All Posts

Reach out using the contact form in the page footer, and tell me what you're going through.

I've been there: coping with new parenthood, trying not to murder anyone, lose your mind, or go broke. And somehow you're still responsible for feeding your family. Seriously?! How on earth do they justify NOT sending you home after childbirth with a personal chef?! Especially these days, when the list of things that may destroy your child's health changes every six weeks. The goalposts never stop moving, and somehow you're supposed to keep up while also keeping a tiny human

This is THE best recipe. EVER. I found the original version here  while trying to use up the basil we were growing and induce labor for baby #2, then simplified it even further for those of us who can't make it through nine steps.   Here are the reasons why it's amazing: 1) It's delicious.   As in, you can't make it for someone without being asked for the recipe. 2) It's easy.   You can make it even if you're exhausted, stressed, caring for seven babies, whatever. Another

Most parents choose schools based on test scores, location, and cost. But if you're reading this, you know those aren't the things that matter most. You want a school that will reinforce your values, develop your child's character, and protect their love of learning.

​Your great-grandmother potty trained kids before she had running water. You have a smartphone, a master's degree, and a 4-year-old who just pooped in a planter. What happened?  You don’t have to spend years— and thousands of dollars—waiting for your child to be ready to get out of diapers. There’s a better way. It’s been around a long time. If you're thousands of dollars deep in diapers, packing a hazmat-level bag just to take your preschooler to the park, and wondering why

A stanza of this poem was included in a collection of nature poetry we found at a lovely nature-themed library in our city. Before...

Just discovered this song, and I'm obsessed. The words are poetic, the look at the ups and downs of long-term love are refreshingly honest in contrast with the standard snapshots of new, superficial flirtations or unrequited love that are the focus of most tunes. The melody is longing and hopeful all at once. The video is beautiful--it starts with the lead singer alone, standing in later afternoon sun in front of a backdrop of a small marshy river in the south (reminds me o

Today, my child is growing in emotional awareness and skill. Since this is a day that ends in “y,” there’s a good chance that it may involve an outburst, disobedience, or an action that feels like disrespect to me. This can be hard for ANYONE to respond to gracefully. I am certainly not alone! Even professionals in the parenting realm–people who teach others how to navigate this role– have confessed that they, too, struggle on a daily basis to stay composed. Becoming an adul

In my early 20s, I answered a Craigslist ad seeking someone to write original music for a short film about a nerdy guy who keeps...

(Work in progress) Every apocalyptic story you've seen imagines a brutal, violent aftermath — but what if it were different? Ben England...

A meditation for parents of children who don't fit into the mold God, I come to You tired. Not from lack of love— but from pouring it out, over and over, into seeds I can’t yet see the fruit of. You know the garden I planted this year. You saw the seeds I saved by hand— chosen from last summer’s joy. You watched me buy the lights, prepare the soil, water them with care and hope, envisioning a bountiful garden. And You saw what came—or didn’t. How spring arrived, and

VERSE 1 A thousand things I can’t accomplish         A million things I don’t know what to do. The books or the bank or the candlestick...

Gabby isn’t easy. She questions what others accept, speaks what she thinks, and never quite learned the art of letting things slide. Her master plan was simple: Step 1 — move in with her long-time friends. Step 2 — start grad school.Step 3 — transform the world. But just as she begins stepping into the life she imagined, everything unravels. Suddenly alone in a city she barely knows, Gabby lands in the guest house of a ninety-year-old stranger with a deaf cat, a cluttered at