Author Archives: Ann Kirsten

Raising teens can be a challenging and emotionally draining time. They often will challenge you on every established rule you've had in place for years. The constant battles and hormonal outbursts can...

Do you remember how exciting and wonderful Valentine's Day was when you were young? It was such a simple little holiday and yet so special. At school you had cupcakes and juice and you delivered your ...

It's February! I love February. As a child, Valentine's Day was one of my favorite holidays. I loved coming home from school with a paper bag full of little cards from my classmates. And the class par...

I love holidays, the more obscure the better. National Chocolate Day? Teddy Bear Day? Paperclip Day? Sign me up! Especially now that we are suffering through countless gray and rainy days, we need mor...

I will never be a world traveler. In fact, I'm not much of a traveler at all. For most of my life, I tried to hide this part of myself. I was ashamed that I wasn't like "other people". I would try and...

We’ve had such perfect snowfalls this season.  Each one of them dropped just enough snow to cover my yard. There’s always a peace that seems to fall along with the snow and I find mys...

I don't know about you, but after the holidays are over I tend to fall into a funk. In comparison to the bright fun of Christmas, January seems dark and boring. After years of fighting the blues, I've...

My friend (a counselor) has noticed time and time again that her clients go through the same things at the same time even though they don't know each other. If one is feeling tired and overwhelmed, he...

My son's history with Christmas pageants has not been exactly merry. It all started when he was only six months old. A church in Seattle asked if they could "borrow" him to represent the baby Jesus in...

My mom had a saying and I heard it hundreds of times while I was growing up: "It will never be seen from a galloping horse." She meant that it was okay if things were less than perfect. I did not appr...