Book Nook - The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

 The Boy with the Butterfly Mind (August 11, She Writes Press) by Lorelei Brush is an illuminating new novel that explores the realities many families face but rarely talk about: raising a neurodivergent child while navigating rigid school systems, depression, and the stigma surrounding mental health labels.

Julie Crawford is a high school math teacher who excels at solving problems—until her four-year-old son is suspected of having ADHD and gets kicked out of preschool. With no safe childcare options available, a husband struggling to cope with depression, and a supervisor losing patience with her absences, Julie is forced to confront a problem that logic alone can’t fix.

At its heart, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind is about a mother pushed to her breaking point. As Julie struggles to navigate systems that aren’t built to support neurodivergent children or their families, she must face her own blind spots, family dynamics, and learn how to trust her instincts when it comes to deciding on the best next steps for her son.

I had a chance to learn more in this author interview.

What inspired you to write this book?

I have a son with ADHD, and he serves as my continuing inspiration. In the 1970s, I taught child development courses at Wesleyan University. They barely touched upon the topic of “disabilities,” centering on the development of the children that we now call “neurotypical.” I even had a wonderfully curious student doing a senior thesis on children with disabilities, but rather than immerse myself in the subject, I read what she wrote, discussed issues with her writing, and let her manage the content. It wasn’t until I had a child with neurodivergence that I rued not taking that early opportunity to learn more.

In trying to define my son’s strengths and sort out why and how he was not “typical,” I ran into all sorts of roadblocks. Relatives and friends all had opinions about what was wrong and regularly shared those with me. Sometimes I just got reactions like, “You need to discipline him more,” as though it’s possible to teach a wiggly four-year-old to sit still. Even when he was professionally diagnosed, I learned names for his issues and therapists I could take him to see but little about what else I could do as a parent. When I participated in school meetings to set up Individualized Education Plans, the meetings felt adversarial. And when the school didn’t live up to its commitments, I felt alone and stuck. 

What I wanted was a support team that included my family, therapists, and school staff. Maybe neighbors, relatives, and friends. I needed recognition that we had a family system that had to be fully involved if we were going to make a difference for our son. We had to accept that his neurodivergence was genetic and face our own neurodivergence. Only when the family dealt together with the issues could real progress be made.

So, the book’s inspiration came from my own situation, spurred by wanting so much to feel capable of being the best possible parent for my son. I started the story with a tough family situation facing a childcare crisis—the four-year-old kicked out of preschool—and wrote from my heart what likely happened thereafter, ensuring that the ending was an optimistic one.

Can you share a little bit about the title?

When I picture a butterfly, I see a colorful, graceful being flitting from flower to flower, testing the appeal of each until finally landing on one with plenty of sustenance. Children with ADHD are like that butterfly in having wide areas of interest, flitting perhaps from toy to toy until finally landing on something that may engage their interest to the exclusion of all else. They tend to hear a symphony, to see and test hundreds of interesting plants/toys/movements, and to hyperfocus from time to time on one thing and not even hear a mother’s call to dinner. The butterfly image conjures up the beauty of a child and also the potentially annoying behaviors of impulsivity, inattention to what an adult wants, hyperactivity in movement, and dislike of transitions.

Why will this book resonate with parents of neurodivergent children?

The Boy with the Butterfly Mind paints a recognizable picture of a family with neurodivergence. Parents of children with neurodivergence will see their own struggles to get the child up in the morning and out the door on time, to have just one family activity that doesn’t end in a meltdown, and to deal with relatives telling them how to raise their child properly. These parents know well how hard they are working for the benefit of their children, and the book gives them credit and pushes them to find a team that will listen to and support them in their efforts. In the end, the book shows that their hard work in understanding and guiding their child can lead to inspiring results.

What makes this book a good read for all parents and caregivers?

The statistics show that about a quarter of all children have some form of neurodivergence. What that number says to me is that all of us know and interact with children—and adults—with neurodivergence and can benefit from understanding more thoroughly what it feels like to be in that sort of family. Perhaps also, from this understanding, we’ll all be more interested in and better able to support those families.

