Lil’ J was tumbling through the playroom as I read off a list of signs of stress from a book I was reading.

“Difficulty focusing, feeling tense or nervous, forgetting directions someone has told you, ‘stuck’ thoughts in your head that you can’t get out–”

“I have all those things!” My daughter halted mid-cartwheel to exclaim. “I have a lot of stress!”

Part of me wanted to laugh. Another part of me not only empathized with her, but admired her ability to recognize that.

My parents would be like “You’re kids! What do you have to stress about?” But I’m listening. Or trying to.

The book is called Mind Over Basketball: Coach Yourself to Handle Stress and it’s about a boy who loves basketball, but has a lot going on in his life that’s affecting his game. He meets a gentleman who helps coach him while also giving advice for handling stress.

Each chapter pushes the story forward, then has an informational section about stress. My oldest daughter and I are enjoying reading it together. I’ve even begun to notice her using techniques from the book on her own.

Our kids are so capable of holding mature conversations about our bodies and minds. When I hear of “stress” I think of an adult concept but children very well experience it too. Reading books with creative ideas and important messages help us navigate through challenges like stress.

Magination Press Family is a publisher that has a slew of diverse children’s books that encourage mindfulness and thought-provoking discussions with our children. It’s like a pot of gold for my homeschooling mama heart.

Let’s Meet Up

This weekend, Jon Lasser and Sage Foster Lasser the authors of another great book, called Grow Grateful are coming to Austin for a book reading and signing. Lil’ J, Big T, Lee Lee and I will be hanging out and learning more about this important topic. We’d love to see you there!

The book is a about a girl who goes on a camping trip with her class and learns a lesson on gratitude.

Gratitude is something we discuss often in our family, but I love when books bring a colorful story and new perspective to the table and allow us to approach the topic differently. This book is based on the “theory of mind,” which is the ability to take perspective of others and recognize that each person has their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. There’s a nice “Note to Parents and Caregivers” section that gives information on teaching children how to be grateful. Which is an important topic anytime but especially prevalent this time of year.

The authors will be there to sign copies of the book and do a special reading. It’s this Saturday, October 20th at BookPeople at 603 N Lamar Blvd, Austin TX 78703.

You can RSVP here.

Hope to see you there!

  My oldest daughter is a competitive cheerleader, my son likes to run track. We are a fairly athletic family (ok, I’m the slacker) and we like watching and playing sports together. But one sport we don’t know a lot about is tennis. We watched Venus and Serena play together at the US Open this… read the rest.

“Let’s practice our fire drill!” My husband and I told our kids. Our son asked why, and darted for his headphones. My oldest daughter started to panic and ask me a series of questions. “Why? Is there going to be a fire? What’s happening? Why do we need to practice at home?” She took deep… read the rest.

I can see it vividly. A picture of myself, by little sister Heather, who’s four years younger, and our baby sister Lauren, maybe six months at the time. All butt naked and crammed into a bathtub together. Mind you I was 11. But we all had big grins having a grand old time. I’m sure… read the rest.

My sweet baby girl, Yes, I can and will still call you that. Probably forever. You may be older, taller, and have a lot more to say, but you will always be my baby. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let me tell you… You are one remarkable little girl. This last… read the rest.

“We are going to the park.” Those six words were like magic when I was a little girl. When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my mom would take my sister Heather and I to the city park that had a giant (to me back then) pond, a long row of swings, and… read the rest.

  All my life, (yes, I know that’s only been two months, but it’s been a LONG two months), I’ve wanted to be a #GCWBaby. My mom wore Gerber, my sister and brother wore Gerber. I see so many cute baby pictures on your Instagram page, @gerberchildrenswear and I think That could be ME! If… read the rest.

Several weeks ago our family had a very special weekend. I can’t believe writing about it has gotten so far away from me. In our religion there’s a tradition to bless our newborn babies. We can pray for our children anytime, but a blessing is kind of a special way to give your child a… read the rest.