The changing seasons always bring me back to a place of hope. Hope can support the belief that good things are ahead. The truth is, we spend too much time stewing about what our unpredictable children did yesterday or last week. Looking back on our list of concerns and outrageous behaviors can shake our faith in achieving family peace.

Mad Random: Claiming Life Out of Chaos was not the book I started to write.

Don’t let the wind and the rain fool you. Summer is just on the other side of the hill you must climb before the school year comes to a close.

Hours of school work must done at home” seems to be a new and noxious battle cry for our sometimes-faltering educational system.

I have some stories to tell. I’m a big believer in stories because without our own stories there is nothing but another person’s noise. Stories need to mean something.

Mad Random Parenting is fueled on hope, resolve and who knows what? Sometimes caffeine seems to be the only thing that keeps me going.

I am so honored to have heard from a mom who read my book, Mad Random: Claiming Life Out of Chaos.

There are few holidays that are more perplexing than Valentine’s Day. Fun Fact: This holiday is rooted in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration observed by pagan Romans, usually on February 15.

Yes. Christmas is over and the wrapping paper is clogging the recycling bin. Just as I was looking for a leftover ham recipe that tastes just like lobster (I didn’t find it,) some thoughtless person asked me about my New Year’s resolutions.

I admit it. I watch those soppy, predictable holiday movies on TV.

Estate planning lawyers like the one I’m married to, see all kinds of family drama. Making wills to pass along money and family possessions to one’s children provides relatives or friends with ample opportunities for indecision, meltdown and serious family revolt.

If you, like me, stayed up most of the night watching this consequential election, I know how you’re feeling.

Here we are at the official start of the holiday season. Unless you are one of those decoration overload creatives that start on Halloween (Labor Day?) – this is it.

I had lunch this week with a neighbor near our home in North Carolina. She wanted to talk about the election and kitchen decorating ideas.

It’s been some time since we’ve talked together about school. And you’re thinking, “That’s not a bad thing.” Why focus on the crazy making planning and IEP development process that threatens sanity on a good day?

I know it’s hard to come up with words when “thanks” may not be the first thing you want to say to your child’s teachers and aides. Or, maybe it is what you want to say and you are still searching for words. Here are some simple words of thanks that may work.

When I was a kid, I spent a lot of time with my grandfather. He was a lean, loose-jointed man who didn’t make any noise when he walked.

This is my thinking bench. I don’t text, take calls, or edit scary first drafts here. I just think.