I’m especially interested in reaching caregivers, teachers, therapists and those in training for the helping professions. We, too, are caregivers for these families. This book is a potential case study: what got in the way of this family moving forward? Is the diagnosis of the child appropriate and sufficient? What else would you suggest be investigated? What sort of diagnoses might be indicated for other members of the family? Do you approve of the sorts of therapies suggested and tried? What else would be appropriate?

That is, I believe this book can provoke lots of good discussions resulting in creative and effective options for all of us to both recognize the strengths of our children and address the many different needs there are among them.

Lorelei Brush is a college mathematics major, a former assistant professor of child development, and the parent of a neurodivergent child. The story in The Boy with the Butterfly Mind mixes elements of all three life experiences to describe the struggles and triumph of a young family dealing with neurodivergence. Her previous novels include Uncovering, about the trials of a nurse practitioner in northwest Pakistan, and Chasing the American Dream, about the quest of a disappointed WWII spy to be a hero in 1950s Cleveland. Lorelei and her husband live in Falls Church, Virginia, with a bossy gray cat named Marabelle.

Healthy Habits - First 1000 Days: How Your Baby's Gut Microbes Shape Lifelong Health

Parents baby-proof their homes to keep their new babies safe, but many overlook one of the most important paths for safeguarding lifelong health: the baby’s developing microbiome. Yale-trained gastroenterologist Dr. Savita Srivastava is the author of the new book, “First 1000 Days: How Your Baby's Gut Microbes Shape Lifelong Health,” to explain why the first 1,000 days of life, starting at birth, are crucial for lifelong health - and how parents can protect their children from developing chronic illness later in life. 

A microbiome specialist, Dr. Savita explains how the developing gut microbiome influences immune function, metabolism, digestion, and even aspects of brain development during this critical period. One of the most important ways she recommends:

Choose Whole Foods - Nature’s Gift to Your Child’s Gut
“What exactly are whole foods? Think of them as foods that come from nature, not from a factory,” she says. “When you pick up an apple, you know exactly what it is - just an apple. When you pick up a packaged snack with a long list of ingredients you can barely pronounce, that’s the opposite of a whole food.”

Her easy-to-remember whole foods shopping list includes:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
2. Whole grains (like brown rice and whole wheat bread)
3. Nuts and seeds (for older children)
4. Beans and lentils
5. Plain yogurt and milk
6. Lean meat, preferably organic
7. Olive oil

“One of the best examples of a whole foods dietary approach is the Mediterranean diet (MD) — a way of eating that’s been nourishing families for generations. Picture a colorful plate filled with vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil, some fish or beans, and a side of whole grain bread. This isn’t just delicious — It’s a recipe for growing a healthy gut community in your child.”

Dr. Savita encourages parents to think of their child’s gut as a garden. When you feed them whole foods, you’re planting diverse, healthy bacteria that help their immune system grow strong, as well as reducing inflammation that could lead to health problems later.

Recent studies of children eating a Mediterranean diet show amazing benefits including healthier weight, lower risk of asthma and other inflammatory conditions, and stronger overall health. In contrast, children who eat the typical American diet (also called the Standard American Diet or SAD), tend to develop different types of gut bacteria — ones that are better at handling fats and processed ingredients, which can lead to inflammation in the body, leaky gut, and higher risk for chronic inflammatory conditions, cardiometabolic diseases, and even cancer.

“The message is simple: The food choices we make for our children today can help protect their health tomorrow,” Dr. Srivastava says. “Every Mediterranean-style meal you serve is an investment in your child’s future well-being.”

I had a chance to learn more in this interview.
What are gut microbes, and why are they essential for healthy development?
Think of your child’s gut microbiome as a bustling internal ecosystem—trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi living primarily in their large intestines. The gut contains just as many microbes as there are human cells but contributes a whopping 200 times more DNA making us more bacteria than human on a cellular level!

In babies the gut microbiome is the only organ that develops during and after birth - a life cycle that seeds, feeds, grows, and diversifies the biome in the first 1000 days to develop a stable and mature ecosystem.

The gut microbiome is essential for early human development. Pioneering early settlers in the gut microbiome are the master architects for our baby’s development.

In the first 1,000 days of life, these microbes construct the child's metabolic blueprint—setting up how their body will process energy, regulate blood sugar, and store fat for the rest of their life.

