Growing up as a missionary kid in France had its perks, and the local bakery (or boulangerie) was one of them. Bread is a staple in French culture, and each town or village boasted at least one boulangerie. Its primary purpose was to provide a variety of freshly baked breads, for which the locals shopped […]
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“So, are these two extra kids mine now?” She gestured to a five year-old splashing water in the shallow end of the pool and his little sister toddling dangerously close to the edge without a swim vest. Meanwhile, her own three year-old played with pool toys on a towel nearby. “I don’t know,” I told […]
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One morning last week, I grabbed my pen and notebook and set out to do my daily fifteen minutes of writing. The boys were watching some morning cartoons and I pressed pause to let them know I was starting my writing. “Please don’t interrupt me for the next fifteen minutes,” I said. They nodded, eager […]
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“Do you mean to tell me that your parents came to every single one of your baseball games?” My then-boyfriend looked at me like I had two heads. “Of course,” he said. I was still trying to wrap my brain around what Max was telling me. His childhood in rural Michigan was so different than […]
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Out of Place Series – Sara’s Story My son, Silas, suffered from a disease that required him to be on feeding tube for the last year of his life. Not many people understood the challenges of having a child with severe needs, so whenever I met families like ours, we immediately bonded over our shared […]
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Growing up as a missionary kid in France had its perks, and the local bakery (or boulangerie) was one of them. In the front counter space of our nearest boulangerie were pastries of all sorts—elegant creations low on sugar and high on butter. Bins lining the wall boasted candy you could purchase by the gram—my […]
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It was my turn to teach the sixth graders at youth group last Monday night. To prepare, I braced myself and read over the lesson on the love of God. When it came time to pull the four students aside, I found myself facing a squirrelly bunch. We opened our Bibles to the right passage. […]
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I’ll never forget the day when my three year old turned the tables on me. We were on our way to a birthday party, but had to stop for a quick errand first. After we left the store, I stowed some groceries in the back of our car, then buckled Henry into his carseat. Just […]
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It’s the fresh start of a new school year. Last week, we caught a whiff of new beginnings as we milled about the school for Meet the Teacher night. It smelled of fresh paint, rubber blacktop, and dry erase markers. The nervous excitement among the Kindergarten parents was mirrored back to us by the Kindergarten […]
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I’ve heard it said that when you’re traveling with young kids, it’s best to call it a “trip” instead of a “vacation.” Parenting is parenting even when you’re in Hawaii or on an African safari. If you’ve booked a vacation somewhere and you are bringing your kids along, don’t expect to be swinging leisurely in […]
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Sarah K. Butterfield 