By Kimberly Hicken When my son Jacob started rebelling against the rules, I was beside myself with worry. He was staying out late (or all night), hanging with the wrong group of friends, refusing to do his chores, smoking cigarettes, and I was pretty sure he was drinking also. I did everything I could…
By Kimberly Hicken The Background: I remember the situation like it happened yesterday. My front room was a disaster because my son and his friends had basically destroyed it the night before playing video games and eating snacks. I asked my son to clean it up. Like most teenage boys, he promised he would and…
By Kimberly Hicken I had a co-worker once who could juggle. Every now and then, she would pull three or four balls out of her desk and start juggling. She rarely missed. I tried to have her teach me the skill, but I never caught on. Every time I tried, I felt like I…
By Kimberly Hicken Excitement I Didn’t Want: It was Martin Luther King Day, and my kids were home from school. My teenage son Jacob and his friends had taken over the living room playing video games. I think there were about six teenage boys in the house eating my food and yelling at the…
By Kimberly Hicken My great-great-great grandfather was the first settler in the small town where I grew up. The town was named after him. My grandfather used to ride a horse to school. My father’s first car was one that he shared with his brother. It was a Model-T Ford. When my father was…
By Amber Bennett March is women’s history month, where we celebrate the women who really helped shape and build our society. It’s a time to reflect on who we are as women. We examine what we are bringing to the table for the next generation but also rediscover our past. As a child to a…
By Alysha Lundgren Part 1: Getting involved at home At my job, in a preschool, we tell the parents the same thing at the beginning of each year: “you are your child’s first and most important teacher.” We do this because, it’s absolutely true and parents need to hear it. Think of all the things…
By Alysha Lundgren “If you’re happy and you know if, clap your hands!” `Your kids are probably coming home from school every day, singing new, fun songs about everything under the sun. Almost all kids seem to love music, without being encouraged or taught. This innate love of rhythm and language, helps them to learn,…
By Alysha Lundgren I’m sure you’ve caught your child with a number of weird things in their mouths: bugs, plants, playdough…etc. I’m also sure you’ve caught them with their hands in all sorts of strange places! This frustrating and sometimes hilarious behavior is how they are getting to know themselves and the world around them….
By Joy Acaso Every year our son’s school puts together a production before they go on winter break. He’s been at that preschool for three years so this wasn’t new to me. I already know when it’s around the corner and what to expect. But last year hit me. I lost track of my schedule….