Laura
Laura is a small-town Wisconsin girl who’s made her home in De Pere for the last 15 years. She has a journalism degree from UW-Oshkosh and works as a copy editor and freelance writer when she’s not working on a novel, running, or teaching yoga. Her family includes her husband, two daughters at home, and an adult stepson and daughter-in-law, both of whom serve our country in the U.S. Marine Corps. What I love most about living in this area: Visiting the Brown County libraries, running on the Fox River Trail and cheering for the Green Bay Packers!
How to Beat the Winter Blues
Let’s face it, moms. This winter has been brutal. Between the polar vortex, ice storms, and endless snow days, it’s enough to make you want to rip out your staticky hair.
With spring still weeks...
Diary of a Snow Day
When you live in Green Bay, you are going to have snow days. That’s just the way it goes. Kids are going to be thrilled by the unexpected day off school. Moms are going to want to pull their hair out and start drinking by 10:30 a.m.
Raising kids in traumatic times
Then I heard my teen daughter say, “Ugh. Who got shot this time?”
It wasn’t a newspaper headline that caught her eye. It was the American flag at half-staff. My husband and I had heard at the resort that former President George H.W. Bush had passed. It hadn’t occurred to me to tell the kids.
Keep cool: Navigating holiday gatherings with grace
We want our gatherings to be picture perfect, but then reality steps in and slaps us with terrible weather, bad roads, sick kids or cranky parents. Or all of the above.
Tailgating guide: What to do with your Lambeau leftovers
Being gracious, generous Midwesterners, our Packer Backer friends tend to bring enough food to feed half of Lambeau. And so, when Victory Monday rolls around, my fridge is stacked like the Packers offensive line. What to do with all that extra food?
Easy answers to ‘What’s for dinner, Mom?’
In honor of this being National Family Dinner month, we sat down with our calendar a few weeks ago, and they helped me sketch out a weeknight meal plan for September. Getting their input ahead of time = no disgusted faces at mealtime.
Surprising things teachers want parents to know
After a full summer at home with my kids, I can tell you – we appreciate you, teachers, for all you do for our students! This grateful mother promises to be appreciative all year.
Tons of summertime fun? Check!
Our culture is obsessed with bucket lists. Ever since that movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson came out in 2007, Americans young and old have been fixated with creating and crossing items off these life-goal “to-do” lists. My daughters are no exception.
Why do we keep doing this? Camping is crazy
I have this idyllic notion in my head of camping with my family. We are all sitting around a crackling campfire, cozy in our matching flannels. I cook a Pinterest-worthy meal over the open flame while the girls dance around the campsite catching fireflies. Then after we wash the sticky s’mores residue from our fingers, we crawl into our tents and snuggle down in our sleeping bags to doze peacefully through the night.
Between diaper pins and car keys
There are days when I definitely miss the look of wonder and discovery on a toddler’s face when she touches dandelion fluff, pops soap bubbles or holds a wriggly caterpillar for the first time. But those nostalgic feelings fade as I think about how my girls are able to dress themselves, get in and out of the van by themselves and will – on some occasions – sleep in past 8 a.m. on a weekend.