suicide... Read full article
Wiggles of Excitement
by Amy Delaney on
“I have a wiggly tooth.” That is all–a simple statement of fact shared during a school day discussion. After spending time with Little Bud for virtual learning, I have learned that a loose tooth in the world of a six year old means the world. It is l... Read full article
I Smell Crawfish!
by Amy Delaney on
You never realize just how quiet winter is until the birds start chirping and squawking on the first days of spring. Recently, I had a similar experience when I smelled a familiar aroma floating over the fence in my neighborhood. Someone was boiling ... Read full article