I am the worst mother in the world. Tate no longer loves me. He wishes I would go away on a green dinosaur and never come back. I know, you’re wondering what could possibly cause such a drastic reaction in such a usually good kid. Well, I wouldn’t let him have a Capri Sun with […]
Smart Mouths and Big Hearts
I used to be a teacher. I jokingly refer to myself as a “recovering high school English teacher,” but the truth is, I miss the classroom. I miss the students. I miss the self-discovery of the teenage years and helping young people realize who and what they’d like to be someday. (I don’t miss the grading.) […]
BonBon Break: Our Secret Code
Hey, y’all! Here is one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever written up on BonBon Break. Bonus: They asked me to read it aloud on their BonBon Break LIVE Podcast! Sooo….here’s the beginning, and I’ve included a link for you to get there. The audio file is also on the post (if you can stand […]
I Was a Wedding Registry Disaster
“Do we get dessert tonight? How about some crème brulee?” My husband Jeff is nothing if not a jokester, though this is long-running inside joke has run its course. He refers, of course, to the wedding registry disaster of 2006. I have no idea what I thought marriage would be like when, at 26, engaged, […]
Why You Should Do a Family Halloween Costume
Halloween is just around the corner, and if your kids are like mine, they’ve been planning for months what costume they’ll don as they zip around the neighborhood ringing doorbells, asking for candy, and being startled by teenagers in gorilla masks. Perhaps you’re a Pinterest mom who is all about having perfect handmade costumes for […]
Carrie on Parenting: Mama Tried
Despite my Sunday learning, Towards the bad, I kept turning. ‘Til Mama couldn’t hold me anymore. And I turned twenty-one in prison doing life without parole. No one could steer me right but Mama tried, Mama tried. Mama tried to raise me better, but her pleading, I denied. That leaves only me to blame […]
How to Be a Wheel of Fortune Contestant, Part 1: Introduction
I have the best answer ever for icebreaker games: I was once a contestant on Wheel of Fortune. I know, I can’t believe it either. In September 2012, after two rounds of tryouts, I flew to LA and stepped onto the stage to try my hand at spinning the Wheel. My episode aired on November […]
Miracle at Miracle Strip
Sometimes the planets align just right. Every 75 years or so, Halley’s Comet streaks across the sky, and that’s my metaphor for my family’s night at Miracle Strip Amusement Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. We drove from Arkansas to PCB in about 13 hours with three kids, a golden retriever, and a cargo topper […]
10 Things I Hope My Kids Will Say About Their Childhood
Someday my kids will grow up. Sometimes a day seems to last a month, and sometimes a month flies by like the snap of my fingers. But someday, someday, they will grow up. They will leave our house and go off to make their own lives. They’ll go to college and choose their paths. They will date […]
A Summer Halftime Speech for My Kids
Hey, kids. Huddle up. In case you haven’t noticed, with the beginning of July, summer is now halfway over. It’s time for us to have a summer halftime speech, get our butts in gear, and complete all those goals we ambitiously laid out at the end of May. In May, we were so ready […]