Party of 9 — Betty Vertin

Last weekend, my husband and I cleaned out our storage unit. My husband loves that unit, while I feel like we need one so that we don’t accumulate too much stuff around the house.

We are on the brink of November, and it’s beginning to turn cold here in Nebraska. My husband and I are debating whether we should turn the heat on. I say yes. He says…

Moms worry about their children. As a mother of seven — Lexi, 24; Max, 19; Chance, 18; Rowen, 16; Charlie, 14; Mary, 11; and Callie, 3 — I know firsthand what it’s like to…

Mondays are one of my favorite days of the week as a busy mom to seven children: Lexi, 24; Max, 19; Chance, 18; Rowen, 16; Charlie, 14; Mary, 11; and Callie, 3. I’m also…

One thing I love about living in the Midwest is enjoying all four seasons. The last week of summer is nearly over, and autumn officially begins next week. On a walk yesterday, I noticed…

I expected today, as this column is published, to be long and exhausting. I’d been scheduled to drive to my central Nebraska home from Denver, then help the marching band perform at halftime…

I spent part of this week with three of my sons in Denver. On Wednesday, they had a clinical trial appointment, followed by an appointment at the assistive technology clinic to try out…

For years, I told the kids we couldn’t get another dog unless something happened to the two we already had. I did not want three dogs! I didn’t have room for that! Yet we…

August here in Nebraska is sweltering. Not only do the temperatures reach the high 90s, but the humidity is suffocating. I’ll never understand why our kids return to school at this time of year,…

I’m no longer a young mom, but I was once. In fact, I was a very young first-time mom, as my oldest daughter, Lexi, 24, was born when I was 21 years old. Six…

Years ago, I had my colors done: I’m a winter. Dark blues, greens, scarlets, royal hues, red, black, and hot pink look best on me. I don’t always follow these guidelines, but I own…