Tweens

Smart phones. Nearly every woman, man, teenager, child, and dog has one. Okay, maybe not the dog, but you get my point. Smartphones are everywhere and used everyday. Mine recently took a “vacation” to my brother’s house two hours...

Halloween is one of our family’s favorite holidays. Each year we all get in on the spooky fun, from dressing up and trick-or-treating, to Halloween-themed activities. With a family as large as ours, it can be difficult to find Halloween...

Fall officially begins on September 22, but let's be honest–we've been dreaming of it for months. So grab your pumpkin spice latte and check out our 2017 Ultimate Guide to Fall in Iowa City! To make planning your fall easier,...

“That’s it! Go to your room! I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day!” “You go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done!” “If you don’t stop it right now, you’re going...

I love my daughter. I really do. She is the sun in my sky and light of my life and rose in my garden and all those metaphors we use to describe how much we love someone.  Do you...

CANDY! I don't know about you, but we try to cut back on the amount of candy that our children get for holidays. However, there are special candies made for EVERY holiday! Even on the 4th of July we get candy tossed...

You’ve purchased all of the school supplies your child needs. Their backpack is full and ready to go. Your child’s favorite lunch foods are packed, and you even had time to stick a little love note for them in...

Some of you may recognize the title from Game of Thrones: "Mother of Dragons." Unfortunately, it is not original to me. However, there are days that I feel like it is the perfect description of my role. My oldest daughter...

When my daughter was little, I wanted her to experience lots of different activities and try everything at least once. We started music classes and gymnastics before she could walk. As she got older we added in dance, T-ball,...

Three years ago we got a dog. The only reason I got this dog was for my kids. Ever since my 14 year old daughter was 3 years old she wanted a dog. Over the years she wrote reports...