Sometimes something happens that dictates what you introduce to your children or grandchildren. Don and I sat on the balcony to enjoy the fall sunshine one afternoon. Right there on the deck was a perfectly preserved dragonfly. These happen to be my FAVORITE insect, next to the Cat Spider, which isn’t an insect. LOL A few days later, while I was walking to the car, there on the sidewalk, in plain sight, was a magnificent and dead katydid. Eureka, what an amazing find!!! You don’t see them often. I planned on introducing my grands to these two fascinating insects.

Join me as I share the fun experience we had and discover the outcome fourteen years later. : )

On my daily worksheet, I have ‘smile’ in the section titled Care for Self. Yup, I must remind myself to check in and see if I've made the effort to smile during some of my busy and often chaotic days.

Recently, I had a conversation with my friend, Livia. She has an alarm set on her phone that reminds her to smile. Whew, I am not so weird.

The truth is, we need prompts to remind us to do the things that often get left behind in the business of the day. Join me as we explore how to make that happen.

Once a month, I talk with my friend Joy Petty. I LOVE these calls. They are interesting and resource-filled. Sometimes I share something that helps her, and she does the same for me. We both go away elevated. On one of our recent calls, the subject of how I have been feeling about writing came up. The reason it happened was that Joy said a recent article was just what she needed. She was going to be teaching a class on forms, the old word for systems. Some of what I wrote about systems was helpful to her. I was blown away.

The reason it impacted me so much is because I have had this recurring thought in the last five years – “Why are you writing? You aren’t raising kids anymore. You aren’t homeschooling. You’re getting older. Are you even relevant?”

The more we can confirm to ourselves the value of our current mission, the better we will manage it. So join me as I share this impactful conversation, what we shared, and what I learned about knowing our mission matters, even if it is imperfect.

I have shared some wonderful Learning Pay Days. But I don’t want you to get the idea that Learning Play always requires a lot of thought or special activities. Sometimes you just get together, play, and learn. It doesn’t always require fabulous, well-researched information. There are times when we want to kick back and rest while remaining consistent in our efforts to bond, enjoy, and learn. Then, there are times when an intervening circumstance requires that we do something that takes less planning time.

Join me as I share the Nothing Special Day. Getting together, without a great deal of preparation, can be just as bonding.

A few Sundays ago, my husband tuned in to a show my mom likes to watch, Music and the Spoken Word. The episode he pulled up for her was from Jan. 12, 2025.

It was an interesting and thought-provoking 30 minutes, and Don and I had a conversation about it. We had experienced what was shared. Our experiences weren’t as dramatic as the one shared in the program, but they were powerful for us, nonetheless.

Join me today as I share the power of starting where you are, using what you have, and doing what you can to accomplish your dreams. You will enjoy the stories I share from the program Don and I heard and discussed, and the ones from my own life.

If you have something you want to do but it feels too big or scary, then this is a conversation for you. : )

One day in 2011, I found the most amazing book at the library!!! I happened across it accidentally. It was about Leonardo Da Vinci and the amazing visions he had. But that wasn’t all. The book showed how, in time, all his inventive ideas were created by other people and who those people were. Oh my gosh, I wanted to share this with my grands.

Join me as I share what we learned about and the Super-duper Rocket-propelled Robot we invented. You are going to love the story of when the lights went on for Jack and he created his 'all alone' invention. We had a spectacular time, and you can do the same with your kids or grands.

Recently, while rereading an article I had written in 2011, I read a note I received from a mom who wondered how I had stopped being a yeller. Here’s what she asked:

“I wanted to thank you again for a great class. I wondered if you could tell me more about the yelling you used to do. I grew up in that type of household, and swore I would never be like that… but guess what, I do? I’d love to hear how you mastered that part of your life. I didn’t do it when I only had 1 or 2 children and they were little. But the more children that came and the older they got, the more I slipped into it. Do you mind sharing what helped you?”

Join me as I share what helped me and helped her. The topic never goes out of date. We all struggle. Let's learn to be calm!

A couple of weeks ago, I introduced 'learning play' in an article called Learning Play - Cows. It tells how valuable immersive learning is for all ages and helps you begin by learning about cows.

Join me today as I share what we did to immerse ourselves in the world of the circus and the tremendous fun we had learning all about clowns, circus food, how to walk a tightrope, and how to juggle.

I am sure it will help you decide to have a family activity that will be rewardingly fun and help build wonderful memories.