Beyond laying down this metabolic foundation, gut microbes perform three critical jobs:

• Train the immune system: Roughly 70% to 80% of immune cells live in the gut. Microbes teach the immune system to recognize what is harmless (food, pollen) and fight what is dangerous (pathogens), preventing food allergies, eczema, and other atopic conditions
• Build the brain-gut connection: Gut bacteria manufacture neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, directly influencing mood, stress resilience, and sleep.
• Harvest nutrients & produce short chain fatty acids (SCFAs): They break down complex fibers that human digestive enzymes can’t touch, producing SCFAs like butyrate, which nourish the gut lining and help to prevent chronic inflammation.

The healthy development of the gut microbiome in the first 1000 days of life helps to shape lifelong health and to prevent conditions connected to development of the immune system, metabolism, and the brain. Conditions like food allergies, eczema, asthma, Crohn’s, obesity, and perhaps even autism are now linked to an altered microbiome.

Why don't parents and guardians hear much about gut microbes?
Over 90% of the research on the gut microbiome was completed in the last 20 years. This is new and cutting-edge science. Much of the research on early life microbiome development is even more current and hasn’t reached standard medical care yet. In medicine, it can take 20 or more years to change medical practice and standards of care. While our pediatric visits are still focused on developmental milestones, the future of medicine will incorporate ‘microbial milestones’ into the modern paradigm of care. We are just not there yet. I hope that my new book First 1000 Days will give parents the knowledge and empowerment they need – here and now – so that their children can live healthy, happy lives free of the chronic diseases that are surging in pediatric medicine.

What are real solutions for getting picky eaters to try new healthy foods?
This is a topic that I am very passionate about. The microbiome is a newly minted organ in our babies and our job as parents in the first 1000 days is to seed, feed, grow, and diversify the microbiome so that it helps to support health and prevent chronic disease. While mothers may not always be able to control birth plans, ability to breast feed, or need for antibiotics that can all disrupt the microbiome, introducing solid foods into your baby’s diet is one of the most empowering parrs of parenting. The solid food diet is the most important part of helping to develop a diverse microbiome that builds resilient humans. And a diverse plant-based diet with different types of fiber is foundational for growing different microbes that foster diversity.

These are some of the solutions that I have built into my new book First 1000 Days!

• Ditch the "Special Kid Meal": Cooking separate meals validates picky eating and limits microbial exposure. Serve one family meal with at least one safe food your child reliably eats on the plate. No friction, no short-order cooking.
• Focus on "Plants," Not Just "Veggies": The microbiome doesn't care if fiber comes from broccoli or a pumpkin seed. Fiber and polyphenols come from six categories: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts/seeds, legumes/beans, and herbs. If your child hates leafy greens, offer berries, chia seed pudding, or roasted chickpeas. Diversity is the goal. Microbiome research tells us to aim for 30 different plans a week! It can be done!
• Build the Rainbow: adding different colors onto the plant can help to detract from the beige color of children’s diets (bread, chicken nuggets, pasta) and build a diverse microbiome. Family games which aim to add different colors onto the plate can be fun while building health!
• Don’t Separate "Exposure" from "Eating": It takes 15 to 20 exposures for a child’s brain to accept a new texture or flavor. Looking at, touching, smelling, or spitting out a food into a napkin counts as a win. Lower the bar: success isn't swallowing the food; it's interacting with it without fear.
• Get Hands in the Dirt (and the Kitchen): Microbes aren't just on plates. Gardening, playing in soil, going to farms and farmer’s markets, and helping wash or tear up veggies build tactile familiarity with real food while naturally exposing kids to beneficial microbes from the natural environment.

Dr. Savita Srivastava is a Yale-trained gastroenterologist and microbiome specialist with decades of experience in digestive and preventive health. She is the author of “First 1000 Days: How Your Baby’s Gut Microbes Shape Lifelong Health,” a science-based guide that explores how early-life gut development influences immunity, metabolism, and brain function. Her work focuses on helping parents understand how decisions made during pregnancy and early childhood can shape long-term health outcomes, with an emphasis on prevention rather than treatment. Learn more at DoctorSavita.com.

