A few nights back, we thought all the kids were asleep, only to discover Penny under our covers, reading Love and Salt: A Spiritual Friendship through Letters, written back and forth over the years by Amy Andrews and Jessica Griffith. "This is a cool book," she told me. And although I'm certain the ...

We usually have a time for "family devotions" (or bevotions, as Marilee likes to call them) on Saturday mornings. But we missed that time of prayer and singing and Bible reading as a family last weekend, so our kids suggested we convene last night. We've taken to using Jeannie Cunnion's ...

First of all, could someone please remind me that I should never try to submit a manuscript for a new book on January 3? I'm pretty sure my deadline for A Good and Perfect Gift was December 30th, 2010, and then I went and agreed to submit Small Talk today. The bad news is I got really stressed out about ...

I'm so not an Elf on the Shelf person.

a) it takes me until mid-December to realize that Christmas is coming (thus the elf only arrived at our house two days ago when my husband remembered his existence).

b) I don't do anything crafty or cute or fun or creative with my kids in anticipation of Christmas. ...

Somewhat spontaneously, we decided to go through Penny's memory box tonight. She spied it upon her dresser and brought it to the sofa in their room. She and Wiliam both decided that viewing its contents trumped reading the final chapter of Prince Caspian. So we leafed through photos of her as a newborn, ...

Twenty-six stories of abortion told in first person. Across state lines, across the past four decades, and across generations. From the woman who procured an illegal and unsafe abortion in the late 1960s to the more recent women who passed through protesters to assert their legal right to choose, these ...

1. Assess the situation and realize, after ten minutes of coaching, that this door is very old and it involves a deadbolt with no external release mechanism.

2. Tell your daughter that unless she can turn the lock the opposite way, you will need to get someone to cut a hole in the door. Repeat. ...

Marilee decided not to take a nap today. It went something like this:

"Mama," she says, under her covers, after her stories, after two songs, "I need to go poopy."

"Okay, kiddo. Call me when you're done."

"No! I need to go poopy in the baffroom." ...

Some of you might remember how last fall went for me. We moved three times between June and September, and we landed in a small dark house for six months while our permanent residence underwent a significant renovation. The kids were transitioning to new schools. Peter had a new job. I was in tears ...

My kids have taught me a lot about God. It mostly happens when the lights are out.

The bedtime routine is almost over. Penny has taken her sweet time putting on her pajamas. I say, "Penny, I am starting to feel angry but I don't want to yell at you." She turns slowly in my direction, then gives me a ...

Peter returned late last Thursday night after twelve days in Korea and China for work. And while I hope he never has to go away for that long again (um, honey, are you reading this?), I'm also kind of grateful that he did. Here's why:

1. I missed him terribly, starting a few hours before ...

Anne Lamott said it, not I, but I know the truth of which she speaks.

The wheels came off the vehicle that is our family yesterday. Marilee was up late and awake early. William was up for an hour in the middle of the night in eager anticipation of the tooth fairy. I was restless already because Peter ...

We've gotten through our transition year. It took us four moves to get here, but we are in this house to stay. The kids are back to school and they all seem happy and well adjusted. We still have the normal ear infections and toenail cutting and sibling bickering, but all in all we're doing well.

Last ...

Ten years ago today, I was with my mother-in-law as she died. I watched her fight. And I watched the life leave her body.  Afterwards, the scent of lilies and lavender. A clear blue sky. A sense, if not of relief, then at least of finality. It took a long time for me to cry.

Two year earlier, our country ...

Should yoga be banned in public schools?

I joined two other writers to try to answer this question for the September issue of Christianity Today:

My children began to learn yoga through our local public preschool a few years ago. They came home eager to show me "butterfly," "snake," and "dog" poses. At ...

When my kids were younger, older parents would see us in public and say things like, "Cherish every moment. It goes by so fast." Or, "I remember those days like they were yesterday. I miss them." Or, "Be thankful for the time you have with them. Before you know it, they'll be in college."

I would always ...

One of the posts I've been meaning to write since June would be called My Love-Hate Relationship with Summer. And then I'd go on to detail the joys of this time with our kids–Penny and William learning to swim, dancing at the town concert for the fourth of July, watching the sun set over the marsh, ...

Last week I wrote for her.meneutics about the woman with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome who decided to carry her pregnancy to term after a priest intervened and offered to find adoptive parents for the child (A Real Happily-Ever-After for Babies with Down Syndrome). In my post, I critiqued the ...

"It's noninvasive," my doctor said. "It just offers you some information about your baby."

I was 28-years-old, pregnant for the first time, and we were discussing prenatal testing. A simple noninvasive blood test sounded good to me, so I stuck out my arm. I didn't think ...