Activities

Like many parents this fall, I find myself unexpectedly homeschooling three children. Gulp.  I have concerns.  One of these many concerns is my kids’ lack of exposure to other adults. I understand different kids connect to different adults differently. “Teacher Mom” might...

Our family LOVES the Olympics! We love the pageantry. We love watching the highest-caliber athletes compete. And, of course, we love the heart-warming underdog stories. As Olympics fanatics, our family hosts big parties to celebrate the games. What started out...

When I was a child, outdoor play was not negotiable. Sometimes I chose of my own volition to commune with nature, but often I was gently pushed out the door by my mother with the vaguely threatening admonition to...

Celebrate the 4th of July around Des Moines with parades, carnivals, music, and lots of summer treats! July 1 | Independence Day + Historic Baseball, Living History Farms  Celebrate a historic Independence Day in the town of Walnut Hill. 1876 marks...

Father's Day is coming up, and the dads are taking over! Stay tuned all week as we hear from several awesome local dads, and be blessed by these glimpses into the mind and heart of a father. In April, my...

Halloween, the night when all rules about how much sugar you let your kids eat are out the window in the name of trick-or-treating! Bring on the candy, the costumes, and the sugar-induced meltdowns! Be sure to check if your...

We have 141 children's books. That count is low because I'm always finding books under the couch, in the car, and yes, even in the bathroom. We don’t have 11 kids. We have two boys and about seventy books per kid...

Fall is for football and football means tailgating. Is it daunting to navigate a pop-up city of RVs, tents, and crazy fans with kids in tow? Maybe a little. But, it can be done and it can be fun! Experienced...

I crave quiet. Lack of noise. Sound’s absence. Eradication of the endless voices screaming off the news page and inside our house.   It’s a nice idea. But the reality is children come with noise and if they didn’t, we’d probably worry....

I'm currently sitting at my desk during a blizzard warning with kids begging to go sledding. They are specifically requesting a really big hill. While I may not know the biggest sledding hill in the Des Moines area, here...