Looking for a good book to spark a great discussion or just some thought-provoking solo reading? Here are some suggestions . . . 1. Little Bee by Chris Cleave - I read this novel a couple of years ago and the story of how the lives of the young Nigerian orphan and a suburban mom intersecting has been one that stayed with me. 2. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger - I was a huge fan of The Time Traveler’s Wife also by Niffenegger, and this novel . . .

Be nice to older kids.My son is 12, and chances are, he's taller than you. He might even be taller than your husband. His voice has changed and his shoes are pushing a size 14 and he's often mistaken for being much older. And tomorrow, he's going trick-or-treating, just like most of his friends. He's going for the same reason he did at 3, at 5, at 7 . . . because dressing up as someone else is fun, because he loves candy, and because the magic of this holiday hasn't lost its sheen for him yet. . . .

This post was sponsored by Bad Moms Christmas + Evite It's not that I'm a Bad Mom, per se. It's just that sometimes, I'm a bit of a slacker. I love my kids. I love making things special for them. But sometimes, I'm also just tired. Physically tired, but also tired of trying to keep up with the Pinterest-worthy lifestyle. Take the holidays, for example. It feels like every holiday has to be this over-blown production for the kids. Like St. Patrick’s Day. When I was a kid we . . .

I've been talking a lot about self-care lately but the truth is, it's really hard for me. With the kids back in school now, I have a little time to focus on my own self-care. Today I'm sharing some of my personal best practices for self-care, including my bullet journal, an incredible detox scrub and mask from Teami Blends that are like a reset button for my face, some of my favorite scents, and my favorite relaxation playlist. If you want to try Teami's awesome mask made with a blend . . .

This post is sponsored by OC Bus I’m great about using public transportation when I travel. I’m enthusiastic about to taking the subway when I visit New York. I’ve taken the tube in London and the metro in Paris, and when the kids and I visited Amsterdam last year, we rode the bus everywhere. And yet, in my own city, I must confess that I’ve never even taken the bus. The other day, I found myself with 15 kids at my house. I usually have an extra kid or two at the house on any given . . .

On Thursdays I post from the vault. This post is from June 2014. Next year is the year, people. It's when Karis starts kindergarten. My youngest. My last. I haven't quite figured out how that's supposed to feel. Part of me thinks I might break into song and go skipping jubilantly through my house. Because freedom! I will be able to work without distractions every weekday. I will not have to struggle to maintain a work-life balance because I can just WORK during those precious hours. . . .

When we set out to adopt from Haiti, the ethics of the organization we would work with was a top concern. I believe in family preservation, and I did not want to adopt a child who was removed from living birthparents for monetary reasons. I did a ton of research and kept getting the same answer: Heartline. They had a great reputation in Haiti, and they tried very hard to reunify birth families when they could. The people who work at Heartline will always hold a special place for me, because . . .