Some time ago, I read an article called "Afterschooling," written by a mom who was also a teacher. The idea is simple: learning doesn't stop when the school day ends. Parents can use after-school hours, weekends, and summers to help kids stay sharp, fill in gaps, or stretch further when they're ready for more. It works whether your child is homeschooled or attends a private or public school, and it's especially helpful for the child who needs more than the classroom can give.

What interested me was how ordinary the ideas were. Join me as we explore some wonderful ways to have fun and learn as a family. They will keep you connected.

At a webinar on the Five Principles of Power, I gave the attendees an assignment to determine which of the principles they felt most resistant to. I received a hilarious email from an attendee. It was hilarious, but also sobering.

The principle that caused her to cringe was planning ahead. In her email, she related all the ways that she was constantly interrupted and why planning anything was a disaster.

After a conversation, she sent me this email: "I appreciated you addressing my hang-up with preparation. I felt much relieved and empowered after our talk. Thanks for helping me see through another set of eyes!"

Join me today as I let you in on what I shared with this distressed mother. It will be life-changing because real-life planning isn't what you think!

I had a deep, interesting, and moving conversation about learning to slow down and being still with a friend, Melissa.

This is something I've been tutored in for over a decade, but it still isn't a habit for me. I'm a mover, shaker, and finisher. Stopping and stillness are not part of my natural energy.

Join me as I share what my tutoring has looked like, how it has gone, and the challenges and blessings of working on stillness. It has been enlightening.

When I moved from Montana to Utah in my late 50s, something stopped me in my tracks. The realization that I was responsible for my responses, no matter the circumstances or the people involved. This hit me hard. I couldn't blame others for how I felt! I was mad and honestly didn't want it to be true. But I am a learner, and the thought wouldn't leave.

As I learned and accepted the truth of this statement, my life began to change. I wanted that same growth for my children. Join me as I share my 29-year-old son Andrew's experience. It is enlightening and fun. Especially the part about the drunken snails. : )

When you're engaged in a project, what matters to you? For many adults, it's the outcome.

When children are engaged in a project, what matters to them? For the most part, it's the process.

There is real value in stepping back and allowing our children to create without worrying about the outcome.

Any time we foster the skills of creation, thinking, and problem-solving, we are helping our children on the path to becoming capable, confident adults.

Join me as I share some stellar examples of what stepping back from the outcome looks like and how it can bless the children in your life.

My sister Cindy has a job caring for a man with dementia. As I know well, this can be an overwhelming and consuming responsibility. Here was her text to me:

"Mary, I need advice. Taking care of D. is draining me. I didn't go to the temple all week. I'd leave his house, and I had nothing left. He wants to be with me constantly. When I'm cooking his food, he stands right next to me, and I have to move away. He asks me what he should do about everything. It's exhausting."

After some pondering, because I do know firsthand what this is like, here was my response: "No matter what our current mission, we can survive and even thrive, but we must revive."

Today I will be sharing some real-life examples of how to survive caring for and interacting with others: the elderly, kids, teens, and those we work with. It can be challenging unless we have ways to revive after hectic days. Join me and begin to thrive!

A friend of mine, a mom with several young children, told me recently that her kids' favorite thing to do is play dress-up. They want to do it all day long, even the boys. Of course, it makes a glorious mess. As we visited, she asked me about the value of this interest she was seeing in her kids, and it opened up a wonderful conversation.

Today I will share some effective ideas on how to harness the joy of dressing up and learning in a family activity. They work for little kids and teens. They can be so family-connecting!

I used to think staying calm with my children was a skill I'd eventually master and move past, something I'd graduate from once they were grown. I know better now. Right now, I'm caring for my 96-year-old mother, who has dementia, and I'm finding myself back in the same classroom I thought I'd left decades ago.

The stories in this series are from long ago, mostly from the years when my children were small, or my grandchildren were underfoot. But I keep coming back to them, because the lessons in them are just as true today as they were then. I hope these stories feel less like advice from someone who's arrived, and more like company from someone still on the road with you.

Staying calm isn't a skill you master once and keep forever. It's a practice. And you never know when life will hand you a new season that puts you right back in the classroom. I was reminded of that recently when I came across an old story from years ago, back when my grandchildren were small. It's a good reminder that the practice never really ends, and that's okay.

Join me as I share the story of the Honey Bucket and its powerful message on calm parenting.