5 Tips for Meal Planning (and Saving)!

I’ve always been a planner, and although there are many times this has worked to my detriment, one area it has helped me considerably is in planning our family’s weekly meals. After years of providing foster care and having as many as six kids in our home, I’ve...

An American Girl’s Declaration of Independence

When we were little, my sister and I had a variety of dolls. Baby Bubbles, Water Babies, Cabbage Patch Kids. But one of my favorites was named Felicity, and she was an American Girl doll. If you are familiar with the American Girl company in its early days, back...

Swimsuits for Your Body Type

Summer is here! The lake is calling and the kids want to go to the pool. I’ve never met a woman who enjoys swimsuit shopping. It is a chore and when your body has changed from that teenage figure to a womanly figure; one can find it frustrating knowing what fit is...

School’s Almost Out – Don’t Panic

The countdown is on. Memorial Day is behind us and the unofficial start of summer has begun. Lazy days at the beach, picnics, corn on the cob, fireworks, and iced tea are all waiting for us. So are the kids and that dreaded phrase, “I’m bored.” I love having my kids...

Daring to Dream

In preparation for Bridging the Gap’s upcoming Single Moms Retreat, I recently attended a training session on life coaching techniques.  One of the exercises we completed that morning was sitting down with another person we didn’t know and spending four uninterrupted...

Suffocating

There I sat, in the middle of the bare, hardwood floor of my just-above-ground-level apartment. It was January in Minnesota, and I was wondering where my extra blanket could be. Newly married, I was waiting anxiously to start my first ever full-time job the next week....