Music Minute - Noah Kosta: Right Here

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At just 22, Noah Kosta has already spent seven years building the kind of stage command that usually takes decades to earn, and his debut album 'Right Here,' out now, marks the arrival of a jazz pop vocalist with the tone, phrasing, and instincts to carry that tradition forward. Raised on the classic sound of Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack in his grandfather's home, Kosta channels that Big Band lineage through a voice that is entirely his own, drawing inevitable comparisons to fellow Canadian vocalists Michael Bublé and Matt Dusk for a new generation of listeners discovering that sound for the first time.

'Right Here' was recorded at Mark Camilleri's Imagine Sound Studios in Toronto, with arrangements by Charles T. Cozens that Kosta credits with pushing the songs to another level entirely. The seven track collection blends three original compositions co-written with longtime family friend Aaron Dean alongside four carefully chosen covers, and Kosta has assembled four separate ensembles, a big band, quintet, quartet, and trio, to bring the material to audiences across formats. "I want to respectfully bring what the legends of the past created into the present," Kosta says of the project, "and I think, and I hope, that we've succeeded."

What separates Kosta from a simple nostalgia act is the specificity he brings to his song selection and phrasing, treating each cover as a piece of his own story rather than a museum piece. His take on "Way Back When" reshapes an earlier synth leaning demo into what Kosta describes as a wistful, last song at the prom feeling, while his rendition of a ballad chosen specifically for the album's closing moment was recorded with just Cozens on piano, a deliberately intimate counterpoint to the record's fuller arrangements. It is that instinct, choosing restraint exactly when a lesser vocalist might reach for spectacle, that makes the Bublé and Dusk comparisons feel earned rather than assigned.

With 'Right Here' now arriving and four live configurations ready to tour the material, Noah Kosta is positioned as one of the most credible young voices in Canadian jazz pop, an artist building his sound the old-fashioned way: through mentorship, repetition, and an unmistakable respect for the songbook he is now adding to.

Book Nook - The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

The Boy with the Butterfly Mind (August 11, She Writes Press) by Lorelei Brush is an illuminating new novel that explores the realities many families face but rarely talk about: raising a neurodivergent child while navigating rigid school systems, depression, and the stigma surrounding mental health labels.

Julie Crawford is a high school math teacher who excels at solving problems—until her four-year-old son is suspected of having ADHD and gets kicked out of preschool. With no safe childcare options available, a husband struggling to cope with depression, and a supervisor losing patience with her absences, Julie is forced to confront a problem that logic alone can’t fix.

At its heart, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind is about a mother pushed to her breaking point. As Julie struggles to navigate systems that aren’t built to support neurodivergent children or their families, she must face her own blind spots, family dynamics, and learn how to trust her instincts when it comes to deciding on the best next steps for her son.

 

This novel opens the door to urgent conversations about ADHD, maternal burnout, and mental health in marriage. It’s intimate, relatable, and deeply relevant right now.

Lorelei Brush is a college mathematics major, a former assistant professor of child development, and the parent of a neurodivergent child. The story in The Boy with the Butterfly Mind mixes elements of all three life experiences to describe the struggles and triumph of a young family dealing with neurodivergence. Her previous novels include Uncovering, about the trials of a nurse practitioner in northwest Pakistan, and Chasing the American Dream, about the quest of a disappointed WWII spy to be a hero in 1950s Cleveland. Lorelei and her husband live in Falls Church, Virginia, with a bossy gray cat named Marabelle.

Book Nook - The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Ready to Act

When someone survives a heart attack, cardiac arrest, choking incident, or other life-threatening emergency, the story usually ends when they're discharged from the hospital.  But what happens next?

Fire captain, paramedic, EMS educator, and CPR expert Brad Newbury has spent more than 40 years responding to emergencies and training thousands of people to save lives. What surprised him most wasn't what happened during the emergencies. It was what happened afterward.  As Brad reconnected with survivors years later, he realized that saving one person often changes the lives of dozens of others. Children grow up with parents they would have lost. Grandchildren are born because someone performed CPR. Survivors go on to become nurses, firefighters, military medics, teachers, and community leaders.

