One of my favorite classes while in college was a seminar called “Promoting Resilience”. The concept of resilience has always intrigued me, how some people who have the world against them are still able to pick themselves up and keep going. This is especially important in children. With so many negatives and challenges children face, […]
Relationships
Why I Am Bringing Work Home
As a Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, I feel strongly about finding a balance between work-life and home-life, but since my work is about families, sometimes it all overlaps! When my daughters were growing up and I was working with community nutrition education, they would often ask about a container of food in the refrigerator: […]
Traditions ….useful or beautiful?
“If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” William Morris made this recommendation at an art and design speech in 1880. As part of my holiday motto, “This is Good, This is […]
Holiday Family Fun
As a family, spending time together is a FUNdamental part of the holidays! The holidays are a time when we can connect with our families, and it strengthens our relationships, regardless of age. Spending time together does not mean spending money—recent research suggests that even casual engagement fosters a connection with your children. […]
Who Counts As Kin
I have more than one family, but I’m not adopted or a child of divorce/remarriage. I have my nuclear family (parents, siblings) and extended family (grandmas, uncle). Then there’s my “church family,” my neighbor who is a “grandmother figure” and the women who are “like a sister” or a “second mom” to me. As an […]
Thanksgiving on many levels
If you would ask your children, “What do you remember most about Thanksgiving?” what might they sa y? Was it the food? Or, gathering together as a family? What is it that you would like for them to remember? Setting the example to have a positive, thankful attitude has been shown to give us multiple benefits […]