We are three weeks into the new school year with my step-daughter now in third grade. I am a brand-new mom, just figuring out how the carpool lane works and getting up-to-speed on my third grade math schools for the nightly homework assignments. We have a lot of transition going on in our family right now and many nights it has felt like we are…

On family vacations when everyone is outside doing something active -- hiking, walking the beach or even sightseeing -- I can usually be found sitting inside, curled up with a book. This has happened so often that the phrase "...or you can sit inside and read like Emily" has been added to the end of every option list of activities. [caption id="attachment_3641" align="aligncenter" width="640"] My…