That realization became The Saved Effect: True Stories of Lives Reclaimed by People Who Were Ready to Act (Mission Driven Press; August 10, 2026), which Brad wrote with his daughter, Kiera Newbury. The book asks -- What if the true impact of saving a life isn't measured by the life you saved, but by every life that person goes on to touch?

Music Minute - Kent Blazy: The Tulsa Sessions

Acclaimed songwriter and recording artist Kent Blazy returns with The Tulsa Sessions, a deeply personal collection of 12 recordings captured inside the legendary Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Recorded in a single, creatively charged session with acclaimed engineer Gary Laney, the project brings together 10 newly written songs alongside two reimagined favorites. Tracked in the same historic room where music icons including Leon Russell, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and J.J. Cale created timeless recordings, The Tulsa Sessions reflects Blazy's signature storytelling while honoring the rich musical legacy of one of America's most revered recording studios. Stream and download the new project on August 28th. Pre-save the album now.

 "I wanted this record to capture a real moment in time. There are no artificial enhancements, no Auto-Tune, no Pro Tools fixes, just musicians, songs, and a performance exactly as it happened. Most of these songs had only recently been written and were still being road-tested before my upcoming sessions at Blackbird Studio in Nashville," added Blazy. "I'm grateful to have the opportunity in an environment where we could simply press record and let the music speak for itself. Sometimes the most honest recordings are the ones you don't try to perfect." 

Recorded at the legendary Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the project features acclaimed Nashville songwriter and musician Kent Blazy on guitars and vocals. The recording was engineered by Gary Laney and mastered by renowned mastering engineer Jerry Tubb at Terra Nova Mastering Studio in Levelland, Texas. Special thanks to Teresa Knox for the use of The Church Studio, an iconic recording landmark whose rich musical legacy has inspired generations of artists and songwriters. 

Stay current with Kent Blazy on his website, www.kentblazy.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram and watch videos on the official artist's YouTube.Music can be found on all digital music platforms, including iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Pandora for streaming and download HERE.

About Kent Blazy:
Kent Blazy is a celebrated American country music songwriter, recording artist, and performer whose work has helped shape the modern country music landscape. A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2020, Blazy was honored during the organization’s Golden Anniversary celebrations, with Garth Brooks presenting the induction and performing their breakthrough hit, If Tomorrow Never Comes.
Blazy’s catalog includes seven No. 1 hits, many recorded by Brooks, including “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” “Ain’t Goin’ Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up),” and the George Jones duet “Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?).” His songs have also been recorded by Chris Young, Diamond Rio, Patty Loveless, and others, including Young’s No. 1 hit “Gettin’ You Home (The Black Dress Song).” As a recording artist, Blazy has released multiple acclaimed albums, most recently Where I Am Now, and continues to tour nationally and internationally, sharing the stories behind the songs that have become part of country music history. As a recording artist, Blazy has released multiple albums, including Songwriter, Authentic, Me & My Guitar, For The Byrds, From The Beatles to The Bluebird, and My Life So Far, which earned rave reviews, and his recent project, “Where I Am Now.” He continues to tour nationally and internationally, sharing the stories behind the songs, from intimate songwriter rooms to global stages.

 

Travel Tidbits - Dutch St. Maarten

 If you clients think St. Maarten is just about beautiful beaches, here's one of the island's best-kept secrets...the Dutch side is a culinary playground where every meal becomes part of the vacation.

From waterfront breakfasts to unforgettable dinners, Dutch St. Maarten serves up flavors from around the globe through a collection of over 365 restaurants...that's right. Here's what's happening:

Grand Case may get the spotlight, but Philipsburg and Simpson Bay shine too- The Dutch side is packed with waterfront bistros, vibrant beach bars, elegant fine dining, and hidden local gems serving everything from fresh seafood and Caribbean barbecue to Italian, French, Asian fusion, and authentic Dutch specialties.

Fresh-off-the-boat seafood is everywhere. Think grilled lobster, mahi-mahi, snapper, conch, and shrimp paired with ocean views and tropical cocktails.

Local flavors worth discovering include hearty johnny cakes, savory saltfish, flavorful stews, and island-style barbecue served at casual roadside spots where locals gather.

