Parenting
Growing up with “parenting experts” and having five children of my own, I’ve learned a thing or two about raising kids.
The biggest thing I’ve learned?
There’s no one “right way” to do it. We all have unique talents and personalities to bring to the table.
Hoping what I share here on 71toes.com will help stimulate your own ideas. Ideas for building stronger family relationships, creating a family economy, establishing family systems. It’s always good to see how others are doing it so we can add to our own “toolbox.”
Sending lots of love your way as you maneuver your own unique parenting adventure.
XOXO
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Miracles Amidst the Hard Stuff: Lucy at BYU Summer School
We are already half-way through BYU summer school for Lucy and it’s been a rollercoaster ride for us for sure. But I want to…
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Lucy Takes on BYU Summer School: A Mother’s Heart in the Middle of It All
You know when little ideas create a spark of possibility in your mind? And then it takes root and you realize that’s a really…
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A Short Summer Stint With Lucy at Home
Let’s take a minute to talk about the short time we got to have Lucy home this summer. The “three musketeers” reunited. Because I…
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What Japanese World Cup Fans Taught Me About Raising Kids Who Pitch In
I’ve been thinking about teaching kids to pitch in, building unity and hard work lately. Especially in light of this news coverage of Japanese…
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Some Time in Utah with My Big Kids
Last week my sisters and I got to celebrate my baby sister Charity’s 40th birthday. So much more on that to come, but for…
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Summer Goals for Kids (With a Plan That Actually Works)
Each summer as soon as the last school bell rings freeing us into summer, we sit down together and write out summer goals…with a…
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Our Job is to Make our Kids Lives Better, Not Easier
Now that Dave and I are empty nesters, it’s a strange thing looking back from this vantage point. I find myself asking: did we…
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The Night After High School Graduation: When the Letting Go Really Begins
It’s graduation season, and emotions after a child’s high school graduation have always been tricky for me! Makes me think of this post outlining…
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A Kids’ Chore System That Actually Works (Saturday Jobs Made Simple)
A while back we revamped our Saturday jobs. We created job lists that outline every detail of the work to be done. These lists…
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Celebrating Grace’s UVU Graduation
Two weeks ago Grace officially graduated from Utah Valley University with a degree in communications. Her college graduation celebration was unconventional because not a…
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Packing Up a First Year of College: Moving Lucy Out of Her Dorm
The day we moved Lucy out of her first college dorm after her first year of college is her story to tell. I’m sure…
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Why Expectations in Relationships Make Them Stronger
We live in a world that is increasingly drawn to easy relationships. No conflict, no expectations, no humbling moments where we have to apologize…
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Lucy’s First Year of College with Low Vision: Snippets Worth Remembering
Our first year of parenting a college student with low vision has been a journey for us all. And it is worth remembering. It’s…
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Why Parenting Boundaries Matter (Even When It’s Hard)
(Originally published in 2022, updated April 2026.) There is this thing that happened that keeps coming back to me. A reminder of how important…
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Helping Kids Take Ownership: Learning About Locus of Control
(Updated in 2026 to add more thoughts on helping kids take ownership of their decisions as they grow, especially during this college/mission prep season.)…
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Helping Your Child Choose a College (Elle’s Story)
(Updated in 2026 as we head into graduation and college decision season—a time when so many parents are in the thick of helping a…
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Building Independence as a Young Adult with Special Needs: Lucy’s First College Spring Break
Watching your child with special needs step into adulthood can be quite an emotional ride. It brings a unique mix of pride, worry, and…
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Easter Traditions That Hold Us Together (Even as Kids Grow Up)
Every year as Easter approaches I find myself asking the same question:How do we make this holiday feel as meaningful as it really is?…
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Tips for Raising Teenage Boys – A Different Perspective
When my son Max turned fifteen, I was caught in that familiar swirl of maternal worry: Will he be motivated? Is he prepared for…
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Adjusting to Empty Nest Life: Finding Balance After Kids Leave Home
There’s a strange balance to be found in adjusting to empty nest life. After nearly three decades of raising children, Dave and I are…
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Visiting Adult Children: A Quick Trip to Palo Alto and San Francisco
There is something so magnificent to me about visiting your adult children and getting a glimpse into the life they are building. Dave and…
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Valentine’s Day Weekend with my Valentines
I got to spend Valentine’s Day weekend with not only my very own husband-valentine, but also with my kid-valentines, plus a couple of their…
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Another Birthday – This Time it’s Carson
Ok, I’ve been largely MIA around here. Been working so hard on getting this little blog “revamp” going, have you noticed it? So many…
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Visiting My College Daughter with Low Vision: Lucy’s First Semester
People have asked for an update on Lucy. For anyone new needing an introduction, Lucy is my daughter, and also an incredible college student…
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Tips on Raising Teenagers from “In the Arena”
Teenagers are confusing. And frustrating. And tricky. But they are also pretty dang awesome. Raising teenagers can evoke a wide range of emotions —…
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The Blessing of Miss Ada June
On Sunday, Max gave our second granddaughter, Miss Ada June, a special blessing in a quiet little gathering at Max and Abby’s house. This…
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What Parents Need to Know About A.I. – Artificial Intelligence
While I was at the Faith Matters Restore conference a couple weeks ago, there were breakout sessions during lunch. My siblings and I wanted…
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Are you Overwhelmed in the Parenting Department? Try this!
