Parents and Teachers

The Search For Rejuvenation

Posted on July 24, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Aileen Luppert I attended a job training a few weeks ago. After three days of intense conversations and reflections, I was exhausted, but optimistic about how to apply all the lessons learned. Many of the people in the room (including me) seemed to sense the enormity of what might be ahead and we went […]

Kid-Friendly Green Bluff

Posted on July 22, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson There are many things to love about Green Bluff. There’s the fresh produce you can either pick yourself or buy freshly harvested, beautiful scenery, and a variety of fun products you can buy such as lavender, jams, pies, and even gift shop items at some farms. With about 50 independent farms and […]

What To Do With an English Major

Posted on July 17, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Cara Strickland When I was an English major in college, I was often faced with that question. The one that is rarely posed to business majors, but almost always asked of those studying the liberal arts. “What are you going to do with that?” This happened at family gatherings, occasionally in the supermarket, and […]

Try Tri Again

Posted on July 16, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley It was the name that got me. After years of running around in matching Wonder Woman swimsuits with my big sister, pretending to be Linda Carter, how could I not jump at the chance of signing up for a sprint triathlon called the West Plains Wunder Woman? Never mind that at the […]

Toaster: Free to Good Home

Posted on July 10, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Kim Harshberger I hate the term gluten-free. It brings up a lot of negative connotations, misunderstandings, and sometimes, abject horror. It also doesn’t begin to describe the choice my husband and I have made for our family. To be clear, no one in the family has a negative physical response to gluten. We do […]

Library Hack: eBooks and Audiobooks

Posted on July 8, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Cara Strickland My to-read list is frighteningly long. Most of my friends are readers, and we love to give out book suggestions to each other. One good book leads to another and before I know it, my Goodreads account is bursting at the seams. My life doesn’t leave as much margin as I would […]

Ready, Set, Kindergarten!

Posted on July 2, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Rachel Edmondson I can’t count how many times somebody has looked at my girls and told me, “Enjoy these years. They will go by so fast.” Some days I have to restrain myself from rolling my eyes as I sarcastically think to myself, “Oh yes, this day is going so quickly. It began with poop, […]

Help on Wheels

Posted on June 26, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Aileen Luppert We have all had times in which life’s challenges push us to the point of needing help. The first time I was without a job, I was at a loss as to what to do. When the next job didn’t come quickly, someone suggested that I see if I could get help […]

Simple Strategies for Water Safety

Posted on June 25, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Gwendolyn Haley I’m a bit of a worrier. I freely admit that I have a tendency to be an anxious parent. No one told me that once I became a parent, every potential threat would loom large over their lives like the sword of Damocles. Illness, accident, injury or anything bad that happens to […]

Elementary, My Dear Reader

Posted on June 24, 2014 at 6:00 am

By Cara Strickland When I was a kid, I couldn’t get enough of the Boxcar Children and Nancy Drew. To this day, The Westing Game is one of my favorite books. As a teenager, and then an adult, although I spent plenty of time in other genres, I usually find several mysteries in my “to-read” […]