Matt (and me a little bit) will be homeschooling our boys for at least the first half of our Family Gap Year. And having pen pals will be part of the experience!

Back in the Family Gap Year 1.0 plan, we were going to homeschool for an entire year. But then COVID happened and mandatory homeschooling happened and we realized we aren’t so much a homeschooling family. And while we were fine doing it for one year, two years seemed like pushing it.

Honestly, it’s not that we aren’t a homeschooling family, per se. We just aren’t a “let’s spend 24 hours a day, 7 days a week together” … Read More

I’m loving this book so much—The Power of Showing Up: How Parental Response Shapes Who Our Kids Become and How Their Brains Get Wired. It’s about how the most important thing we can do as parents is to show up for our children. Showing up means that we help them feel safe, seen, soothed, and secure.

If we had any attachment difficulties in our own childhoods, then we are more likely to struggle with providing these four things for our children. But, ultimately, the book is incredibly hopeful and encouraging. It posits that any of us can “break the cycle.” It starts by getting clear about our own … Read More

Sweet Henry’s birthday is coming up this February 28th. I’m continuing my annual tradition of reading him a letter on his birthday and hanging up pictures from his year (as well as one photo from each of his previous years).

Here’s his letter for the year:

Dearest Henry,

I can’t believe you are 11 already. You are growing into a young man so quickly! I cherish the time that we get together as a family. I love our little unit of four, and you are an important part of our family. 

Here are some of the things we have enjoyed together as a family this year:

• We camped for your