My frustration reached the point where, instead of trying to protect our time, I was becoming almost aggressively defensive of our daily lives. I wouldn’t let anything, or worse, anyone, into our world who threatened to knock the cards down.
Earlier this year, a friend, just shy of bringing home baby #3, asked me a question I know I’ve asked myself on more than one occasion: “Am I crazy to have more than two children?” I was startled at first, mostly because our little town is packed with large families. But then I returned right … [Read more…]
I can still hear her voice, all these years later, as I watch my daughters learn the give and take of our most vital relationships, around their Gran’s table.
When I started writing on this platform about a year ago, it was my hope to integrate what I’ve learned at the hospital bedside as a nursing instructor with the lessons I’m learning as I raise my daughters. As an instructor, I have the opportunity to work with students from all walks of life, but … [Read more…]
As we were packing for a trip to Disney World last month, I had that constant feeling of being unsettled, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. The day we left, it finally clicked. My husband called me, attempting to pack up one car while I sat in the carpool line to get … [Read more…]
I think a piece of the magic that Disney gives parents is amnesia. Lots of people, crying children, glitter and tiaras abound. Children are having a mostly amazing time, while their parents look exhausted and confused.
starkest realization for me during her recovery was that I could still have feelings of gratitude, but I could simultaneously buckle under the mental weight of caring for my family.
This piece originally appeared on For Every Mom in December 2018. STen years can feel like a lifetime, or just yesterday, depending on my mood of the moment. A decade ago, I started this adventure, which would totally change my body, mind, and spirit. The latter two for the better, but the former, well, not … [Read more…]
I seriously thought about entitling this essay “Why I Suck at Slowing Down in Advent”, but that seemed slightly irreverent. I really do love Christmastime, since there is so much fun to be had under our roof and in our community. With four small girls hustling and bustling through each and every day, I can’t … [Read more…]
This post originally appeared as a contribution to The Today Show Parenting Team in September 2018. Her blonde curls bounced on her back as she made her way, with trepidation, up those cement stairs. The administrator had prepped all the parents at the open house the week prior: “Be prepared to say goodbye to your … [Read more…]