I was just talking to one of my daughters this morning about overwhelm. She’s in the thick of trying to find balance amidst so…
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Preparing Lucy for College: A Journey of Grit, Growth, and Angels
Preparing a child for college is a big step for any parent. Preparing a child with special needs can feel like stepping into completely…
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The Beginning of College for Lucy – “By Small and Simple Things”
Yesterday Lucy became an official college student. Well, in all actuality, she started last week in a special “connections” class to kick things off.…
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Praying for Angels as Lucy Heads to College
As Lucy prepares to leave for college, I find myself holding a mix of emotions I can barely put into words. There is so…
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The Power of Nature: Making Family Memories in the Wilderness
Each year when our family reunion at Bear Lake comes to an end, my brothers pack up endless gear as well as what seems…
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A Simple Way to Connect With Adult Children Through Prayer
We all want ways to connect with our young adults, right? I mean, as parents we are in this funky land of “moving to…
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Planting Summer Flowers in the Desert – An Analogy to Parenting
Flower gardening in the desert isn’t really my normal mojo here on the blog. I’m here for family life, travel and sharing the motherhood…
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Lucy Takes on an Excellent College Prep Program for the Blind
Preparing Lucy for college has required a different kind of preparation. That’s why finding the right college prep program for blind students felt so…
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Motherhood Transitions: Saying Goodbye to the High School Years
Motherhood is a constant cycle of transitions—but some hit deeper than others. When your last child graduates high school, it’s more than a milestone…
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Want to Celebrate Good Dads? Here are some Ideas
Oh my goodness I’m slow posting this week. I’m really celebrating this good Dad I’m married to since we’re coming up on our thirtieth…
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Graduation Day Emotions: Letting Go of Your Last Child
A week ago from yesterday Lucy sat on the same football field where all my kids have graduated, adorned with her own cap and…
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Thank you to the Village: Why Community Matters in Parenting
Leading up to Lucy’s graduation, I was carrying a heavy load of emotions. I knew that having a daughter with special needs graduate from…
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Letting Go of High School, One Ceremony at a Time
Welp, Lucy graduated yesterday. Which means so did I as a mother of high-school-goers. The business of letting go of high school has been…
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Letting Kids Go: Preparing for My Last Child to Graduate
So here we are, preparing for my last child to graduate this week. And life has been filled to the brim with festivities as…
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How I Believe God Is Looking Out for Lucy
I am a big believer in looking for the miracles. Especially in the tricky times. Because Dave and my mantra is true, to be…
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“Moving to the Bleachers” For Easter – Easter 2025
We got lucky enough to celebrate with most of our kids this Easter. The weekend was filled up with kids, grand babies, long walks…
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One Last Visit to Iowa: A BBS Clinical Trial and Good Friends
Dave, Lu and I left Dave’s family birthday and visitor week to head out for one last visit to Iowa, to see a good…
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How Love Can Help Our Kids Become Extraordinary
As my kids have grown older I often look back and wonder: Did we push for the extraordinary too much? Did we not push…
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How to Reinvent Good Parenting…Over and Over!
