52 Books in A Year, Or Am I Crazy?

I have set the same reading goal for 2017, 2018, and now 2019. I want to read 52 books in a calendar year. One book a week. When I was a teenager, I could read multiple books in a week. Chapter books.Things tend to change when you become an adult and have actual responsibilities like other lives depending on you for things like making them food and forcing them to shower. Superfluous things like leisurely reading tend to fall by the wayside. Then as those other lives do things like make their own plans and have hobbies and activities that you have to drive them to, you lose the time for even the helpful reading (like books that teach you how to not screw up those other lives).What am I blathering on about? Basically, I haven't read … [Continue]

Blogging, Goals, and How the Things Change

When I first started blogging (back in the mid-2000's...well over 10 years ago 😱), it was to share bits of my life and to rediscover writing after the baby years. Eventually I learned that there were some crazies actually making money doing this thing and so I figured that should include me. After all, I am a blogger and I just might be crazy. Along the way, I tried a variety of topics trying to find my passion because all the blogging experts were telling me that's what I needed to do. Focus, Vicki, focus!Here's the thing. I'm not really good with focus. I've always been a daydreamer and as an adult, I've always been good at anxiety and worry. Those two things usually leave my mind constantly trying to figure out what I've done wrong … [Continue]

The Biggest Thing I Struggle With as a Mother

If you sign up for my email list, you will get a welcome email where I ask the question "what is the biggest thing you struggle with as a mom?" I ask because if I can help, I want to. It's what we moms do. We help each other, am I right?I thought it was only fair that I answer the question myself because I value transparency and honesty and all … [Continue]

Explore Art With Preschoolers: Concept Books

Exploring art with preschoolers - concept books

Art with preschoolers. Does the thought of trying to teach your preschooler art make you cringe? You just know that your preschooler is going to look at your attempts to make art and demand that someone who knows what they are doing teach them? Because you clearly don't know what you are doing.Well maybe not that far, but you do feel far … [Continue]

Make Someone’s Day with Happy Mail

Make someone's day with happy mail! Send a letter today!

Over holidays, I received a package from DaySpring that contained some gifts that I had ordered and a little note that said the average person receives something like 12 pieces of personal mail per year. I'd double check the number, but the note was pitched in the holiday chaos. It was a really low number. DaySpring included a free card with the … [Continue]

Puzzles for the Whole Family – A New Family Favorite

Puzzles - A great family tradition to start today.

You know those hobbies from your childhood that you introduce to your kids and they aren't interested? That's how it went introducing my children to puzzles above 50 pieces. While they enjoyed the 24-48 piece puzzles as preschoolers, they did not have any sort of patience for larger puzzles. They had outgrown the smaller puzzles, so they were … [Continue]

Tips for Deep Cleaning Your House

Tips for Deep Cleaning Your House...from an imperfect mom.

Deep cleaning is one of those weirdly satisfying things for me. On the one hand it is deeply satisfying and on the other hand, ew. Kind of like popping a zit...just me? Moving on...Our house has hit one of those, desperate for a good, mama cleaning times. I'm doing my mama duty and training my kids to clean, but they are kids and sometimes take … [Continue]

Picture Book Biographies for Women’s History Month

Picture Books for Women's History Month - A big book list from Vicki-Arnold.com

Women's History Month is in March. It isn't March, I know. Let me just preface this by saying that I started this list with a HUGE, honkin' stack of books from our library in January. Yes, January. All because I was determined to have a list of picture book biographies for Women's History Month to you at the very beginning of March so you could … [Continue]

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