When will we stop sacrificing our children? — Does anybody else want to hold their kids extra tight and homeschool them after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas? I called my sophomore this morning while he was at his bus stop to hear his voice one more time. I hugged my kids, kissed them more, and debated whether…

Talk less, listen more — My first instinct as a mother is to shield and protect my kids from scary things. When recent events unfolded at our local high school, where a student was shot in a bathroom with a ghost gun, my husband and I spoke in whispers, away from our four children. We…

Teaching your child self-advocacy — “Mom! Mom! They said I can’t have a word processor for my AP exam!” My frantic 16-year-old came to find me an hour before we were supposed to leave for his exam. My son has an individualized education plan (IEP). It means he has accommodations so that he succeeds in…

Letting her be her own superhero “What? I didn’t mean it like that. Or are you spending too much time with your mom?” he asked when my daughter looked up from her school-assigned laptop. The teacher had just given a deep beleaguered sigh, and my daughter caught it. …

When working with a client is no longer profitable — I write for several platforms. It’s easy to develop pockets of writing communities with people who write for the same platform. It’s a great way to figure out the nuances and quirks of the platform, especially when it’s new. People help with headlines, best practices, and deciphering expectations. As with…

And I’m still holding my breath — I didn’t even realize it was my first anniversary of ringing the damn bell until I was scrolling through pictures on my phone. It’s been one year since I sat in my infusion chair, crocheting a blanket to pass the time. It’s been one year since I’ve had a needle…

Yes, FREE planning when you work with an Earmarked travel agency — If you have ever tried to book a Disney vacation it can get a little unwieldy. If you try to book it with only 3 weeks notice, it’s a challenge. But with Jennifer Arnold, a travel planner and independent contractor with Storybook World Travel, this is where Pixie Dust and…

Don’t just gain followers. Gain read time — A few platforms are instilling a minimum follower count before monetizing. Between the two venues where I write regularly, I have nearly 4K followers. You just looked at my follower account for Medium didn’t you? And you were unimpressed. That’s fine. I spent the last year writing for another platform…

Damascus High School alum Jake Funk makes his way to the Super Bowl — Across the country, folks prepared for the Super Bowl, cooking up good food and hanging out with friends and family. But in Damascus, Maryland, it was much more than just another Super Bowl. …