Encouragement

Mourning a Dear Friend :: Crystal Welch I'm mourning the loss of my dear friend Crystal Welch, whose passing has left a gaping hole in my life and the lives of those who loved her. I have yet to tell her nephews. In the initial stages of grief, I'm struggling to come to terms with the news, feeling numb and disbelieving. It's hard to accept that someone so full of life and joy could be gone so soon. Crystal was more than just a friend; she was a loving aunt to my sons, a constant presence at every milestone, and a force of nature who embraced life with enthusiasm and passion who also loved snow boots. As the reality of her...

Taking Back My Power I never did ask for much. Maybe that was the problem. Spending the greater part of my life accepting the bare minimum became my downfall. Trying so hard to fit into preconceived notions just to keep the peace. Never standing up for myself and what I wanted. From the time I was a teenager until my early thirties, I constantly ached for people to just like me that I never went after what I really deserved. But that’s changing. I no longer look for others approval when it comes to my life and how I decide to live it. I walk to the beat of my own drum, and if anyone has a problem with it, oh well....

Technology, Electronics, Screen Time, Oh My… Most of us know we spend too much time in front of a computer screen, our televisions, or our phones. Technology consumes so much of our daily lives. The time we spend checking our emails for work, scrolling mindlessly on our phones, coming home to binge our favorite television show, or playing video games can get overwhelming. Recognizing how often we are mindlessly glued to a screen is essential. Managing how much screen time for yourself and your family is easier than you think. Here are four ways to limit screen time: Do not be Alice, following the white rabbit. If you are like me, you probably scroll social media mindlessly, not even realizing how often you...

The Advantages Being an "Older" Mom I wasn't one of those women who had aspirations to be a mother growing up. I blame this on being the oldest of 4 children and not ever really feeling like a child. In the workforce, I would encounter working mothers and had no idea how they did it, working all day and then going home to take care of someone else. It sounded so exhausting. I had devoted my adult life to my career and traveling, but I was always missing something. Fast forward to age 37 when I married a man who had two young daughters and my life forever changed. I fell in love with two little girls, and I loved having a...

Kindergarten Chapter 2 :: “We Finally Did It!” You hear about someone else’s child getting held back for Kindergarten until it is yours. My oldest son and I navigated many tears while doing Kindergarten over again. In Spring 2023, I felt thrown into a closed door when I was told my child would not advance to 1st grade. Months before his first Kindergarten school year was over, he was diagnosed with ADD. At first, we thought it was ADHD, but he doesn’t experience the hyperactivity. Personally, my family and I decided not to medicate our son because, for us, the cons outweighed the pros. We gave him Saffron gummies and other vitamins instead to help our son during test days. Fast...