Sunset happy hours are practically a way of life. Simpson Bay is famous for lively waterfront bars where guests can sip handcrafted cocktails while yachts drift by and the sun melts into the Caribbean Sea.

Coffee, pastries, and sweet treats make mornings just as memorable. Charming cafés, artisan bakeries, and gelato shops are perfect stops between beach hopping and shopping.

Nightlife meets nightlife dining. After dinner, guests can enjoy live music, casino lounges, rooftop bars, and beach parties—all within minutes of many resorts.

Recipes and food stories to chat about are the best souvenirs in the world.

Music Minute - Allie Colleen: Buck It

Allie Colleen delivers a rodeo-ready anthem rooted in grit, heritage and arena-sized attitude with her new single, “Buck It.” The track nods to legendary bull rider J.B. Mauney, honors Tuff Hedeman’s unforgettable “Taking Care of Business” ride for Lane Frost and name-checks two of the sport’s most iconic stages, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the Calgary Stampede. Bringing the song into the present, professional bull rider Jorden Halvorson is featured in the lyrics and on the single’s cover artwork, adding a trailblazing female perspective to a song built for western sports fans. 

“In my opinion, this is one of the greatest rodeo anthems of my generation. I’m just saying,” proclaimed Allie Colleen. “There’s something about this song that feels bigger than just music. It carries the kind of energy, grit and resilience that lives inside rodeo culture, the kind that makes you want to turn it up loud, throw your hat on and feel ready for whatever comes next.” 

“Buck It” is available today on all streaming platforms HERE. 

Packed with rodeo grit, cowboy swagger and arena-ready energy, the high-octane track celebrates the fearless spirit of western culture through references that rodeo fans instantly recognize. 

Fueled by hard-hitting lyrics, red dirt imagery and a chant-worthy chorus, “Buck It” captures the adrenaline of eight-second rides, late-night pasture parties and the resilience of cowboy culture. Equal parts anthem and attitude, the track is built for arena speakers, ride-out moments and fans who know that when life gets tough, sometimes you just have to grab your cowboy hat and “buck it.”

Stay current with everything Allie Colleen here.

About Allie Colleen:
Allie Colleen is the kind of artist who can make you laugh, cry and question your life choices, sometimes all in the same song. Equal parts witty storyteller, deep-feeler, dog lover, tattoo enthusiast and unapologetically honest human, Allie has a way of making every room feel like a conversation with an old friend. Whether she is singing about heartbreak, laughing at herself or unpacking life’s beautifully messy moments, her authenticity is impossible to fake and even harder to forget. Somewhere between the jokes and real talk, she just happens to have one of country music’s most powerful voices.
Rooted in timeless country tradition yet infused with modern influence, Allie has quietly become one of independent country music’s most compelling rising voices, known for silencing a room with heartfelt storytelling, emotional clarity and undeniable vocal power. Her music resonates because it feels lived in, honest and deeply human, connecting with audiences through both vulnerability and wit.
With more than 11.9 million streams across Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music, and a social audience exceeding 250,000, Allie’s momentum continues to build. Named an Artist to Watch by outlets including People Country, Holler, Wide Open Country and Country Evolution, she has also been featured on Apple Music Country’s Best New Songs, selected as Artist of the Week on Bobby Bones’ Top 30 Countdown and highlighted by platforms including Nash News, Music Mayhem and Country Thang Daily.
A defining career moment came with her duet alongside Lee Brice, “While We’re Still Friends,” which generated strong organic streaming, earned its worldwide radio premiere on WSM Radio’s Cody, Coffee & Country and surpassed 1.13 million combined video views across platforms. Her touring resume is equally impressive, including dates with Lee Brice, Jelly Roll’s Beautifully Broken Tour, Live In The Vineyard Goes Country, BMI Key West Songwriter Festival and more than 125 national headline performances over the last two years.
Fearless, funny, deeply relatable and entirely her own, Allie Colleen is building a lasting career one honest song at a time.

Music Minute - Mary Garnett Edwards: Boneyard

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Mary Garnett Edwards has spent more than five decades turning her own life into song, and her raw, raspy new single "Boneyard" stands as one of her most haunting works yet. Out now, the track pulls listeners into a money scarce, small town world of poverty, broken trust, and a rage filled ending that closes with a hanging, with Edwards crying out lines like "I walk the road as the moon shines bright, I hear the spirits in the forest night, I feel my knees they are a quiver." It is a performance built on grit, and one that finds Edwards, born in Edmonton and now based in North Vancouver, working at the height of her storytelling powers.

