Encouragement

In 2022, we’re all aware of the need for self-care. Whether it be a corporate office pretending to give a crap by extending lunch breaks or a spouse that feels they exemplified selflessness by “letting” a mom shower in peace, there’s a lot of pretending out there when it comes to self-care. Self-care in Motherhood It shouldn’t even be such a buzzword in motherhood because the idea around self-care when you’re a mom is to simply take tiny bits of time to “recharge,” just to go back to motherhood. When will society accept moms are people, too? The thing is, while there’s a ton of support around taking care of yourself, even as a mom *gasp*, there’s a lot of judgment in the...

Within moments of our son David’s birth, I was encouraged to breastfeed him. Before David was born, my husband and I had planned that I would breastfeed our boy. Not just for all the health benefits we heard about but also because we are the kind of folk who try to save money - after all, kids are expensive! We invested in a breast pump and a really cool pillow that David could lie on so that I wouldn’t have to hold him up to feed him. We felt we were set up for success. I would hold David close and rub his back while he fed. I’d look into his little eyes and sing songs like “You Are My...

Monday morning ... here you are again. Most Monday mornings I am ready to greet the week feeling rested and accomplished now that my meal prepping is done and the laundry isn't just washed but folded. This week however, I did none of that. This particular weekend involved lots of whining kiddos and another failed attempt at potty training. My family fun attempt at the Highland Park splash pad was chaotic and involved too many sunscreen applications for a 30 minute outing at most. And WHY? WHY IS IT SO HOT? On this particular Monday, I hit the snooze button far too many times. I had to dig 4 kids clothes out of the massive pile of unfolded laundry and send...

I have a distinct memory of sitting in the backyard of the house I grew up in, asking my mom to play Barbie Dolls with me. “Sweetie,” she said, “Mommy will dress the Barbies and brush their hair, how about you make them talk?” I remember thinking, as a five-year-old, that this was so odd. How could my mom not want to engage 24/7 in the imaginative play that my sister, my friends, and I delighted in and couldn’t get enough of? But now? I get it. I absolutely adore overhearing my five, seven, and even two-year old use their imaginations for pretend play. My five-year-old has especially dramatic voices she uses for her dolls and my seven-year-old can set...

7:42 a.m. Day 1 of summer break. My youngest, 11, comes up to me and lays in my lap as I am working. I already know what she is about to say because we have been here so many times before. "I'm boooooored," she moans. "I can't help you. You have plenty to do." She marches off, mad and mumbling to herself. I remember being that age and home during summer break. I spent my afternoons playing outside or with friends. I never told my mom that I was bored because she would just give me chores to do. I learned that lesson pretty quickly. My kids have also learned the same lesson. When my children were younger, I would plan out their summers. Bucket lists of...