Advice

On a Tuesday early this summer I got the call from daycare that no parent ever wants. “Mrs. Bengtson, your son is in the office, he has a fever.” My heart stopped and my mouth went dry. Then my heart started...

With so many events and plans canceled, even those of us continuing to work outside the home likely have extra time on our hands. At the same moment, it may prove difficult to focus in the face of so...

  As I write this it is my 36th birthday.  Like every birthday I can remember, I first think of my grandparents. You see, their wedding anniversary was the same day as my birthday.  I loved calling them and wishing...

You know you're wrong. Your mouth goes dry and you get that sick feeling in your stomach. You feel the back of your neck heat up and your face flush. Your brain goes white for a moment and then suddenly...

I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful that I have been extra-diligent about our budget this year. This derecho storm was not in our plans — but really when is an emergency planned? But we had actually been...

  We’re five months into the COVID-19 pandemic and there are no signs of it going away any time soon. (Related: wear your masks, please! It’s a simple, scientifically supported solution for slowing the spread). One of the things that has...

Like many, I wasn’t expecting the storm that hit Iowa on Monday, August 10, 2020, to be so severe. My family had taken off the week before to relax in a cabin, and I was planning to spend Monday...

Recovery is underway in the Iowa City area following a rare derecho storm that traveled hundreds of miles and pulverized local communities by uprooting trees, collapsing buildings, and downing infrastructure like water, electricity, and internet. Folks in clean-up mode can...

2020 has left many of us feeling, well. . .lost. This is a very uncertain time for all of us. No one is exempt from the stress and uncertainty from this pandemic and now we are divided about whether...

Brave. Do you consider yourself to be a brave person? If I were to use adjectives to describe myself, brave probably would not be at the top of my list. I mean, after all, I am not a risk...