I have learned through the years that we have to reinvent good parenting. Over and over again. Parenting is certainly NOT something we learn…
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Squabbling Sisters Can Grow Up to be Best Friends
Here’s another post in my series of “sister posts.” Today I am here to give mothers of young squabbling sisters some hope. Because guess…
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Cousins Make High School Dances Even Better
Lucy went to another high school dance. And this time around I realized that cousins make high school dances even better. But before we…
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How to Foster Deeper Discussions with Your Family
I am often asked how Dave and I foster deeper discussions with our family. Conversations that are more meaningful and make us closer. The…
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Predictability Promotes the Best Development
I keep thinking about the developmental psychology class I took a while back that explored the “Attachment Theory.” I learned about the preciousness of…
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A Brand New Entrepreneur
Finding meaningful work can be challenging for anyone—but finding jobs for people with visual impairment can feel especially overwhelming. This is the story of…
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Do We Strive for “Superior” Motherhood?
I read the most interesting article a few years ago that made me think. In our world where “gentle parenting” is becoming king, are…
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New Years Resolutions that Actually KEEP – One Way to Look at the “Big Picture”
Oh I am sending out so much holiday love. Hope everyone had the best Christmas. So much I want to writ and ponder on…
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How to Organize your Fridge when you have Low Vision
Want to know how to organize your fridge when you have low vision? Just grab some green masking tape and ask Lucy to help…
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The Importance of Good Men
I’ve been thinking lately about the importance of good men. I think our world needs them desperately. OF COURSE we need good, strong women…
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What a 113-Degree Work Day Taught Me About the Power of Family Teamwork
The stucco on our house was in desperate need of repair and a paint job. In order to get to those jobs we had…
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How Setting Boundaries with Kids Builds Strong Relationships
Sometimes as parents we think we need to give up boundaries to build a strong relationship with our kids. But setting boundaries with kids…
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Happy Father’s Day — I love David.
As Dave and I drove Lucy to the airport to head off on her grand summer adventure I mentioned that so much love filled…
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How to Get Children to WANT to Behave
This is a question so many parents ask themselves: how in heaven’s name can I get my children to behave? Especially when we’re at…
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An Excellent Book For Dads Written by My Brother…in Time for Father’s Day!
Welp, I mentioned this in my Utah post, but let’s get to the details. Because my brother Tal wrote a book! A book for…
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Florida with our married kids after Carson’s Graduation — Goodbye Miami!
It’s so strange to be in a season of life with adult children moving away. Again and again. It makes any time we get…
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We have an official Doctor in the Family!
Yep, Carson is official. And I got a little teary as he stood with his classmates and recited the “Oath of Hippocrates,” pledging to…
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A New Key to create Better Communication
Our communication matters! It is what relationships are all about. I recently learned a new key to create better communication
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Our family screen-time challenge results
Ok let’s talk about our family screen time challenge results. (I asked if anyone wanted to join me in this leading up to Easter…
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BBS Vision Restoration Research and Friends in Iowa
After we left Utah for the first part of spring break, we headed to Iowa for some pretty incredible BBS vision restoration research, and…
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What to Do for FHE When You Only Have One Kid at Home
I have an update coming soon about what the big kids are up to, because they are up to a lot. And oh how…
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A New Season of our “In the Arena” Podcast!
