Growing Up

The child's birthday party. Gone are the days in which cake, candles and balloons are considered an adequate celebration of a birthday. Nowadays it seems that a birthday party isn't complete without pulling out all the stops. In the past few months we've received countless invitations to birthday parties. With each envelope opened, it seems that parties keep getting more and more elaborate. From exciting venues to expertly printed invitations birthday parties have gotten out of hand, and I for one refuse to compete. Several years ago, I hosted a beautifully orchestrated first birthday party for my sweet daughter. As my guest list grew, so did my menu and my budget. Before I knew it, I was hosting a party...

If you've ever been bullied, I'm sure some well-meaning adult taught you to repeat, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." But they are wrong. They are so very wrong. Don't believe me? Did your parent or grandparent ever say something to you that to this day still has some sting to it? Childhood bullies can have that same effect, and it can stay with you for a lifetime. All words matter, and they are long-lasting scars that never truly heal. We carry the baggage for the rest of our lives. The load certainly feels lighter with time, but it never goes away.  To My Childhood Bullies :: Your Words Do Hurt I'm sharing my story...

Parenthood is full of passing moments. Even though we desperately try to remember every fleeting precious memory, it just doesn't happen. Blame the lack of energy, the gray hair, the mom brain, but unless you journal pretty regularly, the reality of the present is sometimes forgotten. However, there are those moments that stop you in your tracks. The moments that give you a wider glimpse into the world through your child's eyes. Moments that bring you to the edge of your heart exploding right out of your chest. My most recent near-heart explosion happened a few weeks ago on Christmas. No, it wasn't the mad dash to see what gifts were under the tree that morning or the high-pitched, off-key...

A year and a half ago my husband and I got married so I suppose you could say, technically we’re still in the “newlywed” stage. But given our circumstances, this stage has certainly been accelerated. This is because both my husband and I have been married (not to each other) and divorced before. We met at work and after a few years we decided to get married over boudin balls and streetcars. No fancy proposal and not even a ring, and I wanted it that way. When I told family and friends we were going to get married I don’t think they even believed me. We jetted off about 6 months later to San Francisco and eloped at City Hall....

This blog post is the first installment of a collaborative 5-part series entitled The Mother Within.  "What is my purpose?" I must ask myself this countless times a day. I know I must be good at something. Everyone has something they are good at, I’ve heard. I once listed out the things I felt I excelled out and came up with: Googling, reading, finding indie bands, dressing my kids, putting on makeup (on myself only), looking up various things on Google Earth and decorating my home. That’s it. SURELY there are real things that I have talent in. I just can’t for the life of me find what they are. I have always felt that I was meant for great things. Even as a small...