Encouragement

The One Hobby I Did Not Have To Give Up As A Full-Time Working Mom When I first embarked on this dangerous journey we call motherhood, one of the first things I did was stop putting myself first. Feeling tired? The baby had to eat first. Feeling hungry? The baby needs a change first. Need a shower? The baby can’t be left alone, have to wait for my husband to come home. And the list goes on and on and on and on. After I began the habit of putting myself last, I also fell into a routine of not making time for the things I enjoyed. Before I had babies I was an avid runner, exercised regularly, read often, tried...

Season Of Thankfulness Life is so busy. Even in the moments that aren’t automatically filled with things to do, things happen. Things keep happening that are out of our control. I just spent an hour dealing with my tires. It’s not a big deal but it is time consuming.  Sometimes it’s hard to see the wonderful things because of all of the not-so-wonderful things happening. But the wonderful things are what matters the most. Thirty years from now, I won’t be thinking about how many stores I had to visit to get the perfect glitter color. I’ll be remembering Jack and Jacob making things with the glitter. I won’t remember how much I called my parents and friends to complain about...

In My Bad Friend Era Growing up I didn’t have a large group of friends. I had a select few I could confide in until I reached high school. Then that circle got even smaller. I found myself becoming friends with guys more often than girls. Why? Because guys are easier, they aren’t so dependent on connection. This of course came with a whole set of its own problems though. You know the problems I’m talking about. It’s not too hard to figure out. Then I reached my twenties and shortly after having my daughter, I found my forever best friend. In fact, I won’t even call her my best friend. That woman is my soul sister. Through and through. I...

Mothering Through Grief During The Holidays As the holiday season approaches, I feel a sense of dread come over me. Seeing all of the Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations fill the store shelves is not giving me the same excitement that it has in the past. And instead of excitement about Christmas, I feel anxiety. This year is different. You see, my mom passed away earlier this year so this will be my first holiday season without her. Grief is funny because I didn’t always spend the holidays with my mom, so that's not really what has me feeling down. In fact, since I moved away from my hometown and started my own family, we often choose to make memories in our...

When is the last time that you spent uninterrupted, quality time with your kiddo? Let me clarify before you answer. Not you doing something and your kiddo is there with you, not both of you on screens but in the same proximity, not riding in the car listening to music or the radio… I mean quality time. Time where you bond on a deeper level, where distractions are not allowed, conversation is purposeful, and your kiddo is your number one focus. Why is this so important? Isn’t observing your child’s behavior, spending time together (even though you’re multitasking in that time), and reassuring your kids that you will always be there for them when they need, good enough? After all, our...