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    Nicole Andrews Moore

    Nicole Andrews Moore

  • Shine Parenting Guru: Kenna's Gift

    The last few weeks have flown by in a blur. Why, just a month ago, I was on bed rest, fighting for my daughter's life. I had pre-eclampsia and all the lovely side effects that come with it...the headaches, constant epigastric pain, high blood pressure and complications with my kidneys. My problems had resulted in an inadequate placenta, and Kenna had stopped growing. She had stopped making amniotic fluid and the doctors had little hope she would survive to 24 weeks when it would be safe to start betamethasone shots and deliver her.Kenna proved everyone wrong. ...

  • Shine Parenting Guru: The Gift of Time

    I know how the holidays go for adults...on account of...I am one. And it seems like when you are a kid, the days until the holidays simply crawl. And for adults, the days until the holidays fly by. There is simply never enough time to accomplish all of our commitments.There are always school concerts to attend. There are all the the extra demands on our time, like the baking, the extra cleaning for company, the endless activities. And while the time is meant to be fun, it's supposed enjoyable, it's designed as an opportunity to make memories. ...

  • Shine Parenting Guru: All I needed were some locusts

    I guess it was the fact that we were having our first Thanksgiving in the new house. I really wanted everything to be perfect. I had cleaned like a woman possessed. I had shopped and prepped and prepared. It wasn't as though I was working with new untried recipes. These were the family favorites, si

  • Parenting Guru: Handling the Great Candy Debate

    Do we go with sugar, or do we attempt to go sugar-free?For some parents this is the cause of much distress. And there are valid reasons for that. Some kids get incredibly hyper and uncontrollable if given sugar. Some kids suffer from obesity. Other kids, it doesn't really impact at all.

  • Parenting Guru: The dog days of summer

    It was a summer of change. One of the biggest changes was how our family would grow. We took in a young man who didn't have a place to go and needed some of our special TLC. We took in a dog who also needed a home. The inn is full, but that's how we like it. We have a lot of love and laughter to sha

  • Parenting Guru: Finding solace in smooth sailing

    We all have dreams. And for as long as I can remember, my dream has been to live on the water. As I aged, I learned to think outside of the box. That would be why we bought a sailboat in Charleston.Never one to conform to the norm, our family now gets to enjoy weekends away from it all on the water.

  • Shine Parenting Guru: Another year almost over

    It's been one crazy school year for the kids. And I once again marvel at the ability of my babies to survive and thrive. They seem to meet change head-on. It makes me proud.This was a huge year for my daughter especially. It's her junior year. She's working on checking out colleges and balancing out

  • Letter to Gramma

    Dear Gramma,This letter is much different from the last letter that I wrote to you more than twenty years ago. That letter was written shortly after your death and shared at your memorial service. It was incredibly difficult for me to read it and even more difficult for me to imagine my life without

  • Parenting Guru: Our technologically advanced tooth fairy

    My baby is now thirteen. And my days of helping yank teeth that were hanging dangerously by a thread may well be over. So, when I have an opportunity to reminisce about some of these rites of passage we experienced, I grasp at them...even if it doesn't always put me in the best light.See, there was

  • Parenting Guru: Letter to my daughter's would-be boyfriend

    Dear Boy-Who Cannot-Be-Named,I know that right now you and Rachel are just friends. I rather like it that way, even if she doesn't. To her, you are the friend she yearns to be more. She sees your dashing good looks, your handsome physique, and your devastating boyish smile. I see something far diffe

  • User Post: Because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

    Words have always been my thing. That's why I appreciate a really well-written novel, a wonderfully scripted movie, and the artfully presented witty one-liners. Most of all though, that is why as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a writer.I have tried my hand at various mediums within the fi

  • It was the best of times and the worst of times in 2010

    If there's something I can never be accused of, it's not thinking. No, I'm about as introspective as they come. And when I was taught that quote about an unexamined life not being worth living, I finally found validation for my way of life. With that in mind, 2010 was a big year for me, a year of gr

  • Parenting Guru: Gifting fatigue? Try a wrap party

    [Editor's note: This month, Shine Parenting Gurus are sharing their tips on how they get through the holiday season without losing their wits and patience. Have a tip to add? We'd love to know!]If there is anything that I have tried to instill in our lives, it is the idea that anything can be fun. C

  • User post: Making time to make memories...

    Our favorite holiday tradition grew out of necessity. It seemed that there was a yearly struggle as Christmas drew near to find ways to keep the kids occupied. When school vacations arrived, too often there was no one for them to play with, and boredom would quickly set in. I can only listen to so m

  • Parenting Guru: Our family tradition? Making a list and getting it done!

    Our family tradition is the product of my love of goal setting, goal achieving, and the ever popular lists. And that is why every new year begins with a family brainstorm, our ultimate 'To Do List.' This year, I sat down with my kids, a teen and a tween, and developed a lengthy list of what we wante

  • User Post: Five Secrets to Surviving Suddenly Singleness

    At the age of 37 I found myself in the unique position of celebrating my divorce and being derailed by a break-up all in the same week. Initially, I thought that I would crumble under the weight of it, the debilitating sense of loss of the man I loved, the utter and complete lack of security. I was