Last week, I posted this video to my Facebook page, and it seemed to resonate with many of you. . . . Earlier this year, we asked women about their lifestyle – nearly half said they were feeling moderately or extremely stressed & shockingly 40% feel like they’re about to burn out. We weren’t surprised, we feel it too. From our everyday never-ending ‘to do’ lists to the pressure the…
We were reading on the couch one day when she looked up, “Mom, I want to be just like you when I grow up.” What do you mean, sweetheart? “Just that you’re a really good Mommy, and I want to be just like you.” In that moment I realized how much I had been doubting myself as a mom. What a gift she gave me that day. ***** Do you…
It was April 19, 2007 when I waddled into my third checkup in less than a week. At just under 39 weeks pregnant, my blood pressure was creeping up, and they wanted to keep an eye on it. I looked into the mirror and hardly recognized my pudgy cheeks and swollen eyes. Glancing down at my feet spilling out of a pair of Crocs, I pressed a thumb into my…
Certain moments in the lives of my children have turned me into a weepy mess. The last nursing session, the first haircut (he looks so grown up!), the last day of preschool, the first loose tooth (and the first GIGANTIC adult tooth). These are the moments when Jeff and I look at each other, sigh, and say, “Our babies aren’t babies anymore.” But if I’m being completely honest, after the…
As a mom I say NO. A lot. It’s part of the job. NO keeps my kids safe. NO separates right from wrong. NO keeps me sane. NO helps me mold rambunctious kids into polite adults. But lately I’ve been experimenting with something. It hit me that many times I said NO out of habit. Reflex. I say NO without even considering saying YES. When my kids were tiny, NO was…
I walked into the kids’ bathroom today and as the light streamed in, the mirror looked like this. I saw globs of toothpaste in the sink, trash on the floor, and the rug crumpled against the bathtub. My first reaction was to sigh in annoyance. So I was surprised when I caught myself sighing in gratitude. I started to think about what would have to happen for my house to be spotless. It…
Our family just spent three months in Montana. Three glorious months when our kids could run and play outside all day long. We lived at the top of a hill overlooking a small town. This was our view from the front yard. Aside from being breathtaking, it was the perfect place for Joe and Leila to play outside without me checking on them every two seconds. There weren’t any cars because…