December 19, 2019
by Maralee
1 Comment
Every Christmas I have pulled out the ornaments and along with the fancy and the breakable and the milestone ornaments, there is a little group of handmade ones. There are the photo ornaments my oldest son made in his preschool … Continue reading
April 11, 2019
by Maralee
1 Comment
The other day my oldest son had his first packet of ramen noodles. I remember eating these occasionally when I was little and making them in my dorm room through college. When we were houseparents at a group home ramen … Continue reading
November 7, 2018
by Maralee
5 Comments
The other afternoon I locked myself in my bathroom with a cup of coffee so I could listen to a radio interview without interruption. The interview was with someone very important to me. He was once a child at the … Continue reading
March 13, 2018
by Maralee
2 Comments
As part of the therapy offered to the children at the group home we worked at, kids took horseback riding lessons. While we houseparents were not required to attend these lessons, I snuck my way in by showing up at … Continue reading
December 18, 2017
by Maralee
0 comments
Before Thanksgiving I found myself doing a deep clean of our basement in preparation for the return of someone special to us. He had lived with us for years during our group home days, then returned about a decade later … Continue reading
April 5, 2017
by Maralee
4 Comments
I just finished watching the documentary “Stevie” and I have some feelings I’m trying to process. The movie was made by a man who was involved in a “big brother” program that connected him with a young man named Stevie. … Continue reading
March 8, 2017
by Maralee
1 Comment
Well, we recently acquired a 19 year-old at our house and people are wondering about exactly how that works with my much touted philosophy about the benefits of respecting birth order. Long story short– it kind of doesn’t. But I’m … Continue reading
April 4, 2016
by Maralee
0 comments
I stink at hostessing. It is not my gift. This has been clear to me for a long time because I grew up in the home of an incredible hostess. My mom loves hospitality and takes such joy in entertaining. … Continue reading
January 19, 2016
by Maralee
3 Comments
I recently attended a foster parent training about how to help kids who have experienced trauma. (Spoiler alert– EVERY kid in foster care has experienced trauma because just the act of coming into foster care IS trauma). My favorite piece … Continue reading
July 6, 2015
by Maralee
0 comments
Sometimes I get a little panicked that it will never rain again. I grew up in California– a land of drought and water use awareness. As a kid I remember going to school assemblies devoted to talking about turning off … Continue reading