Encouragement

6:55 am in red letters on the stove clock. “Kids, let’s go. If we don’t hurry up, we will be late.” Now I see 7:00 am ... keep calm but we gotta get moving. “Bennett, you have enough toys for the 10 min car ride to school. You don’t NEED a bad guy. Buzz, Ninja Turtles, and Jake can all be friends in the car. How about we play nice and don’t bring a bad guy? Oh whatever, just get in the car.” “Avery, I understand you don’t like your shoes. You tell me every morning, but those are part of your uniform. The car is open, go get in your seat and buckle up!!” OK, kids out the door, lights...

In Part 1 of my post, I shared our typical day of being a mom and working full-time.  Now, I wanted to take some time to go into the reasons why I work, my tips for balancing life and work, and my advice for dealing with that "mommy guilt" that we all struggle with one way or another. Top reasons I feel that working full time works best for my family: Money - Life is expensive. Period. No explanation needed. Schooling- I went to college then graduate school to pursue a degree where I could make a difference in this world and I want to use it. Continuing Education and Intellectual Stimulation - I enjoy learning new techniques and procedures that will better...

Since I just had my second baby and am headed kicking and screaming back to work, I know that I'm going to have to answer the question: To pump or not to pump? Providing freshly expressed breast milk for my little one is a labor of love that doesn't come from a grocery store. I choose to breast feed my babies for as long as I can when I go back to work; then, I just supplement as needed. So... How do I manage the task of juggling my inquisitive middle school students while attempting this task? Here's some helpful tips I've come to know and love in this process. -Be in the know. Go ahead and have that awkward...

Last week's post generated a great deal of feedback, which is so great.  I think that it's important for us as moms to dialogue about this topic as much as possible, so we can begin to be more aware of and sensitive of others. So, how can we remain passionate about our decisions while offering support to other moms with differing views? This is the part that is tricky.  For example, I am sure that the well-meaning mother I met at the park has researched natural birth in-depth, and she probably can explain to me why natural birth is BETTER.  And because her knowledge of that is so deep, she felt compelled to educate me.  But here is the problem with...

I am currently reading a book called Desperate by Sally Clarkson and Sarah Mae. It is real-life dialog between two women of different seasons. One is a mom of young children "desperate" to breathe. The other is a mom of adult children finally seeing the "fruits of her labor." One line in the book really spoke to me. Sarah Mae says, "I can only offer what has helped me: making a very conscious choice to be in the Word, eating the bread of life every day, and recognizing that I am not my bad days." As a mom of two young children, I often struggle with the idea that I am failing them. If I lose my temper, don't feed...