Healthy Teen FriendshipsAs part of my job, I speak a couple of times a month to parent groups. One of my most attended sessions is about helping your teenager navigate relationships.As you’ve probably seen in your own house, high school relationships are hard. The stakes are higher now. Your teenager is navigating friend break-ups, learning...Continue Reading
Has there ever been a weirder start to a school year? On your first day of high school, you went to bed at 2 a.m. This was after saying goodbye to your big sister—and then driving 900 miles from Nebraska, smashed in the backseat with your brothers. This is a metaphor for your place in...Continue Reading
Sixteen-year-old Catie tells why you should send your kids to summer camp. After nearly a decade of going to camp, Catie has advice about what camp food is really like, how to fall asleep when you're away from home, and the best part of camp: learning you can live without your cell phone.Continue Reading
To run a 5K, or redecorate your living room, or crochet a scarf, or write a book, you have to start with tons of grace—like endless heaps of it.Continue Reading
Wow. The highs are high and the lows are low right now, my friends. Before this, there were so many weeks that I wished for just one quiet day to be with my people–maybe accomplish some house projects? Ha. We are on Day 32 of exactly that. The Ups and Downs of Control. There is...Continue Reading
It takes about a month, but our family has discovered us. We’re into the second month of COVID19’s quarantines and cancellations. Our family has gone through all the stages of disappointment, boredom, curiosity, and fear. I’m surprised, however, to find that we are also grateful. We didn’t ask for this pause button; and yet, we...Continue Reading
It’s Concordia Publishing House‘s 150th birthday this month and I’m celebrating their ministry the story of what they’ve meant in my life—as a reader, as a Jesus-lover, as a writer, as a mom, and as a teacher. Love in the Library My love for CPH books started where all good stories begin—in the library. My...Continue Reading