"Boneyard" was produced by Andreas Schuld, one of the most recorded guitarists in Canada, whose credits include work with Long John Baldry and his own project Schuld & Stamer. He is joined on the track by a formidable lineup of Canadian musicians: Pat Steward, known for his work with Bryan Adams and The Odds, on kick drum; Stu MacDonald, whose credits include Crawfish Fiesta and Sue Leonard, on acoustic bass; Gord Maxwell, who has played with Chilliwack and One Horse Blue, on background vocals; and Nashville's Chas Williams, who has recorded with David Gates and Nanci Griffith, on dobro. The track was recorded at Studio Downe Under in Abbotsford and Coa's Hideaway in Maple Ridge, with Soren Lonnqvist and Schuld behind the board, and serves as the latest single from Edwards's upcoming eight song album 'Madhouse.'

Edwards's musical story began at the age of ten, when she started singing, playing guitar, and writing her first songs. By twelve, her mother brought her to the Barricade Coffee House in Edmonton, where she performed her original material, a start that carried her through open mic nights at Vancouver venues including the Classical Joint, Soft Rock Cafe, and Kits House after her move to the coast. In the early seventies, she recorded with songwriter and lead guitarist Doug Mix at Psi Chord Studio, and was part of the original rock band Breeze, where Mix paired her with vocalist Tasi Sharpe to create a sound built on hard hitting vocals and tight harmonies.

Those early sessions with producer Robin Spurgin, founder of Psi Chord Studio, would go on to shape the rest of Edwards's career in an unexpected way. After her husband Doug Edwards, known for his work with Skylark and Chilliwack, passed away from cancer in 2016, Mary rediscovered the original tracks Spurgin had recorded years earlier and decided it was time to sing them again. That rediscovery led to 2019's 'White Lightning,' a thirteen-song album produced by Andreas Schuld and recorded with Soren Lonnqvist, featuring "Robin's Song," written for her longtime friend, along with three songs by Vancouver songwriter John Holbrook. The album's track "I Had a Dream" was later featured in the award-winning documentary The Circle of Eagles.

Across a discography that includes 'Street Spirits,' recorded with Dan Morrow, and 'Garnett Edwards First Stone,' recorded with Doug Edwards in 1997, Edwards has built a body of work defined by honesty and hard-won experience. "Boneyard" continues that tradition, pairing her weathered voice with a story of desperation and consequence that feels pulled straight from the small towns she sings about.

With 'Madhouse' now taking shape and more singles on the way, Mary Garnett Edwards shows no signs of setting down her pen. She has spent a lifetime turning grief, hardship, and hard truths into song, and "Boneyard" proves that well runs as deep as ever. For Edwards, music has always been where the darkest stories get told, and where she keeps finding the next one worth singing. 

Parenting Pointers - How Parents Shape Kids’ Money Habits Through Everyday Choices

For busy parents and caregivers juggling bills, errands, and long to-do lists, the hardest part of teaching money often isn’t explaining it, it’s staying consistent in the moments kids notice most. Parental modeling shapes children’s money habits quietly, turning routine choices into ongoing family financial education without a formal lesson. The tension is that adults want to raise confident savers and thoughtful spenders while also managing stress, impulse buys, and mixed messages at home. With a clearer view of role modeling in parenting, everyday decisions can reinforce healthy financial behavior.

Understanding Financial Socialization

Financial socialization is how kids absorb money attitudes from the patterns they live around, not just the talks they hear. It happens through steady, visible choices, like how you plan, spend, save, and handle trade-offs when money feels tight. Over time, parental influence becomes a default “money script” a child carries into adulthood.

This matters because consistency builds trust and clarity. Kids who see calm, repeatable habits learn that money is something you manage, not something that controls you. That can reduce anxiety later and support healthier decisions around spending, saving, and sharing.

