Creating Calm: Tips for Stress-Free Childhood Milestones

The first haircut. The first day of school. A wobbly first step into a doctor’s office. Childhood milestones come in many shapes—none of them small. To adults, they’re routine. To kids, they’re epic. These “phases” are events packed with excitement, emotion, often confusion, and sometimes, fear. So, how do you help your kid navigate these moments without losing your mind—or theirs?

Perfection is not a word we are going to use here. But preparation is key to giving them positive reinforcement, and partaking in the excitement of many “firsts” for them to come.

Creating Calm: Tips for Stress-Free Childhood Milestones

Have You Noticed A Recent Decline In Your Mental Health? Consider These Factors

Life can shift in quiet, subtle ways. Sometimes, it’s not a single dramatic event but a collection of small changes that leave us feeling off-balance. If you’ve recently noticed that you’re not quite yourself, more fatigued, more irritable, or just emotionally flat, it might be time to reflect on what’s beneath the surface. The good news? With a bit of awareness and gentle course correction, you can begin to feel like yourself again.

Have You Noticed A Recent Decline In Your Mental Health? Consider These Factors

How to Help Your Struggling Reader This Summer: A Simple, Encouraging Plan for Parents

As a parent, there’s nothing more heart-wrenching than watching your child struggle — especially when it comes to reading. If your child is reading below grade level or battling low confidence with books, summer can feel like a ticking clock. But here’s the good news: with a simple summer reading plan, you can help your child grow their reading skills, boost their confidence, and maybe even learn to love reading.

How to Help Your Struggling Reader This Summer: A Simple, Encouraging Plan for Parents


If your child is like my son — held back in third grade and just wrapping up fourth — and reading feels more like a chore than a joy, you are not alone. Many 4th and 5th grade students are still building the foundational skills they need to be fluent, confident readers. And summer is a perfect time to slow down and focus without the pressure of classroom comparisons.

Let’s walk through a realistic, encouraging, and parent-friendly summer reading curriculum for struggling readers — especially kids around age 10–11.

Why Is My 4th Grader Struggling With Reading?

Post-Gallbladder Surgery Essentials for Moms: What I Wish I Knew

In 2022, I finally had my gallbladder removed after years of unexplained pain that started during my pregnancy with my daughter. Like many women, I was repeatedly dismissed and gaslit—told the pain was in my head, hormonal, or just “normal” pregnancy discomfort. 

Post-Gallbladder Surgery Essentials for Moms: What I Wish I Knew


But the pain didn’t stop. It got worse, especially after eating. It became a quiet background companion during always in the middle of the night. When I finally went to the ER one night, scans showed my gallbladder was riddled with stones. The validation alone felt like healing had begun. But the real journey started after the surgery.

If you're a mom facing gallbladder removal or recovering from it, this post is for you. Here’s everything I wish I had known about post-surgery recovery—plus the essentials that truly helped me heal while still managing life as a mom.

Easy Crockpot Pineapple Chicken – A Freezer-Friendly Dump Meal for Busy Moms

If you’re anything like me, your calendar probably looks like a chaotic game of Tetris. Between my daughter’s after-school play rehearsals, my son’s sports schedule, my husband's unpredictable work hours, nannying my niece and nephew a few days a week, and our church commitments, the last thing I want to think about at 5:00 p.m. is dinner.


ingredients for crockpot pineapple chicken in ziploc bags ready for freezer


Add in our 2025 goal of paying off debt and cutting down on takeout, and suddenly home-cooked meals have become a must, not a luxury. With inflation making restaurant prices soar, meal prepping has become one of the smartest strategies for saving money and staying sane.

Enter: this super simple, sweet-and-savory Crockpot Pineapple Chicken. It’s one of my go-to freezer dump meals that takes maybe 10 minutes of prep time, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand—especially when my husband impulse-buys multiple pineapples because they were "on sale." (Guess who ends up cutting them up?)

Crockpot Pineapple Chicken