Coffee Time Reflections with Silvia Escobar

Some mornings on my walk, I catch myself thinking, “This is boring.” For years, I’ve walked the same route at 6:30 a.m., five times a week. Most of the time, I enjoy it. But every so often, the monotony creeps in. And yet, this one simple habit has transformed my life. An hour of walking… Continue reading When Routine Gets Boring, Keep Going Anyway

I recently got a flat tire. Luckily it was on our driveway. Even better, Arturo was home. Here’s the thing. Neither one of us is good at changing tires. And I could have done it myself. But It meant a lot to me that he stuck around to help me figure it out. Such acts… Continue reading The Law of Value: A Life Principle That Changes Everything

I often see parents at the store, “bribing” their kids to follow them. “Come on. Let’s go. If you come right now, I’ll take you out for ice cream!” Or at the zoo, “Come here so we can take a picture. Come on! If you come and take a picture, we will go to the… Continue reading Want to Raise Responsible Kids? Stop Bribing Them

Arturo and I have had our share of crises in our 40 years as a family. When you experience an emergency, you don’t always know what to do or what direction to go. One of the biggest lessons we have learned is to do two things when something unexpected arises. 1) Survive. I don’t know… Continue reading What to do in a time of crisis

I was listening to an interview this week with Jon Acuff and Michael Hyat, two of my favorite writers, when Jon made an amazing statement. He said one of his goals as a dad was to have a schedule in which he was interruptible for his family. That is to say, he could put aside… Continue reading Are you interruptible?

People hugely underestimate the amount of real work required to achieve their goals. If I realize how much work it takes to fulfill my goals, then it won’t be a shock when I need to put in the effort to accomplish them. In a world where accomplishing more while working less is glorified, it is… Continue reading The Myth of Effortless Success

For most subjects, I strongly dislike extremes. Whether it be politics, religion, always and never thinking, to name a few. Extremes are usually dangerous and closed minded. I like balance. I like to be in the middle where I can see in all directions. I find that it helps me learn and be open to… Continue reading The Myth of a Balanced Life

Whether it’s with your spouse, child, the whole family or a friend, there is something special about going out for breakfast. Recently our daughter decided to write down all the local places we like to go for breakfast. I was surprised at how many places we’ve gone to locally. And that’s not including the repeats!… Continue reading Why you should be going out for breakfast

I love vacations. In our 40 years of marriage, Arturo and I have had seasons when we have gone on expensive vacations, and seasons when we have had staycations and everything in between. The most important thing for me about a vacation has always been the time that is carved out specifically to relax and… Continue reading Vacations are not just a luxury

I once had a conversation with a mom who wanted to homeschool her kids but was deathly afraid of ruining them. She was afraid she was not qualified to teach them. She was afraid she didn’t know enough. Shockingly, she had been a high school teacher in a public school before she had kids! Now… Continue reading If you have kids, did you know you are a homeschool parent?