Everyone wants a happy life. The question is how do you get there? I truly believe these are the three fundamental questions you must answer for a happy life. Life is not a chance; it is a gift. Rambling aimlessly through life rarely offers deep fulfillment or happiness. Thoughtful answers to these questions provide a…
family bonding
Triggers: How to Exchange Your Angry Reactions for Gentle Responses
Triggers are the little things that jump under your skin and cause reactions you did not intend. An explosion of anger when you only meant to correct your child gently can send you reeling. These reactions hurt you and your beloved child. You know how the teacher will appear when the student is ready. Well,…
Mistakes to Avoid When Painting Pumpkins
We are pumpkin carvers. Painting pumpkins is a new adventure for the Joyous Family. Elijah, age 9, wanted to enter the elementary school’s storybook pumpkin contest this year. The pumpkins were displayed from Oct 15-31 too long for a carved pumpkin to serve–more on this in Painted Pumpkins Your Favorite Book. Plus the…
Unlikely Location For Your Bucket List
I love how children adore facts. My son informed me this spring that the world’s largest aquariums were in Okinawan, Japan and Atlanta, Georgia. Japan is not even on my radar let alone my bucket list, but Atlanta, Georgia now that is a place I love! Elijah loves sharks, “great whites” in particular. Unfortunately great…
Vacationing with Family: A Blast or A Drag
My husband and I worked at a smallish dude ranch in Northern Colorado for many years. Several times during our tenure, a family reunion booked the whole ranch for the entire week. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa were treating the family to a vacation or the whole family pulled together and decide instead of a cruise,…
5 Hacks for Leaving the House On Time (with or without kids)
I call it the SWAMP! I feel totally sucked in by all the things to do and left undone when I leave the house. Physically, it is like walking through water with weights on. I am pushing with my arms, my legs and my mind to just get out the door. Don’t ask me anything…
What Two Days With A U-Haul Taught Me about God
A blown engine in Amarillo on a family road trip left the boys and I stranded for a few days. Triple A showed up quickly, assuring me a quick fix. The mechanic thought different. J. C. of Gene Messer Ford brainstormed solutions, called friends in the business trying to get us a rental truck, and finally…
Honey, I called a Tow Truck-Family Travel
Family Travel has its trying moments. With a heat index of over 100 degrees Amarillo Texas is no place to get stuck without AC. The boys an I decided to just tough it out until we got to my folks house in Tyler, Texas. The poor old truck had other ideas. A Warning Sign I…
7 Tips to Mouse Proof Your Camper
Those little devils! I live in bear country. Colorado campers worry about black bears dumping over their coolers or poking their noses in tents not mice! Seriously, “A Feed Bear is a Dead Bear” is posted on national forest trash cans in my northwestern area. A mouse proof camper is not a big concern with 9…
Joyous Summer Travel Adventure!
Time escapes us all! This summer the boys and I are on a journey to capture time. We set an ambitious travel plan, Colorado to Georgia in 6 weeks. Hauling a 1971 travel trailer down through the Southwest into Texas is the first leg of the trip. This journey is about transitions, changes and new…