Yep, the first THREE episodes of the new season are live for “In the Arena.” WooHOO! I love learning from my sisters as we…
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Lucy’s First Dance! – MORP
Well, the long awaited and much hand-wrung-over high school dance has come and gone for Lucy. I talked about some of our emotions swirling…
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Three Ways to Help Teenagers Build a Positive Self-Image
Let’s talk about three ways to help teenagers build a positive self-image. Because when you’re a teenager, especially in this world filled to the…
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Lucy’s First Date: Navigating Teen Dating with Special Needs
Watching your teen go on a first date is emotional for any parent—but when special needs are part of the story, it can feel…
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How to Nurture one son
I came across two old blog questions the other day about raising a boy. How to nurture one son. And also how to build…
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the most important nine minutes of the day
I want to talk about a comment made on this blog a while back that talked about the most important nine minutes of the…
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The Beginning of Claire’s Missionary Adventure in Australia
I wrote about Claire’s birthday in Australian birthday time (yesterday since she’s 18 hours ahead of us). But it’s her birthday today in America.…
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Claire’s Mission Arrival in Australia: Finding “Bubbles of Love” Far From Home
Let’s talk about my daughter’s mission arrival experience in Australia. Because through it I have developed an incredible gratitude for “bubbles of love.” And…
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When Parenting gets tricky: some ideas to help
I forgot to mention that we recorded a few of podcasts while we were together in Utah: a sister’s overnight podcast fest:) My brother…
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Six Things Single Parents Want you to Know
My sister-in-law Annie is one of my great examples in life. I love her, and how her mind and heart work. I shared one…
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How to Trust Kids to Figure Out Their Own Paths
With emergent teenagers, one of my always-biggest questions was how to trust kids to figure out their own paths. Just like my fellow mothers,…
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A special way to send off your young adult
At the tail end of Home MTC for Claire, we had all the extended cousins over for “Pies & Ties.” This has become a…
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Sending Claire Off…How the “Big” Kids Took Their Sister Under Their Wings and Eased Their Mother’s Heart in the Process
I thought I would be ok just sending Claire off to the MTC by herself. You see, she has eight more weeks of study…
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What Is Home MTC? A Look at Claire’s Missionary Training at Home
I haven’t posted about some pretty big business around here as Claire has started her missionary service: what Home MTC is and how it…
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Lots of “little things” leading up to Claire becoming a missionary
Oh I have SO much to say about this “Home MTC” thing Claire is smack-dab in the middle of right now. But let’s take…
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Two big steps in mission preparation: temple and farewell for Claire
Oh my goodness. TODAY Claire starts the “home MTC.” And I have a million and one things to say about that. There are a…
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a little fingertip-talent boost
Already just at the beginning of junior year, Lucy and I have come to the realization this year might be a rough one. Her…
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How to Navigate Family Reunions When Your Own Family “Grows Up”
I’m in the midst of writing a post about our giant Eyre family reunion to hopefully publish tomorrow. It was grand and I loved…
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Grateful for parenting partners – girls camp love
The older I get the more I appreciate my village. I’m so grateful for parenting partners. Because try as I might, I cannot be…
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How to Inspire Children Spiritually
Let’s talk about how to inspire children spiritually. Something I’ve been thinking about lately. So I thought it was interesting that I came across…
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back at it, setting up for a “positive” school year
Lucy started school yesterday. Yep, still in July, and on I think the 24th day in a row where the desert has hit 110…
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How to Hold a Five-Facet Review
A five-facet review is a great way to think more deeply about how your kids are doing. And also how you can help!
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Claire’s prep for two new adventures – mission and study abroad
Let’s talk about Claire’s prep for two new adventures: study abroad and a mission. As I type, she is already checked into her new…
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the powerful effects of a good dad
Oh there is so much to say about the powerful effects of a good dad. Sometimes, when I slow down enough to notice, I…
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Ode to my Dad on Father’s Day
He taught me the depths of cherishing others. To hold onto the goodness of people. And to honor memories. Especially his dad. Grandpa Dean.…
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How to Keep Kids Productive in the Summer (Without Constant Nagging)
Summer is such an incredible time to learn and grow! So let’s talk about how to help kids be productive in the summertime.
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The Best Place to Reach for Parenting Help
As everyone is easing into summer vacation, I have a few things to say. Because I know from experience that summers can be tricky.…
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Our First Three-generation family Reunion
We were able to meet up with our whole family over Memorial Day. It was our first three-generation family reunion.
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How to Get Through High School with Low Vision: Managing School When You Can’t See
Managing school with low vision is one of the hardest things a teenager can face. School is out here in the desert, and I…
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One of the Greatest Gifts we can Give our Children
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to provide multiple opportunities for them glean the benefits of reading.
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Claire’s Mission Call Story
Claire has been preparing for something kind of quietly. But since it’s now been assigned, I’m here to say Claire is heading out on…
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How to make a simple chore chart
One of my favorite parenting hacks to date involves how to make a simple chore chart. The thing I love most is that IT…
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Lucy’s exciting acceptance into the FBC summer program
We have some big news to share. Something we have really, really been praying for: Lucy’s exciting acceptance into the FBC summer program.
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in the wake of having my “big” girls home
This whole last week has been filled right up. My girls were in town for my niece (their cousin)’s wedding. So, I have to…