Parenting Archives - Crafty Nester

We make plans…and sometimes everything goes perfectly according to plan, and beautiful memories are made, and everyone is happy and healthy. Other times, like this month, nothing goes according to plan. The week before Thanksgiving we were ready to go on our annual trip out to Montana. We have made this trip every year at…

What was going to be a short break to focus on my family turned into years! I have missed this space, and connecting with readers, and leaving memories here, and writing all the words I have been thinking. If you are new here, or if you just haven’t been in a while because there were…

Hi there, and welcome to my little corner of the interwebs… If you followed this blog years ago, welcome back! If you are new here, welcome! I’m glad you are here. I am Joanna, and I write the words here at Crafty Nester… there are words about adoption, about parenting, and words about parenting kids…

This little heart of ours, we’re gonna make it shine. 💙💚 A heart transplant is not a cure for heart disease… it is essentially trading one heart disease for a better, more manageable one. Paisley will take immune suppressing meds every 12 hours for the rest of her life so her body doesn’t try to…

I don’t want my kids safe and comfortable. I want them BRAVE… I don’t want to be the reason my kids choose safety over courage. I hope I never hear them say “Mom will freak out” or “my parents will never agree to this.” May my fear not bind their purpose here. Scared moms raise…

Sometimes, you just have to eat barbecue ribs for breakfast… He is a good brother… First sleep away camp is in the books. She loved it…mom did not. He might be cooler than all of us… I could watch him sleep all day. When your sister has a book that plays Frozen songs, and you…

Kindergarten grad, 2019… I’m here because of my heart donor.

Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, truest version of themselves. When one feels seen and appreciated in their own essence, one is instantly empowered. ~Wes Angelozzi