The Notes From Home Blog

Traditionally the holiday season is about peace and joy, but if you’re a parent, you know how difficult it can be to keep a peaceful feeling in your home. This is especially difficult when there is existing tension in family relationships or during stressful times. As you reflect on this topic, a feeling of peace […]

“He’ll be here any minute!” Waiting at the bottom of the escalators in the Salt Lake International Airport for my nephew’s delayed airplane to arrive, I began to take in the scene. More than 150 people stood there with me, visibly excited, holding balloons, welcome home posters, and cameras. Grandmas and Grandpas were offered seats […]

“Where’s my (fill in the blank.)” “I totally forgot (fill in the blank).” and “(Fill in the blank) is stressing me out!” Do these phrases sound uncomfortably familiar? Productivity and time management is an important part of everyday life, but we often don’t prioritize it as we should. Organization plays a huge role in success […]

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, stamina is “the bodily or mental capacity to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity,” and “the moral or emotional strength to continue with a difficult process, effort, etc.” When you’re in the thick of parenting, it can feel like you are running out of stamina—especially during emotional, stressful, and difficult times. […]

Giving feedback is a necessary form of communication and can be applied in many different facets of life—parenting, work, school, religious responsibilities, and more. For some, receiving feedback can be difficult, especially when the person is firm in their habits and opinions. On the other hand, when feedback is given too late, the consequences of […]

When you think of the word minimalism, what comes to mind? Maybe you think of Marie Kondo’s hit Netflix show. Maybe you think of a millennial who doesn’t have time, space, or money for a lot of material items. Or maybe you think of a plain home lacking character. There are a lot of misconceptions […]

Think about a machine. What does it do? How does it perform efficiently? How is it assembled? Every machine is a little different with all the moving parts, but the one thing all machines have in common is that they all need grease to work properly or there’s potential for a lot of friction. Grease […]

Roxanne and I bought six new horse troughs in the spring and turned them into raised garden beds. After caring for them all summer we are now starting to see the benefits of our efforts and are yielding a harvest of delicious vegetables. As wonderful as this is, the harvest is only a small part […]

(8 Minute read) I recently interviewed Dr. Ryan Anderson on my podcast, Not By Chance, to discuss social media, how it affects teens, and how parents can help their teens use it effectively and responsibly. Dr. Anderson earned a Master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, a PhD in medical and family therapy, and completed […]

In today’s busy world, it’s hard to picture sitting down together as a family and having dinner every night. There are sports games to attend, practices to get to and homework to do. In the midst of it all, the most important things can easily take a back seat. I sat down and discussed family […]