Think of it like learning a language at home. If a child regularly sees you compare prices, set a small savings goal, and pause before buying, those moves become normal. Even quick comments, like why you skip a purchase, teach priorities. A simple household budget makes those patterns easier to repeat and share.

Lock Your Monthly Budget: Convert the Final Spreadsheet to a Shareable PDF

When kids see the same money decisions repeated in real life, the pattern becomes the lesson, so it helps to capture those decisions in a form that doesn’t quietly change week to week. After you’ve finalized your household budget spreadsheet for the month, convert it into a fixed snapshot that the whole family can review. An Excel-to-PDF converter makes that easy; many parents find bookmarking this tool helps them turn a completed sheet into a shareable PDF that looks the same on any device. That “locked” version becomes the agreed-upon plan for the month, which makes it easier for children to understand what you decided and reduces the temptation to nudge categories midstream without noticing.

The real payoff comes from saving each month’s PDF and building a simple archive. Over time, kids can compare snapshots and spot concrete changes, like grocery spending rising one month and dropping the next, and connect those differences to everyday choices and outcomes. Seeing a record of consistent behavior (or inconsistent drift) turns money into something observable, not abstract: plans are made, trade-offs show up, and results accumulate.

Everyday Money Habits Kids Actually Copy

These small practices make money choices visible and predictable, so kids learn by watching you do the same basics again and again. Over time, consistency builds confidence for you and clear patterns for them.

Weekly Money Minute

• What it is: Spend five minutes reviewing what you bought and what you skipped.

• How often: Weekly

• Why it helps: Kids learn that spending decisions have trade-offs, not just totals.

Three-Bucket Money Sort

• What it is: Use envelopes or jars labeled save, spend, and give.

• How often: Per allowance or payment

• Why it helps: Separate buckets make priorities tangible, even for young kids.

Earn First, Then Spend

• What it is: Tie extra purchases to chores or small jobs, not impulse requests.

• How often: Daily

• Why it helps: The primary reason for allowance becomes clear: effort leads to money.

Receipts to Storytime

• What it is: Pick one receipt and explain the “why” behind that choice.

• How often: Weekly

• Why it helps: Kids connect values like health, time, and fun to real purchases.

Family Pause Before Big Buys

• What it is: Wait 24 hours before non-essentials over a set dollar amount.

• How often: Per milestone

• Why it helps: Delays reduce regret and model self-control without lectures.

Money Habits at Home: Questions Parents Ask

Q: What if my partner and I send mixed money messages?
A: Pick one shared rule you both follow, like “we wait one day before extras” or “we talk about trade-offs out loud.” Keep personal differences, like brand preferences, separate from the family rule. Consistency on one or two basics matters more than perfect agreement on everything.

Q: How do I handle it when I mess up and impulse-buy?
A: Say it plainly: “I bought this fast, and I regret it.” Then show a repair step, like returning it, delaying the next purchase, or moving money from “fun” to “needs” to cover it. Kids learn resilience when they see you course-correct without shame.

Q: Can teaching kids about money make them materialistic?
A: It helps to remember money will turn them into materialists is a common misconception, and money skills can be taught as responsibility, not obsession. Tie conversations to values like generosity, patience, and planning. Ask, “What are we choosing more of by not buying this?”

Q: When should I start giving an allowance?
A: A simple option is a modest allowance, paid weekly in cash once your child can count and make small choices. Start small and predictable so it becomes practice money, not a paycheck. Connect it to basic expectations and reserve extra earnings for extra effort.

Q: Should I hide money worries from my kids?
A: Protect them from adult-level stress, but do not hide the idea of limits. Use calm, concrete language like “We are prioritizing bills this week, so extras wait.” That teaches safety and realism at the same time.

Model One Smart Money Choice and Build Your Child’s Future

Kids hear plenty of money talk, but the tougher challenge is keeping daily choices consistent when adults feel stretched or disagree. The steady approach is simple: model smart money choices in ordinary moments, and let parental consistency do the teaching. Over time, that repeatable example shapes the impact of financial habits, nudging kids toward better long-term financial outcomes without turning home into a classroom. Kids learn money most from what parents repeat, not what they explain. Pick one money behavior to model this week and repeat it in the same situation each time. Those small signals compound into a stronger, steadier children’s financial future.