#RealLifeWonderWoman — Meet J. Rosemarie Francis

I was recently asked to be a guest on a popular parenting podcast. Solo Moms! TALK is a place for moms to connect and explore the challenges they face in raising children alone. No matter where we are in our mom journeys, we can always use a sisterhood of supporters to help us not only survive, but thrive. And one

The grass is not always greener…

My husband Marty is a yard guy. He is meticulous about fertilizing, watering, mowing and trimming. In fact, we tease him about how often he cuts the grass—and yes, the tidy chevron pattern in which he cuts it. The King of the Riding Lawnmower takes great pride in maintaining our yard and it shows. While we relentlessly pick on him

#RealLifeWonderWoman — Meet Angela Wiechmann

Today’s #RealLifeWonderWoman may not be able to leap tall buildings, but let me tell you she is a super hero when it comes to words. I call her “editor extraordinaire” and the “queen of transitions” as well as “trusted advisor.” Her name is Angela Wiechmann. She is an immersion editor and owner of A.M.W. Editing. We met when Angie edited

The Bath Bomb

Rubber duckie. Check. Bubbles. Check. Little Mermaid wash cloth. Check. Pink Disney teapot and tiny teacups. Check and check. There we were, mother and daughter, splashing together in the bathtub. She was barely two and I was, well, old enough to be her mother. As she carefully measured and poured and chattered on about princesses and puppies and preschool, I

From Kelly’s Kitchen–Crock Pot Pasta e Fajioli Soup

So many of you have asked if I miss food blogging. Honestly, I’m so busy speaking and writing and traveling that I don’t know where I’d add it in on a regular basis. But I still do enjoy feeding people and clearly I like to eat! While I won’t promise you monthly recipes, I will make every attempt to share

#RealLifeWonderWoman–Meet Sadie

In honor of National Service Dog month, we’re shaking things up a bit today on the #WonderWomanWednesday blog and featuring a four-legged super hero. Meet Sadie!  Sadie is loved by Abby, a #RealLifeWonderWoman we featured back in August. You can click HERE to read that post.  Sadie is excited to be featured on the blog today. So let’s get started. 

#RealLifeWonderWoman–Meet Shannan Younger

I met today’s #RealLifeWonderWoman through professional channels. She’s a talented writer and the founder of the website betweenusparents.com. Shannan believes parenting, and life in general, is better when you have a sense of humor, a dose of perspective, and some good hard facts. This Midwestern mom and recent Jeopardy contestant is active in both politics and parenting. I recently caught up

#RealLifeWonderWoman–Meet Susan Meissner

Today’s #RealLifeWonderWoman is the critically-acclaimed author of 20 novels. Her engaging stories feature memorable characters facing unique and complex circumstances, often against a backdrop of historical significance.  Susan Meissner was born and raised in San Diego, California, but spent some of her adult life living in Minnesota as well as in England and Germany, before returning home to southern California.

The Hats of Christmas Future

’Twas the week before Christmas and I found myself sitting on the concrete floor of our storage room with a fuzzy Santa hat in my hand and a lump in my throat. As I rummaged through the tote of Christmas decorations, each item I touched triggered memories of Christmas past. The handmade train ornament gave me a glimpse of my